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12.21.2012

a group giveaway!


DAY 12


Welcome to the last day of Jessica Who?'s 12 Days of Giveaways event!
Today's Prize:
Jessica's friends have joined together to give ONE of you 36 PRIZES!




































36 prizes. 1 winner. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: This post was put together by Jessica Who?. No person is responsible for the shipment or execution of any prizes except for the prize that they donated. Please refer to the Rafflecopter form for complete terms and conditions.
  Feeling lucky? Enter these giveaways too!

12.01.2012

holiday ornament swap


I love December for three reasons.
One, because my birthday is in December.
Two, because of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Who doesn't love hot girls in skimpy underwear?!


And three, because of Christmas!
I love decorating and looking at all the pretty lights in the neighborhood.
Drinking hot chocolate and wearing knee high socks.
Good times to be had for sure.


In celebration of the holidays this year and to help get into the Christmas spirit, Jessah at Dreaming of Dimples and Erin from Living in Yellow put together an ornament swap for Christmas and I just got my ornament in the mail the other day!

Myranda from Pretty Living PDX sent me this cute little flamingo ornament. Thanks girl! It's so cute!


Sadly, this year I will not be decorating my own tree and hanging lights, so this is the best picture I could come up with.

Fortunately, though, I do have a very good reason for not decorating a tree.
I had to make a big decision about school and what direction I wanted to go in, so I wasn't sure what I would be doing and where I would be for Christmas.
But I finally made a decision and just bought my plane ticket today!
I won't be spending Christmas stateside this year...

Do you think you can guess where I'll be?
I'll give you a little clue:



Looks amazing, doesn't it?
Yeah, I'm pretty dang lucky I must admit!
You'll have to come back in a couple days to find out what my destination is. :)

Does anyone else have any exciting plans for Christmas?
Do share, and if you participated in the ornament swap - don't forget to link up!
You can do that here or here.



Happy December 1st!


11.29.2012

follow + find friday {blog hop}

Today I'm co-hosting a super fun link-up with Nicole from Me + the Moon.


Thanks for joining us! So let's get to it:

1. Follow your hosts. 
They will be numbers 1 - 4 on the list. I try to always follow back, but it's a tad easier for me if you leave a comment letting me know you're new here. :) My co-hosts this week are Misty over at Monkeys and Tutus  Terri over at Rambling Momma + Nicole over at Sunkissed with a Twist!

  2. Link up your blog's main page

3. Try to stop by at least 3 blogs and follow ones you love. 
I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment, as well :)

4. Take a button! 
Sharing is caring :) The more awesome blogs = the more awesome bloggy friends you make.




5. Tweet this hop!
Spread the hop love. 
I've decided to make this hop every other Friday for the time being-- e-mail me at nmariephoto@gmail.com if you'd like to co-host! 

11.28.2012

a love note & momma's texas chili

The other day I was at campus in the computer lab studying for an exam.
I was minding my own business, looking over my note cards, reading my text book, and trying to memorize 20 different pieces of art.
I just caught a cold so I was still wearing my comfy clothes that I had slept in for the last two days, had dirty hair (thank goodness for dry shampoo!), and my mouth hanging open because I couldn't breathe through my nose.
Yeah, I'm sexy like that.

So as I'm sitting there cramming for my test, a tall guy walks by and drops a note on my desk, but keeps walking briskly, around the corner and out of view.


Oh crap. 
What now? What is this guy trying to bug me about? Is he writing me a note to tell me to shut my mouth because I look like a weirdo and I need to wash my hair because I stink?

Upon opening it, I saw this:



Shit's deep, yo.
As you can imagine, I was surprised.
And flattered.
And impressed that he knows when to properly use your and you're
At first it made me smile...
I've gotten random phone numbers before, but no one had ever taken the time to write me a poem.

Then, I felt a little awkward.
I hadn't even seen his face so I had no idea what he looked like.
Um, was he creepin' and watching me read the letter?
I don't think so because I was sort of in a nook the way computer lab was set up, and the way he walked out - there was no way to spy on me.
But what about when I left the computer lab?
Would he be hanging around the library or the elevators or in the student center, waiting for me to walk past so he could follow me out to my car?
I hoped not.
Creepy is an understatement.

Thankfully, as far as I know, he wasn't hanging around anywhere.
But, like I said I didn't see his face, so I guess I'll never really know for sure.
Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make here, is either this guy is the best guy in the world or a serial killer waiting for me to make the wrong move... and hopefully it's not the latter!
If I go missing, we'll all know it was this guy.
Good thing the boyfriend saved the number, so if that did ever happen, he'd be able to track the weirdo.

Speaking of best guys in the world aka my boyfriend - he had the fantastic idea to make chili for dinner last night! {That was probably the most awkward transition ever, but hey. That's how things go around here.}


Growing up, as a kid I remember my mom making the best chili in the world.
Texas style of course.
It was perfect chili for a chilly night, snuggled up on the couch ready to watch a movie.
It's been a while since I've had my mom's chili, but I think mine is almost as good as hers.
Almost. Nothing beats my momma's finger lickin' good cookin'. Love you momma! :)
Oh - I usually put cilantro and avocado slices on top of my chili, but sadly I had none.

Here's the recipe you should try if you ever get a hankerin' for some delicious Texas Chili:



Momma's Texas Chili

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 can of Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeños
  • 1/2 chopped white onion
  • 1 chopped tomato
  • 8-12 oz of tomato sauce
  • 3-5 minced cloves of garlic
  • a heaping amount of cumin (I love cumin so you can add as much as you like)
  • 3-4 dashes of fajita seasoning
  • salt & pepper
  • a dash of cayenne
  • 2 dashes of chili powder
  • 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
  • 1 avocado
  • shredded mexican mix of cheese
  • fritos

In a saucepan on medium-high heat, brown the beef and onions. Season with salt and pepper, cumin, and fajita seasoning. Once browned, add the minced garlic, chopped tomato, and saute e for about 1 minute. Add the Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeños (bean juice included) and the tomato sauce to the saucepan. Rinse the tomato sauce can with a small amount of water and add it to the the saucepan too (you don't want to add too much water, because then you'll have to add flour to thicken up the chili). Season the sauce with more salt, pepper, fajita seasoning, cayenne, cumin, and chili powder. Taste it to make sure you don't need to add anything else. 

Keep the temperature at medium-high heat until the sauce begins to slightly bubble. Then reduce the temperature to low so it can simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes. Then stir in 3/4 of the cilantro. Serve in a bowl with shredded cheese, avocado slices and cilantro as a garnish. Grab a handful of Frito Scoops to put on the side.

Now go make this chili and eat your little heart out. Then come back to tell me how delicious it was.
Happy chili night, my friends.

P.S. You can make chili dogs for dinner the next night with the left overs, if there are any. Your tummy and your hubby will thank you. :)