Flight Delays, Gratitude, & Favorite Holiday Traditions

If you can name one thing worse than winter storm flight cancellations in Kansas during the weekend after thanksgiving, now would be the time to speak up! I am currently on my second cancellation in 24 hours due to icy conditions and I would be lying if I said that my gracious, thankful attitude wasn't getting worn a bit thin. 

Of course it is ridiculous for me to get so worked up over something like flight cancellations when there are real problems in the world. I have a loving, happy, healthy family, great friends, a beautiful home, an amazing boyfriend, a job that I enjoy, and so many other blessings in my life that far outweigh the negatives! 

But I really just want to get home so I can decorate for christmas and get into the Christmas freaking spirit gosh darn it!!! In the wise words of Buddy (the Elf), I am an angry elf right now. And also maybe a cotton-headed-ninny-muggins but that's another story...

Anyways, I have decided to entertain myself by making a list of my favorite holiday traditions...

1. Christmas Movies! Love Actually, Elf, The Family Stone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Holiday, The Polar Express, I love them all!

2. Christmas Music! I love listening to She & Him, Ariana Grande, Ceelo's christmas albums right now, but the oldies are amazing too, and I'm a sucker for country christmas music...

3. Making Christmas Cookies! My dad always makes his famous chocolate chip cookies at christmas and they are so delicious :) I also like making and decorating sugar cookies, but they definitely don't taste as good as his! Then, to counter the sweetness of the cookies, my mom makes AMAZING trash (chex mix not garbage haha) and I spend a good 60% of the holidays alternating between cookies and trash!

4. Decorating the tree. There is something so magical about making some hot cocoa, putting on some christmas music, and getting out the ornaments to decorate the tree. My parents tree is always covered in the ornaments my sister and I made when we were little and it brings back so many great memories to see them all on our tree :)

5. Pajamas! Every year we all get a pair of cozy pajamas on christmas eve and everyone has to sleep in them and wear them the next morning. I am all about those footie pajamas...

6. Napping by the fire. After the presents are opened, we're all full of pancakes and coffee, and everyone is comfy and warm, I love to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book and relax. 

7. Spending time with family. This is my absolute favorite thing about the holidays! Especially now that we don't live in the same state I am so excited to get to spend part of the holidays with them. None of the other parts of christmas would even matter without getting to experience it with family and friends!

These are just a few of my favorite things about christmas! What are some of your best memories and favorite traditions from the holiday season??

E

Easy Like A Sunday Morning

Rain pouring down outside. Chicken & wild rice soup on the stove. And apple pie in the oven. It may not feel like November outside right now, but inside our cozy, little apartment it sure does smell like it! 

I really do love our little life down here in Florida. Being far away from family is tough but its been so neat to grow as a couple on our own. It makes you really appreciate the small things like the times you DO get to spend with family but also the times where you only have each other to rely on. 

During the week we are so busy with our respective jobs that weekends have become our refuge. Maybe I'm just becoming an old lady but there is honestly nothing better than spending the weekend in your sweatpants, cooking good food, watching Mountain Men, and relaxing on the couch with a couple of dogs, my babe, and some coffee. 

Now we just have to work up the motivation to pack everything up for our move next week! I can't believe that this is our second to last weekend in our apartment, but we are both so excited to finally get into the new house. Moving is a huge part of the military life but it is still a big old pain in the you-know-what! Good thing we have such amazing friends to come help us get in gear...you know who you are...haha!

Anyways, change is in the air & the next couple of weeks will be pretty darn exciting :) Getting into our new place right before the holidays and being able to decorate, buy a huge christmas tree, bake in our new kitchen, and have friends over to celebrate makes me so happy. There is nothing better than being able to share these times with good friends and family and I have a feeling that 2015 is going to go out with a bang!

Happy Sunday :)

Easy Peasy Cheesey Cake

We are living the Saturday life over here in the Nardi/Morgan household, and we are doing it right. The house smells like coffee, pumpkin candle, and Churro Cheesecake which is baking in the oven right now. I have a feeling it will be a dessert-before-dinner night...

This is the first time I've used this specific recipe and there are definitely a couple of things I will be doing differently next time (like make my own dough or used pie crust instead of pre-made biscuit dough). 

But overall, this is an easy to make, yummy, fall recipe that is quick and delicious.

All you have to do is mix...
Two 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese
One large egg
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

...into your food processor like you would if you were making frosting. When it is smooth and fully mixed then you're good to go. 

Set the oven to 350, and grease a baking pan heavily with butter then sprinkle the bottom with cinnamon sugar (I mixed in a little bit of brown sugar with this too because I like it on my pie crusts).

Next, fit your dough (or as this recipe called for, the Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough) into the bottom of the pan and pour the cheesecake mix on top. Put a second layer of dough (the second can of crescent rolls dough) on top, and douse it with another hefty layer of cinnamon sugar mix. 

Pop it in the oven for 30-35 minutes and enjoy as your whole house fills up with the amazing smell of baked cinnamon sugar. Viola!

Easy peasy cheesey cake that anyone can make :)

I found this original recipe on 

http://therecipecritic.com/2013/04/churro-cheesecake/