1. I went out to play billiards with the boy last night, and luckily for me, playing pool is like riding a bike – you never really forget how. I used to play a lot when I was younger, but prior to last night, it had been about 5 years since the last time I held a cue. I may have started off a bit rusty, but I was kicking some serious butt by the end… assuming that he wasn’t just letting me win 😉
2. Am I the only one who can’t put her Christmas tree up in one go? My building doesn’t allow real trees, and while you’d think that working with an artificial tree would be a lot easier, it’s actually a pain in the butt. Between struggling to spread out all the branches (my forearms are mangled) and getting all of the lights on, I just wasn’t up for decorating the first night I brought it out… But it’s done now, and I kind of love it…
3. Speaking of Christmas trees, the coffee addict in me couldn’t resist picking up one of the mini takeaway cup ornaments from Starbucks. It doesn’t really match the rest of my tree, but it never fails to make me smile.
4. And speaking of coffee, I had a debate the other day about whether it tastes better in a takeaway cup or a mug. The verdict? No agreement could be reached and an outside opinion is needed. I spend hours sitting in Starbucks, but 99.9% of the time I still get my coffee to-go. It’s probably not the most environmentally-friendly habit, but I just don’t enjoy drinking it out of a mug as much. Why? There’s just too much mug and it ends up feeling clunky and heavy. The less fluff between me and my coffee, the better.
5. I’ve just recently discovered the adorableness that is @insta_animal on Instagram. Ridiculously cute pictures of animals in my feed? Uhm. Yes please.
6. I’ve also recently discovered the deliciousness that is adding nutmeg to yogurt. I’ve always been a fan of the cinnamon route, but the addition of nutmeg has been rocking my socks off lately.
7. Have you guys been enjoying ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas? I haven’t. I cancelled my cable subscription after about a year of living in my new place since I could basically count on one hand the times I actually sat down to watch TV, and while I don’t usually miss it, this is one of the rare occasions where I do. Good thing I’m pretty stocked when it comes to holiday movies…
8. Comfytube.com might just be one of the greatest things ever. I have a gas fireplace and the thing I miss most about a wood-burning fireplace is the crackling sound of the logs. Problem solved; and the music isn’t half bad either. In fact, I may or may not be listening to it as we speak.
9. The weather has been bad in these parts, like: ‘let’s-dump-a-sh*t-tonne-of-snow-on-Edmonton’ bad. Luckily, deliverance is at hand – I’m going down to Vegas in about a week, and I cannot wait to see some warm weather and sunshine instead of this:
10. So, remember how I mentioned that recipe I have in the works? Here’s a teaser…
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Coffee: takeaway cup or mug?
Do you watch much TV? Favorite shows?
Just stumbled on your blog through Meghan’s blog (After the Ivy League). Love it! And now I’m wondering about your super secret recipe… 🙂
Awwr! Well thanks for saying hi, Haley! The super secret recipe won’t be secret for -too- much longer, but it involves bananas, almond butter, and chocolate 😀
I ALWAYS play some sort of fire/music combo around this time of year- love it that you do too! haha. We are Christmas crazy people 😀 I LOVELOVELOVE your tree!!!!!! Sooooo gorgeous!!!! The roomies and I got a big fake tree, but with exams, none of us has had time to decorate it yet 🙁 At least it’s still nice to have a tree, even if it’s bare. Nutmeg on Greek yogurt!? YUM! I always do cinnamon too, but nutmeg sounds ridiculously amazing- I’ll be trying that asap! Oh, and obviously I immediately turned on the comfytube channel… It creates the perfect studying ambience 🙂
Can’t wait for the recipe!
Your tree looks so pretty!! I’ve actually never had a real tree so I’m all for the fake ones haha I’ve been trying to enjoy ABC family’s count down lol but seem to keep falling asleep mid movie :p
You should try cinnamon AND nutmeg! It is quite delicious 😀
I have been LOVING the abc family channel so far this season. I just watched a movie last night called A Bride for Xmas which was super cute, and they also had on Home Alone and Polar Express, two of my favs 🙂
I dont have any Bucks ornaments, but I do have a gift card holder from there that I thought was super adorable 🙂
I love those Starbucks ornaments. I definitely think coffee tastes best in a mug. I always bring my own thermos there for that reason! My absolute favorite show is Modern Family, and I’ll watch pretty much anything on Food Network. I have my guilty pleasures, too. Teen Mom 2 anyone?! Haha, hope you have a great weekend!
I have that same mini starbucks coffee cup ornament (just the older version!) I blogged about it being one of my favorite ornaments, because…let’s face it…Starbucks is amazing.
I tend to get most of my drinks in to-go cups, but I’m pretty fond of getting cappuccinos in mugs if I’m going to be sitting awhile. The foam is easier to enjoy and I like having a bigger surface area to sprinkle cinnamon. =)
Starbucks is definitely amazing, and it now holds a special place in my heart (still remember that song you linked my about falling in love in a coffee shop 😉 ). And good point about mugs having a larger surface area for sprinkling, but I think coffee is the only place where I don’t like adding cinnamon…
Oh I much prefer the take-away coffee to drinking in – it’s all about the overall experience! I love the paper cups. You get the envious looks for co-workers when you bring one of those bad boys into the office.
We rarely watch TV. We much prefer to buy DVDs and boxsets and go at our own pace with them (weekend marathons…). I just hate watching adverts! Favourite TV show at the moment is definitely Grey’s Anatomy and Fringe. Love them! And Family Guy…
Your Christmas tree looks beautiful! Love all the christmas things in this post. Gets me excited for the season. I’m totally with you on coffee out of a mug. Something about it just doesn’t taste as good as when it’s in a to go cup. Totally agree!
ahhhh! your recipes are some of my favorites. can’t wait for it! i need a baked good – asap!
Your tree looks gorgeous! My roommate and I never bothered to set ours up. 😛 And back at home my family never sets one up until closer to Christmas, so I guess I have a few more treeless weeks!
Hmm coffee tastes good in both takeaway cups and mugs to me… but it tastes so much worse in travel mugs, I’ve decided! So when I’m on the go, even though I know it’s a lot less environmentally friendly, I tend to get the takeaway cups.
I don’t actually watch much tv, but I like to have it on in the background when I’m doing research and assignments. It’s almost always turned to Friends or The Food Network haha. The only shows I actually sit down to watch are Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, and Glee!
!! I’ve never thought about that, but you’re right! Coffee does taste a lot worse in a travel mug. Or it might just be because I tend to associate coffee in travel mugs with early morning classes 😆
As environmentally unfriendly as it is, I think the to go cup tastes better. But still force myself to get a mug when I stay there. Also, don’t watch a ton of TV but do loovvee 25 Days of Christmas 🙂
Hahah omg I’m so glad you brought up the mug/coffee cup issue! I HATE drinking tea out of a to-go cup but much prefer coffee in the latter! Even if I’m sitting in Starbucks, I will always order it in the to-go cups…it’s one of those inexplicable situations that only a fellow java drinker can understand ;)! I go through phases with watching TV and when I do, my favorite shows are Downton Abbey, Suits and Modern Family…although I can’t watch them weekly because one episode is never enough! I like to wait till at least 4-5 episodes are out and then have a marathon session :)!
I don’t even have a TV in my tiny apartment have been going through Christmas movie withdrawal. I will have to make sure to get a few favorites on ABC when I stay with my parents. I like takeaway cups better as well and actually buy them sometimes to make my own drinks to bring to class…at least they are compostable! 😉
Your tree looks gorgeous, so glamorous!
I don’t drink coffee, but anything hot needs to be in a mug or in my starbucks straw-cup for me. I love that old fashioned way and besides that I am terrified that there could be some kind of poison in these take away cups 🙂
Love your christmas tree, so beautiful!! Can’t wait for the recipe!!
I *always* ask for my coffee in a takeaway cup because I can’t bear the thought of even two drops of my beverage going to waste! Cappuccinos are best when they’re extra hot, and a white lid ensures that they stay that way longer. 😉 If my cup isn’t damaged or soggy by the time I’m finished, I’ll often take it home with me so that I can use it again the next morning. I do this even more often during the holidays; there’s something extra special about those red cups. 😉
Thanks to you, Insta_animal is the latest addition to my Instagram feed. Just added! Nothing makes my heart go pitter patter more than a ridiculously adorable puppies and pandas!
I’m excited about this mystery recipe…do I spy chocolate chips? Or pumpkin? And speaking of food-related things…Please send me your address!! You’ll be sipping a cookie in a cup very soon. 😉 xoxo
You can seriously have the perfect Christmas up there. This is the best fake tree I’ve ever seen, the snow is amazing and so is everything else. There is no Christmas spirit here at all (you can buy everything and still feel nothing) and the chance of snow is below zero even though it’s cold. I’m jealous!
You’re welcome to come visit any time 😀
Wow that tree is absolutely gorgeous! I love sitting by my Christmas tree and reading, journaling, or watching a movie. My favorite TV show is Private Practice. Can’t get enough of it! And I’ve also been into Four Weddings lately too 🙂
Take away mug all the way! but i’m usually not in one place long enough for a real mug.
Going to add nutmeg to my yogurt now. Great idea!!
your Christmas tree is GORGEOUS! Seriously like something out of a photo or painting. You really do have an eye for decorating/design :-). As for the coffee…yeah I agree, I can’t tell the difference. I never think to ask for a real mug, so I always get my coffee to go as well. But I think it might make for a comfier touch, I’ll have to test this theory out soon!
I would need a fireplace with all that snow!! Crazy girl! Come see me! 😉 I’m really into the shows Person of Interest and Bones!
Aww, that panda is adorable! Also, is it bad that I am totally jealous of the snow?? I at least want some before the 25th so that I can have a white Christmas!
I’ll do my best voodoo-snow-directing dance for you and try to send some your way!
I don’t actually watch a lot of TV, it’s more like have TV on in the background while I do other things. Some TV shoes that I do watch though are Downton Abbey, Vampire Diaries, New Girl, and Grey’s Anatomy. 🙂
You are soooo right about the to go cups! They really do make coffee taste better! I use the ceramic ones to try go a little more “green”
I played pool for the first time in years a few weeks go during one of my classes. I forgot how fun it can be! I love your tree! I have actually put up a fake one practically my entire life. It is a hassle, but at least you don’t have to water it 🙂 When I go out for coffee, I prefer the cups. They actually never give mugs unless it’s a teeny little cafe. I can’t remember the last time I was given a mug while ordering coffee!
Ok, you’ve convinced me to buy one of those Starbucks ornaments this year! I’ve been lusting over them for years but never made the purchase–I think they’re really cute though. And I’m all about the takeout cups when I get Starbucks since most of the time I get my coffee to-go, but it also just feels special to get it in a cup rather than a mug like I’d use at home.
That is a lot of snow! It’s funny, most people think Colorado is super snowy, but lately we barely get any snow all winter, and our Christmases are never white. I prefer not being dumped on but it would be nice to have a white Christmas this year!
So you like nutmeg, but you DON’T like eggnog, hmmm…. Sounds fishy to me 😛 And I can’t believe we STILL haven’t had any snow that has stayed on the ground for longer than a day! I mean, I hate snow with all my being, but I would still like a white Christmas!
I 100% agree with you about ABC’s Christmas specials. This is the one time of year that I miss having cable.
Oh, and mug > travel cup any day of the week!
I love your tree!! So pretty 🙂 and I didn’t even know you could get coffee in a mug at starbucks till maybe a month ago? So i’m a take away cup fan all the way 😉 vegas next week??? Jealous!! Never been there but heard it’s a lot of fun 🙂 my bf lived there for a year dealing poker…he says he misses those days sometimes, which worries me slightly but i would like to go sometime!
Haha, the boy wanted to go out to play billard with me recently, too. It didn’t work out and I secretly rejoiced the fact – we still met after all – because I was afraid of loosing miserably after not having played it for ages. But you’re comment about it being like bike riding gives me hope I might not fail completely.
My pen pal got the Starbucks ornament for her sister, too. Not matching anything else on the tree is actually a plus, I think: that way it’s even more of a great eyecatcher!
Aaaah, you’re going to Vegas? What have you planned on doing there?
Before I forget: Your Christmas tree looks lovely – I wish I had one for my room, too.
In Vegas? Eloping! Haha no. Getting away from this nasty weather, mostly, and having a bit of fun while I’m at it. Shows, shopping, dancing, and just taking in the atmosphere. Vegas is all sorts of fun 😀
oh my gosh that weather, you do need a fireplace to keep you warm. I am so glad we have not had snow yet. Me no like. I love nutmeg but don’t have any in my apartment. When I was home I used nutmeg on anything, microwave an apple add some nutmeg you got a little bit of heaven. delicious. I have to say I think my coffee tastes better in my travel mug. for some reason i am able to sip it better. this could just be my craziness.
To-go cups, for sure. I can’t handle drinking coffee or tea out of metal or plastic either!
I watch way too much tv, and pay a lot for all my HDTV plus channels, movie central and HBO. Totally worth it for a junkie like me. I love Once Upon a Time (Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin\Mr Gold is delicious). Also Grimm, Walking Dead, Big Bang Theory, Two Broke Girls, Game of Thrones are on my must watch/PVR. My guy had to buy me a PVR expander cause I had not nearly enough room since I don’t watch standard def at all. I have no shame!
I love playing pool but I never really get to do it! The downside to not having a pool table 🙁
I prefer mugs, but I can go either way. However, I simply CANNOT drink water from a glass. If I’m using a glass, I have to use a straw. If I’m drinking water directly from a container, it has to be plastic. Actually, come to think of it, I have trouble drinking anything out of a glass … something just seems so dirty about lip prints on glass … not a fan. Yes, I am certifiably insane, my medical record proves it. 😉
While I don’t watch TV, Christmas specials are actually one of the parts of the holiday that I genuinely enjoy. So I can see why you’re excited. 🙂
And it’s settled, instead of flying back to Edmonton from Vegas, you’re flying here. Milder winter, my Mom has a pool table in her basement, and Me!! 😀 I’ll even let you keep your crackling fireplace, your tree, and your somewhat ridiculous but nonetheless incredibly adorable ornament!
Ridiculous ornament. Pft! You know Starbucks holds a special place in my heart <3 And I may have to make a pit stop down East just to infect you with the holiday cheer 😀 The fireplace would be no problem, but I'm not convinced that the tree would travel well...
Oh my gosh I love playing pool. I used to have a pool table at my family’s cabin in the mountains, but we no longer have the cabin or table and I miss playing it! Good to know you never really lose your game 🙂 Your tree looks beautiful. Love. I think coffee tastes better in mug when at home because I can heat it up often (I like it screeeaming hot) but in a to-go cup when out and about. I guess that kind of makes perfect sense? You’re going to VEGAS?! Woop woop so fun. Can’t wait to hear all about your time in sin city.
The boyfriend and I discussed cable when moving int our new place, and we ultimately decided not to bother. I liked having it on in the background, but I never actually sat down and watched it, with the exception of a few shows. So now we just download/borrow seasons of shows that we want, and it works for us. I find I’m a lot more productive without it!
P.S. if you ever played pool with me, you would destroy me. I’m so bad at it!
What a beautiful Christmas tree! It looks real!! I’m definately getting in the Christmas spirit now – just bought my Christmas cards and although I only bought one gift so far it’s really starting to feel like the holidays are near!
As for the coffee debate – I’m torn as well – I I’m home I have a favorite mug that I drink my coffee out of but if I’m out and about I much prefer a paper to go cup – especially the holiday Starbucks cups!
Ohh that recipe looks intriguing – please share!!
I need to send you a Christmas card! And even your one gift is still one gift ahead of me 😛
Ditto! Check your e-mail!