Sometimes...

...you just really need a cookie. Today was one of those days. I actually had an awesome day, nothing bad happened at all, I just really wanted a cookie. lol I'm a lot like this guy:



I really love cookies! I had to run to the grocery store for a few other essentials, and a bag of Nestle Tollhouse Semi-Sweet morsels called my name as I walked by....since I had flour, sugar, and everything else on hand back at home from my cupcake-baking extravaganza a few weeks ago, I decided to buy the chips and make some cookies! I followed the directions on the bag with one exception: a SECRET INGREDIENT! That's right, folks, I've gone Iron-Chef style on these cookies. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, and it made them DELICIOUS! Here's a (bad from my phone) picture:



yummy!!! The only problem is that the recipe on the bag made a LOT of cookies, I can't eat them all on my own and my roommate just started Weight Watchers so she won't help me....lol so I'll probably bring them to game night tomorrow to make le boyfriend and my roommate's boyfriend eat some! :) hehehe

Illinois is for Lovers!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! This is the first time I have ever had a significant other on Valentine's Day, and I have to say that I have really enjoyed it :) hehehe. My wonderful boyfriend took me to this neat movie theater last night since I have class for 4 hours tonight. I didn't know where we were going, so I was really excited when I figured it out since I've wanted to go there for a long time. It is a movie theater/restaurant combo where they serve your food while the movie is going on! It was a lot of fun, we saw "No Strings Attached" with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, and it was really funny and sweet.



I thought that was the extent of my Valentine's Day surprises, but boy was I wrong! I woke up this morning to find an adorable stuffed animal dog and a card in my car, and was delivered flowers later this afternoon :)



So I'd say it's been a pretty awesome day!! lol and I don't remember if I mentioned this or not, but everything he did for me was on top of the fact that he got new tires put on my car about a week ago after one of the front ones went flat again. I would like to go on the record to say that I have the best boyfriend in the whole world!! :)

I also got him a few presents. I spent the past few weeks making this:



I apologize for the crappy picture, I took it with my phone (as usual) so it's not the greatest. What you see, dear readers, in the above photo is an embroidered love note! I got the idea from a blog I read called Katie Cupcake . It is the first time I have ever embroidered something (although I did cross stitch growing up), and I really enjoyed it! I may do some pillowcases for my bed next...we'll see how much time I have with all of the homework I've been getting lately!

So, a Happy Valentine's Day to all of you, and I will leave you with this funny e-Valentine picture someone posted on Facebook:

Recently...

Life has been rather busy! I have been doing lots of homework and hanging out with friends....so, I mean, that doesn't sound that complicated, but I feel like I haven't had any free time lately for some reason! So here are some pictures that describe what I have been doing for the past few weeks:

1. Buying presents! It was my sister-in-law's birthday a few weeks ago, and since I found out that I am going to be an aunt (!!!), I included a little something for my future niece or nephew with her present, pictured below.




2. Hanging out with my awesome roommate, who bought me these super adorable owl pillows!




3. Cooking!! Since I made those Snickerdoodle Cupcakes I have been on a roll! I made home made onion straws, hamburgers (for the 1st time ever!), and a baked pasta dish (a recipe from my sis-in-law). So far I am pleased with the results, apparently my years of watching nothing but the Food Network are finally paying off...lol!



4. Reading! I don't have a picture for this, but I have been reading comics, YA books, and much more for my classes. I've also been reading for fun using my new Nook Color e-reader, which I ADORE! I will post a full review of its features soon, but so far my favorite thing about it is that I can read magazines in stunning color (seriously), and use the internet/listen to Pandora radio. I also recently read "Black Heels and Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond (aka The Pioneer Woman) and adored it! She is a clever and fun writer, and the story of how she met and married her husband and transitioned from being a vegetarian city girl to a carnivorous country wife is really entertaining.

So, that's all for now. Hopefully soon I will have time to put together a few posts that aren't quite so random! :)