Mizzou Game Day Cookies

In honor of our last game against kU in Mizzou Arena, I made some cookies to bring to a little watch gathering down here in Alabama. I really didn't have much time to prepare anything and I didn't want to spend any money (I was planning on using the money to buy Jason Wu clothes...that turned out to be a bust. Target apologized to me online though.) So, I remembered that I had yellow cake mix in the pantry, and I made those red velvet cookies from cake mix once, so I figured the yellow color would be good for Mizzou. As we're black and gold and all. I mean, you could make these if you're an Iowa fan, Steelers fan, Alabama State University fan and so on.

Here's the recipe, it's the easiest thing ever.

Yellow Cake Cookies

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 c. Crisco oil
1/2 c. sugar

Mix all ingredients. Roll out small amounts on pastry sheets. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 5-10 minutes.

I used a heart shaped cookie cutter, but I think round would've been cute, too. Maybe pennant shaped if you're going to a tailgate. Basically you could shape them like anything. I had some bitter sweet chocolate chips hanging around so I melted those in the microwave, put the melted chocolate into a little plastic sandwich bag and snipped a hole in the corner. I used this to decorate the cookies with different phrases. See? they kind of turned out black and gold! Essentially, they were the cutest things I've ever made and apparently delicious. I ended up giving them all away at the end of the party because the dough made quite a few.

Valentine's Day gifts

I know that Valentine's Day can be an awkward time for people trying to give gifts. If you're new to a relationship you don't know what's acceptable to give. If you've been in one for a while you wonder what the other person expects, should you give something to your best friend?

I know these things are confusing, but it's kind of like Christmas but less of a big deal. If you have a significant other definitely get them something. Guys can't go wrong with flowers, chocolates or jewelry depending on the length of the relationship. Girls can't go wrong with baking treats and possibly something else. Guys are a mystery to me with gifts sometimes.

Homemade gifts are always good. You know, painted frames, a list of things you love about the person (try this craft), or maybe a nice old school mix tape. But you know it will have to be a CD because God knows none of us have the knowledge anymore of how to make that, and who knows if the recipient would even have a tape player? There's this one, a fabric love note in a frame, which looks a little too complicated for me. But on a similar note to that you could just get a frame, but lined paper in it, possibly decorate the frame a bit, and then use a dry erase marker to leave messages to each other on it. Get it? You'd write on the glass!

I'll give you a little example of a Valentine's Day CD I made for my parents. I themed it from the 60s because I remember my mom playing these songs on the radio. This could work as a theme for anyone. I mean, who wouldn't want a 90s love song CD? I'm sure everyone would appreciate that. Or if you have a friend that likes country...you could theme it by genre. I would want that CD, not going to lie.

Vintage Valentine's Playlist

Earth Angel - The Penguins

Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals

Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Baby Love - The Supremes

Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations

I Hear A Symphony - Diana Ross and The Supremes

I'm A Believer - The Monkees

Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles

Baby, I Need Your Loving - Four Tops

You Can't Hurry Love - Diana Ross and The Supremes

Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - Four Tops

Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson

Ain't Too Proud To Beg - The Temptations

Happy Together - The Turtles

What The World Needs Now - Jackie DeShannon

A Groovy Kind Of Love - The Mindbenders

I Say A Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick

Pre-Valentine's Day dangers

I bought a little box of chocolates for my parents at Walmart. It was so cute. It had a little panda on it with a karate outfit and it said "I get a kick out of you." How cute is that? Especially since my dad and I have this weird thing for King Fu Panda. I don't know why exactly, but we both think it's the funniest thing. He tells me to "Have a dumpling" sometimes, it's a line that the little sensei with the huge ears said. I figured you wouldn't know that if I didn't tell you.

So I was going to send this tiny box of candy to my parents, the thing cost a dollar, and then I realized it would cost me, at least $5 to get it there. Now, I'm not usually cheap, but I made them a CD instead with old love songs from the 60 and slipped it into their card. Don't judge be for this, but I kept the box of chocolate myself.

Needless to say, I've been eating on it. Eating on chocolate originally intended for my parents. Lord. That has to be a new low.

There are so many things to watch out for, the candy being one, before Valentine's Day. The chocolate and heart-shaped treats are so hard to avoid. They're staring at you from every aisle at Walmart. Confetti cake with pink and red sprinkles, cupcakes decorated with little plastic ring hearts and those Pillsbury cookies that have the little pictures on them. Commercials on TV have red and pink Hershey's kisses that are dancing with each. How adrobs and fattening all at the same time. Seriously, I can feel my thighs widening from the entire box of chocolates I ate. And I still want more, maybe I'll make hot chocolate...

Then there's the previews on TV for The Vow - the newest Nicholas Sparks film that makes everyone want to just explode from the overload of lovey dovey sweetness. Explode in a bad way, not a good one. It's enough to make the happiest couples doubt their relationship. How can a real life couple ever really compete with a dude trying to get his wife to fall in love with him AGAIN. Its hard enough the first time. And for everyone else that gets bitter around V-Day, that whole mushy story is just one big slap in the face. It's saying "Don't you wish you could find this? I know you're jealous, but how sweet!" I hate that.

You spend a lot of money you still have quite earned back from the holidays on gifts for your significant other, Valentine's Day cards and treats for the office. I definitely bought some old school, elementary style Valentine's Day cards for the office. They come complete with a little eraser. I'm not going to lie, I think they're going to love them...or think I'm crazy but I'm not going to trip on it.

I don't think Valentine's Day has to be this fluffy, cotton-candy-esque holiday. I think it can be sweet and sensual without overloading the senses and causing sugar decay and a need to buy a gym membership. Let's just focus on the love and friendship aspect shall we? Be nice to one another and all that. Show them you care about your friendships and loved ones if you neglect to do that on a regular basis.

Let's be real though, those heart-shaped Dove chocolates taste the best don't they? I'm totally making hot chocolate for myself this second as it's the only thing in my apartment right now that's chocolate flavored. Curse you Cupid, I know it's all you doing this and I have no will power of tasty delicious things.

UPDATE: I have no milk to make hot chocolate. I had to settle for wheat bread with apple butter and honey. So disappointed right now.

I'm turning 23...yikes

In two weeks, I will be 23 years old. That sounds very young when I apply it to people that aren't me. I've been alive for two decades plus three years. I was born in the 80s, was around for the entire 90s and the dawn of the 2000s. I survived Y2k. Y2k, for God's sake, and now we're heading into what could be the end of the world, or where the Mayans ran out of space ... or just got bored.

I'm constantly getting confused for a college student, which is nice because it makes me feel like I look youthful, granted I graduated less than a year ago, but it gets old telling people that I actually have a real job, and a real apartment and real bills. The thing I'm most sick of is getting ID'd at bars. I've been 21 for 2 years now, and yes that is me, I know my hair is a different color now, do you want my social security card, too?

In the future, when they stop asking for my ID, I'm going to be embarrassed and invest in ridiculous creams for crow's feet and laugh lines. But, for real, I already have wrinkle creams and makeup that won't settle in the lines on my 22-year-old face. What is this world coming to, right? It's those air brushed models, but I digress.

Having not even reached my mid-twenties yet, I understand that this portion of my life is for self-discovery. I need to find who I am and start to understand her and be happy with her.
As we can discern from my previous statement, I haven't done this yet, what with the wrinkle creams and all.

In the past year since I graduated from college I've made sweeping improvements but I'm just not there yet. I don't know where I want to go, what I want to do and what I ultimate want out of my life. And as often as this makes me feel crazy, I know there are so many of you out there wondering the same thing.

If I can give those that are younger than me a little advice I'd just say, give it time. As much as you want to understand things, you just won't be ready yet. Eventually things will click. Don't worry too much. Just keep doing the things you love, and try your best.

To those older than me, I'm sorry if this all offends you. I'm sure you're thinking "What does she know, she's still a baby." You'd be correct and I am thoroughly open to you giving me free advice. Seriously, there's nothing like learning from other's mistakes.

And to everyone: Don't stop acting immature. I'm not saying stop paying your bills and run away to the circus. I'm just saying, a little immature fun is what keeps us going. Pulling out that Disney movie you love when your sick is the best medicine. Whipping out that *NSYNC CD to jam to some "No Strings Attached" is completely worth the risk of someone seeing you.

I'm thoroughly planning on going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with my girl friends next year for my 24th birthday. So, Peter Pan it up, in the non-creepy way. It's the best advice a 22-going-on-23-year-old can give.

MU vs. kU - the basketball showdown

I love a good college rivalry. I think it's fun having as close as a person will ever get to an arch-enemy epitomized in a college rivalry. Living in Alabama, I am on the front lines of the Bama-Auburn debates. I just came down here half a year ago, but even in my first weeks I was told that I must pick a side. I mean, I picked Alabama, roll tide, but I want to talk about my alma mater, the great University of Missouri.

Our rivalry between the University of Kansas is this disgusting display of pure hatred. I mean, it's kind of fun, but at times it's sad the depths we'll go to, just to affect the other team. There's kU's ever-not-funny "Muck Fizzou" shirts. Mizzou's Quantrill's raid shirts about burning Lawrence to the ground are always a talking point.

I have been to a couple of the football border wars when we played at Arrowhead Stadium in KC. I went to school in Kansas, so naturally a bunch of my friends went and graduated from kU. I was visiting Mizzou classmates on their tailgating side and my kU friends from high school in their tailgating area. The Mizzou fans ribbed my kU friends when we were in the black and gold side. You know little quips like, "Who dressed you today?" and so on. Then, when I entered Jayhawk territory I got an empty bottle of Burnett's thrown at me. Really? Does that seem equivalent to you?

Now we are set to play kU at Mizzou Arena and tempers are at an all time high, according to the Kansas City Star. New examples of rivalry madness are surfacing. There are rumors Mizzou fans were set to wear shirts that said "No Mom Tom" on them. This was in reference to one of the kU players mothers dieing last year. I bleed black and gold and I wouldn't condone this. Apparently, some think kU fans actually started this, and I hope to God they did. If a Mizzou fan started that I would be so disappointed. We need to started carrying our school with class. Let's not fall in line with that Bama fan that poisoned Auburn's super traditional trees, k? Fight hard for our school, be proud, some taunting is necessary, but that is obviously not a topic to laugh about. There are lines, we don't want to cross them and be the white trash, double-wide dwelling hick relatives getting too drunk and saying things that make everyone want to stick their head in the dirt like an ostrich, do we?

So, a kU fan has actually topped that.

Brendon Hudson tweeted this: "Dude I hope there's a school shooting at #Mizzou." @ColinJokisch

Well, bless your heart, Brendon. In what world is it OK to joke about school shootings? I know, you were probably being super frat and showing off by how witty your were, but that is way over the line. Sorry my school was upset by what you said, I guess we just care about human life more. Now tell me, who wants to try and defend this ignorant and completely disrespectful kid?

I don't care how kU conducts themselves once we're in the SEC. I would even love to see our rivalry continue once we're in different conferences. If kU wants to show their true colors like this, I guess we'll let them, but if anyone wants to call us uncultured bumpkins, you better look twice. MIZ.

Fight Tigers you will always win, proudly keep the colors flying skyward, in the end we'll win the victory, so Tigers fight for old Mizzou.

My birthday wish list

Here are things I will probably have to buy for myself with the money I hopefully get for my birthday.

1) A skirt and to blouses from the new Jason Wu collection for Target. I reeeeeeally want the pleated light blue skirt with the stripes on bottom, the red no-sleeve blouse and white blouse with the black bow at the collar. A lot. If I have to take my break from work early to get those when they hit the stores Sunday morning, I'll do it.

2) This beautiful stella & dot necklace. It's a gold arrow necklace, and for some reason I love it because it's so different. It's pretty expensive though, so that might never actually happen.

3) A Walmart and/or Target gift card. I spend way too much money both places. I mean I buy food at Walmart, what can you do?

4) Anything from Kate Spade. They have the cutest, simple jewelry. I especially love this bangle, and it matches the necklace. Granted, I do love the sailor knot jewelry a lot too, and the spade ones.

5) Anything from Mod Cloth.

6) Any bracelet...basically...from Kiel James Patrick. Really my favorites are the ones that are striped like ties, but they're bracelets, and the new ones with the anchors as clasps. This one is my favorite though.

7) A pet fox or a pet deer. Obviously I would want them as babies. What? That's not weird have you seen how adorable baby foxes and baby deer are? No? Well, check out that picture up there, I know right. So, adorable.

I'm sure I'll think of more things I'll never be able to afford or that are illegal to own.

Gumbo

I totally cheated on this recipe. Seriously, it was the easiest and most delicious, possibly most fattening thing I've made so far. All you need to get is smoked sausage, I use Conecuh sausage that's made in Alabama, and it is unbelievably good. Then you just buy a box of gumbo mix by Zatarain's and read the instructions. For real, this is perfect. I actually had frozen okra hanging out in my fridge so I made that and put that in the mix.

I didn't actually realize that okra is slimy when you cook it, but really, slimy as in slime comes off of it. You can see the slime. It's like in the Princess and the Frog when she complains because she's slimy, but really she's secreting mucous. You know what I'm talking about? If you don't, go watch the movie, it's amazing. Actually, she makes gumbo in the movie now that I think about it...

The finished product was so so so good. I'm thinking of adding corn or peas next time with the okra, it just added so much to it. Try it out, you won't regret it.