Kenzie Blogs Life: December 2016

2016

End of 2016

8:00:00 AM

2016. Just as quickly as it began, it ends. A year for gratitude for myself personally. January was the end of a job I held for two years, and I spent the rest of the months until May, searching for a new one. Roommate struggles were had, and soon it was a relief to have them end. I spent most of June in the south, exploring North and South Carolina and briefly Georgia.

Exciting things happened in 2016.

I tried out new recipes, like this Cauliflower pizza recipe, and a Cashew Chicken recipe as well.

Eating healthy was something I really focused on for the most part,

I went on a family vacation and really realized how much I love family road trips.

Climbing to the top of Chimney Rock in North Carolina to see the Blue Ridge Mountains might have been my favorite part, and eating at Jestine's in Charleston in South Carolina was a special treat after we had been there in 2011, forgot the name and by chance found it again.

Oh. I also checked off a major bucket-list item, I went skydiving. And it is still, by far the coolest thing I have ever done. I started my third-to last semester at uni, and then I was also accepted into my study abroad program.

2016, really left me feeling really really blessed. I just feel like it was a great year. I had a great roommate this past Fall, and that made life at university so much better than it has ever been before.

As for 2017, I'm going to have 3 and a half days at home until I take a leap across the ocean and start my study abroad program in England. I'll be studying about an hour and a half north of London, and have trips to Ireland, Bath & Stonehenge, Prague and Barcelona planned. I'm excited, and thrilled, and I cannot wait to bring this blog with me!

Because i'll be abroad until April, I won't be posting every Wednesday and Saturday until maybe May or June, instead, it will be once a week Tuesday's. So make sure to check in on where I'm going!

As for goals for 2017?

-Have 500 twitter followers

-See as much of Europe as possible

-Live in the moment

If you have any suggestions for weekend trips around Europe please let me know! I cannot wait to share my journey with you! What are some things that made you proud in 2016? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you all have a great new year! :)

Along with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, you will be able to see my European adventures via Snapchat too! Just add kenziedear! And if you haven't noticed, there is a YouTube button in the top right corner where I will be putting videos of my trip!

Blogmas

Dark Hot Chocolate Cookies

8:30:00 AM

December is a cold month here in Wisconsin, there is a ton of snow and all you really want to do is curl up in front of the fire with a cup of tea or cocoa, or lounge around in the bath. Christmas is also about baking, and while there has been a ton of cookies that have already been whipped up already, I decided to try out a new recipe.

Because you really cannot have enough cookies. Right?

There is an entire can of dark hot chocolate mix in my cupboard and I decided to use some of it up in my favorite form of dessert. Cookies. The first batch I made was awful, and the second was just alright but better and tastier! (They just didn't rise and that's because I didn't chill the dough)

Here's What You'll Need:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup hot chocolate mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup powdered sugar

large bowl

medium shallow bowl

Here's What You do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat butter until smooth

Add sugars and then beat again until light

Add in egg and vanilla

In separate bowl:

Stir flour, hot chocolate mix, baking soda and salt together

Then combine wet and dry ingredients

*Chill up to 3 hours

(which I didn't and then I redid the recipe and it worked better)

If you don't then your cookies will be flatter and that's okay!

Put powdered sugar in shallow bowl

Scoop cookie dough into ball shape and roll in sugar

Place on baking sheets

Bake about 8 minutes

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a great holiday and I'll see you soon with more posts! What did you bake for the holiday? Let me know in the comments!

Blogmas

Christmas Eve Outfit

8:30:00 AM

Hello everyone! I hope you're getting really excited for Christmas now, I have finished up my exams for the semester and decided to share one thing that I cannot wait for and that's to put on my new Christmas jumper for Christmas Eve. Every year my family goes to Church and then to Christmas dinner at my step-grandma's house. This year, I got my top from target and love it.

It makes me feel so festive and warm!

I cannot believe that Christmas is just a few days away and I will finally be able to wear it to the dinner.

There won't be a new post up on Saturday as it is Christmas Eve, but I will be back with an exciting one a week from today so make sure you stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed this type of post, let me know what you're doing for Christmas in the comments! Merry Christmas!!

This post is not sponsored, all thoughts are my own

Christmas Market

8:30:00 AM

The weather was cold at the beginning of the month. My usual weekend mornings begin with a nice warm cup of tea and catching up on everyone else's blogmas posts. I have always lusted and drooled over the European Christmas markets that we don't seem to have anywhere near where I live.
Except the other weekend, when a Facebook event popped up on my page and there was one happening only a few minutes drive from my university!

The market was small, though filled with people. There were cute little stands of cheeses and meats and homemade decorations.

I love wandering around Farmers markets in the summer and fall, and I was excited to go to this one! The cute decorations hanging from each stall made me feel so festive. Even though I have been done with all of my Christmas shopping for everyone this year, there were a few things that I would buy if I had the chance to go back again (which hopefully I will!).

I hope you enjoyed this post, even though it's quite a quick one! Do you have Christmas markets near you? Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? I am nearly done with this semester (Monday I have one exam to take!)

Let me know in the comments!

Blogmas

Top 10 Christmas Movies

8:30:00 AM

Christmas eve is only ten days away, and for ten days you can watch each one of these Christmas films on my list! So just wrap up with your warmest blanket, and fuzziest socks and warm up that cup of cocoa because here is another holiday-themed list post! I hope you don't mind! Let's get to it then!

1.The Santa Clause

2. Polar Express

3. The Holiday

4. Prancer

5. Christmas Under Wraps

6. It's a Wonderful Life

7.Rudolph

8.Miracle on 34th Street

9. The Bridge

10. Northpole

These are just a few of the many Christmas movies that are out there, but definitely my ten favorites! I love throwing on my fuzzy pajamas and fuzzy socks, and watching a hallmark movie at night during the holiday season. There is just something about cheesy-christmas-love stories that get me so much more excited for the actual day!

Do we have some of the same movies on our lists? Which one is your favorite?

I hope you're enjoying these posts! This one is quite quick, but exam week is upon us so cross your fingers and wish me luck!

x see you next time!

Christmas

Christmas Cranberry Side

8:00:00 AM

Happy Saturday everyone, though I'm not participating in Blogmas this year, I hope you enjoying all of the Christmas themed posts that everyone is writing. Christmas is a special time of the year, and this year I jumped ahead a little too soon, I think. By the end of November I had but three things checked off of my list for gifts!

If that doesn't make it obvious that my favorite holiday is Christmas, then I don't know what would.

Like many holidays, this one is centered around baking. Another one of my favorite things! This recipe is one of the staple side-dishes at my Christmas table.

Cranberry Side Dish Recipe

What you'll need:

1 pot

1 box of 3-ounce cherry jello

1 box of 3-ounce lemon jello

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup grated rind of orange

1/2 cup juice of orange

1 large can crushed pineapple

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 cup chopped pecans

What to do:

Bring water to boil in pot

Dissolve jello in boiling water

Take off stove, and when jello starts to jell add in other ingredients

Let jello sit in fridge

This recipe is super simple and quick to make, it takes about five to ten minutes, depending on how much you make! The crunch of the walnuts and the citrus from the fruit are so lovely together.

While getting ready for the holidays, I started thinking about what I really love about Christmas that makes it so special and exciting for me! Here's a little list of things that I thought of:

Giving Gifts: There is nothing I love more than giving gifts to people I care about. I love shopping for other people, and seeing their reactions to opening the gifts!
Family Time: At Christmas time I get to see family members that don't have schedules that mesh with my own, and it is always nice to catch up
Food. There are delicious snacks and entrees at Christmas dinner. but..
Breakfast. Christmas breakfast is always my favorite (stay tuned for a new recipe!)
Decorating. I can't be the only one who finds Christmas decorations seriously adorable?!

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas themed post! I love this recipe and I hope you did too! Let me know what your favorite Christmas dishes are in the comments below!

Christmas

Christmas Playlist

8:00:00 AM

These Christmas-Themed posts are getting me into the spirit one post at a time! Every year I fall in love with Christmas music all over again, there is just something that feels good about listening to it in the car, as the snow on the roads starts to pile up. Here are some of my top ten favorite Christmas songs!

1. White Christmas-Bing Crosby & Michael Buble

2. Silent Night

3.I'll be home for Christmas-Lady Antebellum

4.It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas-Michael Buble

5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas-Sam Smith

6.My Favorite Things-Julie Andrews

7.The most wonderful time of the year-Pentatonix

8.Happy Xmas (war is over)-John Lennon

9. A Holly Jolly Christmas-Burl Ives

10.Baby It's Cold Outside-Idina Menzel & Michael Buble

*Bonus: Do they Know it's Christmas? -Various Artists

Overall, most of my favorites are from Michael Buble (he's great). Whenever I am home for the holidays, the holiday music is always on in the background. Whether we're baking cookies and other treats or just hanging out.

What songs are you always listening to during the holidays? Do you have a favorite song or artist that sings holiday music? Only a few more weeks until Christmas!

2016

Christmas Wishlist 2016

8:30:00 AM

Hello everyone. It's finally December! Can you believe it? A lot of bloggers do "Blogmas" posting everyday this month, but with final exams looming in my near future (they start December 14th), I'm sticking to my Wednesday/Saturday postings. This Christmas wishlist has been one difficult list to come up with, since I'll be abroad for four months, I really didn't need anything other than money.

But here are a few things that made the list anyway!

1. Love Your Melon Beanie:

Currently, the ones that I want are SOLD OUT! but hopefully they will go back in stock soon! I would love the speckled gray or blue or coral colored ones. They're all so lovely! They also always get new colors in, so my preferences change every time! And the company donates to pediatric cancer, which is an amazing cause!

2.Car Scent portables. Practical I know. But it is so nice getting into your car and smelling nice smells.

(These are from bath&body)

3. Lush. Bathbombs are always on my list, and I love them! Lush has new Christmas ones and I would love to try them out!

4. Ornament. I saw this ornament while scrolling through World Market (one of my fave stores) and thought it was so cute!

5. Elephant Pants. I have wanted pants with elephants on them for so long. Maybe one day I'll get myself a pair.

Aside from wanting shortbread cookies and tea, that's pretty much all of my Christmas Wishlist for this year. I'm going abroad, and I honestly generally do not need anything. I'm really lucky.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Only a few more days until Christmas and I can hardly wait! I haven't done much shopping yet, but have a day set aside where I can go and get it all done!

What is on your wishlist this year? Anything exciting?

Have a great December!

You can read last years Wishlist right here!

Pages

End of 2016

Dark Hot Chocolate Cookies

Christmas Eve Outfit

Christmas Market

Top 10 Christmas Movies

Christmas Cranberry Side

Christmas Playlist

Christmas Wishlist 2016

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