Things I Just Don't Quite Understand aka Possible Signs I'm Getting Old.

Music: Cry Me A River - Ray Brown Trio
            I've Got A Woman - Ray Charles
            Am I Blue - Billie Holiday



Herein lies three topics that leave me scratching my head a bit, lately. Maybe it's because I'm getting old (Year 33 is only a little over two months away) or maybe not. I don't know.

1. Duck Lips/Tongues Hanging Out Selfies:
Look, I have no problem with selfies as long as they're done in moderation. Moderation being the key word. Trust me. The majority of your social media buddies won't forget what you look like if you only post a selfie once or twice a week.

What I don't understand is the popularity of a couple of selfies poses. What is so attractive about making kissie faces all the time. Did a yellow jacket sting your mouth and you want to show me your swollen lips?

Are tonsils suddenly the new "Hot" feature? Is that why you have to take pics of your tongue hanging out? So we can see your lovely tonsils and adenoids? Are you five years old and want to show me what color your sucker turned your tongue?

These are the questions I ask myself when I see these species of selfies. I don't care if you're a chick or a dude. Neither of these poses are attractive in my book.

Maybe we would all be better off if we asked ourselves a few simple questions when tempted to do one of the poses mentioned above.

Am I a world famous male supermodel named Zoolander?

Am I Miley?

Am I a pop diva or a geriatric "rock star"?

Lastly, am I a majestic waterfowl?

If your answer is no to any or all of these, then maybe you should just consider a simple smile instead.

P.S. Do not even get me started on the "Sparrow Eyes" trend.

2. Men and The Inability to Zip Up and Re-buckle While Still in the Bathroom.

Seriously, guys!! It takes one extra second in the bathroom/restroom/porta-potty/outhouses to zip up your pants and re-buckle your belt while still in bathroom. I don't understand why you think it's better to do this in public. Why you would want to risk The Flash by doing The Zip in public?

Are your facilities so putrid that to be in them for one more second than necessary will literally kill you? Is it some kind of bro code that The Zip must be done public? Is it a notice to the world that you conquered the bathroom and the sound of a zipper being closed is your war cry?

3. People Who Call Me Back Before Checking the Voice Mail I Just Left.

Here's a script of how this usually goes.

Me: Calls Person. Person doesn't answer. I leave a detailed voice mail for the reason for my call.

Person: (calls back 10 minutes later) Hi. Yes, I see I missed a call from you.

Me: Yes, you got my message?

Person: No, I didn't check my messages. I just saw you called. What did you call for?

Me: You didn't listen to my message?

Person: No, I didn't want to take the time to listen to it. 

Me (Externally): Oooookay, well I called to tell you.... relays message for the second time.

Me (Internally): Why did I even leave you a message if you weren't going to listen to it? Didn't you tell me to leave you a message if you didn't pick up your phone? Now I have tell you the entire message again. I'm not the biggest fan of talking on the phone, and now you're making me to do it more! Thank you for extending my agony.

All right. Old lady rant over. Chang out.

Thankful Thursdays: New Year's 2015 Edition

Music:

Shelter by Ray LaMontagne

            I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

Fake You Out by Twenty One Pilots

1. A huge thank you to you, my dear readers for sticking with me through a rather sparse blogging year. You're all fantastic!

2. Working up the endurance to RUN up to 3/4 of a mile on the treadmill. It's just a piddly amount compared to what most people can run, but for me it's a big deal. Hopefully I'll get up to a mile and more in the new year!

3.Making two new friends via the interwebs. My Captivating Canadian Matty and the lovely Miss Kimma.

4. Middle brother got engaged, and this year, after waiting 30+ years I'll finally have a sister of my own!

5. Ending the year with a weight lost total of 65 pounds. Eep!

6. Not having to wear a seat belt extender on the flight I was on in October. Guys, I almost burst out in the full on "Ugly Cry" in the middle of a super crowded, rowdy flight to Las Vegas over that one.

7. Caravan-ing non-stop for 20 hours with 12 of my favorite people to see my youngest brother graduate from college. It was a bit chaotic, but oh so much fun.

8. Breathtaking new views of Glacier.

9. My Lord giving me just the right amount courage to do "The Brave Thing" in a few social situations.

10. Being so incredibly blessed to be able to spend another year with my amazing family and fantastic friends.

Here's to a new year filled with family, old and new friends, a dash of adventure, a bit of travel and a generous helping of love and laughter.

And to start it off right, here have a laughing Richard Armitage. You're welcome. ;)

(Swoons upon swoons...)

Peppermint Blondie Brownies

It's no secret that I looooove peppermint. It's pretty much my favorite sweet flavor, next to chocolate (after that comes caramel...just in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you were.).  York peppermint patties, white chocolate peppermint anything, candy canes, Grasshopper Pie, and peppermint salt water taffy...mmmm, yes...come to Mama.

So great is my love for peppermint, that as child I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry Mr. Mint from Candyland and live with him in the Peppermint Forest. 

When Hershey's introduced their Candy Cane Kisses, "At Last" by Etta James played and I went weak in the knees at my first bite.

You get the picture. I love me some Mint!

So when I saw these lovely creatures flirting up at me from holiday baking section at my grocery store, I knew that I had to take them home and make something yummy out of them.

I started brainstorming and suddenly remembered that when I was a mini baker in the making my mom and I would occasionally whip up a batch of Zebra Bars. Zebra Bars are basically blondies and a brownies layered on top of each other.

Light bulbs started flashing! Why not take that combo and, if you'll pardon the old Emeril Lagasse expression, kick it up a notch?!

Just like that, Blam! Peppermint Blondie Brownies were born.

Just looking those baby blondies in the making!

A vaquero on a vanilla bottle?! Oh Mexican Vanilla, you're too awesome! Also you know that you're a foodie when a friend bring you back a bottle of vanilla as a souvenir from their recent trip to Mexico.

After much deliberation I decided to add the regular Andes bits to the blondie batter. My reasoning was I thought it would be a better contrast. I was afraid that since they're mostly chocolate, they would melt into the brownie batter and you wouldn't be able to see them.

First layer done...boom.

Now we have baby brownies in the making!

Mmmm...homemade brownie batter...do you know how much self control it takes not to attack this bowl of amazing-ness with a spoon?! 

Adding the peppermint bits...Must. Control. Inner. Cookie. Monster.

Houston, we have the second layer on.

Baked! Look at that prettiness.

Just look at that cross section! 

These little guys turned out to be all I hoped and dreamed. Soft, slightly gooey, chocolaty and oh so minty. They made me a very happy Manda, indeed.

Peppermint Blondie Brownies

Makes (2) 13x9 pans. Perfect for taking one pan to a cookie exchange, and keeping the other one all to yourself...not that I did that.

Blondie Layer

1c. butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag of Andes baking bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 13x9 baking pans. Cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Andes bits until well combined. Divide dough in half and spread each half into the prepared pans.

Brownie Layer (adapted from Nestle's Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe)

1 2/3 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. water

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

With a whisk, combine butter, sugar and water. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt over butter mixture. Mix together until all ingredients are well combined.

Using a spatula fold in peppermint chips. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Spread brownie batter over blondie dough. 

Bake each pan for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

Each pan should make about 24 bars.

Apple Butterscotch Bars

Fall is the official start to baking season in my book. It's finally cool enough to start up the oven, and some of the best ingredients are back in season. Apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon, oh my! Not to mention all the yummy Halloween candy on the shelves!

To commemorate, I'm sharing with you this tasty little treat I made up today.

I had a few leftover apples from my parents apple trees that needed to be used up. There weren't really enough to make a pie (nor was I really in the mood to put forth the effort to make a pie) so I thought "Hmm, maybe I'll try to make some bar cookies with them..."

Of course, simply throwing some chopped apples into the batter was a little too Plain Jane for me. So I decided to add some cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and butterscotch chips.

To finish it off, I sprinkled on some sliced almonds and fall decorating sugar for a little crunch.

The result? A buttery, cinnamon-y bar cookie loaded with chunks of apple and creamy, butterscotch-ie goodness. They're perfect with a cup of chai, mug of coffee, or all by themselves as you run out the door for work... What? Like you've never eaten cookies for breakfast... ;)

Apple Butterscotch Bars

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. apples, finely chopped
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. sliced almonds
Decorating sugar, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13 x 9 baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until all the flour is combined. Fold in apples and butterscotch chips. Spread dough evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with almonds and sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Thankful Thursdays... Summer Edition

Music:

 Slumber by Needtobreathe

  Hoity Toity by Flatfoot 56

Never Be The Same by Red

Summer is over, so that means I'm back!

And hopefully, back to blogging a bit more consistently.

To celebrate, I thought I would kick it off with a Thankful Thursday.

Why?

Well, this past weekend I attended a ladies retreat, and there we talked about how joy and thankfulness go hand in hand. This got me thinking about all the "thankful" posts I have written, and how I've neglected writing any for a while.

I said to myself "Manda Rae (yes, I call myself by my middle name sometimes), you need to start those posts up again, and pronto, missy!"

So thanks to internal pep talk, here you are, a summer themed Thankful Thursday post.

1. My Tumblr Twin Matty and her friend (now my friend) Sarah drove 10 hours and across the Canadian/US border just so we could meet face to face. We laughed. We stayed up until 2:00 am fangirling over Doctor Who, Marvel, the Whedonverse, and Tom Hiddleston. We trecked across snow fields in Glacier. We drank coffee and ate way too much. It. Was. Awesome. 

(A Captivating Canadian and a Miniature Montanan Moose) 

Photo credit: Matty 

  (Dean and Cas)

(Moose Girls)

Photo credit: Sarah

2. I had the chance to hike three new trails.

 (Howe Lake)

 (John's Lake)

(Red Rock Falls)

3. I GOT TO SEE NEEDTOBREATHE AGAIN AFTER 7 YEARS. I KNOW THAT I'M SHOUTING, BUT I CAN'T HELP SHOUTING ABOUT MY BOYS.

 (My boys!!!)

 (So amazing...)

 (No really, seriously amazing...)

(Just...gaaaaahh!! There are no words to describe how amazing they are.)

4. Camping at Dickey Lake with my second family.

5. A fast and furious road trip to Wyoming with Chelsey to see Miss Hannah become Mrs. Hannah.

These are just a few of the wonderful things things that happened over the summer, but rather than bore you to tears, I thought I would just stop at five. You are welcome.

It was a fantastic summer filled with adventure, friends (both old and new), quiet moments, and musical greatness.

 .

I can honestly say that I'm thankful for every minute of it.

- Manda

A Sweet Fragrance...

I love smelling stuff.

Does that seem weird?

Maybe, but as my eighth grade self would say under her breath, constantly,"Whatever."

I love the fragrance of changing seasons.

The scent of something that reminds me of a loved one.

Smells are extremely personal. What smells lovely to one person, might seem mundane to another.

Why? Because scents are tied to our memories. Linked to wonderful times spent with certain people.

Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden and CK One whiplash me right back junior high and high school.

(Source: Me!)

Freshly split larch, Old Spice deodorant, and 2-Stroke oil make me smile and feel safe because they remind me of my Dad.

Source: Betty Crocker

Vanilla perfume, eucalyptus leaves, and gooey chocolate chip cookies remind me of my Mom and hugs before bedtime.

Source: Parade Magazine

Huckleberry baked goods and white chocolate lattes say my bestie and Saturday coffee dates.

SciFi books (I don't know why, but they smell the best), and the ocean say my Little Brother, nerdy chats and crazy roadtrips.

Source: elorablue.tumblr.com

Pine needles and hazelnut flavored coffee say my Middle Brother and helping me to learn to enjoy the great outdoors.

Source: Bart Ceuppens

Baby poplar leaves, wet bark, wildflowers, rain, Cadbury eggs, and mud puddles sing out Spring.

Source: plumdeluxe.com

Wild roses, sulfur from fireworks, fresh cut grass, lake water, raspberries, cold brewed coffee, and campfires shout Summer.

Source: seasonal-love.tumblr.com

Dying leaves, Oregon Grape berries, cinnamon, apples, wood stove smoke, the Halloween candy aisle at Target, and damp cedar sigh Autumn.

Source: seasonal-love.tumblr.com

Balsam branches, peppermint extract, the grey scent of fresh snow, nutmeg kissed egg nog, the wet dog smell coming from soaked mittens, and the air surrounding cold, rosy cheeks that have been out building a snow castle whisper Winter.

All these scents never fail to bring a grin to my face and a well worn, well loved memory to my mind.

What about you? 

What are some of your favorite smells?