Christmas Surprise

So hiding under the Christmas tree was a HUGE box that I was surprised was to me from my brothers.  I had NO IDEA what they could have bought me that weighed 5 million pounds (okay, more like 40, but STILL).  Opening the box didn't help - just saw this:

What in the world???

But taking off the cardboard revealed this (think of angels singing as cardboard removed):

*Angels Singing*

TWENTY-FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROOT BEER!  I've only had about 4 of them before - I will be sure to update their reviews.  SO COOL THO.  Now my fridge looks like this:

My fridge is 1/4th root beer.  What is yours?

Thanks Toby & Steve (and family)!  

Root Beer Review: Maine Root

I was SO looking forward to this one.  I've had Maine Root before and really liked it.  To my shock though, this tasted like cardboard mixed with Dirt. Had to dump it out. Maybe will try again if I can find it.  Ingredients:  Carbonated pure water, Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice and spices. Grade: D-.

IT CROWD: One of the best sitcoms EVER

Christmas Craftiness

Look what I made!

I made Christmas freezer jelly all on my own for the first time!  Yay!  Today I plan to make bread to put it on tomorrow.

Look what I didn't make!

But maybe will this year.  I feel like I need to do more girly things and since I am not the best seamstress in the world, pillowcases sound obtainable.  The ones pictured are gifts from my mom.  Anyone interested?

Root Beer Review Special: Old Town Root Beer Company: Sarparilla

Yes, Sarsparilla.  Is the first "r" silent?

Smells like a root beer barrel, but doesn't taste like one!  The scent is actually stronger than the flavoring.  There is a nice carbonation burn on the tongue that transitions to a smooth vanilla flavor.  Ingredients:  Carbonated Filtered Water, Cane Sugar, Natural & Other Flavors, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (preserves freshness).  Grade:  B

Note:  Label says "premium vanilla cream!, but vanilla isn't an ingredient.  Hmmm...

Special Guest Review by ANNA!  The vanilla cuts fine - no "tinny" taste that some root beers tend to have.  Flavor seems to spread nicely across the palate.  Carbonation is not too heavy.  Sitting on the tongue, it doesn't bite too much.  Carbonation seems like it would go flat quickly, but waiting 30 minutes and it didn't!  Grade:  B+

Sometimes I feel like this exercise ball.

So alone.  Left out in the cold.  Forgotten.

Why am I here?  And how did I get here? 

Kristen Fails to take a Good Picture of her Christmas Decorations

Makes it look like the tree is spinning...or is on a heart monitor.

Someday I will learn to use the flash on my camera correctly

Guess what I'm listening to...

Around Dodge City and in the territory out west, there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with the US marshal and the smell of...

Root Beer Review: Stewart's Fountain Classics

Mmm...smells delicious.  Like the name of the root beer says, this tastes like a fountain root beer.  Very tasty, with just a little more carbonation than needed (hence the fountain taste).  Very smooth, rich flavor.  Ingredients: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative), Citric Acid, Quillaia Extract, Gum Acacia, Yucca Extract.  Grade:  A-

Redskins Cookie Phones (but not in that order)

This obsession with cell phones is really getting on my nerves now.  I understand how nice it is to have such communications at your beck and call (ha), but if you are at a party, MUST you be doing something on your phone every few minutes?  I was at a very nice cookie and movie party last night, and almost everyone there had their mobiles in front of them and checked them every few minutes, or would just randomly send a text.  Is keeping in communication really that important? It's one thing to have your phone out in front of you IN CASE someone calls.  But to keep fiddling with it is distracting to the people around you and makes the people around feel unimportant.  It bugs me to no end if you are out with someone and they start texting other people with no apology for interrupting your event.  AT LEAST apologize and say you'll just be a minute.  I have been on the phone end of that situation and it is AWKWARD.  Especially since I only have a cell phone (no home phone) so people always assume I'm at home am want to talk for years.  I try very hard to let the person/people I'm with know that they are more important.  Honestly, if I were the type to give parties, I might enforce a no cell phone rule.

Cookies!  Did you know Cookie Monster has been campaigning to host Saturday Night Live?  He was on briefly yesterday to sing a Christmas song with the host.  I don't think they understand how funny a Cookie Monster show could be.  Dress him up as any celebrity parody and/or have him keep getting distracted by cookies? Comedy Gold.  I brought Cadbury cookies to the party last night.  Good to try, but not enough of the chocolate flavor I crave.

Almost time for the Redskins - Cowboys game.  Even though both teams are doing great this season, I'm worried this will not be a good game.  Backup quarterback Sexy Rexy is up - I don't think Donovan McNabb has been the problem though.  However, unlike other seasons I don't have an idea what needs to be changed this season.  All the players seem to be able to do good.  Maybe that means the issue is the playbook (I know very little about the plays, so can't comment on that too much.  The 3-2-1 throwing offense does seem to make sense to me.  We shall see what happens I guess.  GO SKINS!

Happy Birthday Steve!

Can you find an awesome guy in this picture?

Love you bro! 

Root Beer Review: Thomas Kemper

I bought this not realizing it was a low calorie root beer (only 20 calories).  It didn't have the normal harder taste of a "diet" soda.  There is a mild honey taste, with a small bite to it.  But it tastes more like a flavored water than a root beer.  Ended up giving some of the six pack away and threw out the rest of the bottles halfway through.  Ingredients:  carbonated water, honey, caramel color, maltodextrin, sodium benzoate (for freshness), natural flavor, phosphoric acid, sucralose (Splenda brand), salt, vanilla extract, and acesulfam K.  Grade: C-.

Root Beer Review: Natural Brew

Minty!  That's right, there's mint in dem der beer.  In fact, in my opinion, there are TOO many flavors in this root beer.  So much it tastes like potpourri, or a Christmas decoration.  Plus, it smells like a candle. Ingredients:  Sparkling Filtered Water, Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Flavors, Bourbon Vanilla Extract, Anise, Sarsaparilla, Licorice Root, Birch Oil, Wintergreen oil, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid.  Grade:  C-

GUEST REVIEWS!
Colleen:  Can't taste anything.  Light.  C+
Brent:  Non much flavor, light carbonation.  B-

(so fun that their reviews are almost the same - did they start out that way, or did 30+ years of marriage do that to them?)