WHAT have I been up to?

Well, I'll tell ya!

;)

I finally went to see the ever controversial "Twilight" movie. What you hear may shock you. Hold on to your hats...


I liked it!

Did your opinion of me just plummet to the basement? It's okay. I still like me :)

Should I explain why I liked it? Because it was a movie - meant to be entertaining. And I was entertained. It wasn't the book. Of course, it wasn't the book! I'm okay with that. I thought they stayed true to the book pretty well, though. It was fun - WB kinda fun. The effects could have been better - the casting, in part, could have been better, the ACTING could have been better, but anyone who knows me, knows that I could say that about almost every movie.

Here's alittle BOBBI HISTORY 101.

I've always been slightly over analytical about movies. Taking drama for 6 years did that to me. Oh WHY did they use that lighting? WHAT made them use that angle there? WHO decided they should use that song there? It got to the point where I couldn't enjoy movies at ALL anymore - and I love watching movies! Even though I could make better use of the little free time I have, I ADORE just sitting back with a bowl of popcorn in my lap, being entertained for a couple of hours. In the past few years I've made the choice to just LET myself enjoy, not to analyze, not to critique, nothing. Just sit back and enjoy. And I do! And I'm a much happier person now :)

So, back to Twilight! I had a lot of fun watching it! I laughed out loud more than once (and not only during the cheesy-wasn't-meant-to-be-funny parts). There were even a couple of moments where I felt touched. Was I dazzled? Um... I'd say no. But, the actors grew on me (even the ones I expected wouldn't) and I'm excited for the next one! Maybe the fun I had was also due to the fact that I went with a group of the most hilarious, fun girls I know. They can make anything fun! Oh, did I mention that it was a night out without kids? That boosted the "OH MY GOODNESS I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN" level up a notch or two :)

THAT was Friday. We went out to eat at Boston Pizza afterward and stayed out way too late :) I love when that happens.

Saturday started out on SUCH an awesome note. A sweet girl in our ward was baptized, and I was lucky enough to be the pianist for it, and also watch my daughter with a group of her friends singing "I Am A Child of God" and "If The Savior Stood Beside Me". It was so touching. The entire baptism was actually one of the best I've been to. So sweet, so pure, just lovely. I was SO glad I went.

Then we had our Relief Society SUPER Saturday from 1pm - 5pm, and I had a blast! There was a fairly good showing (though, in my opinion, it could ALWAYS be better - that's the Relief Society president in me coming out!) and I was GIDDY that I was able to make a gawgeous quilted table runner, some DELICIOUS cheeseballs (and OH SO EASY!) and to teach a Car Kit Class, which I think went over well. We also had Christmas Scrapbooking, cardmaking, and a cute Christmas tree/wreath craft that I had to pass on because I HAD to have a table runner and cheeseballs!

I KNOW you are wanting in on the cheeseball recipes, and I"m going to indulge you! This one cheese ball recipe I was a little wary of - it's nothing I had tried before, but OH MY, OH MY, OH MY! It is divine! (and easy to boot!)

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEESEBALL

1 (12 oz) package of chocolate chips
1 cup hard peppermint candies
2 cups pecans
8 oz. cream cheese, softened.

Throw the chocolate chips, peppermint candies, and pecans into your food processer or blender until ground. Put the mixture into a plastic baggie. There will be enough of this mixture to do several cheeseballs! (Like five or six!) You can store this until the need arises to make a quick cheeseball!

When ready to make the cheeseball, place cream cheese in a bowl. I like to microwave the cream cheese for about 30 seconds to make it extra soft. Stir the cream cheese until it is very smooth (no lumps). Then, measure out 1/2 cup of the ground mixture and mix into the cream cheese. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or until firm. Serve with chocolate wafer, chocolate graham crackers, or whatever you want! SOOOOOO GOOD!

One hint our teacher gave us - presentation is everything! She suggested reserving some WHOLE chocolate chips, mints, and pecans. Getting a platter, putting a gold cloth napkin on it (or something similar), placing the cheeseball in the middle, laying out the chocolate wafers around the cheeseball, then sprinkling some of the whole ingredients around. This not only looks nice, but it lets your guests know what is IN the cheeseball which is handy for people with allergies, or picky tastes ;)

After the Super Saturday, I came home to a clean house (thank you my sweet husband) and my hubby and I went to his work Christmas party. It was..... interesting. The food was SO yummy, and the company was wonderful! We ended up seated at a table with 3 couples we hadn't met before - all our parents' age. We had the best conversations! My hubby and I commented to each other that we seem to get along better with older people for some strange reason. I'm not sure WHY that is, but I agreed that we definitely do. Weird.

People were drinking - a lot. It's not amusing to me to see nice people turn into something completely different. We also happened to be seated directly in front of a GINORMOUS speaker with LOUD music (I'm sounding older and older all the time) so we didn't stay long once the dancing started ( I know - you're shocked! ME leaving BEFORE the dancing started). That's how loud it was. I'm sure everyone there had a blast, but I was content to be home with my hubby, sipping on some gourmet hot chocolate. Yumm. It was a lovely end to a lovely day.

Sunday I went to sacrament meeting at church with a wicked migraine. When my stomach started getting queasy as well, I made an exit before Sunday School. I am so grateful for 5th Sundays when I have no responsibilties in Relief Society. The High Priest Group leader conducted the meeting and the Bishop taught. I would have loved to be there for that lesson, but being able to crash at home was the prescription my body needed right then.

I'm SO excited to start adding photos and journaling to my 25 days of Christmas album! YES! Today it's going to be decorating the tree. I'm so excited to get it done! YIPPEE! What fun Christmas activity are you planning for the first of December?