Merry Christmas + Special Thanks + ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you for all your support over the last two years. I started blogging for fun and never thought it would become something I can do as a job. And I own it all to you guys!

I also wanted to wish you guys a....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I realize that it is not Christmas yet but I will be on a family vacation next week and won't have any access to internet. I hope you guys have a great holiday season filled with love and of course plenty of food!!! 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

To kick off the new year, I will be starting a new series called Keeping It Together January. With a new year comes with new exciting things happening as well as fear of what the year is going to bring. My Keeping It Together posts will provide you guys tips and tricks on how to start off the year right. 

JINGLE JINGLE- Kickin' it Up Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is the classic winter/holiday drink. But it can get boring in terms with the flavor year after year. Here are some ways to kick it up a notch for you and your family to enjoy this holiday season! 

1.) The Grasshopper

Whisk in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract (Be very careful, this stuff is potent)

2.) The Chillah

Put in a pinch of cheyenne pepper & cinnamon

3.) Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Scrape the seeds out of a 1/2 a vanilla bean and put into cocoa. Add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and mix till smooth.

4.) The Coco Lime (For those tropical people)

Add some lime zest and a couple tablespoons of cream of coconut. You can also replace your regular milk with coconut milk for a more intense flavor. (Make sure you are not using coconut milk from a can if you choose to replace milk. The milk in the can is very thick and is normally used for cooking. Try Almond Breeze Coconut Milk) 

5.) The Elvis

Put peanut butter into hot cocoa and mix until dissolved. Add half a smashed banana and blend until smooth. (This one also makes a great frozen hot chocolate) 

Review: Amazon Fire TV Stick

If you guys are familiar with Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV Stick is pretty much Amazon's version of it. Digital content has significantly increased over the last couple of years especially when it comes to TV shows and movies. The Fire TV Stick is a device that streams your online content directly to your TV.

The Fire TV Stick comes with...

-Fire TV Stick

-Remote

-USB cord + outlet extender

-2 AA batteries

-HDMI port 

The Fire TV Stick takes no time to install and so easy to use. The only issue I had was opening the battery compartment which you will need a small knife or screwdriver to help you open it.

You do have to have good internet connection in order to use this otherwise it will just buffer continuously. 

As you can tell the Fire TV Stick streams many different platforms such as Netflix, hulu+ and etc... Compared to Apple TV this device is much more affordable ($39). It also includes a 30 day Prime Trial. Personally I don't recommend this device if you don't have an Amazon Prime account. (If you don't have an Amazon Prime account you will have to register the device when you receive it. If you directly purchase it from your Amazon account it will be already set up for you. With Apple TV you have to register it yourself no matter what.) Many devices like Apple TV and smart TVs already have digital platforms like Netflix already installed. Amazon Prime is the only digital platform not available to these devices. I really like this device because I prefer streaming my movies and shows from Amazon rather than iTunes. I save a lot more money and don't have to worry about paying extra for storage space which Apple tends to charge. It is also great for gaming (you can purchase a separate gaming remote). It is easy to travel with thanks to its small size.

Fire TV Stick will be available on Amazon.com on January 6, 2015.

JINGLE JINGLE- Quick & Easy Cran-Orange Apple Sauce

A quick and yummy favorite of my mine during the holidays. This stuff tastes so much better than the can stuff and is so simple to make.

What You Will Need:

-1 Large Naval or Honeybell Orange (The sweeter the better)

-1 LB of Fresh Cranberries

-1 Granny Smith Apple (This apple holds up really well when cooked, if you want something a bit sweeter try a pink lady apple.)

-Water (Enough to cover the fruit)

- One to one and a half cups of fine white sugar

How To Make:

1. Wash all your fruits

2. Grate your orange for orange zest (Make sure you don't get any of the white part.) and the juice the orange. Keep the peels

3. Peel and cut your apple into tiny cubes

4. In a small sauce pot pour in your cranberries and just enough water to cover them

5. Add your apples and orange juice and throw in the orange peels for extra flavor

6. Add sugar (Just eyeball it but usually around a cup and of course depends on your sweetness preference

7. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour or so until the cranberries pop and it begins to form a sauce like consistency. 

8. Pour into a pretty bowl and serve! 

The Legend of Korra (Finale)- Thoughts & Stuff

Yesterday was a truly heartbreaking day,,,, The Legend of Korra has finally ended. Obviously I knew that this day was going to come but I am still currently trying to register it in my brain. I am a HUGE Avatar fan all the way from the start. It is definitely one of the best shows Nick has ever done. This is one of those shows where no matter how old you are it is something everyone can enjoy.

The Legend of Korra finale was definitely something for the ages. Instead of doing a full on review I want to share with you guys an article from Vanity Fair. This article not only contains a review of the finale but they also wrote about the modern perspective that this show brought. It covers pretty much every topic from religion to race to censorship to even sexuality. It is so well written and something I think you guys will really enjoy. But here are some quick little thoughts I had about the finale (WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD).

1. Varrick & Zhu Li

I knew that Nick was going to have at least one couple getting together at the end and I personally was rooting for Korra and Mako however I was so happy that they married Varrick & Julie. I even teared up a bit when he proposed to her and also their wedding at the end. 

2. What happened to Toph, Katara & Zuko?!?!

I was hoping that they would show more of the original Team Avatar especially at the end of the show. I had so many questions like whatever happened to Zuko's mother? Who was Toph's baby daddy and what happened with him? The list is endless. I am glad that they were able to bring back some old characters. My favorite throughout the show was when they brought back Uncle Iroh. I gotta admit I bawled my eyes out when I watched that episode.

3. Asami & Korra?!?!

I think everybody was pretty much surprised at the ending. But I personally thought that Nick made a pretty bold move but at the same time it changed things up a bit. Most of us myself included wanted Mako and Korra together. My personal thought about Asami and Korra is their remarkable friendship. These girls been through so much together even dating the same guy but in the end it only made their relationship stronger. I wish women today could be more accepting like them. Think about all the drama we could've avoided haha. 

You guys can still watch the finale as well as the other episodes on Nick.com. You can also watch on other platforms such as iTunes and Amazon prime. 

xoxo

Si 

Weekly Playlist- SPECIAL EDITION- Favorite Old School Christmas Albums

1.) NSYNC Home for Christmas 

This is a CULT classic. You can never go wrong with a little NSYNC during the holidays. It is actually a great excuse to break out the old album.

Favorite Songs: 

I Never Knew The Meaning of Christmas

I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You

2.) A Charlie Brown Christmas

No explanation necessary, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the ULTIMATE Christmas classic.

Favorite Songs:

Greensleeves

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

3.) Mariah Carey Merry Christams

The only time really acceptable to listen to Mariah Carey.

Favorite Songs:

All I Want For Christmas is You

O Holy Night 

4.) Nat King Cole The Magic of Christmas

This is probably as old school as you can get. I may be in my 20s but I find Nat's voice really soothing and classic which is something you really don't get with today's artists.

Favorite Songs:

Deck The Halls 

The First Noel

Movie Review: Rogue

I am a horror movie addict... actually addict may be an understatement. I honestly cannot live without horror movies in my life. I love the feeling of adrenaline rushing and anticipation that horror movies bring. Some of you may think i'm crazy but hey being addicted to horror movies is A LOT better than being addicted to crack... just saying.

My favorite type of horror movie are creature features. What can I say I am a hardcore animal lover. But I gotta admit that there really aren't a lot of decent creature features. The cgi is always wack and they are always some porn scenes. Like seriously focus on the freaking animal. Given this I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed Rogue. 

Rogue is an Australian horror film based on the true story of Sweetheart, a giant crocodile that attacked boats during the 1970s (She actually never killed anyone in real life). It starts out introducing a group of tourists who are taking a boat tour around Australian wetlands. The group ends up taking a detour when a flare is seen in the air. After the group finds the location of the flare, they see an empty boat in the water and are soon attacked up and unseen creature (obviously the croc). The rest of movie shows continues on with the people fighting for survival. Overall I gotta give some major props to this movie. First the cinematography is amazeballs!!! The scenery in the wetlands shown was absolutely stunning. I kinda felt I was on the tour with them (thank god I wasn't though). Everything was very lifelike and none of those cliche sceneries. The cgi croc wasn't too fake looking and the directors didn't overdo it by showing the croc too much. Secondly they actually made this movie about the creature and not into some porno. There was a mild bit of flirtation but nothing raunchy. And lastly, they actually had a pretty decent cast, like actual actors that we know about like Michael Vartan (Alias), Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Sam Worthington (Avatar).I did wish that they gave Worthington a bigger part because if you haven't heard this true born Australian accent you are definitely missing out! 

OVERALL

4.9/5