Thanksgiving Roundup

Wow, what a week. I cleaned for pretty much two hours every day (we have so many little trinkets than had an inch of dust every where) so our house practically sparkled. Thanksgiving is our spring cleaning. On the day itself, I was going from 8:30 until 8 p.m. and then collapsed in a turkey/wine haze. All in all, a success with only two minor meltdowns (one involving breaking a bottle that fell out of the pantry that included the f-word a few times and the other involving puff pastry). But none with our guests here so that was good.

And I managed to accomplish something else on my list: trying a new recipe every week for a month. Most of it was a success. One I'm still not sure about but would like to try again. And after the puff pastry failed me on Thursday for this recipe, I whipped up an apple crumble instead. I had a momentary freakout wondering how I would make an apple crumble because I already made the filling for the turnovers but fortunately I found a recipe that basically required what I already put in the filling (plus a little more cinnamon and flour) so that was a relief. I just added more apples (thankfully I was going to make a double batch of turnovers so I had plenty on hand), more cranberries, the topping, and voila! Excellent crumble. The cranberries and citrus from the apple turnovers gave it a nice little kick to a plain apple crumble. It'll probably be a regular recipe for me.
Other recipes I tried:
Turkey Meatloaf; this one was delicious. My dad who is used to meatloaf you soak in gravy, turned to me after two bites and was like this is soooooo good, so moist you don't need gravy! That was a win. I served it with steamed veggies and roasted red potatoes. Very good.
Scones (I added strawberries); I wasn't crazy about this recipe. I think I was very impatient and didn't give it the time it deserved. They turned out very muffin top-y; I don't think it helped that I basically couldn't get it to cut in an triangle shape so I just plopped down down on a cookie sheet.
(thanks to domestic reflections for the recipes!)
Bean Burritos; this isn't a specific recipe per se but I saw my brother in law make it one night and decided to copy him. I don't think I followed him exactly but what I made was delicious, simple, and not time consuming.
Pre-heat oven to 350. In a non-stick skillet, add a tablespoon of oil to med-high heat. Fry half an onion, a clove or two of garlic, and any veggies you want (I went with red and green peppers). I fried until just about nicely browned, then took off heat. Open a can of black beans and fill four tortillas with beans and onion and veggie mix. Add 1 oz of cheese to each tortilla. Place open side down in baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce (I found a good one at whole foods). Bake for twenty minutes, covered. Enjoy with salsa!

Now to wrap up this long post, a list of things I'm thankful for:

1. A new niece
2. Making a great new friend
3. Finally standing up for myself and leaving something that was making me unhappy
4. Keeping a consistent work-out plan
5. Reading more
6. Good health for all those I care about

She got skills...

My mom claims this she didn't do such a great job with making this bouquet (all flowers from the supermarket). At that comment, I rolled my eyes and took a picture.

Here's my own small bouquet (nothing I'd brag about but I like what I did with castoffs):

Another one bites the dust...

Yay!

I forgot to take a picture of said cupcake and balloon but I couldn't wait on the cupcake! I ate it without thinking of taking a picture. So the small picture of the red velvet (my favorite and the one I got) will have to do. Trust me that going to Cupcake is a very nice way to spend your birthday. Plus getting a black balloon instead of baby pink or baby blue (target doesn't have a ton of color options) was kind of awesome. It's nice to celebrate your birthday without making a huge deal. Just doing something for yourself, which I should do more often.

(Image via Cupcake)

Silver Fox

Reason #392821 Why I Love Keith Olbermann:

He references the awesome Thanksgiving episode of WKRP. Oh how I wish I could find it on youtube for y'all but trust, it is hilarious!

(Image via Gawker)

Weekend Plans

1.) Sleep a lot
2.) Drink hot apple cider
3.) Make scones
4.) Scan family pictures
5.) Start reading Persuasion
6.) Watch A Colbert Christmas (Sunday 10/9c)
7.) Stay warm!!

Have a good weekend!

Wow...

Seriously whenever I got to H&M I never find anything I love (with 2 exceptions; a lovely jacket and my favorite dress). She found 8 (count them!)
beautiful pieces. I love all those tops (my favs are the last two)! Guess who is going to be more diligent about going to H&M in the future?

Exactly the dining room table I want...

So perfectly homemade looking...I love it!

(image from sundance catalog)

Embarrassing Confession

So every year when I was young, I used to obsess over The Nutcracker (I can't remember which version we had but it was NOT the Mikhail Baryshnikov one; I know total blasphemy right?). I think my mom was very smart to lock away the tape for most of the year and only bring it out after Thanksgiving and until New Year. I would put it on everyday and put on my fancy slips and tights and dance and around as though I were Clara falling in love with the nutcracker. I never got tired of it.

I loved my pastel slips, pink and white with a little bow. I wish I could still wear those with tights. Until I can in public without causing a scene this perfect pink dress will have to do:


Perfect for falling in love with a Nutcracker.

(Image from here)

Thakoon for Target

They are going for a very summery look. Which doesn't make a lot of sense to me to release it in December but what do I know? These two looks are definitely cute enough to buy and wait for next summer.

(Images via Nylon)

Slowly whittling down the list...

One more thing crossed off!


I figured out that I want to go back to school to be a web/graphic designer. Well, actually I've known for awhile that I wanted to do it but I've been nervous to actually say that out loud. BUT I'm really interested in it, I think I would definitely be good at it, and I'm a quick learner so I'm not worried about being a novice at this point. Isn't that what school is for anyway? So I'll be hopefully heading back and getting the basics done at a community college and then transferring to MCAD or the UMN. I'm leaning more towards MCAD but we'll see!

Decided to go back for a degree in Visual Merchandising instead; it's far more up my alley than graphic design.

15 Things that Make me Happy/Can't live without...

I'm in a list making mood so here's to ripping off Domino/Elle Decor (with sincere thanks for making those lists in their magazines).

1.) Lucky, Domino, & Self Magazines. The first two are obvious-they show you how to dress (yourself or a room) in a very cool/chic way. The third is a slightly more pedestrian, boring magazine but Self has really helped me learn how to eat better and to get my ass in gear with exercise. Seriously, those Self yearly challenges are great motivators!




2.) New Balances-best shoe for running/walking ever. No bells and whistles that annoy. And I can always find them on sale (should I be worried about that or should I just enjoy the fact that I shop right when they are on sale).


3.) Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister-for the girl who anytime she wears a new pair of shoes gets painful popped blisters on her heel, these are perfect. They stay perfectly in place on my heel and stays on until I'm ready to take it off.


4.) One-a-Day Women's MultiVitamin-I take it daily; I mostly get my good minerals from my food (I'm big on fruits and veggies) but I think this helps my health overall, especially since it has 45% of my daily calcium intake (in one pill). I definitely recommend taking with food as I have gotten a slight sick feeling if I've taken it without eating.


5.) Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream-Saves my hands in the winter and after hand washing dishes. I like the fragrance free one the best but I really should wear the Age Shield kind.


6.) Method Cleaning Products-Pretty affordable, non-toxic, fairly "green", doesn't test on animals, and helps me clean my bathroom faster than ever= I really like these products. And bless them for making a no fragrance cleaner because my migraines are triggered by heavy perfumed scents. I also enjoy Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena all purpose cleaner which is perfumed but is just a nice clean scent that doesn't make my head ache and also has the same qualities listed above. I'll never go back to soft scrub again!



7.) Karl Bissinger's Gummy Pandas-truth be told, I hate gummy. Okay I hate the kind of gummy that you find in a drugstore candy section. Trust me I'll eat it if I need a sugar rush (I'm not stuck up at all about candy) but they generally make my head hurt (I attribute it to all the vigorous chewing I have to do and the sugar...same reason I can't chew bubble gum ). These however are amazing...soft, small, and with wonderful flavor. Green Tea and Pomegranate are neck and neck for being my favorites. I also don't feel so awful if I eat a handful of them for a snack. No they are no substitute for eating something healthy like fruit but I don't feel like I just swallowed a big sugar blob. And no headache!


8.) How to Cook Everything - such a helpful tool for anyone who wants to cook/bake.


9.) Tazo Black "Awake" Tea - I've discovered I'm a person who needs caffeine to function. After several years of not having caffeine (besides that occasional coke or latte) I realized I'm just a really tired person overall. Not matter how well I eat, no matter how much water I drink, no matter how much I go to the gym and exercise, and no matter how long I sleep (which is a lot, at least 9-10 hours), I'm freaking tired every day. So caffeine is a necessary evil. I can't do coffee every morning (my stomach couldn't take it) and I had heard good things about black tea's health benefits so I tried it. It keeps me going and I don't feel so wired. With a little honey, it's even better in taste.



10.) Fresh Air with Terry Gross - my favorite radio show; interesting interviews and reviews and it's a nice way to wind down the day @ 8 p.m.

11.) Holy Land Pita & Hummus-you must go and get the pita and hummus @ Holy Land. They make it all fresh everyday so the pita just melts in your mouth, it's so soft. You can get the hummus elsewhere but the pita must be fresh otherwise why bother?? Also the kalamata olives and feta cheese are the best in the city (especially when making penne all'arrabiata ).

12.) Ikea Ludde Sheepskin Rug - perfect for making chairs even cozier. It helps during the deep Minnesota winter.


13.) Deere Colhoun Large Sienna Bag - such a great bag...I can haul all my crap in here and still feel in style. The color of my bag is wonderful deep plum and it looks even better now that it's all broken in. I also feel it won't go out of style and I like how simple it is...again not a lot of bells and whistles but still a great shape and feel.


14.) Pavement Slanted & Enchanted and Liz Phair Exile in Guyville- 2 of my favorite albums.



15. The Apartment - A beautiful, funny movie. I can't say more, just watch it.



(Images via Lucky, Domino, Self, About.com:Shoes, Drugstore.com, TreeHugger, Mrs. Meyers, Karl Bissinger's, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Ikea, Instyle, The Independent)

OH NO!

My ring seems to be sold out on Kate Spade. Blergh.

Girl Crush

Most girls have another girl they crush on; mine are the standard girl crushes- Tina Fey, Michelle Obama, and Helen Mirren. Then there is always the random girl, a perfectly put together girl that you see at work, on the street, on campus. Everytime you see them they look just comfortable in their skin and their outfits are cool...and you just feel like a big dork in comparison, wearing your comfy sweats and new balances.

My latest girl crush is from Lucky Magazine, Jenny Kang. Basically I love her outfits and that she has a huge bright white smile on her face in every picture. And I covet her hair.




















Totally cute, right? And totally nerdy that I get excited when she's on the 'cute outfit of the day'.

(Images via Lucky)

Realistic Birthday List

Here's what I really came up with for a birthday list (you know stuff people could actually buy me without going broke):


In God We Trust Short Chain Necklace

White Porcelain Hole Jug from Global Table


Domino: The Book of Decorating


Gift Card to Juut SalonSpa


West Elm Gallery Frames


Paperwhite bulbs



Pyrex 10 piece glass storage set


And with my birthday money I think I will be buying this lovely ring:



For the actual birthday day: still a 2 hour nap and cheesecake from Caffe Latte along with takeout from the Great Wall (or pizza I'm not sure which I will be craving on the particular night).

P.S. I know some of the list is boring (Pyrex food storage, I'm looking @ you) but I know it's stuff I want but never think to buy. And also some fun stuff 'cause not all b-day presents should be practical.

(images via Refinery29, Amazon, West Elm , White Flower Farm , Target , & Kate Spade)

Bull and Giraffe: Best Pets Ever

'Cause they make me smile. And no shedding!

Oh, hell no!

Or how Winter Wonderland came too early:


Just a FYI that Monday was 70 degrees here. Not even kidding.

Lucky for me I have a lovely new red hat to combat winter coldness (special shout-out to my six month old niece who dropped a toy on the floor at the Gap causing me to find my lovely new hat!)

Favorite Things Around the House

Whenever I'm slightly depressed about not constantly having the beautiful things I see in magazines, online, etc., I try to remind myself of the beautiful things I already do own or have in my life. Yeah, my house is far from perfect but it has a lot of incredible stuff that makes me happy on a daily basis and that has really good memories surrounding it.

So! Onto the first thing that makes me happy around the house; this antique clock, not sure how old but the sound is good and it looks great:





(I apologize for my lack of photography skills; I only really know how to point and shoot!)

Great Finds in My Own Basement

I was down in our trashed out basement this morning (I would post pictures but I'm too embarrassed at the state of wreckage....in fact I'm embarrassed by the little you can see in the photos!) and saw this fantastic chair sitting in the middle of the room. A quick look around and I found the whole set! I vaguely remember them sitting around our huuuuuge butcher block kitchen table back in the day. They do need a bit of work but they are definitely worth saving. I'm thinking of painting them black....but I'm not sure yet.