Put on the Glasses

I always wanted to try Williams Sonoma's peppermint bark but I never wanted to shell out the exorbitant price tag just to try it. So, I hunted down a recipe. I found a simple one from the blog Savory Sweet Life . Here is shot of the peppermint bark when I finished: Brian called them, "Dangerous because they taste just like a Peppermint Mocha. Except they have more chocolate, which is better." I also made another, similar recipe from the blog for candy cane chocolate-covered pretzels : Brian kept trying to steal these too. I think they turned out really well, and I'd recommend making either of these recipes because they were super-easy to make and taste delicious.

On Sunday, Brian and I went to the  New Standards  Holiday Show at the Fitzgerald. We went last year, loved it, and went again this year.  We got a box to ourselves (we aren't rich; it was an obstructed view). Here's Brian before the show: Here's the best shot I got during the concert: Yes, those are dancing Christmas trees. And in the back row, you can see Jeremy Messersmith and Mike Doughty singing back up during Brian's favorite New Standards song, Snow Days . We had a good time. I recommend going next year, if you get the chance.

This is a first big snow in the house. I heard it is going to hit 13 inches before it is done (it is still going). I snapped some pics this morning when we first shoveled. We have shoveled three times since. Here's Brian doing all the hard work: Leela didn't like the snow so much. She went out and came right back in:

I've always had a fake tree. I grew up putting together the artificial tree from the box stored in the basement, bending wires to try to get that "authentic" look. I never really knew what that authentic look was. Now I have a real tree and I get it. I now know what all the fuss is about. The tree is full, lush, and it has made my whole living room smell fabulous. We picked it up from a local place a few blocks away and carried it home (the whole time I pictured Brian and I as Harry and Sally; yes, I have seen that movie too many times). Here is the tree when we set it up: Here's Brian giving the tree its first drink of water: Here it is all lit up and covered in ornaments: I firmly believe it is the best tree I've ever had.

My cat is almost a desk accessory at this point. She loves napping on top of my papers and swiping at me while I move my mouse. 

For the first time in my life, I have lights hung outside my house for Christmas. Brian and I went simple this year, since it is our first attempt. Here's Brian hanging the lights: Here is Leela keeping an eye on us while we worked: Another shot of Brian stringing up lights by our door: And here is the finished product: I love it. We have a lit tree on the porch that matches the outside and Brian bought some new LEDs for the little tiny shrub by our steps. I feel so festive. Happy Holidays!

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes was a tear jerker of a book about Charlie, a 31-year-old mentally disabled man. Charlie undergoes an operation to increase his intelligence. Told from the perspective of Charlie, the book chronicles Charlie's struggling with memory, friendships love and life as his intellect grows and his perspective changes. The book is emotional, compelling and heart breaking. It's a quick read and I highly recommend picking it up.

My husband bought these cards at Papersource a while back. Perfect for stopping a loquacious person at a meeting, at dinner or anywhere else where you need someone to simply stop talking.

My cat Leela loves to sit around and knead blankets. She only does it with certain blankets, but when she starts she does this for unbelievably long periods of time. That's a whole lot of adorable right there.

I firmly believe that PowerPoint is overused in the workplace. Many people seem to use it as a crutch or -- and this is really a pet peeve of mine -- simply read off the slides.  Edward R. Tufte's essay  The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within reinforced many of my beliefs: Slides were not meant for large amounts of data. You either lose something by cramming it into a slide or the slide so packed with numbers it is not useful. PowerPoint presentations are not meant to be read later nor should they be posted on your internal corporate website. It is a presentation and something should be lost without a speaker to clarify the content of the slides.  Bullet lists dilute thought through unnecessary categorization. Yes, I know that I am using a list right now. However, not all data or information should be presented with bullet points. The book gives a great example of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address being br...

Thanksgiving was great this year. Gathered at my sister's house in the morning, where I cooked a turkey using the Cook's Illustrated recipe for Old Fashioned Stuffed Turkey . That recipe always works like a charm. Here is the bird after it came out of the oven: The picture doesn't do the bird justice. Here is a picture of my brother-in-law, Paul, carving up the turkey (my sister Vanessa is in the background): Here is a shot of my husband with a brew as I snapped pictures of the bird: And here is my sister's dog, Jackson, who was very shy and ran away every time I tried to take a picture of him until my niece helped me out: It was a good time. Later in the day, I went with my husband to our second Thanksgiving dinner at the Copeland house. Another round of turkey and stuffing was consumed. Here are the pies I made for dessert: The pumpkin is just a straight up version of Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe with a homemade crust. The other is my Mom...

Due to popular request, here is the list I compiled of the movies I plan to watch this year in preparation for Halloween: Key:  N= Netflix instant watch A= Amazon prime Cabin in the Woods The Shining Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (n) Shaun of the Dead Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004) High Tension Paranormal Activity Rosemary’s Baby Night of the Living Dead Session 9 (n) Anatomy Anatomy 2 13 Ghosts 28 Days Later Blade Trinity Case 39 (n) 30 Days of Night Cloverfield Devil Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (n) Evil Dead Evil Dead 2 Army of Darkness Final Destination 2 Freddy vs. Jason Friday the 13th (n) + sequels Ghost Ship Hostel Hostel 2 House of Wax House on Haunted Hill (n) I am Legend I Spit on Your Grave Insidious (n) It Jennifer’s Body Nightmare on Elm Street + sequels Piranha (n) Poltergeist Saw Slither Texas Chainsaw Massacre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDqwLna8fwY The Birds Psycho Blair Witch Project The Crazies The L...

Watched my first horror movie of the season last night: V/H/S. It's available for rent in iTunes and Amazon for $9.99 before the theatrical release. So, while I wanted to save the horror movies for October this year, I could not resist seeing this one early. It's a series of five vignettes tied together with a central story ala Tales of the Crypt or Trick R Treat. Each story is different and so the film in it's entirety involves a range of sub-genres, from monster movie to serial killer to paranormal. What I liked about it: Each story was filled with tension that kept you on the edge of your seat. My husband, an admitted pansy, had to go read the story summaries on Wikipedia just so he could sit and watch. Also, the short story narrative helped keep my interest. If I didn't like a particular actor, I could just wait it out for the next story. What I didn't like about it: The beginning was slow, and with the shaky camera, the first 10 minutes were hard to watch...

I love the new Hot Chip single:  

This is the first quote in years to make me laugh out loud: via webby_mc_webberson at reddit.com

We had the closing yesterday and are now happy homeowners. The closing went smoothly. Here's a shot of Brian before the closing: I meant to get pictures during the closing but it all went by so fast. After the closing, we picked up some Chinese food and headed straight for the house. Here is Brian bringing in some chairs for us to sit on: Then we cracked open the champagne to celebrate: We happily wandered around the house talking about our ideas and plans. Our agent, Dan Warnest, stopped by to get a picture of us with the sold sign: Our next priority was a trip to Home Depot (and then Menard's and then Home Depot again). I am now the proud owner of a lawn mower, a sprinkler and a hose. But our biggest priority was changing the locks. We were going to blow a bunch of money and just buy new locks, but discovered the locks on our house and garage were all the same brand. Menard's just so happens to have a key changing kit for it. Here's Brian with hi...

With all the controversy, Brian and I thought we should go see Bully. I don't regret seeing it; it was interesting and it was thought provoking.  But, like most documentaries, I doubt I will watch it again. I recommend seeing it though, particularly if you have kids.

I laughed, I gasped, I cringed and I had a smile plastered across my face from beginning to end. If you like a good meta-horror movie, see it.

Here is the song I have had stuck in my head all week:

I made these cookies to share with the family on Easter and they turned out really well: I got the recipe from Martha Stewart's website: http://www.marthastewart.com/874528/coconut-thumbprint-cookies-salted-caramel While they were delicious and everyone raved about them (they are like samoas sans chocolate), I don't know if I would make them again. They made an absolute disaster in my tiny apartment kitchen. I got egg on everything and little bits of toasted coconut are still lurking in the corners of my kitchen.  They were delicious though so I may need to embrace the mess and prepare better next time.

I used to use Google+. I have found that all I end up doing is posting the music videos I like. So, why not just do that here instead? This is not a new video, but I have had it stuck in my head all week:

I am getting so excited for the closing. It is coming soon and it can't come fast enough.  Here is another pic of the house: I've been staring at photos in anticipation and scouring the internet for tips on gardening, interior design and recipes for my house warming parties.

In case you haven't heard, Brian and I are buying a house in south Minneapolis. We are pretty excited and I am hoping to use this as the impetus to get back into blogging. Hopefully, I can post our projects and ideas for the house here.  Here's a pic of the house: It's a cute little two bedroom bungalow with an unfinished basement and an unfinished attic. The closing is in late April and we couldn't be happier.