Hey everyone!
Just wanted to let you all know that I have officially moved my blog over to Wordpress- the new site is http://whimzeerealm.wordpress.com/.
Hope you’re all having a happy New Year, and that you’ll come visit me in my new space!
I think I’ve mentioned in the past how cool I think the phenomenon of guerrilla knitting is- and I just stumbled across an especially interesting installation- a crocheted sweater for the Wall Street Bull:
Sadly, this crocheter had to watch her work (which must have just taken FOREVER) be destroyed within hours once the park-keeper discovered it, but hey, a pick-up by CNN Money means it will live forever!!
Via CNN Money
Happy Holidays everyone! Today I am trying to stave off my annual post-Christmas blues by focusing on all the exciting things that need to be done to bring in the best year ever in 2011, and enjoying the fact that I am off work until next Tuesday!
Before I start tackling my list for today, though, I thought I’d make a quick post to sum up my Christmas break. We got a nice little gift of getting off work early on Thursday, and I took advantage of that to finish my Christmas shopping a few hours earlier than I had anticipated. Christmas Eve-eve was spent driving around looking at lights, enjoying delicious Puerto Rican spaghetti and tostones a la Glenn, and watching some Big Bang Theory together. Midway through the next day, I loaded up my car and headed on out to Loganville to prepare to spend the holiday with my family. Since my gifts were already wrapped, I really just got to enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve next to the fire, playing some games and sipping some wine.
Christmas Day, we all got up around 9:30 and headed downstairs to enjoy my Mom’s amazing quiche and to open our gifts. My family was right on the mark this year- I got a beautiful coat, a dressmaker’s dummy, a ton of books I had asked for, and a few other items- although, I have to say, I am extremely partial to the Fox Hat my Mom picked out for me. The rest of the day, we played around with the Netflix instant streaming I had gifted my folks, and in-between peering out the window at the amazing spectacle that was a White Christmas in Atlanta for the first time in over 100 years, my Mom and I got to work on something we had never attempted before- Christmas Prime Rib.
We used the technique recommended on Serious Eats- low and slow. We cooked the 12-pound rib roast in a 170 degree oven for a little over 5 hours until our meat thermometer registered 120 degrees (for medium rare meat), took it out and let it rest for about 30 minutes, then seared the meat again in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes. Then I pulled together an Au Jus, and the result was, I have to say, the most amazing meal my family has EVER put together.
I still have half of my piece in my fridge just waiting to become my dinner tonight, and I am SO EXCITED.
We finished up the evening by playing some Apples to Apples, then passing out next to the fire watching Inception. Perfect Christmas.
The next day, I headed down to the Southside to exchange gifts with Glenn’s family, who were ALSO spot on- cast iron pans, crafting books, and a few other things- and to play with the kiddos some. Brookes has reached the most adorable age and just kept flinging herself into my arms, and Hannon could not get enough of one the gifts I brought him.
Then we headed up to my place for gift exchange with Glenn and myself- another home run! Three fabulous knives and sharpener, (Japanese-style JA Henckels) which I have been wanting FOREVER, another crafting book, and a watch- I have to say, I racked up pretty nicely this year!
Today I’ve spent organizing and making lists (my favorite things to do), and spending some time with the puppers, who has been on me like glue ever since he got back home last night (he spent the Christmas holiday on the Southside).
Later this week, I’ll post more information about my upcoming Etsy shop and the changes to my blog, but in the meantime, time to start checking things off my list!
Yoshi says hello!
So, this morning at work, I was perusing the blogosphere, and happened across an article outlining 15 books that are currently being adapted for the screen, and imagine my shock and delight when I ran across this: Replay was number 5 on the list!
I’ve written about Replay before- Glenn’s cousin Ken Grimwood wrote this back in the 80’s, and since this time, it has developed a massive cult following, and has been sitting on the backburner at WB in their options pile for over 20 years. Jason Smilovic (who wrote Lucky Number Slevin, which I really enjoyed) has adapted the screenplay, and Ben Affleck has been approached to work on this project presumably in a directorial-lead acting role.
Although I love what Ben did in Gone Baby Gone and hear he was similarly brilliant in The Town, I feel very protective of this story, and have a hard time picturing Jeff Winston, a southern boy at heart being portrayed by Ben. I like to keep my Bostonites and my Southernites separate.
Still though, so exciting that this project might FINALLY see the light of day!
Hi everyone! Seems like I am getting into a Monday morning blogging habit- I think that is just the time that I feel the most refreshed after finishing up a busy week then having the weekend to sort of unwind- although this past weekend was jam packed and did not leave much time for unwinding. I spent all day Saturday shopping around town to get my Christmas gifts taken care of, and then met up with some lovely ladies at Phipps for a viewing of Black Swan. Wow- this movie was just terrific. So intense from beginning to end, and leaves you wondering how much of what you saw was even real? Natalie was a beautiful dancer, and played her role just PERFECTLY- and Mila, well, it’s hard for me to ever look at Mila and not see Jackie (from That 70’s Show), but this role has definitely put her a little more on the map for me. And that ending. Wow. I definitely recommend checking it out. We DEFINITELY had to share a bottle of wine after the viewing to try to decompress though, haha.
Sunday, I spent the day doing yet MORE shopping down on the southside- hit up Tanger outlet (OMG, what a MESS it is shopping in the ‘burbs during the holidays!!!) and a few other spots, then Glenn and I headed over to check out Tron Legacy. This movie was exactly what I wanted it to be, too! Amazing effects (ummm, hello, how did they create a whole younger version of Jeff Bridges?? That was just incredible!), awesome soundtrack (courtesy of Daft Punk, who even made a cameo appearance in the film), a (frustratingly short) cameo by Cillian Murphy, and an entertaining story. With the exception of what I consider to be one major plothole towards the end that involves the Tron character, I thought it was a job well done.
This week should be a little calmer than the last- although last week was a LOT of fun- successful get together complete with plenty of wine and a rousing game of Apples to Apples at my house Monday, possibly the BEST Cooking Club installment yet on Tuesday (we had like 14 people, and everyone’s tapas were ASTOUNDING, although I’ll admit, if I had had more time to prepare, my tostones would have turned out MUCH better), lunch with the team here at Six Feet Under and a delicious dinner with EA Games at Rathbun Steak on Wednesday, and then hosting the Holiday Drink Cart on Friday (which was, I have to say, the best one yet, complete with Apple Sangria, holiday brews from TJ’s, and some sparkling wine for libations, and my homemade Chex Mix and Spinach Dip for noms. And how adorable is my team in our Christmas Gear??
Nick was quite a hit in his holiday robe.
Anyways, since I am MISERABLY behind on my handmade gifts this year, I am hoping for several quiet nights at home in a row to get some things accomplished- I CAN’T BELIEVE CHRISTMAS IS ALREADY SATURDAY!!!
It is COLD outside. Like, BALLS-ASS COLD. I’ve been crazed the past couple of weeks and haven’t had a chance to make a post, and that makes me sad! So here’s a post.
First of all, can I just say that I am just not cut out for this weather. In an effort to save $90 a month (partially to fund my newly re-introduced cable- oh God, how I missed you, Always Sunny, Futurama, Roseanne marathons et al…), anyways- in order to save the parking fees associated with my building at work, I park on the street- usually either Piedmont, 12th, or 13th. Normally, it is a nice 1/2 mile walk to and from work, not a big deal- get some exercise, save some money. This weather, however, makes that 1/2 mile feel like 10 miles of harrowing, icy death. I literally want to cry the entire walk up, but will myself not to for fear of my tears turning to icicles in my eyes. If the rest of this winter is as cold as December and November (post Thanksgiving) have been, I just don’t think I’m going to make it.
Hope you all were able to stay warm and dry this weekend! I had a very busy one- spent a lot of time on Friday and Saturday cleaning and organizing my apartment in anticipation of the get-together I am hosting at my apartment this evening. Saturday, Glenn joined me and we decorated my apartment for Christmas (which served to really put me in the Christmas spirit, despite the fiasco that involved a multi-store search for clear Christmas lights in-town) and finally finished the last two episodes of The Walking Dead. Holy. Shit BTW. It was so crazy to see the Cobb Energy Center (moonlighting in this instance as the “CDC”) blown up in the finale, haha- that’s where I saw my very first opera!! Also- I am calling it now- Jenner was DEFINITELY telling Grimes that Lorie is pregnant- and Rick is gonna KNOW that baby can’t be his. CALLING IT!!! It will be interesting to see (unfortunately like 10 months from now) if the producers of the show made the right or wrong call in firing their entire writing staff- and also to see how long the show stays set in the ATL. All in all, though, I was very satisfied in the first mini-season of this show. Let’s hope they can keep up the pace for future episodes.
Sunday, I went out to Loganville to spend the day celebrating the birth of my sister. She joined me in the late twenties crowd today, actually, but yesterday we threw down with an old-fashioned Wells family Christmas tree decorating party, complete with WAY too much food (at Amber’s request, we had ice-cream cake for her birthday, rounded out with Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, rice krispies treats, and fudge via my Mom). Once we had all the ornaments placed on the tree, we all sat around and played some Apples to Apples for a while- LOVE that game.
Also, on the craft front, a couple of updates- I’m, as usual, WAY behind on my gifts for this year, but hoping to have some time to catch up, I don’t know, maybe this weekend? (This week is just PACKED- get-together at my house tonight, Tapas-themed cooking club tomorrow, rep dinner at Rathbun’s Wednesday night, and drinks with Katie and Ginger Thursday). I have, however, finalized Brooks’s sweater (which is adorable, if I do say so myself), the back side of Hannon’s sweater, one of my sister’s gloves, and the earflap hat for my dad (modified from my original pattern idea). Still finishing to do on those projects, but the major bodywork is all done. Ugh, so much left to do!! In other craft news, after spending the past two years longing after but never achieving a full (ha, or even partial!) Anthropologie wardrobe, I have decided that in 2011, I will open an etsy shop to fund this endeavor. :) I am currently in the beginning stages of planning out my designs and which items I will offer, pricing structures, etc.- but hope to go live with my shop in mid-January (I have committed to NOT creating anything non-gift related through Christmas, so I will not be able to create any inventory until after the holiday.) I am also planning to move this blog over to Wordpress, so keep an eye out for that happening soon.
I hope that you are all making the most of the holidays- I am certainly feeling it more now that I wake up to a sparkly little tree every morning. I just need to take time to breathe and enjoy the season- get my gifts all purchased, get some goodies made, get some knitting done, and listen to some Time-Life Treasury of Christmas!
Happy Cyber Monday all! While I did forego the traditional 5 am Black Friday shopping extravaganza this year (I actually only made one shopping trip the entire day, to Target, where I purchased seasons one and two of The Big Bang Theory for only $13 each!), I do plan on making a few e-purchases today.
As I’ve been making my lists of what I’ll be purchasing various family members, friends, and the like, I’ve also been thinking about what I want this year. It’s weird, I’ve gotten to a place in my life where there are just very few things that I can immediately answer “I need this” when someone asks me what I want for a special occasion. I guess I need a nightstand (LOVE this DIY one from Design Sponge):
I’ve also been thinking I could really use a watch lately. My agency has this “no clocks in the conference rooms” policy that can be really annoying if you are in a meeting but need to be somewhere for ANOTHER meeting and have no idea what time it is. And since some people consider it rude to cart your laptop and/or iphone into meetings, and I am not so great at being able to tell the exact time based on the slant of the sun, I think I need some mode of telling time. But it’s been so long since I’ve WORN a watch, I don’t even know where to start with picking one out! After some preliminary searching, here are some I really like- I just really want to get something nice and classic yet unique, that I know can last me a really long time:
Love these stylized, steampunk offerings from revolt70’s Etsy shop
Slightly less steampunk yet still classic look from Timex
In-my-dreams watch (7,999 Euros!) from Kudoke
Pretty Tortoiseshell by Michael Kors- probably a little over the top for my tastes though.
Pretty white and gold from Fossil
I still think I like that top one the best. Maybe Santa will be extra generous this year….
I can’t believe we are only a little over a week away from my FAVORITE holiday of the year- Thanksgiving. Tomorrow here at work, we are having our annual Thanksgiving Festivus, which consists of every one of us 150 or so employees contributing a dish and pigging out (the agency provides the turkey and ham). I am making Southern Living’s Chocolate Citrus Cake (minus the candied oranges) with my Mom’s help this eve, and am SO STOKED to test out my coworkers’ yummy contributions tomorrow!!
I am off work ALL next week, and am looking forward to a weekend of fun activities (including a Harry Potter marathon followed by a new film viewing), spending the beginning of next week really digging in on my Christmas gift-making, and then heading out to Loganville to spend a couple of good days with my family and, of course, eating my weight in delicious Thanksgiving staples.
I stumbled across this HILARIOUS letter on awkwardfamilyphotos today that I just couldn’t resist sharing. Let’s hope you enjoy your upcoming holiday with a less intense family celebration!
From: Marney As you all know a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner does not make itself. I need to ask each of you to help by bringing something to complete the meal. I truly appreciate your offers to assist with the meal preparation. Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and joke around all the time, I COULD NOT BE MORE SERIOUS when I am providing you with your Thanksgiving instructions and orders. I am very particular, so please perform your task EXACTLY as I have requested and read your portion very carefully. If I ask you to bring your offering in a container that has a lid, bring your offering in a container WITH A LID, NOT ALUMINUM FOIL! If I ask you to bring a serving spoon for your dish, BRING A SERVING SPOON, NOT A SOUP SPOON! And please do not forget anything. All food that is to be cooked should already be prepared, bring it hot and ready to serve, warm or room temp. These are your ONLY THREE options. Anything meant to be served cold should, of course, already be cold. HJB—Dinner wine The Mike Byron Family 1. Turnips in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. Please do not fill the casserole all the way up to the top, it gets too messy. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but most of us hate turnips so don’t feel like you a have to feed an army. The Bob Byron Family 1. Green beans or asparagus (not both) in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. If you are making the green beans, please prepare FOUR pounds, if you are making asparagus please prepare FIVE pounds. It is up to you how you wish to prepare them, no soupy sauces, no cheese (you know how Mike is), a light sprinkling of toasted nuts, or pancetta, or some EVOO would be a nice way to jazz them up. The Lisa Byron Chesterford Family 1. Lisa as a married woman you are now required to contribute at the adult level. You can bring an hors d’ouvres. A few helpful hints/suggestions. Keep it very light, and non-filling, NO COCKTAIL SAUCE, no beans of any kind. I think your best bet would be a platter of fresh veggies and dip. Not a huge platter mind you (i.e., not the plastic platter from the supermarket). The Michelle Bobble Family 1. Stuffing in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please make the stuffing sans meat. The June Davis Family 1. 15 LBS of mashed potatoes in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please do not use the over-size blue serving dish you used last year. Because you are making such a large batch you can do one of two things: put half the mash in a regulation size casserole with lid and put the other half in a plastic container and we can just replenish with that or use two regulation size casserole dishes with lids. Only one serving spoon is needed. The Amy Misto Family (why do I even bother she will never read this) 1. A pumpkin pie in a pie dish (please use my silver palate recipe) no knife needed. Looking forward to the 28th!! Marney
2. Two half gallons of ice cream, one must be VANILLA, I don’t care what the other one is. No store brands please. I did see an ad this morning for Hagan Daz Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, yum!! (no pressure here, though).
3. Toppings for the ice cream.
4. A case of bottled water, NOT gallons, any brand is ok.
2. A case of beer of your choice (I have Coors Light and Corona) or a bottle of clos du bois chardonnay (you will have to let me know which you will bring prior to 11/22).
2. 2.5-3 qts. of mashed squash in a casserole with a lid and serving spoon
3. Proscuitto pin wheel – please stick to the recipe, no need to bring a plate.
4. A pie knife
2. A bottle of clos du bois chardonnay
2. An apple pie in a pie dish, you can use your own recipe, no knife needed.
I’m sad this morning. Last night, Glenn’s sister and I had the second installment of our sewing class down at A Scarlet Thread in McDonough (at the end of the class, we had each produced a fully sewn pillowcase!!) When I finally made it home around 10 or so, I had so much to carry inside (sewing machine, sewing basket, work bag, and all of my winter accessories), that I totally failed to notice when my scarf and hat dropped right out of my hands. This morning, as I was walking the puppers, I found my scarf on the sidewalk next to my car. But my hat, my hat was gone. I raced inside and searched everywhere, but, alas- it is gone. I can’t believe someone would just TAKE a hat right off the sidewalk!!! I’m so MAD at myself- this is the SECOND hat I’ve made for myself- POURED my heart and soul into- that has met an early demise. I don’t even have a proper photo of it. It was a beautiful red cabled slouchy elf hat- based on this pattern:
IT WAS SO CUTE! AND IT TOOK FOREVER! Blast.
Anyways, I’ll just have to add another item to my list of things to make this season. At the back of the queue, of course, behind all of my Christmas gifts.
FAMILY WHO MAY BE READING THIS BLOG- STOP READING NOW OR YOU WILL RUIN POTENTIAL SURPRISES.
These are the items I have been thinking about crafting for the holidays.
A cuckoo clock for my mom.
Fingerless Mitts and/or an Earflap Hat for my Pops, to keep him warm but functional when he has to work outside.
“Fetching” gloves and Button-up legwarmers (from KnitSimple Mag) for Amber (she gets two- one for her birthday and one for Christmas!)
Skullcap for Adam.
Stuffed Hobbes for Kevin, who as a child ALWAYS reminded me of Calvin, based on an idea from Crafster user butofcourse.
Dashing fingerless gloves for Glenn (along with a top-secret project that I WON’T post here).
Coquille Shawl in a lovely mohair for Glennis (probably the one I’m most intimidated to begin).
Basketweave Scarf for Curt (but NOT in Georgia Red, sorry, Curt….)
Debbie Bliss’s Guernsey Sweater for Hannon (coming right along!)
Let it Snow Sweater from Crochet Today Magazine for Brookes
Knitted Booties for Mr. G (and maybe for ME once January gets here!!)
And a Pixie Dust-type blanket for Mrs. G!
PHEW!!!!
Let’s see just how much of that I can ACTUALLY do, considering it seems like every day of every week is full of obligations (this week- sewing class, birthday wine night, dinner with old and new work folks, and Spa Night with the Wall Street Journal are taking over my Monday-Thursday nights), and by the time the weekend comes, I just want to unwind, watch some good, mindless television, and not think. Let’s just see….
Haha, as someone in our group said last night, the world was so dark and scary, but then Comfort Food Cooking Club came along, and we all felt safe.
It was DELICIOUS! EVERYBODY made such amazing food. We had Michelle’s chicken pot pies and Alex’s cornbread, Whitney’s baked ziti, Ginger D.’s homemade mac and cheese, Ginger R.’s corn pudding, my biscuits and gravy, Kayla’s rice krispies treats (with cinnamon and Grand Marnier), my brownies (which were really just the leftovers from brownies I had made the day before when the baking bug struck), plenty of wine, and, I have to say what I think was my favorite- Glenn’s Puerto-Rican style spaghetti with chorizo (and only the TINIEST bit of tomato sauce). Thanks to Michelle for hosting this time around- these things are always so much fun!
Of course, as we all sat around and knocked back our gigantic plates overflowing with food, naturally we immediately began to brainstorm what our upcoming themes could be- tapas, Mexican, food from our ancestors, Greek (although, I am not overly excited about that one), and on and on and on. I really like the idea of Medieval Food….that could be interesting….
