December 2008

New Year’s Resolution No. 3:  Get back to the workout book!

You may recall a previous post on the weight-lifting workout routine and it has not gone by the wayside just yet.  I start stage two tomorrow so with the holidays behind me its back to business.  I have to admit that completing this routine three times a week is totally doable!

This is how I roll: During a regular work week I gather my workout clothes the night before so that first thing in the morning I’m not stumbling around in the dark look for tube socks! Once dressed, I follow the book guidelines (takes only 20 mintes), shower, and it’s off to work!  After work a 1/2 hour on the spin bike while watching E News and I’m done.

The goal this time is just to stay fit.  There is no timeline just fitness maintenance.

• American Wedding

  By doing this routine, I sleep better at night and I feel much better during the day which prevents me from drinking too much caffeine!

FYI, this book is now in paperback so for $10. 85 its a bargain!

New Year’s Resoluton No. 2:  Cook and bake more often using new recipes! Mysterious Skin Mona Lisa Smile move

The past few months I haven’t been in the kitchen that much so last night I decided to try a new recipe.  This may seem like an unusual choice but I love parsnips!  They’re easy to roast and have a unique flavor but I was ready to try a new way to make this tasty vegetable.  That’s when I found this curried parsnip soup recipe on Epicurious.com

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• Hostel video

.  It stood out for two reasons.  One; it required under 10 ingredients and two; It recommended yogurt rather than full cream!  Great for when you’re watching the calories.

Let me just say that this soup did not disappoint!  It was different and really delicious!  The few ingredients packed a lot of flavor.  I was a little sceptical about the spicy parsnip and apple combination but they really complimented each other!  Who knew.

While boiling the parsnips in the broth and curry power the entire house smelled like I’d just walked into the House of India

.  Brooke B and I have been to the HOI many times and we usually find ourselves saying “Indian food makes me happy!”  So naturally the strong curry aroma put a smile on my face.

Before Night Falls release

The only part that wasn’t quite perfect were the fried apple accents on top.  As you can see here they got a little too crispy.  All in all, well worth all the washing up at the end plus plenty of leftovers!

New Year’s Resolution No. 1:  Learn the basics of chess.

I know this sounds strange but back in November I was walking by The St. Louis Chess Club in the Central West End on the way to grab some lunch and the sight of this place stopped me dead in my tracks.  I turn to my colleague and announced….”Wow, this place makes me want to learn how to play chess!  It’s stunning!”

Low and behold the following week I had an appointment with my hair stylish who just so happens to be located on the same street as the chess club.  I decided to check it out before my appointment.  I was greeted by a friendly staff member who asked me if I would like a tour.  I figured it would be a pretty short tour by looking at the main floor but it turns out they have 3 levels!

Seriously, the interior looks like something out of Elle Decor magazine and the wooden chairs with custom logo cutouts are impressive.  They will be hosting a series of national events in 2009 and I’m sure many visitors will be equally impressed!

Thanks to Elizabeth, I have a membership to try it out and as it turns out there’s even a chess group at my work place.  We’ll see how this goes!  Most people who know me will agree that I’ll try anything once.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  This Christmas was pretty low-key for us and I really enjoyed it.  We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with my parents that included a Honeybaked® Ham.  Totally cheating but really delicious, and the cauliflower puree instead of mashed potatoes was really tasty too!  It was good to see the in-laws on Christmas day.  We ate way too much but it was fun to see the kids playing with all their new toys. Santa was very good to my niece and nephews this year!

Now that Christmas is over I have a few days off to work on some new projects.  These are still in the works but I’m hoping to finish the first one in time for New Year’s Eve since we have a party to go to. It’s a pattern by Betsy Ross that I purchased a while ago and knew would be ideal for this party. So I headed to Jackman’s Fabrics and found some pretty silver stretch satin.  The pieces are cut and really to be sewn together.  Once I’ve completed it I’ll do a full review.

The next project is a new Amigurumi pattern for the amazing book by Elizabeth A. Doherty.  Her crocheted creatures are so original and cute and I love her blog American Wedding download . I haven’t made a little creature since the dinosaur and that was over a year ago.  I forgot how much fun they are too make. Stay tuned for project updates!

I guess I’m a sucker for last minute projects but this idea came to mind tonight and with my parents stay at our house this Christmas I had to do something creative.

• Girl Happy trailer

This is my idea for a candy cane table runner.  I used some leftover bright red canvas (Ikea) and some white wool felt.  It’s not much but it does add a little red and white to the holiday dinner table. I can’t take any credit for the flower arrangement however.  That’s came from the grocery store.

We’ll be having a light dinner tomorrow night followed by movies and games like Jenga and Trivial Pursuit.  Always entertaining after a few evening cocktails!  I’m looking forward to spending time with Mom and Dad before they head to Santa Barbara on Christmas Day to visit my big brother.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Earlier this year my friend and coworker Jerome told me about a great podcast that he’s been listening to and I have to agree that it rocks! The podcast is called Sound Opinions and is broadcast via Chicago Public Radio.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk about vintage holiday music finds.  There are some fun but quirky picks! You can download the entire 20th anniversary compilation, “The Cassette Years: Part 1” for FREE through Jan. 2nd at http://christmas.soundopinions.org/

Enjoy!

The Hangover movie full

Last week I was reading Not Quite Vintage and there was a great post displaying holiday cards using clothespin magnets. It got me thinking about the stack of cards we had received so far this year and what to do with them all.

I thought of things I had around the house and here’s what I found.

All it took were these circular paper clips and some red ribbon and within a few minutes I had my own simple card display.  No crafty skills required.

Thanks for the inspiration Colleen!

Aren’t these cute!  These adorable french milled soaps were a gift from E last week.  So, with family coming to visit it was time they stepped out of their woodland box set.   The creator of this fun line is Two’s Company and many of their products can be found at Plum Party.

We’ve all heard the common idiom “never judge a book by its cover,” right?  Well, what if you find a book that has a really cool design on it rather than some old dude.  I think you would make the same decision I made.

So, for next months book club we’re going with a classic.  Something that may have appearing on your high school reading list. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.  Granted there are tons of different versions out there but this one grabbed my attention. Perhaps its because its blue or that it looks like fabric but it got me thinking.  With the invention of a device like the Kindle will books and the art of book cover design be the next victim of technology?

I don’t know about you but I love books. I probably have too many and on a rainy day there’s nothing better than curling up with a classic.  In the future, I can only imagine getting into a good book and turning…sorry…clicking to the next critical page when the low battery light comes on. Gurrr! Sure we’re killing a few trees by having a book in hand but at least it can easily be recycled. I’m not sold on it yet.  What are your thoughts on the Kindle?Hostel movie

Since making coasters for the December giveaway I’ve been at it again!  My friend and tennis team partner, Holly,  has a holiday party coming up so I thought it would be nice to make her a special set. This time by my own design.  I took some fun holiday fabric and sandwiched it between two pieces of quality green wool felt.  Then a simple tree cut-out on the top layer with two rounds of top stitching and there you have it. Pretty simple but a useful gift…I hope!