Nature Chic

This is a special interruption: I just saw a preview for my mostest favorite show: LOST!!! It's back!! January 21st... 4 days after my birthday! Best Birthday Present EVAH!!!! Kate! WE HAVE TO GO BACK!!! (giddy! I am giddy with glee and mirth!)

Soooo....I spent the day today at my parent's house. I thought I was going to go out there to help them decorate for Christmas. But I realized that once I was there that I would be decorating the outside of their house. Which was just fine because it was a nice balmy 40 degrees. So sad that 40 is considered "nice" weather this time of year. But we Minne-soh-tans take anything we can get.
My mission was to take nature and create something winter magical. My folks live in the country in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nature and woods.
While out gathering near the woods... I kept thinking, Oh Edward when are you going to come and sweep me away and make me into a Vampire so I can be with you forever. (oh puke)

But instead all I stumbled upon was my friend Sterling

and then later Cinder... whose poor tongue is too big to fit in her mouth.

So back to magic the gathering of twigs and branches... I said, I can out do anything that Country Living, Cottage Living and Martha Stewart can throw at me!

My mom said, Wow, I like it! What do you call it? I didn't have to think twice:

Nature Chic

Twilight, The Epidemic

Last night I was forced so happy to go see Twilight with Kelly and Kyle, Heather of the EO and Mackenzie. I had not read the book. I was on the fence about reading the book. But heck, why not go see the movie. WOAH.

All I can say that this was the most insane movie experience of my life. Imagine about 75, pre-teen girls, SCREAMING! every time Edward would appear on screen, Or Jacob, or James... you name it, they would SCREAM!! It was so amusing and surreal that it made up for one of the lamest movies i had ever seen. Sorry if you liked it, i was not impressed. This did however make me want to read the book, so i could compare the two. I think I might like the book better. Maybe.

So onto bigger and better things, like Christmas and decorating and my Rosanna Inc.'s 12 Days of Christmas Plates! I am so excited because this year I have a real live dining room in my real live house, that i really bought all by myself! Anyway, I am not much of a collector, but I have fallen in love with the Rosanna Bowles, a tableware designer who makes the CUTEST dishes, plates, cups, bowls, etc., that you could sink your little chic teeth into. (twilight pun)

A few years ago I was able to get my hands on the 12 Days of Christmas Plates, at Macy's for 75% off!!!

And thus, this year I will proudly be displaying my plates for all to see and marvel and drool over.

Nosey Friday

Over at one of my favorite baking sites Chocolatechic, who by the way is not only a phenomenal cook but an amazing photographer, she posted a question:

If you had a house fire and all your loved ones and pets were out of the house, what 3 things would you then save?

My three things would be the following:

1. My journals... 11 years worth of memories, boyfriends, moves, job changes, heart joys, heart breaks, celebrations and pity parties. I would be so sad to lose these memories. Because if someday I am blessed with a daughter I would give her these journals and say, Its okay to be imperfect and question life, and take risks and love and be loved and make mistakes...

2. My photos... years and years worth of memories that are irreplaceable.

3. My purse... I've had my purse stolen 2x now and it is a pain in the you know what to try and cancel credit cards and get a new driver's licence and replace all 500 tubes of lip gloss that litter my purse. Plus i always carry my camera in my purse and cell phone. So its like two for one gone mad!

Now, do tell me what 3 things you would save?

I still like Jason Mraz...

I just wrote up this whole thing about the Jason Mraz concert... and then decided to chuck it.

The important thing is that I got to see MR. A-Z live, I went with my posse that I love, and we had fun! I won't complain about all the bad stuff. (Jason was great, the venue was HORRIBLE!) Or maybe I'm just getting too old for this?

Anyway, let's just say, We Sang, We Danced and We Stole Things...

Pound Cake

Today at work, I pleaded, I begged, you do not have to eat the rice pudding!!! Don't even do it to be nice. And if you do eat it, if you think it is barf-o-rama, I won't be offended.

They liked it. They devoured both flavors! I even heard over someone's walkie-talkie, Please bring your bowl back so we can give it back to Sabrina.

Weird. I guess my pudding made the rounds?

My cousin Kelly was so repulsed by the rice pudding that she wouldn't even comment.

I even spared you guys the really gross picture of the chocolate rice pudding.

Until now...

But you don't think I would be so heartless as to leave you with that nasty picture? What kind of freak-azoid do you think I am? Nope, I am way too nice for that. After the Rice Pudding Hoopla, there was a request for Pound Cake! Now there is something I can really sink my teeth into unlike Twilight, (pun intended), that Cousin K is making me go see with her this Friday, along with Heather of the EO. I'm only going because it would be fun to hang out with them on a Friday. But the thing is, I haven't even read the book! I don't know if I will. Is that bad? I just had to be honest. I'm too busy reading about dragons and computer hackers. Which are both way cooler than vampires! Right?

Back to Pound Cake. I used a Dorie recipe, it turned out lovely.

I wish I could eat it, but it's not for me. But you know what is better than Pound Cake?

Going to see Jason Mraz Wednesday night!!!!!!! YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

TWD~Arborio Rice Pudding

disclaimer****There is not really a good way to photog rice pudding... it just looks kinda gross.

I had no intentions of making this recipe. First of all I do not like rice in liquid, and especially not in pudding (ick) and second of all it is a lot harder to bring rice pudding into work than it is to bring oh lets say, Cupcakes.

But when I told my taste testers that I would be taking a break this week they had a complete cow man! bart simpson. moo.

They said, But we will eat anything you make.

Oh really? Fine then you can get icky rice pudding.

I read on the TWD website today where Ms. Dorie Greenspan herself! said, The recipe is wrong! Cook the pudding for 55 minutes not 30 like the book says.

I completely ignored her and followed the recipe in the book. She said it would look soupy, mine looked soupy. So i put in the fridge that way. Left for the evening. When I got home and I said, This still looks like disgusting rice soup! So i dumped it back into the pot and then it thickened rightup. And I realized that I should've listened to Internet Dorie. Not Cookbook Dorie.

Now the rice pudding is resting in the fridge all nice and thick.

I made 2 flavors too.

The first one is with vanilla, raisins and a few cinnamon chips.

The second batch is Chocolate and vanilla.

I doubt I will try them.

I will save eating Arborio Rice when it's in some delicious Risotto!

Tiny Dancer

1. Put your iPod or other Mp3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!



IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? Christmas Time is Here (Sarah McLachlan) so true!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Everloving (Moby)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? A Lack of Color (Death Cab for Cutie)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Redemption (Switchfoot) amen!

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Tangled Up In Blue (Indigo Girls)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Lost Ones (Lauryn Hill) woah..deep.

SERIOUSLY!!!WHAT IS 2+2? Ocean Breathes Salty (Modest Mouse)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Lilac Wine (Jeff Buckley)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Jackson (Johnny Cash)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Expectations (Belle & Sebastion) if you only knew...

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? The Scientist (Coldplay) ugh no!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Bus Driver (Caedmon's Call) take me away...

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Hey There Delilah (Plain Whote Ts) they never could remember my name!

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? White Trash Wedding!!! (Dixie Chicks) I swear that was the song that came up! how fitting!!!!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?t Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus) So perfect!!!!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Natural Anthem (The Postal Service)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Which Will (Nick Drake)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? Trading My Sorrows ...awwww

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? The Quiet Wonder (Waterdeep)

HOW WILL YOU DIE? Rocket Man (Elton John) Brilliant!!!!

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?Pull up the People (M.I.A.)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Everyday Down (Joan Jones)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? When Can I See You (Babyface) that song does make me sad!

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? A Lifetime (Better than Ezra) what does that mean???

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? The Holly and the Ivy (George Winston) nightmares!

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? White Ladder (David Gray)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Anyone else but you (Juno soundtrack) truth hurts.

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Try a Little Tenderness (Otis Redding) yes, please do.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Tiny Dancer! (Elton John)