Are you starting to feel stressed by the demands of the season.  Did you have a panic yesterday realizing that you didn’t know when you were finish your knitting, cranberries, laundry, packing, wrapping, office holiday party, etc?

Here is a sure-fire way to fight away those feelings:

I made a playlist called:  Makes me Happy.  Here are some songs that are guaranteed to make you feel empowered to finish your to do list and do it with some style.

Jenn and I took a hip hop dance class this fall/winter.  This class was pretty awesome, but the highlight was undoubtedly learning this dance.  It completely reignited my love for Beyonce.  That woman is FIERCE!!!  Trying to actually learn her dance moves gave me a new appreciation.  This makes me happy because it’s so awesome and empowering and just makes you want to shimmy.

During the height of my Beyonce/Ego obsession I had to add in Get Bodied because it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to shake along.  I appreciate any song (except the cha cha slide) that gives me dance instructions in the middle of the song

Glee has been my jam since the show aired.  I love it, and especially the musical numbers.  Lea Michele, who plays Rachel, is so phenomenal.  Ps for those of you that don’t know, she was the female lead in Spring Awakening!  Last night we had our office Holiday party and I was cleaning after people left.  I hooked up my iphone to the stereo put on this song and I honestly was loving cleaning.  That was until our President walks into the kitchen as I’m singing along to this song and I realize that I was not alone.  Opps.  But whatever this song deserves to be sung loudly!

and if you’re talking Rain on My Parade you better give props to Babs

Now, I realize that this song is actually about breaking up and stuff, but it’s still delightful and funky.  Also, the video is cute.  WATCH IT!

I hope you can watch/listen to these tunes and have the umph you need to complete your Christmas lists.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all!

My new favorite activity is going to Fresh Market.  In case you don’t have one in your neck of the woods, I’m sorry.  Fresh Market is a heavenly grocery store on 54th and College.

See, Isn't it cute?

I hate to even call it a grocery store, because it is so much more.  It is my happy place.

I’ve created a new ritual of going to Fresh Market after church on Sundays,  and it just might be my favorite thing I do in a week.  You walk along beautiful hard wood floors.  Right now, it smells like warm Christmas the sec those automatic doors swing open.  Lovely classical music provides the accompaniment to the selecting-the-ripe-avocado-waltz.  Do I sound a little hyperbolic?  Ok, probably a little, but shut up you can’t judge me for what I love.

On more than a few occasions, I’ve gone to the store after having a bit of a rough day and all my troubles are forgotten by the time I leave.

It’s not only the experience, but it’s the products.  OY!  There are times when I only go in to buy a nice ripe avocado and I come home sea scallops, 3 different kinds of cheeses and pomegranate balsamic vinegar (true story and the pomegranate balsamic is the bomb.com).

When I am there shopping, it is clear that I don’t belong.  I walk in disheveled (because let’s be honest, I’m always disheveled) wearing my red coat that now has 2 buttons missing.  The other people in the store are older, wealthier foodies.  Jenn described it going in there and immediately thinking about her tennis lesson.  Jenn doesn’t play tennis.  Everyone there just seems like they’d have a tennis lesson they should be attending.  You can tell the few children in the store are on there way to private oboe lessons.

I used to think that I could never feel satisfied in a life where I stayed at home and didn’t have job.  Well, if I could be a housewife and just run errands to Fresh Market, I would gladly retire tomorrow.

A few things I would like to see in my Christmas Stocking this year:

1)  Cheese of the Month Club

2)  A Newfoundland puppy named Louisa May Alcott

3) a Fenced in yard in winter so I don’t have to go out into the cold with Louisa May Alcott

Insert Louisa May Alcott instead of those little girly dogs

4) The entire home collection in Anthropologie

5) Truffle Oil – just so I can taste it to see what all the fuss is about

6) A dinner with Chef Tom Colicchio

I am a Wiz at Paint

7) The new Channel green nail polish color from the Fall runways

I have more practical wishes that I’ve already passed on the people but these are for those of you who I haven’t given my list to.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

See world – I did it just right, but still no cheese

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cheese/make-your-own-goat-cheese–104460

In this holiday season, like most people, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Since I’m super poor, I’m trying not to buy a lot of presents for people this year. I have had many ideas of things I was going to make people. If you remember a previous blog entry, I once attempted to knit everyone something and that ended in disaster. I thought, “hey, this year I’ll make people food they can’t resist!” So far this has been a bit of a disaster as well.

My first gift idea – HOMEMADE GOAT CHEESE.

HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!?!?!? I KNOW I WOULD BE PSYCHED TO RECEIVE SUCH AN AWESOME GIFT. GOAT CHEESE IS BEST GIFT EVER.

Sorry for all the caps, but I really like cheese. This is where Martha comes in.

I’ve long been a big fan of Martha Stewart. I think it all started with my beloved Blueprints magazines that MSLO published. Getting each issue was like Christmas in my mailbox. I actually think I’ve blogged in my past about how much I love and miss Blueprints. Sadly, the magazine folded, and in exchange, I started receiving Martha Stewart Living. I wasn’t expecting to like the magazine as I thought it would be too unattainable. Boy, I was wrong. Yes, there are long sections about pruning my topiaries and collecting my own eggs that my own chickens lay, but actually it’s very useful.

About a month ago, she did an entire episode all on cheese.  I dvr her show everyday and watch it as I get ready in the morning.  With the cheese episode, I saved it and watched it on a Friday night, as to not miss a thing. Well, she shows us how to make goat cheese, and it’s so simple and so awesome.

anyway…

MARTHA LIES

I’ve now tried to make goat cheese twice. I go to Fresh Market and buy a container of goats milk and fresh herbs to jazz it up. I even convinced my mom to buy me a food thermometer for my birthday.

It starts by heating the milk to 180 degrees. Then you add lemon juice which serves as the acid to separate the curds and weigh. After that, you separate the curds and weigh with a cheese clothe and sieve. You let it sit, then add salt and your herbs and VIOLA.

Well, here’s how mine went. Heated the milk, added the lemon juice… NOTHING

Next weekend – go to the store, buy more milk and herbs. Heated the milk, let the milk cool to room temperature, added the lemon juice… NOTHING.

Each time I try and cheese clothe to no avail.

So sorry family and friends, no one will be receiving the great gift of cheese this Christmas. Martha tricked me in making it look so easy, like anyone could do it.

I’ll keep researching, I won’t give up on you cheese!

But rest assured, I have had some success in the kitchen as of late, but it’s mostly boring stuff like cookies that no one really cares to read about.

I came out of blog semi retirement because this picture is just too wonderful not to share.

Nothing says gentleman quite like the ease of Cary Grant waiting for me with an umbrella.

MEN TAKE NOTE.  This is how it should be done

I’m totally in love with Bette Midler today. What a trip. I fear if I too made it big I would act just like her.

Here are three of my favorites:

Please note the Sheik. He’s what really makes this video pop.

This is just classic Bette

Ok she’s legit nutso in this one. It keeps going and going and going. But man, she can sing

I have returned to my career as a knitter (that’s a thing, right?).   I’ll pause here to let the applause die down.  I retired my needles for about a year and a half but I’m finally ready to give it a go again.

My career started January of 07.  I had my senior year Winter Term (DePauw gives the month of Jan for travel, classes, internships, etc) off and was bored out of my mind in Shelbyville.  So, I decided it was time for a new skill and all the girls in the Yellow Vic (senior year house) were giving it a go so why shouldn’t I.  I went to my dear Grandmother’s house for a tutorial and learned a simple stitch.  I was so simple and relaxing.  It took me a while to get the right rhythm, but it was well worth it.  Who better to teach you to knit then your grandma!

I spent that entire month doing nothing but knitting.  I would stay up late in my room watching Degrassi reruns and knitting my scarf.  I tagged along with Mom and Dad on a business meeting to San Antonio and spent the much delayed plane ride knitting next to a large biker man.   No seriously, he was like 12 feet tall with a leather vest and beard and stuff.  I think he enjoyed the gentle click of the needles.

I began extreme knitting when I got back to the Yellow Vic.  All of the girls would sit in the living room watching tv and knit or crochet.  I would knit while sitting on my giant, teal, gym ball.  I’m surprised I didn’t poke my eye out.

In all those winter days of knitting, I never once completed the scarf I was working on.  As a matter of fact, the scarf is currently still on the needles in the truck of my car.  The problem is that I started with like the smallest needles known to man kind.  The stitches on my scarf are minuscule.  Here, I’ll go take a picture of my half completed scarf in my trunk – one sec

I also noted that this picture showcases the bizarre things I keep in my trunk – like a Christmas hat with elf ears, a winter coat, Christmas cds, a bag knitting things, and a tub of old magazines.  Sick, Bess, clean your car.

But I’m not going to lie, my half completed scarf does look pretty awesome.

I have at this point finished some knitting projects.  The first completed project I did was a pair of glomits (half gloves half mittens).  I didn’t go off a pattern, and I totally made it work.  Each hand might not be EXACTLY the same size, but it’s passable.  I would take a picture of those, but I honestly have no idea where they are.  Maybe I’ll clean my trunk tonight and find them.

My first Christmas after college I knitted everyone in the family a Christmas present.  Entry level assistant media planners DO NOT make much money, and I had no friends in Indy besides my brother and sister so I had nothing but time to knit.  So knit I did, and did, and did, and did, and did.  I made everyone a  scarf and carefully choose the right yarn colors and textures from Mass Ave Knit Shop (which is actually located on Virginia Ave so don’t let that fool ya).  On some of them, I think I spent more money on buying nice llama wool than I would had I just bought a scarf.

It was Christmas Eve and I still had one more present to make – Dad’s glomits .  I kept knitting away, furiously working the needles (in my head it’s like that scene from Amadeus where he’s writing and writing).

Start a like the end of min 4 start of min 5

But there is where my GIANT KNITTING FAILURE occurred.

Here is how the one glomit I made Dad turned out.

This picture doesn’t have enough detail, but there was this long point that emerged.  I decided to sew the point up into the wrist area of the glomit to add extra wamth.  It looked completely and utterly ridiculous and kinda like the skirt of a 1950’s house dress.  UGGGG.  I was so done that I didn’t make any mit to the glomit nor did I even attempt to make the second hand.

Since that dreaded day, I haven’t picked up my knitting needles.  I put them away (or in my trunk) for safe keeping.   After a trip to the Greencastle Wal-Mart craft section with my dear Tori, I decided to give it ago again.  Right now I’m working on a blanket.  It’s pretty ambitious, but here’s for trying.  Last night I finally made some progress on it during Gossip Girl.  By writing this, I am asking all of the interweb to hold me accountable and to finish some knitting project.

GODSPEED NEEDLES.

Here’s more photos of my 1st/uncompleted scarf (and creepy trunk)

It’s the start of football season.  WOOOHOOO!!  While I enjoy football alright, as  a Hoosier it is my obligation to LOVE the Colts.  They are the only team I actually watch consistently.  Football season is the start of Fall and I love Fall.  Football requires beer, apple cider, a long sleeve t shirt under my jersey.  It just sets the right tone.  Roomie, Sarah, and neighbor Katie and I are true Colts fans.

We will watch every game in a gear and cheer along and have victory dances.  Even on select occasions, tailgate when someone offers us free tickets (hint hint Dad).  Check out the great seats.

So here’s to the Colts and here’s to their season.  VICTORY!!!

I asked my parents this year if for my birthday/Christmas/Easter/Valentines Day/Earth Day/Half Birthday/Arbor Day/Executive Assitants Day if I could go on a trip.  I’ve been suffering from CRAZY wanderlust of late.  Like when I watch Only You, featuring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr, all I can think about is going to Italy.  Gossip Girl makes me want to visit New York in Fall.  And so on and so on.

Mom and I have decided to officially start planning a trip.  Knowing my mother like I do, I know that if we don’t set a date, it will never happen.  Mom, I know you read this, but let’s be honest, you’re not a planner.  You would rather wait and see if you feel like traveling that weekend.  This is a wonderful quality but makes it a little difficult when I’m planning my vacation days for work.  Yesterday we started making plans.  I call Mom and suggest a culinary trip to the Amalfi Coast.  She suggests Mount Rushmore.

hmmmm.

What is your dream trip?  Right now I’m really into wanting to go to Egypt.  But I think if the Amalfi Coast is out, so it King Tut.  Any suggestions on where I should go next?