MOROCCO; MORE THAN A STYLE FOR YOUR SCREENED PORCH

Travelzoo is offering a fab roundtrip flight to Morocco for about 50% less than you'd usually pay. Travel between January and March and emerge yourself in saturated color and tastefully worn nose jewelry.

OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It's snowing; big fluffy flakes. I'm at work, hovering over a space heater in my cube farm. So I cannot take an actual photo of what it looks like. But here's a photo with a similar likeness.

What I like about snow:

1. Watching two people walk down a snowy sidewalk is romantic
2. It covers up all the dormant grass and shrubs and makes things pretty
3. I like it when the air is cold and I'm warm inside my coat and hat
4. It's fun to snowshoe on and in {I'll be snow cave camping this winter}
5. I like the way it piles up on thin tree branches and railings
6. When you are skiing and your husband doesn't want to stop for liquids...you can eat it
7. Oh, skiing
   
8. It's peaceful. Like watching a fire it will calm you to the core
9. Christmas lights look like illuminated puffs when the snow piles on top of them
10. Leftover turkey soup tastes twice as good when it's snowing outside
    

PERFECT NEIGHBOR GIFT

Neighbor gifts are often the most difficult to come up with. If you are like me, you have loads of neighbors you love and want to recognize for the holidays. And if you're like me in other ways, you don't have a zillion dollars to spend for Christmas so really elaborate gifts aren't an option.

This year I'm going to make each neighbor a jar of homemade cranberry relish. I tested this at Thanksgiving time and it's perfectly sweet and tart. I know with all the holiday parties there are nice turkey and ham dinners to be eaten and this relish compliments them perfectly {plus it's yummy on left over sandwiches}. It's very festive to look at and easy to make.
















Here is the recipe if you want to make it for all your neighbors. I envision it looking so holiday festive in cute little jam jars and homemade labels.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

*Make sure you don't chop the ingredients too small or it will look and taste more like mush or jam than a relish. I did each fruit separately so I could control the consistency better.

• 2 cups washed raw cranberries
• 2 skinned and cored apples
• 1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
• 2 cups granulated sugar

1 Use a KitchenAid mixer or something similar {I use this one}. You can also chop by hand {though that will take a lot of work}, or you can chop in a food processor {be very careful not to over-pulse, or you'll end up with mush}.

TWO GOOD THROW-BACKS

Nate and I both like these two throw-back songs {Super Tramp 1977, Pete Townshend 1980}. Super Tramp was one of the songs Nate had his brother play at our wedding. The second...we just like it. Who doesn't like Pete Townshend?

HUDSON JEANS: ARE THEY STILL COOL?

I have a pair of Hudson jeans that I am loving lately. They fit me just perfectly. Snug but not tight. They are low-ish rise but don't risk showing my arse to the world if tragedy {like dropping my keys} should occur. The question is, are they still cool? Mine are just plain ol' Hudson jeans, no really cool pockets of specifically trendy wash. Should I still wear them and feel totally hip and cool in them?

LITTLE MISS ADELIA

Meet one of the people I'm most anxious to see at Christmas time. I can't wait to kiss her cheeks. I haven't seen this little one since August and that is just way too long to wait to see someone who changes every other day.

BLACK FRIDAY PURCHASE

Just one. I didn't get up at the crack of dawn or plan out any stealth moves to get something on the cheap. I decided long ago I just don't like the frantic, often times violent, energy captured in those early morning crowds. People are rude. And greedy. And, well, it just doesn't have anything to do with the feelings I endorse for the holidays. So around Noon I ventured to DSW with Emma and Becky and I got these shoes 50% off. Mine are pink with brown and purple ruffles and they are completely comfortable. Thank you Kenneth Cole, for making fabulous Tribeca shoes that go on sale at DSW and wait in my perfect size until I approach, without throwing an elbow, to try them on.

THANKSGIVING FEAST

Thanksgiving was a success; good food was eaten by all. Nate's parents, Emma, Jon and James came in Wednesday night and we spent the evening baking pies, sweet potatoes, and anything else that could be done the day before. After a few hours in the kitchen we all relaxed in front of the TV and watched one of the best movies of all time; Elf.
On Thanksgiving morning I got up early and pulled the turkey from the cooler. Nate was good enough to put the savory brine together the day before and that's where the turkey spent the previous 24 hours. The bird was pale and freezing cold. I followed a recipe I got from Martha Stewart for roasting. It came out golden brown with crispy skin; just the way it was supposed to. Ryan and Holly came with their darling girls Lydia and Violet and we feasted around 2pm.











I didn't have the most dramatically set table but it fit everyone around it {along with a companion table} and that's all that mattered. After I described it to my mom she said it was elegantly simple which I embraced whole-heartedly.











After all the family left on Friday, Nate and I went to see Dan in Real Life which was really sweet and we applaud Steve Carell's more serious performance. By the time the movie was over I was officially sick. Watery eyes, runny nose. My body had waited until the last possible moment to get sick.
Saturday Nate and I spent the morning putting our Christmas card and gift lists together so we could shop with purpose. We then spent the next 45 minutes at the gym so we could work off all that turkey and stuffing. Then I managed, in my sickly state, to fall asleep on the couch and I didn't wake up 'til it was dark outside. We hung some wreaths on the top and main level street-facing windows, watched The Godfather, and went to bed.
Sunday we went to church, visited with some friends, and put up our 7.5 foot tree. It is currently without trimming but it's still pretty and adds to the festive feeling when we play The Little Drummer Boy by The Dandy Warhols.









All in all, a very good Thanksgiving holiday. I so needed it.

LET'S TRAVEL; SHALL WE?

It's that time again, the time when we get to imagine our deadlines and responsibilities away and pretend we can escape on an adventure. This time we are headed to Costa Rica. You've always wanted to go; now you should go because in a few years it will be so American-ized that the charm and loveliness will be developed into condos. Strap on your chacos and head out.
Travelzoo has an offer that manages to fit nearly any budget. Fly to Costa Rica, stay six nights, and get a car {seven days, unlimited miles} to drive and explore in; all for just $499 per person. Rub your eyes, scratch your head...it's real. And it's a sweet deal. Travel between January and March.
If Nate and I weren't already headed to Hawaii in February {more on this later} we'd be checking this out for sure.

THERE'S A 20 LB BIRD IN MY FRIDGE!

I rushed out on Saturday night, after a long day at work, and purchased an enormous butterball turkey. After removing a shelf from my refrigerator to accommodate the frozen gobbler, I put him in the 99 cent flimsy foil pan to thaw. I keep giving him the poke test. He's getting softer and softer. I think he'll be ready to brine tomorrow. I was originally going to go with the standard salt water mix but this recipe from Martha won me over. I'm going to buy the ingredients tonight so that I can start the 24 hour soak tomorrow.
Andrew, if you want me to save you some dark meat I will.

I'M EXHAUSTED

The video and photo shoot I've been gearing up for is this weekend. With one day under my belt {phew} and just one more to go {groan}, I'm exhausted. I've come to learn one very important lesson through all of this: if you live your life on this side of the camera life is much easier and glamorous. If you are on the other side, by noon you grow very tired of hearing the sound of your own name. "Tonia, get the actor some water", "We need an extra...Tonia!", "Tonia, entertain the client."

ONE OF

One of my favorite scenes in motion picture.

HOME SWEET HOME IN HOUSTON

While Nate is away this week I've been spending my time combing over homes in Houston. We haven't made any definite plans to move...but if we did maybe we could get into a home like this {yes, real estate is cheaper in TX. This home is much less then the home we currently live in}.

I think the windows and floors are beautiful. And all those mature trees; the screened in porch gives a great view of the yard but keeps you safe from the larger-than-life bugs crawling around TX.

SWEET CARDI

I love this cardigan at Anthro. It's perfectly feminine and ruffly.

HOPSKOTCH

Cute idea from FLOR. Hopscotch rug in the kids room. If I had a kid and they had a room with walnut flooring...

PRETTY AT DOMINO

Just a few pretty rooms from dominomag.com.

THANKSGIVING IN TEXAS

A few weeks ago I was reading the November issue of Martha Stewart Living and told Nate I'd maybe consider moving to Texas if I could have a Thanksgiving as pretty and quaint as the one in the magazine. Little did I know what I was saying.
Last week Nate interviewed for a different position at work and is being offered the job. Good news, right? Except that in accepting the job, we'll be expected to move to Houston. I love my house and don't really want to move away from our cute neighborhood. If it's one thing I hate, it's big decisions.

CLEAN ENOUGH FOR YOUR MOM; SWEET ENOUGH TO BE REMEMBERED

Nate and I saw Lars and the Real Girl last night and we both really liked it. It was completely entertaining and genuinely funny. It's one of those rare movies that causes you to think about life a little deeper. I recommend you see it if you get the chance.

I'M TAGGED

Ali tagged me to walk down memory lane. Walk with me?

jobs i've held:
-paper girl
-car washer at USU
-hotel operator in nyc
-production assistant in chicago
-copywriter
-marketing manager
-contributing editor
-advertising account supervisor

jobs i'd like to have:
-full-time writer
-artist/painter
-mom
-triathlete
-philanthropist
-designer
-personal stylist
-crime scene investigator

movies i watch over and over:
-amelie
-eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
-cinema paradiso
-old school
-whale rider
-the royal tenenbaums
-momento
-out of africa

favorite reads, recent and old:
-the unbearable lightness of being
-immortality
-the sun also rises
-the catcher in the rye
-all Jane Austin
-candide
-the screwtape letters
-the moonstone

favorite things to do:
-sleep in the mountains
-travel, visit places I've never seen and be a part of everyday life there
-swim laps in an outdoor pool
-take photos
-write
-read good literature
-give the perfect gift
-get facials and massages
-make dinner with nate and talk about nothing in particular while we eat
-eat spicy food
-spend time with my friends
-be with my family

places i've lived:
-logan, utah
-NYC, NY
-missoula, mt
-chicago, ill
-salt lake city, ut

favorite things to eat:
-chips and fresh salsa
-sushi
-medium rare beef or buffalo steak
-fish tacos at the sundance foundry grill
-mom's pasta salad with tomatoes and cucumbers
-salmon, rice, mango salsa, vegetables {made by nate}
-polish dog with sauerkraut

places i'd rather be:
-at the beach
-in the mountains
-sundance resort
-in my cute blue house
-nice, france
-africa

words i like the sound of:
-hootenanny
-lugubrious
-salacious
-anthropomorphic
-melancholy
-my own name

WHAT A WARDROBE IT IS!

Today I worked on a wardrobe outline for my upcoming video/photo shoot. Yes, there are lots of professional and very "typical" clothes at Banana Republic and the like. But I have to admit that the stuff that got me really excited came from Trina Turk. Beautiful colors, feminine shapes and patterns. Yummy.

BOO BOO DOLLS

Nope, not a new band. Boo Boo Dolls are an ingenious creation, handmade by my sister-in-law Holly. She's working on an Etsy shop and they'll be available there soon, but let me tell you a bit about them.
Boo Boo Dolls {designs include an owl, lady bug and bee} are filled with flax seeds {and usually scented with lavender oil}. They are safe for the microwave and/or freezer. If your little one gets a boo boo, don't reach for a bone-chilling ice cube, reach for the nicely chilled {but not freezing} boo boo doll to soothe a bump or bruise. If the "owey" calls for warmth, heat the boo boo doll in the microwave until it's the perfect temperature. Cute, right? All detailing is reinforced to be safe for children. Hooray for Holly.
When the Etsy shop is up and running, I'll let you know.

THANKSGIVING PRACTICE

I've never made pie before. To be clear, I did help my mom a lot when I was younger. I'd sift the dry ingredients and spread flower out on the counter...but I never actually MADE the pie. So a few weeks ago I decided to try it; for the first time; as an adult.
Two things I discovered: 1) I don't own a rolling pin. 2) I don't own a pie dish. So with a little innovative thought, these treats came out of the oven, piping hot and ready to be enjoyed.
I rolled the dough using my Pam cooking spray can and I made eight tiny pies in my cute little ramekins. They made the perfect little personal sized desserts.
Someone told me I should never try a new recipe the day I'm serving it to guests. But honestly, I don't really want to brine a turkey and make stuffing if i don't have to. I'm a working girl!