Stretchy Pants

People. I am still full. Just look at this glorious specimen. Smokey and deelish. Thank you turkey and Foster's for our awesome dinner!

We were lucky enough to have one of our favorite young ladies join us as sous chef extraordinaire and fabulous tourist buddy! I had to post this pic even though of course Keene moved right then during my no-flash photo. I call this one "Am Gothic w/o the Flash". Alicia is too cute!

She is also multi talented and showed me how REAL cranberries are dun right (then we added some champagne, brills).

"Tablescape", complete with Foster's.

The carving going down. Tricky business, but Keene was up to the task.

Brussels. Turned out great! Alicia had the idea to braise them in beer - yeah, it was genius.

I had a fabulous Thanksgiving, 100% due to being able to hang out with two of my favorite people. Can't wait for the all-in-one sandwich I have for lunch today!

People: It's TIME!!!

That's right. Y'know that turkey that's almost defrosted in our fridge? His time has come. Soon he will be stuffed with a giant foster's beer can and getting real toasty on the grill. I can't wait! Only thing that isn't complete...we can't find any daym nog in this city! What's up with that? I know it's a Christmas thing but I can't be the only one who's into it on Thanksgiving.

And since today is many people's "Friday", I thought it was good timing for List & Comment. There's a cornucopia of things I'm thankful for right now. Time to recognize!

Things I'm Thankful For:
1. Being healthy
2. My family
3. My brilliant cohab
4. All the goodies we get to eat tomorrow
5. An almost empty commute today
6. My job
7. The ~10+(?) lbs I've lost (hell yeah!!!)
8. C895 streaming radio & Carolla podcasts
9. Horoscopes in the Express
10. Awesome friends (you know who you are!)

What are YOU thankful for today?

Short Week - hollah!

Y'all, I am so excited to attempt cooking Thanksgiving dinner. This is something that my little sister has successfully accomplished multiple years in a row but I have yet to conquer it! We will be experimenting and grilling a Beer Butt Turkey. Woooooo! I hope it is awesome.

After surviving the Safeway trip Saturday, I stared at a counter full of lovely accoutrements, and it made me smile. This is just a *small* sampling of what the top of my family's fridge looks like between now and January (minus the walker red, of course, that's our classy tradition!).

I made some chex mix this weekend, and it turned out great. I wish I had a picture to show you, but we ate it all. Chexmix Heartburn, anyone? Nothing like a chmx binge to signify the start of the holiday season.

List & Comment Friday: Denied!

Suze Orman gets a lot of flack but I think she has some great advice. Plus, that woman ain't afraid o' no pleather! Or leopard print! LOVE her.

Suze's Top Money Tips for the Ladies
1. Listen to your gut
2. Never co-sign, for anyone
3. Save yourself first
4. Don't give over finances to your partner
5. Don't work for less than you're worth
6. Protect your assets
7. Don't use blame to cover up your lack-of knowledge
8. Respect your money
9. Don't make your kids beneficiaries (?)
10. Own the power to control your destiny
(more on NBC)

What are some of the financial rules you live by? Do you have any great advice?

Rock of Mansion

Check out this ROCKIN' (haha) Manse! Soooo hot. Perched on a rock in Narragansett Bay, RI, this delightful 103-yr-old house has been kept in shape by it's 79-yr-old owner, Mr. Wood. This is really a beautiful story of a house - read the NY Times article here. How can I resist a manse that is described as having a "deep bohemian funk"? {discovered via Inspiration DC, see more of this majestic manse on the NYTimes}

AOTD

Florentijn Hofman : wacky, fun


Jason Lazarus : from the series "Living with a Portrait"


Sarah Brown : lovely illustrations


Mandy Smith : speaking of paper crafts - "Paper House"


Rojkind Arquitectos : rad architecture. I would totes work in a bldg like this

All artists found on my beloved, Share Some Candy.

Craftin'

Crafting with paper. My favorite kind of crafting! You guys remember my paper bead necklace I made from the Folding Trees paper bead tutorial? These are the same beads, just made into earrings by stringing them on an old chain that I broke up. Added a simple bead on the end and called it good. I can actually disassemble them and put on a different color paper bead if I want, which is handy :)

Happy Champagne

Surprise - you thought you were happy just celebratin', but the champagne is celebratin' with you! We bought this champagne last week and it put on a happy face for us. I am totally getting this again.

Carne Asada! (and a random salad)

Yesterday we made our weekly trip to Eastern Market and picked up some ready-to-grill Carne Asada steak. Jeeze it was freakishly 73 degrees out, so we had to take advantage! We also grilled avocados and peppers and onions to go along with it. Grilling avocados is genius! They're all creamy and awesome. Who knew? I made this random salad to go along with because I was craving it: balsamic pears and gorgonzola. Didn't match at all but it rocked.

Why haven't I blogged for two days?

I am in a blog funk, peeps! Sometimes I'm just not feeling inspired, y'know? So for today, why don't we just...chat. How is everyone? What are your weekend plans? I've got a tentative hh plan, that could involve something called "cask" beer. What is that? Saturday I'm getting my hair cut. Soooo overdue. Did I mention I've been getting my haircuts from the same person for 15 years? Yeah. This will be an adventure! I'll let you know how it turns out. Sunday will be a day of chillin', and perhaps pot pie makin' (or should I do sheperd's pie?).

What are y'allz weekend plans? (Comment, I really do want to know!)

Superhot Manse Backyard

I would throw the coolest party ever at this house by Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects. {via Desire to Inspire}

Baltimore! - !

Y'all, Baltimore was a great time. Our lovely hosts made sure that we had plenty of amazing food and fun - it was so good to see our peeps!
Here's Wendi and I with the "Anniversary Cake" that Calla so sweetly made for us. The pumpkins are adorable and they kindof look like bums. Cute, pumpkin-ey bums :)
I call this "story time with Keene." These two are both early birds and were having a fun morning!
Here's dad and Dahlia - doesn't this guy just need a Santa suit and he'd be the perfect kids Christmas party accessory? Dahlia looks comfy striking a pose.
Yum nummy?
Yes, yum nummy. Sorry these are both cute. Had to post.
We went to good ole Sabatino's in lil' Italy and had ourselves a frickin' FEAST.
So good. Stretchy-pants and naps necessary.
I had the honor of using this antique - I've never been able to keep a hairdryer running more than a year, and this thing has got to be from 86' or earlier. Belongs in a museum! Still works great.
Miss D is getting quite good at riding in the car AND looking adorable. Look at that HAAAAAT!
Keene and Michael were on babysittin' duty in Kohl's while mama W and I shopped. These two are both in Husky colors.
Baby in a bar! We convinced Wendi that 2:00 in the afternoon was still semi-acceptable for bringing a baby in a bar. Dahlia was a charmer and didn't even cry even when she had to watch us eat ruebens. She's so cute.
I had a blast, you guys, and I can't wait for many more visits! I know Dahlia will be walking the next time I see her!

Looking Back

Hello, Friends. A year ago today I was the most hungover I've ever been (sorry mom, it's true). We hosted an election-night party, and it must've been the stress of everything that had gotten to me...moving across the country, being unemployed for over 3 months, moving in with my boyfriend for the first time, and the possible impending doom of another republican administration. It was a lot. And I had effectively not realized how much until after I was done frosting my Obama cupcakes ...(or was it after I threw the pumpkin?). I think it was the next morning, when I was disgusted with myself for being too blitzed to really fully be witness to one of the most exciting nights in history. Oops. I spent the next hour holding back vomit in the Flexcar while Keene drove me to my contract job and we sang along to "Tiny Dancer" in an attempt to distract us from the fact that we desperately needed to take two tylenol and go back to bed for 5 hours. Bottom line: I'd been scared. I moved to DC with optimism and the assumption that I'd find a job in no time. Ha! Laughable! I couldn't have had more than 6 drinks that night (yeah I know that's still a lot) but they combined with my stress to become a super-powered ultra-drunk, creating the supreme hangover that I will never forget.

So here we are a year later and I think about that day and breathe a huge sigh of relief. Mentally: over it. Been there, done that. Job: check. Harmonious cohabitation: check. Homesickness: check minus? Getting better. We have a new president and I think he's doing a good job. He's a bajillion times smarter than that other lightweight. And his wife hula-hoops. Today more of my friends are jobless than a year ago, which sucks, and the job market is probably tougher. But I'm feeling like the hardest part is over and I couldn't be more relieved.

Now, it's off to Baltimore for the weekend to catch up with the Merkle family. Should be lots of old-fashioned Italian over-eating and good times! Everyone have a fabulous weekend!Don't you love Miss Piggy? (and Elton?)

Art of the Day

"New York" by Ben Chlapek.
Neat textures by the now-infamous Twitter-bird creator, Simon Oxley.
Beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, wood horses by Heather Jansch.
Part of "Historical Fragments" by Chad Hagen.
Fun stuff by Friends with You.
All artist found via ShareSomeCandy.

Raining Leaves - so very Fall-like

On my way home yesterday it was literally raining leaves, so pretty!
I pass this house every day - isn't it rad? It would be an awesome haunted house. If I owned this house I'd plant a weeping willow on the corner to spook-it-up even more.

Fine, I'll call it "Hilloween"

Halloween on the Hill. It's a good time, people. I think this holiday is for Capitol Hill what Christmas is for those neighborhoods that go crazy decorating their houses with lights. It was a good time had by all, including me, Keene and my Dad who was visiting on business.

The day started out with some awesome pizza from Seventh Hill - this is the "Union Station". The blue cheese made it perfect.

From there we checked out "Howl-oween". Yeah, I said it. Howloween. Lots of dogs put a lot of creativity into their costumes.

Dog-being-eaten-by-crocodile
Bo-peep n' her sheep
Butterflydog & Underdog
Piratedog and Wind Turbine dog
Bananadog

We of course had to go check out the Spider House afterwards. Check out my dad, "Barry daLive"!

We got scrrrd.
Arachnarowhouse!
Keene and I carved some pumpkins that maybe 2 people saw on our abandoned block. But they were festive.

This house really gets into Halloween. They made yet another crazy political horror scene - here it's zombie Regan and Nixon. *Shudder*

The next day Dad and I got to check out the National Museum of American History. It was shockingly not crowded, and I could actually get my picture taken NEXT TO the infamous ruby slips. I thought it fitting since 20 Halloweens ago I was Dorothy (thanks for painstakingly making that costume mom, it was one of my favorites). We also peeked into Julia's kitchen, which is super cute and functional. Hard to picture her in there since she was so tall. Don't I look at home in there though?
Great weekend, you guys. I hope you had fun too!