Braces OFF!

Big moves with the my grill, y'all! I'm extremely late in posting this news, but yes, I did get my braces off a few weeks ago. It was quite the experience and I'm so happy with how my teeth turned out! I started my orthodontia journey a while ago - Thinking 'bout it and then finally making the Big Move going for it!

I got expanders before getting my actual braces. We had to make some room for my teeth to actually move where we wanted them. I had a very narrow bite prior to the expanders. It was crazy how quickly the space was created and my teeth started shifting. (I'll apologize in advance for the weirdo teeth/mouth-only pics, but this is all about the teeth, so there you go!)

A bit after expanders were installed. My teeth were not this uneven when we started!

Next came brackets on my bottom teeth.

Brackets on lower teeth.

Then on the top. Then a whole lot of moving into place!

Full braces.

What surprised me the most is how quickly I got used to having all this metal attached to my teeth, on the roof of my mouth and under my tongue. I remember telling my orthodontist and tech that I'd never get used to it the day I got my expanders. I also remember being near tears a few times the first few days I had my expanders because eating was so awkward. I thought for sure I'd never be able to eat normally until I got everything removed. I got over that really quickly! Oh, there were times during the process that my teeth hurt like a bugger, but it usually only lasted a couple days after an appointment. Once I had my appointment scheduled to get my braces off, I had a few moments where I thought I'd really miss them. I had gotten used to them to the point where they just felt like a part of me.

After 14 months of expanders and braces.

If you've never had braces you'd be shocked at how quickly they come off! They remove the wires, then pop the brackets off each tooth. We then did impressions so they could make my retainers. I've been wearing those on the regular now.

The part that takes the longest is removing all the cement used to hold the brackets to each tooth. They use a tiny tool that sounds like a dental drill to scrape off the left over cement. This process was a little tedious. The tool emits a fine mist that at times left me feeling like I was laying on a lawn chair in the rain. My tech, A, was awesome though and kept drying me off. Once the cement was gone, she polished my teeth and I was on my way to work after a chat with my orthodontist.

All in all, it was an interesting experience, a journey I'm happy to have been able to have. I'm still considering one small additional dental change, but I'm still on the fence.

All smiles. Gonna go brush my chompers and get ready for bed now!

El Blizzardo

So if you live anywhere near the midwest you were probably doing a little shoveling out today. I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home, so I didn't even look at the driveway until after my work day. When I finally got out there, it was a little out of hand! Two solid hours to shovel out the driveway, oh and help out my neighbor and another dude who both got stuck.

Driveway, before. Started shoveling from inside the garage.

Two hours later...I don't feel so bad about the gym being closed today! Instead of shoveling, I would have rather been skiing in all that fresh powder!

I was almost finished with the driveway when my next door neighbor came up through the alley with his shovel to say hello and to tell me he had just shoveled my front steps, which is quite the chore! How great is that?! And it proves the saying "what goes around comes around!" I had been thinking I'd head inside, eat a little something and warm up for a bit and then head back outside to do the front of the house. My neighbor's helping hand made it so I didn't even have to go back out! Bonus! So grateful for that! I love that something as annoying as too much snow in a 24-hour time frame can yield some really nice interactions with the neighbors, especially since we rarely see each other during winter!

How's El Blizzardo treating you?

Green Eyed Kitten Angel

Do you ever just have a moment of clarity - where all the pieces you've been making mental notes about come together and you must take action? Friday night all the little pieces I had been noticing about my cat Rosie added up to the fact that I needed to get her into the vet. Something wasn't right.

She had had a urinary tract infection before the holidays (both cats did, actually). They both did a course of antibiotics and have been on special food since. They were to do 60 days on the food and then we rechecked their urine for all the things they check for. There was something about Rosie's levels that they wanted to look into, but they didn't make it sound urgent. When I got the voicemail, I knew I'd have to call back to schedule them both for their vaccine shots, so I'd get the scoop then.

During the week or so since they called, I noticed that Rosie wasn't coming around, that I'd have to go look for her. Often when I found her she'd be hunched in the bathroom near the register sort of staring into space. I also noticed that she has lost some weight, and in the last week it was to the point where I could noticeably feel her spine and shoulder blades. The litter box yield each morning later this week was less than usual. At the height of the UTI outbreak, I was going through litter like mad. Friday night it all added up and I knew I had to call the vet.

I called and explained everything I'd been noticing, they checked her file, discussed and had me bring her in at 10:00 a.m. They did some blood work and found out she was in kidney failure. Seriously. Her levels were off the chart. And her potassium and electrolytes were way off. The vet said we could put her on IV fluids for 48 hours to see how her kidneys would respond. Some cats respond and bounce back, some don't and require another 48 hours and then the possibility that they'll have normal kidney function is still kind of shaky at best. Being only five years old and having this come on so suddenly was also kind of odd. The vet said they see this in older cats, but her young age and the severe compromise of her kidney function wasn't a good thing.

I had a teary phone call with her dad, R, who raised her since she was a kitten. We went through the options and different scenarios and made the tough decision to put her down. Once I told the vet, she said we were doing her a kindness, that with all the information - her age, the seemingly quick onset and how off the chart her different levels were - that it was very likely that something bigger like cancer could have been driving the kidney failure.

Rosie

So sad. I was with her when she took her last little kitty breath. I just kept petting her and telling her we were going to help her feel better and that we loved her. She was such a sweetie. She used to climb on my shoulders whenever I'd be working on the laptop and snuggle in like a kitty neck warmer. She'd also do thing thing where she'd put her nose really close to my mouth and I'd gently blow on her. She did it alot, so I hope that means I didn't have horrible breath! It was just this little thing we always did.

Junior and Rosie, fall 2010

RIP Bunny, you're already missed. And Junior misses you too. I hope you're having a ball in kitty heaven, chasing mice, eating endless treats and catnip and generally causing a ruckus with the other kitties.

Fashion Week Style

Jill over at Good Life For Less blogged about this and how could I not participate in the fun? I just pulled together a warm, front row-worthy look for Bergdorf Goodman's Fashion Director, Linda Fargo to wear during F/W 2011 New York Fashion Week. Bergdorf's has paired up with Polyvore for quite the contest to style Ms. Fargo. Why not participate for a chance to head to Lincoln Center to take in a few shows!

Here's how I came up with my look for Ms. Fargo. First of all, I lived through a New York City winter, it can be very cold! And, they've been getting walloped by snow this winter, so she definitely needs layers, (not pictured, but I'd put a black tissue T under the dress), sensible footwear, and some protection from the elements.

I dug around for some photos of Ms. Fargo, so I could get a feel for her personal style. From what I can gather (photos via Zimbio):

She wears leather and fur. The scarf I chose for her is faux!

She looks fab in red and with a great red lip!

She's pro-scarf!

She digs an animal print (who doesn't?!) and she carries a large handbag to the shows!

Here's my look for Ms. Linda Fargo! What do you think? Click the link and it will take you over to my Polyvore page so you can see all the fashionable details!

NYFW * Linda Fargo

A Question for Modern Times

I'm curious what everyone else does in this situation. You go to a restaurant to pick up some yummy take out items. It's the kind of place where the pleasant person helping you actually has to package your food - go get the soup, the accompanying roll and heap some salad into a container from the deli case. You pay with a credit card, where there is space for writing in a tip - because it's a restaurant and that's how every receipt must look - and for your signature. You go to said place a lot. Like, they know who you are on sight. Do you write in a tip for counter service? I don't believe there's a "tip jar" for cash like some establishments have. So I'm not really sure what's expected. Don't want to feel like a tool for not tipping, if that's standard practice.

Help! Do you have an answer to this question for modern times? Please share!

Swimming in the Current

The State of the Union Address is on NPR right now. I'm barely listening. I figured I'd follow suit with what's current in my world (the state of me address, hehe). I took the cue from TwoAdults, who posted Currently earlier today and Fluent Brittish, who did so before her:

Reading: "Cleopatra: A Life" for my book club

Looking forward to: Going to Costa Rica and Coachella this spring.

Stressing about: The amount of of work I have to do at the j.o.b.

Craving: Sleep.

Wanting: A tripod for my camera.

Proud of myself for: I seem to be getting a tiny bit faster with the running. I am pushing myself.

Wearing: My coat in the house. For all you know, I may live in an igloo!

Avoiding: Making that three minute, chocolate cake-in-a-mug.

Sick of: All the attention and money surrounding major league/college/high school sports when education and things that matter get the shaft.

Learning: That small changes can make a big difference.

Suffering from: Lack of sunshine.

Struggling with: Getting used to my new retainers. I so owe you a post about the end of my orthodontia journey. You're all waiting on pins and needles, I know it!

Overcoming: Dry skin. It's all about greasing up in the morning (I'm on a combo of Eucerin Calming Creme and a discontinued Korres body lotion.) and at night, always carrying hand lotion and Burt's Bees Hand Salve, running the humidifier non-stop and putting on some more lotion.

Hoping to: Get to bed at a decent time tonight.

Excited for: My book club dinner on Sunday night.

Relieved by: The fact that I've now booked my flight to Costa Rica. The anxiety can now leave me. I hate booking flights.

Splurging on: I bought two pairs of boots (on major sale!) in the last two weeks. Have yet to wear either pair because I still need to weather-proof them.

What are some of your currents?

2011 Golden Globes: Fashion

It's award season again! I've seen many of the movies creating a buzz this time around and am always excited to see who wins which awards. And of course, it's always exciting to see what people wear! Here's a quick round up of some of my favorite looks from tonight's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards red carpet. They're in no particular order, but are color coded for your enjoyment - pinks, neutrals and black! All photos: Getty Images

Natalie Portman in Viktor & Rolf

Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama for Black Swan

Megan Fox in Armani Prive

Juliana Marguiles in vintage YSL

Maria Menounos in Pamella Roland

Michelle Williams in Valentino

Carrie Underwood in Badgley Mischka

Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung

Olivia Wilde in Marchesa

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen

Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture for The Fighter

Ryan Gosling in black velvet Ferragamo suit

Who wore your favorite looks of the evening? Did anyone surprise you? Were there any looks or trends you weren't too fond of?

"one day I'm going to whistle"

I came across this darling video this morning of a dad and his daughter (Jorge & Alexa Narvaez) singing "Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. At one point in the middle while Dad is whistling, she says, "one day I'm going to whistle." It's so sweet. Give it a listen for some fuel to start your day!

FOOD!

So you know I've been eating Special K like it's my job. What else have I been eating? Well, funny you should ask, or that I would pretend that you asked and tell you! Some of the staples and recent favorites:

Clif Builder's Bars - Peanut Butter. I've probably blogged about these before. They're so good, and such a simple way to get a good dose of protein - 20 grams, yo! I've been eating one for breakfast lately, you know since I've been eating cereal for dinner! HA!

Bananas with peanut butter. Seriously the bananas are b.a.n.a.n.a.s! Then, you add peanut butter?! Get out! I've been bringing both to work. I had to remove the jar of peanut butter from my giant purse tonight before going into dinner. Do you know anyone else who carries peanut butter? My work buddies and I developed a whole routine about bananas. As with most work-comedy things, it might not translate to the masses. Just know we were laughing this week in cubeland - all about bananas!

They're yellow and delicious! They're bananas! (image via google images)

Rak Thai. Grand Rapids seems to have exploded with Thai restaurants in the last year or so. While I'm not a super experienced Thai foodie, I do enjoy it! People who are Thai experts would probably laugh because I usually order Pad Thai. It's the gateway Thai food though, c'mon! A couple friends who live north of town always talk about Rak Thai and tonight I had the opportunity to have dinner there with my friend N, since it's in her neighborhood. Decor is contemporary/clean, painted bright green with bamboo wood banquette seating and a few stand alone tables. I actually branched out and ordered a Curry dish that I don't remember the name of (sorry!). It was delish though!

Chocolate Cake in a Mug. If any of your lady friends who love chocolate have seen this recipe, you've probably received it via email at least once. I saw it a couple of years ago and never thought I'd actually make it. Well, a girl and her chocolate craving might run up against some desperate times on a Friday night, desperate times that call for chocolate cake in a pinch! It's beyond easy and actually tasty for a cake made in the microwave in three minutes! If you give it a try, leave me a comment and tell me how it went for you!

Chocolate Cake in a Mug! (phone camera accounts for picture quality!) I posted this same photo on my facebook and my friend D posted, "Does anyone else see an owl?" So if you see an owl, you have a special gift and can laugh out loud like I just did!!

Water. Seriously! Good old H2O! During the week at work I go through one 32 ounce Nalgene bottle during the day and probably another 16-20 ounces on nights that I work out. Love water. Totally need to incorporate the water drinking during the weekends though. Gotta stay hydrated on the weekends too!

What foods are you digging right now? Any good recipes to share with me? Leave me some comment love!

Your foodie friend,

*fish!

Snacks

I made this way-easy curried tempeh spread yesterday. Never had tempeh? It's a fermented soy product that comes in handy for us vegetarians as a nice meat alternative. Higher in protein than regular tofu, and in my opinion depending on the need, more simple to cook with since it's naturally condensed in a way that tofu isn't.

Curried Tempeh Spead

1 8-10 oz package tempeh (I buy LiteLife brand. If you're local, it can be purchased at Meijer and is probably a staple at health food stores.)

1/3 cup soy mayo or regular mayo (Your choice, I used miracle whip because that's what I had.)

1 tsp yellow mustard (Prepared mustard, not dry.)

1 tsp curry powder

pinch chilli powder

1 scallion, minced (optional)

Grate or crumble the tempeh into a bowl. I used a box a cheese grater. In a separate bowl mix mayo, mustard, curry powder, chili powder and scallion if using. When mixed well, add to the grated tempeh and stir together. Serve with crackers as pictured, or use your imagination. I'm thinking it would be good in a sandwich. I do know that whenever I make it, it doesn't last long!

Curried Tempeh Spread (right) pictured with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus & Crackers

Scent-sational!

Loving this Viktor & Rolf fragrance right now! I picked up the little purse-sized Flowerbomb roll on over the holidays and it's so yummy. For winter I tend to wear something a little heavier. I've worn Michael Kors and loved that, but wanted to try something different this year! Flowerbomb is perfect, all kind of floral like you'd expect with the name Flowerbomb, but it's got some deeper notes - just read through the description on Sephora.com and it says it has a patchouli base. Oh, it's making sense now! Not too heavy though, it's more haute couture not hippie!

Do you switch up your scents from spring/summer to fall/winter? What scent are you loving right now?

*starr fish bits

I am hopeful for new beginnings in the new year. I think I mentioned that I practiced yoga for the first time in forever on New Year's Eve and one of the principals of Anusara Yoga (the style of yoga that I practice, WHEN I practice) is opening to grace - here's a good explanation of it within the practice. My intention for the year is to open to grace in life. To me that means being in the moment, being tuned into and trusting of my intuition, thinking positively about what I'm doing, who I am and what I'm capable of. For me it also means being open to new experiences and trying new things so that I can continue to grow as a person.

*****

I'm on day three of a seven day 100 squats/day challenge posed by Mary over at MoreThanMary.com. First day, not so bad, getting through 100. I've been breaking it up into sets of 20. I think the idea is just do whatever you need to in order to get through them, but DO them! It's getting progressively harder each day since my muscles are sore, but I'm already feeling more toned and like my rear is getting more in gear!

*****

I get my braces off next week! I can hardly believe it! I'm going to be put into Invisalign though for some final corrective maneuvers. I wasn't totally hating the braces, to be honest, so it will be a little sad when they're gone.

*****

I caught the first part of the first episode of the Bachelor (no judgements!) earlier this week. Apparently there's drama because this guy was on the show before and he didn't pick either of the final girls. (did not watch that season!) Seriously? Would everyone rather he picked a girl and then broke up with her a few months later like all the rest of them seem to do? He knew he wasn't ready, give him some credit for that. Now that he's done some soul searching, he's apparently ready. It will be interesting to watch how it all goes down! Anyone else watching?

*****

I got my new passport in the mail today and while I'm happy to now have a valid passport (my previous had expired) I'm so not digging the design of this new one. It looks virtually the same on the outside, but the inside is all "USA! USA! USA!" It's a bit over the top! The old style was so much cleaner and just classy. This new one seems junky - there's WAY too much going on. If you have a newer passport, do you agree?

*****

Special K was on sale this week and I've been eating it like it's my job! Why is it so good?

*****

Another year is upon us! If you had time off around the holidays, I hope you're faring well back to work! I'm actually doing surprisingly well, after all it's Wednesday evening! Just two more work days until another weekend.

Ooh Mashed Potato Pancakes

Mashed Potato Pancakes with Cranberry Orange Sauce

The mystery of what to do with leftover mashed potatoes is something I've never had to contemplate. On Thanksgiving or whenever the fam is all together and mashed potatoes are made, we usually ask, "will that be enough for dinner AND leftovers?" We don't like mashed potatoes in my family, we love them, even leftover. I made them last week. Let me tell you, mashed potato leftovers take a lot longer to get through when you have fewer bellies craving them! I had mashed potatoes that needed a new life. Enter the mashed potato pancake! I wondered what the difference was between mashed potato pancake and a traditional latke - turns out latkes are made with shredded potato!

Mashed Potato Pancakes

2 cups mashed potatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup flour

chopped onion

salt & pepper

I started by putting the cold mashed potatoes in the microwave for a couple minutes to take the chill off just enough so I could actually stir them. Add two eggs, flour, chopped onion and salt and pepper. Mix everything together. It will still be kind of thick, you want it to hold together and not be runny. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan, heat over medium to high heat. When oil looks extra shiny, drop spoonfuls of your potato mixture into the pan.

First batch in the pan.

They dropped in clumps that I smoothed out with the back of a spoon. Cook until the bottom browns, then flip and cook the other side. Once you flip them, you can use your spatula to press them down a bit. Cook in batches until you have a yummy plateful to share or dish them up to friends and family right out of the pan as you cook them.

Seriously delicious Mashed Potato Pancakes

I served mine with an Orange Cranberry sauce that my Auntie G makes. It's super easy to make and if you're lucky you'll see the recipe on the bag too! One bag fresh cranberries, one whole orange cut into chunks (skin too, but I trim the ends off as I'm chunking it). Put everything into a food processor and process until chunky and well mixed together. I add a 1/2 cup of sugar. You can adjust the sugar as you wish. I used less than the recipe called for. Chill until ready to serve. I'm on my second batch in as many weeks. It's tasty!

Happy New Year!

Image by Fresh Starr Fish, of Inside Out by Soraia Almeida

Are you big into New Year's Eve parties? Did you get dressed up and go to a great party? Dinner out? I've never really gotten into the whole New Year's Eve party hoopla. It's nice to spend the evening with people you love, a good meal and some laid back fun. It's also nice to cozy up with a movie and hit the hay before the stroke of midnight. I had a great day just going with the flow.

I cleaned up the house a little bit. Starting the new year with a clean house...literally and figuratively is a good thing. Out with the old (whether it's the stacked up recycling or old thoughts that no longer serve you well) so as to make room for the new.

The weather in Michigan has been odd today - rain and in the hight 40s! I was all suited to go for a run in my neighborhood. It wasn't raining when I was getting ready, but when I stepped out onto the porch - the rain was coming down pretty hard. I skipped the run, but did about an hour of yoga. I haven't practiced yoga in several years, it felt really good to be on the mat again. A good way to start off the new year too, getting grounded.

However you celebrated, here's to much goodness, positive energy and sparkle in 2011! Happy New Year to you!

Banana Muffins

Oh, hello, muffin! I whipped up these Banana Muffins out of the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook (one of my favorites!) over the weekend. I usually make banana chocolate chip bread when I have some bananas about to turn over to the dark side. I wanted to try something new though and so here we are.

Banana Muffins

1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup oats
1 egg white
1 egg
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 2 1/2 smaller bananas)
1/2 cup plain nonfat (or lowfat) yogurt
(optional) 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins

Get all your ingredients in line. Preheat oven to 400. Line a 12-muffin muffin pan with liners, cooking spray or light coating of oil. I prefer using muffin liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Run the cup of oats through a food processor or blender until you have something the consistency of cornmeal. Add the oats to the dry ingredients.

Flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.

Oats after a good spin through the food processor.

In another bowl, beat the egg white for three minutes until foamy and increased in volume, but not stiff. Stir the foamy egg white and the additional full egg, oil, mashed banana and yogurt and chocolate chips or raisins if you're using them. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until just combined.

One whipped egg white, plus one egg.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. I added a handful of chocolate chips to six of my muffins at this point just to see how they'd turn out. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool. Enjoy.

Mmm...wholesome and delish!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you!! Whether you're knee deep in family, alone or with friends I hope you're having a wonderful day. I'm spending the weekend celebrating with different groups of friends since my family is scattered out east.

Christmas Eve afternoon I dropped into the Broadway Bar on the West Side of Grand Rapids. If you live in town and haven't been, you MUST go! It's like walking into a Christmas extravaganza, every inch of the place is covered with Christmas gear! One group of friends has been doing Christmas eve afternoons there for several years. Whenever I'm home for Christmas, I make sure to get over there. The family that runs it, is great...they ask you your name when they take your order and proceed to call you by name until you cash out. My big tab: a diet coke and the lovely grilled cheese and onion rings you'll see below!

Miracle on 34th Street was playing on TV (after they let us channel surf for something holiday appropriate!)

Twistin' Santa!

This is just one wall...pretty much covered with Christmas kitsch! The Broadway is wall-to-wall Christmas!

Anyone else have grilled cheese and onion rings for their Christmas eve lunch?

I've got a run planned in a bit, gchat with the family out East and dinner with running buddy A and her family tonight. When I decided the weekend was too short to travel to be with family for Christmas, I was bummed out. Not to get all spiritual on you, but Christmas is about so much more than shopping and the hustle and bustle. No matter what you believe, if you believe in a power greater than yourself, there's a peace in knowing that although you may be "alone" you're never truly alone. I made that spiritual connection this week after spending a couple days bumming about not being with my family. My heart is filled with so much love for them. I do miss them, but I'm with them in spirit and all is well. I'm creating my own special holiday joy here at home!

May the peace, love and joy of Christmas fill your heart today.

Why don't you just tell me...

...which movie you want to see?!

Every so often I check out the movie trailers at Apple.com. I had heard the trailer for "Water for Elephants" came out this week, so I had to check that out! Looks ah-mazing! I loved the book and can't wait to get lost in the movie.

And this movie "Hood to Coast" probably won't come to the theaters here in Grand Rapids, but being a runner, I want to see it. Grand Rapids does have a pretty giant running community, so maybe it will come here in conjunction with River Bank Run or one of our other bigger races.

Have you seen any good movies recently? Anything new that's got you wanting to head to the theater?

Hair Do Well

Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance were on Charlie Rose this week to promote their upcoming film "Blue Valentine." Not only am I so excited to see this movie because I thoroughly enjoy both actors' work, but the story is probably going to rip my heart out. Hearing some of the back story on the making of the film makes me want to see it even more.

fuckyeahryangosling on Charlie Rose

Michelle Willams on Charlie Rose

Plus...plus will you please look at how darling Michelle looks with this hair cut and color?! I so want her hair. Do you think I'd have more fun with this hair? It's just the cutest ever! My hair may be holding me back...

Oh, and if you actually watch the interview, you'll also get to see Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and director David O. Russell talk about the movie "The Fighter." Looks like another film I want to see.

Oh So Quiet

Been plenty quiet in these parts.

Sorry about that.

There's been a lot going on in my head that I do not want to put out into the world via this blog. A general blah kind of mood struck me sometime on Thursday and hung on pretty tightly all weekend, much as I tried to shake it. It's too early for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) isn't it? Anyway, with the sunshine that was out today, the blah mood seems to be lifting and I'm ever grateful for that!

Hoping to get back to posting more regularly soon.

Too Cute Boots

Need vs. Want. Since I'm probably not buying, let's just say (pssst, Santa are you listening?) I wouldn't be mad if any of these found their way under the Christmas tree this year! My favorites are the Greenwich and Athens. I almost bought the Athens boots on super sale over on Gilt.com last week, but since I don't "need" them I didn't pull the trigger. I also saw them in brown at TJ Maxx this weekend. So now at least I know that an 8.5 would, indeed, fit in case I come across them again on sale! Never pay full price, there's always a sale on the horizon!

Kitchen Dreams

[Photo: Kate McElwee, Dwell]

My brother and sister in law have a very minimalist kitchen that employs under-the-counter refrigerators. I'd love to do away with my giant fridge and go with an under-the-counter version. My sister in law, an architect, redesigned the kitchen in their flat. This one in Dwell reminded me of theirs. Click here for an short slide show and a walk through of this particular redesign. Very cool!

Oh, Sweet Potato

Isn't it fantastic that sweet potatoes are so good for you and are so versatile? I love making sweet potato fries, but tonight I whipped up some mashed sweet potatoes with a bit of Earth Balance vegan "butter", cinnamon, cloves and a sprinkle of brown sugar. It was like dessert, but I was eating veggies! Absolutely fantastic!

Warmth

The weather has definitely turned to winter here in Michigan. I'm bundled up, but still feel a little chilly. So I'm blogging about things that make me think warm thoughts! Here are a few!

Zydeco music. Maybe not the first thing you'd think of, but it always sounds warm to me and I happened to be listening to American Routes, and they had a Creole Cowboys segment in the second hour featuring some great zydeco. If you click the link you can listen to that particular segment to get a taste!

SmartWool socks. I'm trying to remember my first pair of SmartWools. They were either from my brother and sister in law as a Christmas stocking stuffer a couple years ago or they were my SmartWool running socks. Anyway, if you haven't tried SmartWools, they're the way to go, so warm and comfortable. They're a treat for the feet!

Roaring fire in the fire place. This isn't my fire place (or even my picture!), but I promise once the chimney sweep comes this week and the fire is actually roaring, I'll be sure to post about it!

Beach. This was taken at Oval Beach in Saugatuck, MI, one of my favorite beaches. It's beautiful and close enough to home that it's easy to get to, but just enough of a drive so you feel like you really went somewhere. Wish I was basking in the sun there right now!

Cozy Bed. My mom, aunts & uncle and I went to Helsinki, Finland in 2005. We stayed at the Helsinki Radisson Royal SAS (now apparently called the Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel!). This was our room and the beds there were the most comfortable in the world. The sheets were amazingly soft, probably like 1000 thread count or something, seriously! High thread count sheets, alterna-down comforter and tons of pillows is the way to go!

The North Face. Nary a winter goes by that I don't mention being on Team North Face. I know EVERY one wears it now, but I don't care because I've been wearing it for years. It's the ultimate all out warm gear and with every piece I acquire, I usually say something like - this is the warmest EVAR - really! I'm even wearing one right now.

What warm things do you turn to or think about when the weather turns cold?