Christian Louboutin Bow Shoes

These are so beautiful.

Yes, please!

Christmas Presents

I made:

A hat and scarf for Elissa

A wrap for me

A neck warmer for Natashia

I also made one of these in chunkier, black cashmerino for a gift exchange, but never took a picture. *pout*

An infinity scarf for Stephanie

And I don’t have a picture, but I gave Athena a pair of socks…they’re 3/4 done. Sorry, Athena! I’ll finish them soon and put up a pic then.

It’s Yoda!

(Or Gary Coleman’s mug shot after being arrested for domestic abuse…)

Cooking

One of my resolutions this year is to use my cookbooks more.  So far, so good.  This week, however, is a busy one and I’m going with tried and true.  Last night I made meatloaf – yum, greenbeans and rolls!  Tonight it’s breaded pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn.

I had friends over one night and made stuffed mushrooms – they were SO good. Last week I tried out a Spicy Chicken and Rice Bake that was actually not spicy at all.  If I made it again, I would definitely add some jalapenos or cayenne or something.  From the same cookbook I also make a honey glazed chicken stir fry – that one was pretty good.

Any recommendations on favorite recipes?

How I did in 2009:

See a ballet – The Nutcracker
Go to at least 4 Juilliard performances
1 Jan 13 – Chamberfest 2009
2 Apr 6 – Juilliard Orchestra
3 Oct 14 – Juilliard Jazz Ensemble
4 Oct 27 – Juilliard Boroque Debut Performance
Snow ski at least once
Visit Boston
Visit DC
Visit San Francisco
Chicago for Easter
Houston for Memorial Day (But really it was March)
Michigan in August (But July instead)
Read at least 10 books (I sucked at this one)
1 Atonement by Ian McEwan
2 American Wife by Curtis Steppenfield
3 Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
4 An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady (Laura Bush)
5 I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max
6
7
8
9
10
Knit my first pair of socks (I got 3/4 of the way done and I’m counting it)
Knit my first sweater
Participate in the Race for the Cure
Men’s Health Urbanathlon (didn’t happen in NY this year)
Great Urban Race
Get below 130 (for like a week)
Be able to do the splits again
Work a job where I don’t feel like I’m recessing
See the Frick Collection
Go to the MOMA
Go to the Guggenheim
Go to Brooklyn for more than taxes
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Things to do in 2010:

- Make a sweater
- Actually use my cookbooks (aka try new recipes)
- Send birthday cards to family and friends
- Read a book a month; I did not stick to my 10 books last year, so this may be a bit ambitious, but I have started a book club – yes, a book club – so we will see how it goes
- Attend 6 Juilliard performances – 3 in the spring and 3 in the fall
- Go to the Guggenheim
- Use all of my vacation days
- Take trips to Washington DC, Boston and potentially Maine and SF
- Pay off student loans – this is almost overly ambitious and probably not realistic, but a girl can dream
- Save 10% of my income on top of contributing to my 401K
- Work life balance. Work life balance. Work life balance.
- Organize a group for Race for the Cure (again)
- Run a race – Men’s Health Urbanathalon, Brooklyn half-marathon, Great Urban Race, etc.
- Learn to sew more than just pillows

Who thought this sounded like…

A good idea for a Christmas present?!?

Complete with little scoop and everything…

Male Christmas Present Idea

I was looking through Women’s Health’s list of gift ideas for the man in your life and I thought 2 of their ideas together would make a great themed gift…specifically perfect for my Dad.

This 6-pack Bottle Tote

And this set of Bottle Openers

Pumpkin Pie – My first Time

This weekend tbf and I went down to Philly to do Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle. I was responsible for the desserts. I made a family recipe, carmelitas, which I pretty much make for everything because people love them. I also made a pumpkin pie. Who doesn’t do pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving?!?

I made it from scratch – well, not the pumpkin. I even made the crust from scratch, which I was nervous about because I never had before…and because I don’t have a rolling pin. I just pressed it out with my hands, but then was nervous about getting it from the counter into the pie plate, so I dusted it with flour, folded it up and moved it. Not problems. It unfolded just fine.

My aunt and uncles are foodies and they complimented the pie, saying it was cooked perfectly – not to long and not to little. They were saying it’s easy to under cook pumpkin pies and leave them a little mushy. They also seemed really into the crust. Yay! Apparently they told my grandma and the rest of the family because everyone is telling me I made a great pie. Haha. I feel like a child who just used the toilet for the first time. People seem so excited! Surprise, I can cook! (I always knew it – I’ve been doing it for like 10 years now – I guess the rest of the family just didn’t.)

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Last night I went to the Radio City Music Hall and saw the Christmas Spectacular! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the Rockettes. It was definitely very kid friendly, but it was cute. I enjoyed myself and can now say I’ve both been to Radio City Music Hall and seen the Rockettes.

They did all kinds of dancing from ballet to tap. I was really surprised that the girls actually sang while dancing and they sounded so good. I was very impressed. Not with the child 3 rosw in front of us who threw a tantrum for 45 minutes, but with the show for sure.

Also, some of the schwag they had was crazy. Martini glasses with kicking legs, fans with skirts that spin parallel to the floor as if dancing – all kinds of kooky things.

During the show, I had kind of an idiot moment. There’s a scene where some kids are reading the Christmas story from the Bible. I was like…this is really weird that they have this in there. Why would they include this? That is how much NYC has worn on me. Helloooooo?!? Christmas is one of the major pillars of the Christian religion. Why would that NOT be included?! In my New York mind people would be upset or angry that that was included because they may not be Christian and so many people here are so touchy. But how do you have a Christmas spectacular without including that?! I felt a little ashamed that I actually had that thought.