TGIF Links

So, it is cold today. I'm hoping to do a lot of hibernating this weekend. Last weekend, when we were all feeling housebound because of the cold, we ventured out to the Brooklyn Children's Museum. It was such a welcome outing that we ended up going back on Monday and buying a Family Membership.

Here are some links I've enjoyed this week:

I love cookie monster, and the above video is perfect.

Banana Republic  designer, Marissa Webb, is supposedly launching a baby collection in the next few days?

I am craving a new (more permanent) living space, and loved looking at these bathrooms.

Speaking of living spaces, this blog post on West Elm was inspiring too.

I'm adding Charleston to my wanderlust list.

Thought this article on what tea looks like around the world was super interesting.

I wandered into Express this week in search of these jeans, and found this cozy dress that I couldn't pass up.

Weeknight Meals: February

I was recently given a copy of How to Cook Everything Fast. I've heard so many people rave about Mark Bittman's recipes, so I was excited to try out a few. 

Here's what's on this week's menu: 

Curry-Braised Beef and Eggplant with Sesame Noodles

Chicken Marsala with Lots of Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta

Spaghetti with Nearly Instant Bolognese with Salad

Stir-Fried Pork with Edamame and Scallions with Rice

Soup: Provencal Tomato Soup with Fennel

This book is enormous. Really. It's well over 1000 pages. 

Last night we tried the Curry-Braised Beef and Eggplant with Sesame Noodles. The consensus was that it was both tasty and fast. 

I made the soup this afternoon. I have to admit, it's not quite as good as I wanted it to be, but it's definitely edible, and just not to my taste.  In 1000+ pages, not every recipe can be a winner. I'm looking forward to Chicken Marsala tonight!

Valentine's Day Reads

Image via

I love 3-day weekends. Such a treat to be able to spend an extra day with family, especially on Valentine's Day. I know people have a love/hate relationship with the holiday, but I have decided to embrace a holiday about love. Who says it has to be romantic? I received this lovely gift this morning. 

Here are a few things I've found interesting this past week:

A timely article on the meaning of every rose color. And I had always liked white and yellow roses!

Why you should stay home on the holiday. 

11 Breakfast in Bed recipes--for Valentine's Day and beyond! 

I liked this casual, beachy look. Not sure about the open back though. 

5 British TV shows to watch. My parents are obsessed with Doc Martin. 

J. Crew is having yet another sale with 40-50% off items already marked down. This is a classic popover. A Denim jacket b/c spring is just around the corner (I hope). Cozy.  Cozy x 2. 

I'm kind of psyched that flares seem to be back in style. 

We read these sweet stories before bed tonight: "A Kiss for You", "I Love You Through and Through",  "Making Friends: Just Like Us" and of course, "The Runaway Bunny".

Easy Weeknight Meals

Image via

I am always on the hunt for fast and easy meal recommendations, especially during the week. Our latest strategy has been to plan out our weeknight meals over the weekend, head to a local supermarket (we love Fairway), and do most of the heavy cooking on Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Our staple sources tend to be Real Simple and any one of Ina Garten's cookbooks. I have to admit, I'm partial to How Easy Is That? Also, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave us a subscription to Bon Appetit for Christmas last year, which was such a great gift, and often inspires us to switch things up a bit.  We're trying 2 new recipes from Bon Appetit this week.

Here's what's on our menu this week:

Skirt Steak with Shallot Pan Sauce (Bon Appetit)
Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meatloaf (Real Simple): We've had this countless times. It's always a hit.
Cacio e Pepe (Bon Appetit): We're trying this for the first time this week.
Sauteed Chicken and Peppers with Black Beans and Coconut Rice (Real Simple): Again, we've had this so many times. Plus, it only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
Lentil Vegetable Soup (Ina Garten): Great for lunches, and easy to swap out chicken stock for vegetable stock if you want a tasty vegetarian recipe.


If anyone has any favorite easy recipes, I'd love to know!

Weekend Reading

I'm so glad it's the weekend. This past week has been a bit nuts. I flew to Puerto Rico at the crack of dawn on Tuesday (for business) and came back Thursday afternoon. It was such a treat to get a bit of sun, even briefly. A highlight of the trip was a quick visit to Old San Juan where I was treated to a dinner at Marmalade . The food was yummy, and the town was beautiful. I think I need to go back at some point when I have more time to explore. Flights on Jet Blue were only 3 hours from JFK and less than $300. 

Here are a few posts I enjoyed this week:

I was so excited about the announcement that Harper Lee would be publishing a new novel, but this article is food for thought. 

On another book-related note, last monday was ALA Mid-Winter, when the American Library Association announced the 2015 Youth Media Awards. Lots of reading to do! I read, and truly enjoyed, this year's Printz winner, I'll Give You the Sun. The Crossover, which won the Newbery Medal is next on my list.

#SerialForever. I was excited to see this news about Adnan Syed from the popular podcast, "Serial". 

This post seems to be everywhere, but I love it. Great cover, and they are so cute and so good. 

I saw 2Cellos in concert in London a few years ago. They are so good. I was excited to see this post about them on Mashable.

I love a good cozy sweater, and this one  from Free People looks perfect. 

J.Crew has been having some amazing sales lately. I found these pants in store for only $14.99!

Zagats (Laithwaite's) Wine Club

Laithwaite's Wine Club

I recently went to some friends' apartment for dinner and couldn't help but notice how many bottles of wine they had in their kitchen. I was...jealous. I asked them if they were really into wine, and they said that they'd joined the Zagat wine club.

When I woke up the next morning, I looked into it and found out that though Zagat's is no longer affiliated with the club, Laithwaite's still runs the program. The first shipment is $69.99 and you receive 15 bottles of wine. You can choose from a case of red, a case of white, or a mix.

There's no commitment, so if you don't ever want to use them again, you don't have to. There's also a 100% guarantee, so if you don't like a bottle, you get a refund.

We've now tried a couple of bottles, and so far, so good! And while I love going to the wine store and perusing the aisles, it's nice to have some surprises I may not have chosen myself.

Etiquette Question: Thank You Notes

This weekend I finally got around to writing my post-holiday Thank You cards.

Do you write Thank You notes? It seems like it could be a dying art. Life seems so busy these days that email seems easier--and faster. I remember applying for a job several years ago, and mentioning to a mentor that I'd mailed a note post-interview. She seemed appalled that it could get lost in the mail, or arrive later than other candidates' emails. I eventually ended up sending an email mentioning the Thank You note, and noting that I'd be remiss to not send an email as well. But...I'm glad I sent the note too.

My friend Kaitlin always sends a Thank You note--even if she doesn't need to! I have to admit, I love getting snail mail, and these days sending letters feels like such an effort that it's always extra nice to receive them.

I wonder what Emily Post would say.

Happy le weekend

Snow Turtle & Friend

What a week! Between the blizzard that wasn't and running around trying to get ready for a trip next week, things have been a bit nuts. This weekend we are celebrating my husband's birthday with cake and a dinner out with friends.

Here are a few things I've enjoyed this week:

This article about "Goodnight Moon" made me laugh.

Flying through the streets of old London is pretty amazing.

I think I'm officially a creeper. I saw this instagram shot of Damsel in Dior and ran out and bought this dress. Bonus: it was 40% off in-store.

I also used a gift certificate I received for my birthday back in June to snag this dress that was on sale at Madewell.

This article about Stanford's response to the sexual assault on campus this past week was spot on. So great to see a school respond so quickly, and so well to something like this.

I went to the gym today and watched CNN while I was on the treadmill. In a half hour, I learned about 1/3 of what I learned in 5 minutes reading The Skimm this morning. Seriously, my favorite news source and daily newsletter.

Off to frost a cake!

Ginger Bread

Over the weekend, we were snowed / rained in, so we decided to do an quick excursion to the grocery store and then do some baking.

Ginger Cake

When I graduated from college and officially moved out of my parent's house, my mother gave me a binder full of handwritten family recipes. It's one of the nicest gifts, and I've added to it over the years. Some of my childhood favorites are in there, as well as some unkowns. I still don't think I've made all of the recipes in it!

Saturday, I tried a recipe for Ginger Bread that has been used in my family for over a century. Here's what we did:

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 cup hot water
2 well-beat eggs added last (1 egg will do)

Bake 350 degrees in greased pan.

There's a note to use bacon drippings for shortening. I guess they didn't worry about cholesterol and were very frugal. Though I didn't try it, I'm sure if you have them, it would be tasty!

Optional Lemon topping:
1 tblspn. warm water
2 cups confectioner sugar
3 tblspn. lemon juice
Mix well and pour over gingerbread while hot.

Music for a Tuesday

I've been in an Official Music Rut lately. Then, a friend recently told me about Gregory Alan Isakov's album, "The Weatherman". The whole album is beautiful. 

I love this quote about the album title: 

"To me, the idea of a weatherman is really powerful. There's a guy on television or on the radio telling us the future, and nobody cares. It's this daily mundane miracle, and I think the songs I chose are about noticing the beauty in normal, everyday life."

Any other musicians I should be checking out? Suggestions welcome! I've been listening to this one on repeat. 

Easy Chicken Soup

What do you have for lunch? I'm curious.

Lunch is my least favorite meal of the day. I'm such a snacker. If I'm working in an office and someone puts cookies out, I'm going to have (at least) one. I also spend most of my day looking forward to dinner, so a big lunch often feels like a commitment. For me, soup always seems like a good option, especially in the colder weather.

Lately, I've been going to Hale and Hearty almost every day. I'm slightly embarrassed by how often I've been going, and it's getting expensive!

The last time I was at my parent's house, my mom made a really tasty pot of chicken soup in about 20 minutes.  Saturday was a wet day in New York, so I grabbed what I had in the fridge and tried to replicate it. It came out pretty well, and now I have lunch for most of the week!

Do you have a favorite soup recipe? I'd love to try something new.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
2 tbspn. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small chunks
1 tbspn. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 spring thyme
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup small noodles
S&P to taste

What I did: 
Heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for several minutes--until it's becoming translucent.
Throw in garlic, carrots, and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook 10-15 minutes on low heat, until they begin to soften.
Toss in a bay leaf
Add tomato paste and chicken and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add chicken broth.
Turn heat up to high until it boils. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Add pasta and cook for time the box or bag suggests.
Note: I undercooked my pasta as I'll re-heat later.

Voila! Easy, healthy, and hopefully tasty lunch. Serve with bread and cheese b/c all meals are better when bread and cheese are infolved.

I should also note that my son's daycare asks parents to provide lunch for the kids. I recently bought this tiny thermos and have heard that soup has been a hit at lunchtime.

p.s. I'm still working on my pictures of food. I promise it tasted better than it looks.

New Year's (End of January) Resolution:

Start blogging again.

I'm the worst. I have totally fallen off the writing bandwagon. I have an almost 2 year old now, and have barely written in his baby journal. And his baby journal is an adorable gift from Angloyankophile. 

So, that's my first resolution. Hopefully more to come.

Do or Don't: Nail Trend

Earlier this week, Angloyankophile mentioned that she's really liking the new trend of women painting their nails one color, and their ring finger a different color. I was on the fence about it until I saw this:

Source: Cupcakes and Cashmere

I love the classic light pink with a bit of bling. What do you think? Would you do it?

Guilty Pleasure TV

So, for years I steered clear of TV. I was too busy, or read instead.... But when I stopped working and moved to France, and suddenly had a language barrier and lots of time on my hands, I bought a lot of boxed sets. The thing is, they weren't the shows everyone had been talking about for years, they were the trashy shows I always thought I was too smart for.  Like, I watched "The Bachelor" for the first time ever. And I kind of loved it.

My new favorite reality tv show last summer was The Glee Project. I don't even like Glee all that much any more, but something about the honesty and struggle of the kids on show had me hooked. Have you watched it? Hannah was my favorite: 

Season 2 started last week. 

Other shows I have watched recently and loved: 

• Greek
• Veronica Mars
• True Blood
• Revenge
• Pretty :Little Liars
• The Vampire Diaries

My 'to watch' list right now includes Homeland, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad (to name a few). 

Monday: New Music

I have always had a soft spot for Fiona Apple, so was pretty excited when I saw that she has a new album coming out this month--her first in 7 years. 

I loved "Never is a Promise". I'm sure I listened to it on repeat and thought about a former crush at some point...funny I remember the song and not which guy it might have been.

You can listen to The Idler's Wheel in its entirety on NPR. Click here. 

Moonrise Kingdom

On Monday, we saw the new Wes Andersen movie, Moonrise Kingdom. I love how quirky all of his movies are, and this is no exception.  Here's the sneak peek:

I especially loved Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Royal Tenenbaums. The soundtrack of this is a lot of fun too; there was even a bit of choral music. 

Diamond Jubilee

Happy Diamond Jubilee! Our long weekend is drawing to a close, but being in the UK for the festivities this weekend has been fun. Everywhere you look, there is bunting, flags, or other paraphernalia to honor the holiday. We went out of town on Friday and Saturday nights, but on our drive back Sunday morning, we were re-routed due to an old-fashioned (fancy dress) pram race along one of the main roads. We arrived back to London just in time to see the parade of 1000 boats coming down the Thames. Yesterday there was a party in the square near us. There were stands selling Coronation Chicken sandwiches, and we also passed a Pimms Lemonade Stand (I loved the idea of a lemonade stand targeting adults)

Here is a recipe to make Pimms. And here's one for Coronation Chicken.

Robyn Cover: Call Your Girlfriend

So, these pre-teen sisters covering Robyn's 'Call Your Girlfriend' are pretty much cooler than I've ever been in my whole life:

Tim Minchin Concert

Over the weekend, we drove to Herefordshire with some friends to see Tim Minchin in concert. It was really nice to get out of the city and also a fun concert. Now I want to see the musical of Mathilda.

Red Hair and Freckles, this particular Tim Minchin song is for you:

Fierce Dance Video

I saw this dance video posted on Facebook and couldn't resist sharing:

How amazing are her moves? Do you dance?

I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to dancing, which probably stem from my sister re-playing my 5th grade talent show dance to Paula Abdul's 'Straight Up' video every time I go home...Each time she sits on the couch, laughing uncontrollably, and pointing at the TV, saying 'look! you have no rhythm!'. 

Anyway, I have a lot of fantasies in which I suddenly show off some amazing dance moves like this. I also love pretty much any movie about dancing: Dirty Dancing, Step Up, Save the Last Dance...even the horrible ones I could watch multiple times. 

Girls who Read

So, I'm not normally a huge fan of the spoken word, unless we're talking about this movie.

However, Red Hair and Freckles posted this on my Facebook wall a while back and I love it: 

I Heart Free Stuff...

...even if it's free shipping on an expensive website. Today is the last day that you can order from J.Crew and have your package shipped to you internationally for free. The best part? If you don't like what you get, or it doesn't fit, returns are free too. That's what I call a good deal...if only everything was 20% off as well. 

Weddings

A few weeks ago, I attended my first British wedding. Confession: I love weddings, but don't love a lot of the traditions associated with them. My favorite weddings tend to be the ones that feel unique to the couple getting married. Sometimes this means not all of the standard traditions are included. How do you feel about wedding traditions?

I find it interesting to see how they vary between and cultures. I was a bit nervous about what to even wear, but ended up getting the below dress on sale at Anthropologie and paired it with bright pink ballet flats and a pink pashmina:

Here were the top 5 differences I noticed between British and American weddings:

Portugal, Part 3: Porto

Our last stop of the trip was in Porto, which was about a 2.5 hour drive from Peniche. We had heard rumors that the driving in Porto could be a bit treacherous, so we dropped our car off at the airport and got a taxi into town, which cost about 20 euros. While the weather was cold and rainy, the hotel we were staying in recommended we go to Graham's winery for a tour and a port tasting. We braved the weather and walked across one of the main bridges in town (the wind broke one of our umbrellas along the way), and then took a tram down to the quaint, old winery section of town. There are so many wineries and shops, I'm sure you can't go wrong. Grahams was a bit of a hike, but the rain let up and it ended up being really nice to see a bit of the village. I've only had port a few times before, so was interested to learn more about the process. I'm a fan. Here are the bottles we sampled:

For other book nerds (like me), we also managed to make it to Livraria Lello, which is listed as one of the 20 Most Beautiful Bookshops in the world in Flavorwire. 

For dinner, we went to another seafood restaurant, which was lovely, but not quite as first as our first night out in Lisbon. We were a bit disappointed to see that Book, a literary-themed restaurant, recommended in this article, was right around the corner from our hotel. Next time!

We did manage to try Percebes, or barnacles, which are featured on most seafood restaurant menus. If you're feeling brave, they look like this: 

Our time in Porto was limited, but we did manage to fit in a trip to the Majestic Cafe for a bica (Lebanese espresso), to see a few of the beautiful buildings, and to pick up a few things from the Bolhão Market for the plane ride back to London (though passed on the live chickens, but got a tasty loaf of very dense bread and some fresh fruit) Below are a few pictures: 

Though it was a short trip, it was neat to see a new country. Going to Peniche made me want to spend more time learning to surf, and going to Porto made me want to go to the Duomo Valley next time to see where the grapes are grown, in the countryside. Such a lovely long weekend though!

Portugal Part 2: Cascais

Pergola House

We arrived in Cascais around 4 on Saturday afternoon. The sun was out and it was just warm enough to walk around without a jacket on. We dropped our bags off at the Pergola House and then spent a few hours exploring town, which had shopping downtown, and lots of little cobblestone alleyways. As an aside, Pergola house is an old manor house, with a lovely garden. According to reviews we'd read, the manager of the hotel grew up in the house. While our room was clean and well-appointed, and the staff was friendly, noise travels throughout the house, so we did hear quite a few people coming home throughout the night.

It really was a lovely day. For dinner, we went to B&B, which stands for bom and baratoa, meaning good and cheap in Portuguese. Unfortunately, while the atmosphere was cozy, my food was really bland, and a bit disappointing after the amazing seafood we'd had in Lisbon.

The next morning we rented a car downtown, and began driving up the coast to Peniche. The views were quite stunning, and at one point we came across this lovely roadside farmer's market, where we picked up snacks for lunch. The people in Portugal were lovely. After buying a few apples, we asked another vendor for 2 oranges. She replied: that's it? Take them. Free!

 

After a few hours, we realized the trip along the coast would take quite a long time, so we cut inland and took a slightly faster road to Peniche, which we'd heard was a laid back surfing town. While the town had some cute buildings and the cliffs were stunning, I think perhaps staying at a surf lodge outside of town might be a bit more appealing, as the town itself only has Pansions and two typical 3 star hotels on the outskirts of town, near chicken factories and a sardine factory. While the area was nice, the town itself was a weird place. We found the woman at the tourist information stop pretty unhelpful! Regardless, we grabbed our books and read on the beach for a few hours, which, after London weather, was a real treat.

More on Porto tomorrow...

Portugal: Part 1 (Lisbon)

2 weekends ago we spent the long weekend in Portugal. It was such a treat to get out of London, as we hadn't taken a trip in Europe since November, when we went to Italy for a week.

The cheapest option when we booked our flights was to fly into Lisbon and out of Porto. I'd heard that the drive up the coast was comparable to Highway 1 up the coast of California, which was one of my favorite vacations ever (we went from Santa Barbara to San Francisco in 2009). To prep for our trip, I looked up the relevant 36 Hours articles that The New York Times puts out (links here: Lisbon, Cascais, Porto). I also read through the posts on  The Senses Five and was pretty excited.

Unfortunately, we had limited time in each place, so we ended up booking a hotel on Hotwire for the first night in Lisbon and the last night in Porto. Hotwire is always a bit of a risk, but ultimately we were happy with both spots. While the location of our hotel in Lisbon could have been a bit better, it was really nice to arrive Friday night and have a really comfortable night at the VIP Grand Lisboa.

The hotel recommended Clube do Peixe for dinner, which was just across the street, and it may have been my favorite meal in Portugal, despite the fact that it wasn't all that central. 

We managed to sleep in a bit on Saturday, but were able to get downtown and have a stroll before lunch and have a coffee and a Nada (the classic custard tart). What struck me most about Lisbon was how beautiful, but run down all of the old buildings are. It's definitely a city I could spend more time in. However, having lived in big cities for a while, I always like to escape the crowds when traveling, so there's nothing more appealing than a beach. So, that afternoon, we grabbed our stuff and took a commuter train 35 minutes up the coast to Cascais, which has been recommended to us by several people. More on that later...


In the meantime, here's a funny sign we saw on the tube. I feel like the caption could be something like 'Do not hump the door, as you may get trapped in them'?:

New Addition: Ebay

 Angloyankophile has been talking up ebay for a few weeks now. Her emails, paired with the poster campaign in the tube stations in London, has made me curious about the site.  She's found a ton of great deals on the site. Seriously. That girl has talent and I'm considering asking her to be my personal stylist.

Confession: I've never been a good second hand shopper. I'm always bit jealous of friends who can go into thrift stores and reach their hand into a pile and come out with something amazing. Also, the smell of most second hand shops is kind of a deterrent for me. What do you think? Is eBay different? Have you bought anything from the site?

Monday Song

I've been in a bit of a music rut lately, so have been trying to remedy that. What are you listening to these days?

I've had this song by the Dodos on my iPod for a while, but am really enjoying some of their other stuff as well, especially as a friend recently re-recommended them:

Song for the weekend

I am still loving Boy and Bear, who I also mentioned in this post. I've been listening to this song on repeat all week:

Books

Have you read any great books lately? Somewhat belatedly, I started thinking of my favorite books of 2011. I love the lists that go out towards the end of the year, especially the one put together by the folks at The New York Times.

That said, these are my favorite books of 2011:

• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
• Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

What are your picks?

New Music (at least for me)

I recently heard Maverick Sabre for the first time. Have you heard his music before? I have been enjoying listening to his songs. Here's one of his more popular ones:

He also has some good covers, including the below version of "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke:

Book Pick of the Week

I just finished reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It was such a lovely story. Though it's for children, I think it's a novel that both kids and adults will appreciate equally.
Auggie, the main character, was born with a severe facial deformity that's kept him from going to school--until now. As he enters the 5th grade (a tough year for anyone), we see his experiences through several different lenses. It's so poignant, I just wanted to hug each one of the narrators. Book trailer below.

The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On

Have you seen the video of the history of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster? It's such a cool story. London + bookshop = pretty cool.

The Art of the Mix Tape

Did you ever make a mix tape for a friend? I remember spending hours in high school trying to find the right selection of songs, and then working to fit them all onto a 90-minute tape.  Though making a mix now is infinitely easier, I sometimes miss tapes. When a friend handed you a mix tape, there was no way not to feel flattered at the time commitment. And since getting to the next song involved more than just 'skipping' one, each segue was a surprise.

Lately, Flavorwire has been posting literary mix tapes each week on their site. They choose a character and create a Spotify playlist featuring songs they think the characters would have enjoyed. One of my mom's favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird, so for Mother's Day I burned her a CD of the Atticus Finch Literary Mixtape. Incidentally, it's a great mix.

I know, who even uses CDs anymore? But it's a tradition I'm sad to see dying out, so I'll preserve it while I can.

Do you have a favorite mix tape? Did a guy or girl you liked ever make you one?


Image source: Nexus 404

Spring Dress

How fun is this outfit by Danish company Wood Wood? I saw it posted on one of my new favorite blogs, The Senses Five, and had to steal it. It's never quite warm enough in London to wear sundresses. This seems like it would be the perfect, laid-back weekend outfit. Laid back, yet chic. Want.

 

Original Image: Wood Wood S/S 12

Song for the Weekend

Do you know the band Boy & Bear? I just read about them, and am loving this song, which appropriately (for the weekend) is called Rabbit Song:

Happy Easter / Passover weekend

I just realized I haven't posted anything since before Christmas! How have 4 months gone by so quickly?
What are you up to for the holiday weekend? I'm pretty excited to be in England, as we have a two whole days off. In college, I lived 5 hours from home, and I remember what a pain it was to have to cut the holiday short and drive back to school. At least I had jelly beans and chocolate for the ride.

Flights home were too expensive to justify for just a few days, so I have rented this cottage with a few friends. I've never been to Suffolk, so it's really nice to hang out, eat, drink wine, explore the coastal villages, eat, play some board games and relax.

In keeping with the last blog post I wrote, click below for my top picks for Easter-themed children's book stories:

Old Man and the Sea

Check out this cool stop motion video of The Old Man and the Sea created by artist Marcel Schindler. I am loving the song as well:

Christmas Books

Did you read Christmas books as a child? What were your favorites?

Here are some that were well-loved in my family:


The Sweet Smell of Christmas: 

The story is cute, but the book is SCRATCH N SNIFF! All the Christmas smells are there: candy canes, hot cocoa, pine, oranges. I think my sister and I ruined it with all of our scratching, so I was very relieved that it came back into print a few years ago.

The Gift of the Magi by O'Henry:

This is a lovely edition of the classic Christmas tale of a couple who sell their most-prized possessions to afford to buy gifts for one another. BUT, there's a twist...

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg is one of my favorite picture book writers (I am hoping Santa brings me a copy of the new Chronicles of Harris Burdock book for Christmas), and while this is perhaps his most well-known book, it's absolutely lovely. I wish train rides were always the way they're depicted in the book.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

It's a classic for good reason.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

Every Christmas Eve, my sister still insists we read this aloud as a family. The cover is a bit different than our version at home, but I believe it's the same illustrator. With so many editions to choose from, this one seems cozy and warm.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

While all of the other tales are Christmas specific, "The Mitten" is just a sweet, fun, winter tale.







The Night Before Christmas

New Music

One of the best things about December is that all of the "best of" lists for the year come out. I'm always looking for new music, so was pretty excited when I saw this list from Paste Magazine with the 50 best albums of the year.

What are your favorite songs / albums of the year?

Happy Holidays

Now that it's December, I'm starting to get into the holiday spirit. How cute is this new ad for the John Lewis department store? I love it.

Documentaries

Though I generally enjoy documentaries, I find I only watch them occasionally. However, I've seen some really great-looking previews lately. Has anyone seen any of these?  Are any of them on your list of movies to see?

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
I can't upload a video to this directly, but here is the trailer for the first full-length film about Chinese artist, Weiwei: Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. I think it looks amazing.



Being Elmo:

 I Believe I Can Fly:

Starting a Wine Cellar

This is a neat article about starting a basic wine cellar.

What's your favorite type of wine?

Until a few years ago, I normally only drank white wine. Then, at the start of 2009, my New Year's resolution was to acquire a taste for red wine. It was one of the most fun (and also most successful) resolutions I've had to date.

source: http://xkcd.com/627/

Ballroom Jeans

A friend recently passed this advertisement along to me, and it's kind of hilarious. This same friend, split the crotch of his jeans open trying to impress a small group of people with his dance skills a while back. So...these would be good for that, or also if you want your man to practice his ice dancing skills, I suppose:

New Favorite Magazine

A friend of mine recently told me about Matchbook Magazine, which is online once a month. It's so cute! The perfect combination between preppy and relaxed. I can't wait until next month's issue!

Music for Monday Morning

I woke up this morning to this link in my inbox from my dad. Monday mornings can be hectic, so get ready for work while listening to this fun song.

Tonight for dinner, we tried the Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti from Ina Garten's How Easy Is That? Cookbook. Lately, that's been my go-to for recipes. As always, I'd recommend using less salt than she suggests, but it was a tasty, hearty cold weather meal.

Here's a link to the recipe, and a picture of a much tastier looking dish!

These are a few of people's favorite things...

Lately, there's been a lot of "top" lists. Here are some of my favorites:

•  The Top 10 Literary Badasses in Children's Books 
• 10 of the Best Burgers in NYC (chosen by The Guardian)
• Best Cocktail Bars in the World (Top 50)

What do you think? What are your some of your favorite things? 

Sunday Post

I am always on the lookout for new music. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm in a bit of a rut--have any suggestions?

In the meantime, I'm enjoying these:

Mr. Rogers! (and more)

It's Monday, which means I never have seem to have enough time in the day to do everything I'd like to. Maybe it's because I spend most of the days wishing it was any other day...

Here are a few things I found interesting:

• A great article on Fred Rogers.
• This looks like a yummy British food to make. 
• Apparently a man in Florida tried to use a taco as ID? Best line ever: Another deputy clarified they were asking for an ID, not a taco. Falkner chuckled and began eating the taco.
• I want to try making some of the recipes on this tasty-looking blog. 

Happy Sunday

It's definitely fall in London this weekend. Yesterday we went up to Windsor and went kayaking on the Thames, which, aside from the the train not running part of the way, was a really fun experience. We managed to see Windsor Castle, Eton College, and lots of birds amidst fall foliage.

Afterward, we decided to swing by the Egham Real Ale & Cider Festival. Located at the Egham United Services Club, there was snooker, a BBQ, and fireworks in the background for Guy Fawkes Day.

Today, we made a Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf for dinner. Real Simple's recipe is a nice, tasty alternative to traditional meat loaf.

For the end of the weekend, I've swiped the two below links from Cup of Jo:

• This is a great article on relationships.
• Don't you kind of want these cute fake tattoos? They could be a cute Christmas stocking stuffer.

Tokyo Police Club

I discovered this album last year after a friend recommended it to me. It took a little while, but they've really grown on me (good driving music!0. And this video is one of the most fun music videos I've ever seen. Dog pool party!

Occupy Wall Street

This is a pretty great idea, even if you just want to cut down on junk mail:

James Van Der Week

Ever wonder what James Van Der Beek is up to these days? Me either, but I was still pretty excited to see him take over the Funny or Die Twitter Account for a week, and also to see this pretty awesome new website (I especially like the Katie Holmes smile section). Here's a clip of him doing "sexy":

And here's how it all came about.

Video: A Murmuration of Starlings - The Atlantic

This must have been such an amazing thing to stumble upon. I love how surprised these girls seem:

Video: A Murmuration of Starlings - The Atlantic

Kitty!

This is pretty spot on:

Best or Worst Commercial Ever Made?

Thoughts?

Tuesday Song

It's dark and grey in London, so here's a sleepy song for the day. Though I love Kate Bush's original version, I kind of like this cover by Greg Laswell: