Here are a few of my favorite picks to serve all of those champagne infused concoctions. I think the penguin ice bucket might be one of the cutest things I've seen, plus he has a fun little brother who likes to party that acts as a cocktail shaker - cute!
I might try to up the ante this year by bringing some cocktails other than Andre champagne. That light, fizzy, enticing hangover in a bottle mixes so well with other ingredients to make a plethora of libations.
As we say goodbye to get another year, I can hardly believe it is already 2012. Shouldn't we have flying cars or something by now? Anyways, the past few New Year's Eves have been spent at loud bars where I've spent $100+ to get in for an "all you can drink" (aka good luck getting to the bar) soiree of drunk, beer google-donning, 20-somethings. Then we wait in very short sparkly skirts to fight to the death for a cab. Don't get me wrong, this is usually my scene. However, this is just about every weekend in Chicago so I would rather pass on the $100 price tag. This year I'm excited because my boyfriend is hosting a New Year's party at his apartment, which sounds much more appealing. And while the fog machine purchased for the Halloween party may still make an appearance, I think it's partially my duty to bring some food, decor and general holiday cheer.
Before it's the New Year and Christmas lights are a thing of the past, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the Lincoln Park Zoo lights in Chicago. ZooLights is an annual (free!) event in the zoo through January 1st and is open nightly.
While most of the animals are either not out or sleeping, it's still a fun place to stroll through on a cold night in the city with some spiked hot chocolate.
I always love that first chilly day when you switch from the lighter summer quilt to the warm duvet. In the cold months, I want my bed to be cozy and fluffy and a place where I want to spend my entire snowy Saturday, which means no plaid flannel sheets. My go-to winter bedding is a big white duvet cover, a warm furry blanket, some pretty sparkly pillows and a fuzzy rug. I love muted, soft colors for winter and here are a few of my favorite cozy bedrooms:
West Elm really has a great bedding selection and I want everything in it. I came across this posting on Oh Joy! and loved Taylor Sterling's (from Glitter Guide) similar style. Although I can't talk myself into a $129 Mongolian Lamb Pillow Cover, a lot of my favorite bedding is on sale right now!
After
moving to Chicago, I joined a book club.
While I kind of feel like a 50 year old woman when I tell people “I’m
going to book club” when they ask what I’m doing that night, I’m more than okay
with it. We eat, drink and talk
about the actual book for about 5 minutes. I just finished The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain. It’s about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, and their
life living in Chicago and Europe.
I enjoyed the first ¾ of the book, but then after that I wasn’t much of
a fan. I’d still recommend reading
it though, especially if you like the works of Hemingway. Has anyone else read it? Thoughts?
Update: the other night I watched Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen with Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Parts of it parallel with The Paris Wife, so if you've read the book then you should watch this somewhat cheerier take on the era.
It had a kind of Big Fish quality to it and even my boyfriend liked it (shocking)!
Every Christmas, I generally stick to the same type of wrapping. Shiny, colorful paper and big shiny bows. I hate bags unless I am feeling lazy. Not to pat myself on the back, but I am a pretty good wrapper if I do say so myself. I have very crisp edges.
This year I want to break out of the traditional red and green mold and have come across lots of cool ideas for wrapping gifts, other than the run of the mill wrapping paper sold everywhere. Here are a few of my non-traditional favorites:
I
have a cat and while I love that little furry bundle of fluff, she prevents me
from having an actual Christmas tree. If
she knows I have something that is shiny, glass, poisonous or fragile will be
the first thing on her agenda to destroy.
This is why I can’t have nice things. However, I’ve still been able to display all of my favorite
ornaments and decorate my apartment without a tree.
People who can pull off red lipstick are bitches in my opinion. Every time I look through a J. Crew catalog, all of the models look so cute with their crimson lips.I have tried on multiple occasions and each time rub it off with a paper towel immediately upon seeing myself in the bathroom mirror. How do they get it to look so perfect?So effortless?Then I remind myself that they are models and I am not.However, I’ve heard that J. Crew will be selling their “perfect” red in stores.I might have to give it another go before giving up completely.
My wonderful boyfriend came over one evening with bags of groceries to prepare for a potluck Thanksgiving with our friends.Along with enough sweet potatoes, sugar and butter to feed a small country, he came bearing A Very She & Him Christmas album for me.Not only do I enjoy Zooey Deschanel in New Girl, but I also enjoy her deep jazzy vocals (and her bangs).It’s a nice change from my usual holiday playlist that hasn’t changed from 1999 consisting of Mariah Carey, N’Sync and Destiny’s Child.And if you’re a hipster and buy the album on vinyl (like my BF), you also get a free download of it.Best of both worlds.
I love my crockpot. I also love ridiculously easy recipes, so I thought I should share this one for Potato and Canadian Bacon soup. And it's from Weightwatchers, so it's healthy. Booyah!
You will need: a crockpot.
·2 c potatoes
·1 c leeks
·½ c
carrots
·½ c celery
·4 c fat free chicken broth
·dash garlic powder
·dash salt
·dash black pepper
·1 c skim milk
Combine all ingredients in your crockpot (except for the skim milk) and cook on high for 6 hours. Add in the milk and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Change into your coziest sweater and enjoy.
