Many of you know about my love for Julia Child. If you don't, ask my 8 year old neighbor, to whom I lectured about everything she needs to know to begin a life of Julia fan-dom. If you are a fan yourself I'm sure you've heard about the Valentine's Day card she and her husband Paul sent out of them in the tub.
But have you ever seen the original? I just came across is it on a new blog I'm adding to my reader, the Janet Hill Studio blog. I love her paintings and am sorely tempted to get a few of her prints, if not an original (which seem to sell out as quickly as they're produced). Some of my faves:
I will be doing this! I just got a new laptop AND will be moving rooms around my house and getting a new office. And the master suite, FTW! thanks Mom :) I'm excited to set up a desk, which I haven't really had since college. Maybe I'll actually get some work done now.
This laptop stand was made using two old hardcover books and a few nuts and bolts. It holds a laptop vertically to save desk space while connected to a monitor, keyboard and mouse. The selection of these two books was formal but it was also important to be very careful which books were being taken out of circulation. Both books are outdated and incomplete. An additional feature of the stand is that the book’s pages can act as a holder for notes, cards and reminders. Books: $2. Hardware: $2.65.
—Alex Braidwood
Anyone have a spare hundred dollars or so laying around? If so, you may want to get one of these beautiful cuff bracelets.
by Wendy Mink Jewelry. I came across them on Gilt Groupe.
The top two remind me of Morroccan designs. I've been very interested in Morrocco lately...trying to convince my family and everyone I know to go there for our next vacation! My friend posted some amazing photos on facebook and now all I can think about is travelling.
Merry Christmas everyone! Even though this is supposed to be a sad Christmas for me and my family (minus my Dad), I'm pretty full of cheer. There were a few times at the Christmas Eve service where I got a tad sentimental and missed him a lot, but for the most part, I've had a great Christmas season. Everyone's been happy, there's not too much stress, and I got a pretty great early surprise: I get to stay here! My once-plan to move to Massachusetts has been overshadowed by a greater plan, which is that my girlfriend comes back here instead! Pretty awesome, right?
After the service tonight my friends Hannah, Monica and I went caroling! It's a tradition, and we were able to uphold it this year despite some serious absences. We made some people very happy, and we enjoyed it quite a lot ourselves. Ate some great cake and cookies in the process, too. We even did a cross-country performance using videochat!, waking our audience from a dead sleep (oops).
Then I wrapped a bunch of presents, which I did in front of our new gas fireplace, next to a Christmas tree, with holiday music playing. It was so frickin cozy and stereotypical I almost couldn't handle it. So I took a video! Is it just me, or does time lapse make everything funny? This turned out way better than I was thinking it would. Hope it fills you with Christmas cheer! I wish I knew how to add music, but I don't, so go play some holiday song while the video plays.
yeah...the camera fell off the couch midway through, that's what all of that was about.
If that didn't get you in the mood, listen to this-- My 7 year old neighbor showed me this awesome website so you can track Santa! Imagine my excitement when I went to get the link for you guys and saw that Santa was in San Diego, California. That is nearby! Now I just checked it again, and he's in Anchorage, Alaska. Dang, he must have come when I blinked...
Announcing the best thing I've seen on the internet lately!! And I hear from my friend Connie that it's a "Smith HP venture" which I'm pretty sure means it was started by one of Smith's House Presidents. Sometimes Connie is hard to understand - she's an econ major, and she's British. So I neither understand what she's talking about nor the words she's saying. JK!
I like to poke fun of my friends a lot
Anyway, the site is whenparentstext.com. That about says it all, you guys can figure it out from there. These are some of my favorites:
Mom: What’s that site you like to find jokes on? Noodle About?
Me: Stumble Upon.
Dad: Hi Roo! Don’t let your studies get the best of you! Just do the best you canand you will be fine! You’re probably thinking easy for him to say! But I know how you feel! I often feel overwhelmed at work! Actually I’m on my way to work to rework my reply brief! I’m not happy with the first draft! I ask myself- why is this so hard? Anyway, it will all work out ! Love, Dad
Mom: Lunar eclipse tonight 1:30 am next one 2094- I’LL BE DEAD
but the one that had me in stitches was
Mom: How do I turn my phone off? Me: Hold the red power button down. It’s usually the end call button Mom: I don’t understand. I am getting on a plane. I don’t want to cause a plane crash. Mom: Hi this is Steve, your mom wanted to let you know she found help turning off her phone, she’ll talk to you in 14 hours. Love you! (this is mom)
I wish I had saved the first text I ever got from my mom. It was some very disjointed sentence with terrible punctuation (very unlike my mom). It went something like this:
It's snowing Steve sledded down the street! so much fun.
And I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Come to find out later, she was in Seattle with her brother visiting their sister, and it was snowing. They all grew up in Texas, and now they live in Houston, the Bay Area, and Seattle, so their encounters with snow are rare. They are all about 60, so them sledding was ridiculous in itself. I thought the whole thing was hilarious. Oh, and I think it was split into two texts that she sent like 20 minutes apart.
Did you ever wonder what it would feel like to have people applaud and yell for you? To have a giant crowd of people so excited, happy, and enthusiastic just because you're there, and maybe you sang or gave a moving speech or performed a heroic act? (who knows what it is each one of us will do?)
Well, Taylor Swift had that happen to her, and you can read exactly how it felt on her face and it's on video. So you can feel like that too! And close your eyes and imagine that the crowd is for you. I can't imagine from someone who wouldn't benefit from that. I've gotta say, it feels pretty awesome. so watch:
Look at this pretty pink dress! doesn't that make you smile? ...with envy?
the whole she-bang was kinda cute (find it here). Yes, I subscribe to wedding blogs on my reader...started with my brother's wedding, and I actually did a lot of research for them. But that was in August so now I have no reason and I look at them anyway. but less than I used to!
Damn! I really want these shoes. One of my favorite blogs, Urban Grace (though truth be told I like her sister Darby's better) did a Christmas wish list for each of the girls that work in the Urban Grace interior decorating office. The owner and writer, Erika, asked for another Frye flat and I started browsing... I want some new flats...all of mine smell pretty bad at this point! And I think these are just about perfect. I love that blue with the brass studs, and they look comfy. Pop of color, anyone?
Ahhh! They are so cute. I just can't spend that much on a pair of shoes (though I may end up convincing myself)
In this series, I'd like to share interesting tidbits and useless information. You'll thank me the next time you're having an awkward moment at a holiday party.
Without further ado, here is our first Fun Fact
In 1997, Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using circular breathing, Kenny G held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City.[14]
Whoa! That's a long time to be playing a note. Can you imagine watching that happen? It'd be a cross between really amazing and really boring. I wonder what the rest of his body was doing at that time. What facial expression do you imagine he would have made?
I always thought Kenny G was some super cool rapper. Now I know he looks like this
and is definitely not a gangsta. He's a 90s breakout star jazz saxaphone player.
What kind of saxaphone player has a gangsta name like Kenny G? I feel tricked. And surprised. This is as mindblowing as when I found out that Georgia O'Keefe wasn't black!
