One of the Benefits of Working for a Company HQ'd from Montana

Is learning about hunting, moose tags, and these yummy little caramel candies

I absolutely love caramel and lately have been loving the combination of caramel with sea salt.  Well, if you are a fan like me, I suggest ordering yourself some Bequet Caramels.  They come in all sorts of yummy flavors.

OMG - I told my coworkers to hide the stash from me.

A Tradition I Love

As I've gotten older and starting my life/family with G$, I've really want to start having traditions that we can do for years to come.  SO, last year I was feeling a bit homesick during Thanksgiving and we started the tradition of "Wednesday Night PreGame Thanksgiving Dinner." 

Last year, we had asian foods (all prepared while we had a leeeeeeetle too much wine.  so all my foods had insane amount of sriracha, fish sauce, hoison and soy sauce), broke all of our wine glasses, and had an amazing time. 

This year, we decided to be a bit more traditional and have an american meal with the following:  G$'s Prime Rib, Gravy Train's Famous Couscous Salad, Pistol's Bruschetta, Vicky Bee's Famous Spinach Dip, D's Fancy Truffle Mac and Cheese with Pancetta, and Noey's Mashed Potatoes.  For dessert, we had Derby Pie (recipe courtesy of Miss L-Woww), please see picture below.

This year, no wine glasses were broken - even after 11 bottles were consumed :)  This may be one of my favorite traditions, and I'm excited to continue hosting every year :)

Things I Love About This Time of Year

This time of year is always exciting and blah at the same time.  The blah things being:  constant rain, rain puddles, cold wind, and having to brace myself for the wind/cold temperatures.

But the silver lining on this time of year are the following things I love:

1.  Starbucks Red Cups!  I think I spend more money at Starbucks between October - December than any other time of year.  If only the Passion Fruit Iced Tea came in a red cup :)  The only vent here is : please bring back sugarfree Christmas drinks!

2.  Wrappy Cozy Cardigans!  I love wearing these on top of t-shirts, tank tops, anything actually!  I can't think of a better way to stay warm and feel cozy than one of these.  Strongly suggest getting yourself one for this season!

3.  Reasons to gather with friends over yummy wine and food.  Be prepared to see a full debrief about our pre-game Thanksgiving!

4.  Staying in on the couch with a full movie marathon during a rainy storm.

5.  Christmas lights!  Nothing makes me happier than seeing houses all lit up with Christmas decorations (the tackier the better)!  There's a house in the town that N and I are from that does Snoopy decorations every year - so excited to see that soon! 

Done!

I managed to finish the last item on my "30 before 30" list at around midnight on my birthday. It was a living document so I made some changes as I went along, but I can now officially say I've done everything listed below. 29 was a good year for new experiences and breaking out of the ole comfort zone.
Kudos to everyone who put up with me starting every other sentence for the past 6 months with "Well, according to my list I have to..." I must admit, I'll probably be riding this topic out for awhile because it tends to be a great conversation starter on dates. Not that I've had a date recently - but that's neither here nor there. :)

1. Make a 3 course meal from scratch
2. Visit one of the places in NC that I've heard about but never made it to
3. Give money to a homeless person
4. Plant something - anything - and keep it alive
5. Buy a right hand ring
6. Create a piece of artwork to hang in my house
7. Find out my blood type
8. Initiate a conversation with a stranger
9. Dance the zorba in Greece
10. Go 24 hours at home without turning on a TV
11. Take a singing lesson
12. Go for a walk in the rain
13. Buy a bikini
14. Find my signature scent
15. Go on a scavenger hunt
16. Buy a drink for a stranger
17. Learn to hem my own pants
18. Watch 5 documentaries
19. Go to high tea
20. Order from a menu by closing my eyes and pointing at something
21. Try a new recreational activity
22. Reread one of my favorite childhood books
23. Watch a movie outdoors
24. Sing a karaoke solo
25. Go to a temple alone
26. Leave inspiring messages in 5 public places
27. Accept a dare from my girls during my 30th birthday weekend
28. Do a "difficult" yoga pose
29. Face my aversion to creating to-do lists for fear of not completing them
30. Get photographic proof of as many things on this list as possible

The New 20

I decided to approach my 30th birthday with excitement about seeing all of my girls rather than being bummed about leaving another decade behind. I can't even imagine how much thinking and emailing and organizing and creating went into planning the weekend - and how on earth they all (especially R, since we generally share updates on our lives like a CNN news ticker) were able to keep it a secret!

Friday: Got R from the airport and bummed around drinking chai. Went for a walk, got R to play personal shopper and find me a birthday dress, did lunch and then Tinis and Toes (P.S. check out the names of their waxing services if you visit that site)! L-Woww and J-Ho arrived. Managed to catch up on all the gossip that all 4 of us had with all of us talking simultaneously. Donned our rockstar attire, got Ree from the airport, and toasted with Ms. M and Ms. K. Read the fabulous book presented to me with pictures and messages from everyone I could possibly think of. Dined at Shaba Shabu. Went to a karaoke bar (to knock that off the list) and learned that we were not only the coolest people there but also "unattainable" women. ;) Vogued as a group, Joyrided alone, and cheered R along as she took her Journey. Slumber partied at home with Love Actually.

Saturday: Opened a suitcase chock full of presents from Ree and C. Donned my tiara and brunched in our PJ's with the mimosas and cake that Ms. M and Ms. K brought over. Changed into our matching t-shirts, complete with a poem on the back - yes, they even ordered shirts to commemorate the weekend! Walked to the grocery store for more snackage. Dressed up all girly and went to afternoon tea at The Umstead. Bought matching PJ pants and wore them at home before getting dolled up again. Binged on truffle mac 'n cheese, truffle fries, fondue, risotto, and pina colada and mocha cupcakes at Solas. Made some friends at the rooftop bar who bought us endless bottles of bubbly. Bought a drink for a large car salesman (another one off the list) who ended up being escorted out. Oops. Went home to devour frozen tater tots and pizza because we're classy like that.

Sunday: Said a sad goodbye to J-Ho. Brunched at NOFO. Said a sad goodbye to L-Woww. Took R and Ree to the mall, where we picked up free Sephora birthday gifts and amused ourselves with Desi(red) shirts. Said a sad goodbye to Ree. Searched for food with R (because we can never find what we want). Ate Thai and fell asleep watching the best episode of SATC ever.

Monday: Gossiped over chai and found out R's flight was canceled. Took the afternoon off to shop and get drinks at Mez. Lost track of time and got to the airport a leeetle too late. Oops. Decided that excitement over another few hours of RoNi time outweighed guilt over making R miss her flight. Watched 90210 until time to go to the airport yet again. Said a sad goodbye to R. Went home to sip on leftover champagne while re-reading my book and cards and playing with my presents.

MAC Liquid Liner vs L'oreal Liquid Liner

So, I'm usually a sucker for department store makeup counters, mainly because I can see / smell / try on the product prior to purchase.  Nothing stresses me out more than buying an unknown makeup product at my local Target (what if it smells bad, or I simply just don't like it). 

Therefore, my standby liquid liner was LiquidLast by MAC...until this recent trip to the RDU to celebrate Miss N's birthday and I tried her L'Oreal Telescopic Liquid Liner! 

I'll run thru the reasons I like the L'Oreal Telescopic Liner is the felt tip brush.  The angled felt tip brush allows you to create a thin line or a thicker line.  I also think it allows you to make the cat eye easier than a normal brush.  Here are some other reasons I love this particular liner:

• Color does remain on all night, but its VERY easy to take off
• Matte color
• Great price point
• Did I mention the felt brush?  It truly allows for a smooth slick application.
• Cons:  Limited color selection (black, brown, dark brown)

Now onto the Mac LiquidLast Liner and how I feel:

• Variety of colors
• Nice glossy color
• Stays on thru anything.  Seriously, I could go thru a tsunami and this liner would still be there
• Cons:
• An actual brush which causes the hairs to be all over the place and affect the smooth application
• About double the price of the L'Oreal
• Takes a few products to get it off

So, what would I buy?  The L'Oreal is my winner. Let's hope they get more colors!

Happy Birthday to Miss N!

Happy Birthday Miss N!  Since I'm not the creative poet you are, I wanted to show you a snapshot of favorite words to describe you:

I feel so lucky to have you as a true partner in crime!  The last 25 years have been so fun with crazy adventures, I look forward to many more fun times....as long as there's cake and cheese and bubbles :) 

Sunday Funday Dinners

Gravy Train has mentioned the idea of Sunday dinners to me for quite some time.  The conversation usually ends with "why don't we live closer, so we could do these all the time!?"  That is something that usually ends our Sunday dinner conversations.

Recently, me and G$ have decided to use Sunday dinners as our opportunity to test new recipes that we can then use when friends come over (and since Gravy Train and Xtian are my only friends that like to eat and are willing to rough it to my 'hood, they can be our guinea pigs).

So in the past few weeks, I want to share what's been on the menu for Sunday Funday dinners:


French Onion Soup with Grilled Cheese

Paired with a 2007 Savannah Chanelle Cab Sauv

Wild Mushroom Rissoto with Seared Scallops and Pancetta

Paired with a 2007 Ledson Sauv Blanc (DELISH, and only $14 / bottle)

Spicy Crab with French Bread Crostinis

Paired with a 2007 Ledson Cab Franc

(G$'s treat to me since it was my bday weekend)

Fresh Sashimi (Octopus, Yellowtail, Salmon, Tuna, Ebi)

Spicy Seaweed Salad

Miso Soup (not pictured)

Paired with a Nigori Sake

The Sunday dinners have been a fun way to end the week, and plan for our next get together at our house.  I'll keep you posted on any other fun ones.  No Sunday dinner this week since I'll be partying it up with Miss N for her big birthday!  Maybe we'll post a joint dinner :)

Mmm....Dirt

Is there any better use for processed snack foods than to make a big pot of cookies 'n cream? There are tons of recipes for dirt cake, but the one my mom (or whoever she got it from) uses is the best IMO. Plus it tastes just as good if you use all fat free/low fat/sugar free ingredients.

Ingredients

1 pack Oreo cookies

1 box Jello vanilla instant pudding

1 (either 8 oz or 12 oz) container Cool Whip

1 brick cream cheese, softened

Preparation

Crush Oreos into fine crumbs using a hammer, rolling pin, or food processor.* Follow package instructions to prepare pudding (usually just mix with milk and let thicken). Mix pudding, Cool Whip, and cream cheese in a large bowl until relatively smooth. Spread a layer of cookie crumbs on the bottom of a flower pot, serving dish, or whatever contributes to the look you're going for. Spread a layer of pudding mixture on top and repeat until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with cookie crumbs on top. Decorate with gummy worms or fake flowers.

*If using regular Oreos, you can refrigerate them beforehand to make them more brittle. I wouldn't recommend it for reduced fat Oreos because the filling gets a bit hard.