Mid-season Reality Televsion

Just when you were getting bored of re-runs and wondering when in the world new episodes of New Girl were going to come back, Mother Television rewards our patience with a nice helping of mid-season premiers of fabulous reality shows.  

Face/Off

Wednesday 10:00 on SyFy

This is the second season of probably the only show that I'll ever watch on the SyFy channel.  It's a great competition show for dramatic movie makeup.  Seeing the make-ups come to life is really fun, and it's totally unlike any other competition show out there.  

Project Runway All Stars 

Thursdays 9:00 on Lifetime

Tim Gunn's absence is deeply felt, but it's great to see some old favorites back designing for the red carpet again.  I'm especially excited that fan-favorite Mondo and the fabulous Austin Scarlet are back.  

Kourtney and Kim Take New York

Sunday 10:00 on E!

This show has more diva power than all the fabulous gays from Project Runway combined.  But let's be honest, we're really tuning in to watch the slow motion train wreck that is Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' 72 day marriage.  

West Side Lounge: Our New Neighborhood Restaurant

Thanks to a solid recommendation from Paloma, Jake and I recently checked out West Side Lounge.  It's a great neighborhood restaurant with good food, creative cocktails and a fun vibe.

They make their own house infused vodkas and one of my favorites is the ginger martini with candied ginger infused vodka.  There's also a French pear martini with St. Germain and a spicy tequila cocktail with cilantro.  

A couple weeks ago Jake and I went all out for dinner and had delicious truffle fries, fish tacos, and burnt sugar bread pudding, among other things.  Then this weekend we went and just sat at the bar and had cocktails and creamy deviled eggs.  Whether you're looking for a great way to end a night out or a great way to start one, this place is a really great choice.  

  

The Banana Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree

I went into my freezer the other day and I came to a scary (but also hilarious) conclusion: I'm kind of a hoarder.  Not like a TLC special hoarder.  More like an "I hate waste, I think I'll need this as soon as I throw it away, I'm very nostalgic" kind of hoarder.  And let's just say I come by it honestly.  Anyone who has seen the basement or third floor of my childhood home knows that's true.  My parents aren't TLC hoarders either, they're the same type as I am, plus a little of the "this could be worth money some day, I could sell this on Ebay" kind.

So what was in my freezer?  Well (also like my dad) I don't like mushy bananas.  I like them best when they're still a little green.  And sometimes at the end of the week the last banana has gotten too spotty and brown for my liking.  I would never want to waste it, even though I wouldn't eat it, so I freeze them so I can make banana bread out of them later.

But it wasn't until I went to put another in there the other day that I realized I wasn't going to make banana bread, I was just crazy.  This is what I found -

Clay Painting in Boston

I love crafty things and I was so excited when all the NNAF ladies decided to go clay painting one day after work (thanks Lindsey!).

We went to the Clay Room, a great small studio with a nice selection and lots of perks.  Like free pizza on Tuesdays!  Wine and cheese nights on Wednesdays!  Flat studio fees and group discounts!  And BYOB every day!  That last one was my favorite.

After agonizing over what item to choose, the design came to me quickly and I turned it into my own unique Christmas present for Pam.

I can't wait to go back again with a couple girlfriends and a bottle of wine!

The Christmas of Unique Gifts

I have so many thoughtful, wonderful people in my life.  This year they bowled me over with unique Christmas gifts that I know I'll have for a lifetime.

Jake got me this beautiful stained glass window.  It's special to me for so many reasons.  It's a New York City skyline to remember the city we fell in love with and where we made our first home together.  He also commissioned it from my brother who made it by hand.

And Pam made me this amazing quilt out of all my old running shirts!  It reminds me of the off-track relay we ran together and came in last, the horrible race in the mud and rain in the Bronx, and our first ever invitational at Windham as freshmen mere days after 9/11.  She had to scheme with my mom to get all these shirts and then she turned them into this warm, sweatshirty quilt that I've had over my lap every day since I got back to Boston.

I love my gifts, and my boyfriend and best friend, dearly but now the pressure is on for each of their upcoming birthdays!

All that Glitters Isn't Gold

Sometimes it's black...

like this sequin dress I got from the J.Crew outlets

Sometimes it's silver...

like these glitter flats I got on Christmas Eve at Old Navy

And sometimes it's red...

like these adorable sequin scarves someone put on the ducks in the Boston Public Gardens

But it's always SPARKLY!

Amy's Beautiful Gingerbread House

We've already seen my sister's beautiful cakes and this Christmas she didn't disappoint with a beautiful gingerbread house.  It even includes snow dusted trees, a stone chimney, and candles in the windows.

But the best surprises were inside.  There was a licorice rug, a decorated Christmas tree, and even presents!

She also made beautiful sugar cookies: Swedish horses, golden sleighs, and embellished rocking horses. Her trick?  Patience and a tweezer.