Fun

A few years ago,  I was leaving the El Paso Art Museum and saw It's a Wonderful Life written on the Plaza Theater's marquee. I absolutely love this movie and Jimmy Stewart, so I was beyond excited. My friends and I scrapped our plans for that night and decided to see the movie instead. Beautiful. After the movie, we walked through San Jacinto Plaza to look at the Christmas lights. It wasn't Rockefeller Center with its glorious tree and ice skating, but it was lovely in its own way. That night started a tradition that signals the true beginning of the season for me and my friends.

On December 3 and December 4, the Plaza will once again be showing It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story.  If you haven't seen a movie at the Plaza, you need to... this weekend. I know some people may not understand why you would pay money to see movies that are constantly on during this season (and, yes, even shown 24 hours consecutively), but seeing a movie in this renovated Art Deco theater is such an incredible experience. The seats are a little uncomfortable for those of us over 5'4, but that pales in comparison when you can sit under the stars and feel like you are in different time.  And, really, who doesn't want to see Ralphie leering at the infamous leg lamp on the big screen? ~m~

It's a Wonderful Life - November 3, 7:00 p.m.  $5

Swoon.

A Christmas Story - Novemeber 4, 2:30 p.m.  $5

Triple Dog Dare

Fun

If you are looking for a family adventure, a bit out of the ordinary, during the holiday season, you need to travel to Williams, Arizona to experience The Polar Express. WOW!  After seeing the movie, The Polar Express, some genius at the Grand Canyon Railway came up with the idea to create their version of this magical train.  The best part?  Everyone is encouraged to wear their pjs for the trip to the North Pole!  The Grand Canyon Railway employees have every detail covered: the hot chocolate served by chefs, the snickerdoodles made lovingly for the passengers by Mrs. Claus herself, the songs and, most importantly, a visit from the big man himself, Santa.  As we traveled to the North Pole, we were treated to a reading of The Polar Express.  It set the mood for what was to come.

We were delighted to be taking our trip to the North Pole in a vintage train, similar to those that have been traveling to the Grand Canyon since 1901.  The velvet seats, wooden aisle, and beautiful brass trim throughout the car made us feel as if we had jumped back in time one century. 

Now, the North Pole set up was a bit cheesy, but that wasn't the point. The kids on the train ooohh-ed and ahhhh-ed as the train inched up to Santa's village.  As we pulled through the North Pole village, Santa and his lead elf, Bernard, were standing next to the tracks waving at the train as we passed by.  The kids on the train could hardly contain their excitement.  The train stopped briefly, due to reindeer on the track, but the next thing we knew, Santa was visiting our train car.  It was simply magical to watch Santa greet each child on the train and hand each one a large silver bell from the strand of bells on his reindeer sleigh.

This was an experience that every child (and adult) will remember for the rest of their lives.  It is definitely something that will create special family memories and will make adults feel just like children again.
~c~

Fabulous Finds

Last year, I fell completely in love. It was a website that inspired such passion, but no matter. I had this idea that I would give only really unique gifts to my friends and family. Not being crafty but being an enthusiastic shopper, I turned to Etsy. I spent hours perusing the endless website, but I finally came away with some incredibly awesome gifts, including some that combined the world of Star Wars with the Day of the Dead from the Esty store MisNopalesArt:

Leia and Han Calaveras Totebag
($10)

This year, I decided to go the same route. But the one bad thing about writing a blog post about the gifts you want to give your friends is the microscopic chance that they might actually read it. But I have decided to throw caution to the wind and write about a few of the lovely things that are making my Christmas gift list.

I absolutely love the Etsy store Brookish, where you can find various objects imprinted with the beautiful words of Jane Austen. I am eyeing the scarf with Darcy's famous marriage (or better yet, infamous?) proposal imprinted on it. It's a bit pricey for screenprinted jersey, but I think it's also a bit cool. I am also loving the small journals from LiteraryLuxe. For only seven bucks, they would make really unique stocking stuffers.

Audrey Hepburn Journal
($7)

Emily Dickinson Journal
($7)

e.e. cummings journal
($7)

Darcy Scarf
($24)

I also love the artwork from RobOsborne and SayItAgainDesign. These prints are clever gifts for the pop culture fanatic. And each of the prints is under twenty dollars. Amazing.
  

Star Wars Yoga
($19)

Wonderwoman Print
($19)

Anya Quote
($15)

Harry Potter
($15)

My list could go on and on, but it's not even Thanksgiving and the Christmas shopping season hasn't offically started.  It also occurs to me that the person who would most enjoy any and all of these gifts is me, which basically means I still have many hours left of trolling Etsy to find those perfect little gifts for others. 'Tis the season! ~m~

Food

Just in time for the family gatherings, another delish Diva-tini, perfect for autumn weather:

Caramel Apple Cooler

2 1/2 oz apple cider, apple juice or sparkling apple cider

3/4 oz vodka 

3/4 oz apple schnapps (Berentzen Apfelkorn is perfect) 

3/4 oz butterscotch schnapps

apple (sliced, garnish green or red)

caramel sauce for drizzling

• To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the apple juice, vodka, apple liqueur, and butterscotch schnapps; shake vigorously.
• Drizzle caramel inside a chilled martini glass and pour in the Caramel Apple Cooler.
• Make a small slit in an apple slice and use it to garnish the edge of the glass.
  
  I first heard about this refreshment from Cosmo Radio. I made a few tweaks to their recipe and voilà, the Folie Fabulous Caramel Apple Cooler. Santé!!
  
  
  
  
  ~c~
  
  
  

Fabulous Finds

There's nothing worse than being out with family, friends, and significant others who are constantly texting, facebooking, and skyping on their phone, giving you the oh-so-subtle feeling that the person on the other end is slightly more important than you, the actual, breathing person in front of them.

Clearly, I'm not alone in my thinking. While reading an article about unique Christmas gifts on geeksugar.com, I came across the Phonekerchief. How awesome is this? Designed by a student at Parsons, this clever little pouch is lined with silver threads that block any incoming texts or calls. Sold at uncommongoods.com for a mere $15, I can think of no less than twenty people I would love to give this to come Christmas morning.

One caveat: I don't think the Phonekerchief comes with helpful instructions on how to give this gift without offending that special person in your life who would save their phone before another human life if their house burned down. What witty or clever thing do you say when they open a beautifully wrapped Christman package to find a gift that basically calls them on their bad behavior? There's definitely some potential for some awkward Christmas morning silence. However, chances are that they'll be on the phone when you give it to them, so you may not have to worry too much about what to say. ~m~

Food

I love food!  I love to look at it, smell it and, of course, eat it.  Every once in a while, I venture out with a friend to a local cooking class with a professional chef. I started to do this several years ago and that was the inspiration that I needed to venture into the world of cooking.  Most nights, my family is treated to a home cooked meal.  I am fortunate enough to be able to cook almost anything, my family is not too picky.

My most recent cooking lesson included roasted beet and shallot salad, beef tenderloin with a drunken mushroom sauce and crostinis with blue cheese, bacon and a Cabernet Sauvignon sauce, delish! These are not dishes that I would typically prepare on my own, but going to these classes inspires me to be more creative in the kitchen and to be confident enough to share these dishes with my family and friends.  As I prepare these different dishes, I find myself contented and comfortable.

Pictured here: Green Curry Chicken on basmati rice with a red onion and cucumber salad.  Beautiful, tasty and full of inspiration. 

A gorgeous plate of Miso Orange Salmon over soba noodles with carrots, red bell peppers and green onions. Delish!!

Tis the season to start feasting! Try something new!  And don't forget to accessorize...a martini glass goes nicely with every ensemble.
 ~c~ 

Fabulous Finds

There is nothing that fills me with burning anger/half-assed inspiration as much as an Anthropologie catalog. Let's deal with each emotion accordingly...

Just to be fair, I will focus on the anger that comes with perusing the catalog, not the desperation/depression that comes from visiting an Anthropologie store. There is not a true sense of anger in the store, as there is a SALE area that forces me to scour high and low for something, anything, regardless of fit, color, or usefulness (desperation). There is also a sense that the little girl who once envied the kids living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in  From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler has now become a slightly shallow woman who would rather live in an Anthropologie store than in a magnificent museum, timeless art and sculpture be damned (depression).

Anyway. Whenever the catalog comes in the mail, I ready myself for the anger that comes around page 2.  The skinny, boho-chic girl wafting around in a gauzy skirt in some exotic locale? I hate her. (And why isn't she smiling? Why is she pouting like she has the weight of the world on her size 0 shoulders?) The fact that I want that gauzy skirt that costs the same amount as my car payment only exacerbates the fact. By the time I have finished the catalog, the anger is still directed toward that sullen skinny model (damn her), but now it's also directed toward my decision to become a poorly paid educator, the fact that I care way too much about pretty things, the reality that the aforementioned gauzy skirt would not look like that on me, and then back to the smug waif. Anger. It's not pretty. Which is probably why Anthropologie doesn't sell it.

But after the anger is repressed, I usually feel a short-lived burst of inspiration and creativity. Those dinner plates with Marie Antoinette painted on them? I can find them at a flea market for less than ten bucks. Heck, I can probably even find the plates Marie had her cake served on for less than what Anthropologie is charging! That adorable purse with a bird print that costs more than a family of four's grocery bill? I can make that!!

Well, I didn't find the Marie Antoinette dishes, but I found an amazingly beautiful dish that looks like it did come straight out of Versailles for only $3 at a local thrift shop. And I went straight to Hobby Lobby and found a felt clutch and iron-on bird applique that has now become my new favorite purse for the fall, all for under $7.

So, FU Anthropologie catalog. Clearly, I'm doing fine without purchasing your overpriced albeit stunning goods. But please don't ever take me off your mailing list. ~m~

    

Fun

I spent this weekend with some truly hilarious and intelligent women on my iPad. Although I've had a lady crush on Tina Fey forever, it grew even more intense when I finished reading her book Bossypants. Hilarious and intelligent, the book itself is worth the price for little gems. While recounting her time at the University of Virginia and how her Greek heritage interfered with dating the Caucasian men she was really into, she writes, "Thomas Jefferson-another gorgeous white boy who would not have been interested in me. This was my problem in a nutshell. To get some play in Charlottesville, you had to be either a Martha Jefferson or a Sally Hemings." And her chapter entitled "The Mother's Prayer for Its Daughter" is touching and freaking hilarious. I plan to someday cross-stitch it on pillows and give them to every one of my friends who has a daughter.

Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?(And Other Concerns) is also awesome. How can you not like a book with chapters entitled "Someone Explain One-Night Stands to Me" or "The Day I Stopped Eating Cupcakes"? I also plan to someday cross-stitch her "Best Friends Rights and Responsibilities" on pillows and give them to every one of my best friends.

These women remind me so much of my own fabulous female friends, who are some of smartest, sharpest, and most sarcastic people I know. They may not have book deals or tv shows, but that's the world's loss, not mine. ~m~

Fabulous Finds

Halloween is over.  There is a slight chill in the air.  I absolutely love this time of the year.  The upcoming festivities, spending time with family and friends.  Pulling the scarves and cute hats out of the back of the closets.There is nothing else like it.

This week is the official kick off to the holiday shopping season!  I cannot describe how much I love to shop for other people. I really do love to see the faces of gift recipients. Is that cliche or what?  In order to avoid the debt and guilt of holiday spending, I opened a Christmas Club account several years ago.  In essence, I get "free money" the first week of November and can spend it as I see fit.  No guilt, no credit cards, just the freedom to spend. Lucky for me, this Friday, I get to spend for my friends, with my friends!! Chink, chink, mes amis!!
~c~