Winter Hike

Well, it doesn't feel like winter at all, so this morning my friend and I drove out to Trempealeau to go hiking.  It's so gorgeous there!  Today was sunny and breezy, and seemed almost like spring.  I keep wondering when we'll get hit with real winter.  It's definitely going to feel like a shock.

The Very Early Birthday Gift

Check out my birthday present from Carolyn - a super cute set of measuring cups from Anthropologie!  They're cheerfully colored, and stack together to form a milk bottle.  My birthday isn't for another month or so, but we're both in La Crosse right now, and she didn't want to have to mail anything.  Last year I celebrated the date while I was living in Israel, and she was in Germany.  She mailed a little package, and after some stupid confusion, I finally got it when I returned to the States 3 months later.  Good grief.  No mistakes this time!  Now I just have to make sure I don't break any of them...

Meet my Beef

Many people say they have a best friend, but when I say I have the BEST best friend, I really mean it!  Meet Carolyn, my best friend since age 2.  She is adorable, talented, generous, and I love her.  We see each other almost every day when we're in the same city, and skype regularly when we're not.  School, sleepovers, make believe games, movies, boys, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, long car rides, shopping trips, summer camps, sad things, funny things, serious things - you name it, we've gone through it together.  Many cups of coffee and tea have been consumed over lots of conversation, and sometimes we hold hands while walking down the street.  She calls herself my "beef" (she's vegetarian), which she claims is "short" for bf.  What else can I say?  Everyone needs some meat in their life :)

Chomemade Challah

I think everything about baking bread is super therapeutic and almost meditative - dusty flour, rising dough, and great smells wafting from the oven.  Having an afternoon of intermittent kneading is the greatest.  This past week held my first attempt at a homemade loaf of challah after being inspired by watching my best friend braid one up as a gift.  We both used the recipe from The Breadbaker's Apprentice.  It turned out very nicely, and was very delicious :)

Chicago Apartment

Whenever I go through Chicago I stop to see friends and enjoy the city for a day or two.  I love the apartment where I usually stay; it has loads of natural light provided by floor to ceiling windows, and my friend fills it with cool art, plants, and books.  Plus, it has a spiral staircase and a sweet view of some city-scape.  I always think it should be photographed for the Small, Cool section of one of my favorite apartment design websites - Apartment Therapy.  There are so many cool ideas there, check it out!

Taste of Winter

It has been unseasonably warm for the past few months, and now Christmas is just a week away.  There was some snow on the ground when we stopped in at Bradbury's in Madison, but then it warmed up and it all disappeared.  I am sort of enjoying not having to deal with bitter cold...but, where's the white??

Midwestern Bound

Tomorrow I leave to spend the Christmas season in the land of cows, beer, and cheese.  Oh, and family, too.  Hooray!  ps:  This is a cow toy that my friend sent in a letter from WI.

We go together like...

...a pair of mugs?  One for me, one for Trish, and two lovely additions for the kitchen countertop by a local artist.  Merry Christmas to us!  Anything ceramic that supports the consumption of coffee or tea will always be joyfully given and received in this household :)

Check out those pants!

Totally rad.  Some color for your day :)

Accents pt. 2: Yellow