There's nothing like Tim Allen in the "The Santa Clause" to get you in the Christmas Spirit!

Watched 2 Christmas movies tonight. Which means once again it's the most wonderful time of the yeeeeear. LOVE both the movies I watched tonight and this is just the beginning. I love Christmas movies. Because I love Christmas! After Thanksgiving I am full swing in Holiday mode. There is just no stopping me. Here's the first two from the list of watched movies this year. MANY more to come. Oh just you wait.

The Santa Clause. An instant classic from the moment it came out back in 1994. I still remember just loving that little elf Judy and wishing that I too could be eating hot chocolate (shaken, not stirred!) and working away in Santa's workshop, pointy ears and all. Tim Allen's great in this one too. He does, after all, bring Neil the weenie whistle. Even though Neil doesn't believe. Silly Neil!!

The Holiday = super cute! Even though Cameron Diaz kind of annoys me sometimes, she does fit the character she plays in the movie. I just love the story line here: two women, unhappy and heartbroken, "switch places" and find love. How romantic. It's corny, I'll admit that, but I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life. Plus, I just love the end when they're all dancing together to Aretha on New Years. Makes me want to dance too. So ovbiously, I do. Just have to.

Ellen's on the cover of O!

Just finished reading the December issue of O magazine! This is only the second time ever that Oprah has had another person on the cover with her (the other time being Michelle Obama... LOVE her.) And, there isn't just one cover- there's 3! Ellen has been talking and talking about the O magazine on her show and so I just had to show my support and buy one. I did enjoyed reading it, might even buy it more often. I got a lot of great gift ideas and there were even some cute dresses they recommended for the holidays. Looking through the magazine just TOTALLY put in me in the Christmas spirit! ALSO I am going to participate in the 12-Day Holiday Give-O-Way. If I'm lucky, I could win all 46 gift items in the magazine. Wowzers. And if I'm really lucky I could win tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago and the Ellen DeGeneres Show in LA., with round trip airline tickets and a two-night hotel stay. DREAM!!!! I am absolutely doing this contest. Cross your fingers for me everyone!!

bring on the PIE.

We headed on over to Pine Bush, NY to have Thanksgiving dinner with Josh's family. The food was tasty taaaassstyyyy and the company was excellent! I stuffed myself silly, but have no regrets. The pecan pie was my favorite, and with homemade whipped cream! Here's some pics I took for the memories....

Me and Grammy.

Table's ready!

Hey Josh!

Dad watching some football...

Little baby Liam. SO CUTE!

Gram with Josh's fam...

Josh and his sisters.

Meg and Liam...

Group shot!

YUMMM. YUM!

Me and Megs...

And we can't forget the pecan pie!!

thanksgiving is for giving thanks.

It's Thanksgiving today so here goes a list of what I am thankful for. The full list would fill pages and pages of paper, but here's a few important things I can think of on this particularly joyful day:

1) Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato casserole. And PIE. Lots and lots of pie.

2) Zyrtec. (My gram has 2 cats.)

Without it I wouldn't be breathing right now.

3) My camera. For snapping great shots

and helping me capture the memories.

4) My health. Swine free and very grateful.

So far, so good.

5). LOVE. I'm thankful for all the people who bring

love to my life and happiness to my heart.

Sending buckets of love back to you today and every day of the year!

CHEERS! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Let the eating begin....

So I arrived in CT today for Thanksgiving Break. YAY VACATION! This holiday marks the start of many a feasts. You know what I say about that? Bring it.

Tonight we had Grammy's special homemade spaghetti and meatballs. I tried to hold myself back to leave room for the turkey tomorrow but I'll let you know I didn't have very good luck with that. The meatballs are just too good. I love visiting my Gram. It's so relaxing. While I'm here I plan on doing a lot of reading, watching TV, eating, and sleeping. And blogging too of course. Tomorrow we're heading on down to Josh's house for Thanksgiving Dinner. We're in charge of bringing dessert- my favorite part! And then Friday I have plans to stay away from Greenwich Ave. We'll see how that works out. Cross your fingers for me!

Well, it's time for me to sit back in the recliner chair. Can't wait for Glee tonight. Have a great vacation everyone! Hope you arrived at your Turkey Day destinations safetly! xoxo.

Paris Creperie

The Paris Creperie, located in Coolidge Corner, is just so delicious it makes me melt. I stopped by here tonight to grab a quick dinner before my class. I decided to go for my staple item: the ham and gruyere cheese crepe. Delicious with a capital "D". I love coming here for a fast bite, or even a weekend brunch. It gets pretty crowded on the weekends, but it's well worth waiting for a table. The place is UBER small, but that's part of what I love about it. They have a million different kinds of crepes to choose from, or if you're picky you can make your own! My other favorite kind to get is the Nutella and banana crepe. That one is DELECTABLE (spelled with all caps!). It is so mouth watering you won't even believe it's real. You'll probably have to pinch yourself just to make sure you're not dreaming. I'm serious, it's that good.

So next time your around Coolidge Corner, stop by the Paris Creperie! Choose one that you find appetizing, get it to go (and one for me while your at it) and stop on by the old apartment! We can hang out and catch up. Drink coffee with eggnog and devour our crepes together. What are you waiting for? Get on over here! It'll be GREAT!

just another manic monday.

Yesterday was a great day for me. For Meg, not so much. I've decided to tell this story because the end is just too funny not to tell. We laughed about it all through dinner!

At 11:00 I get a panicked call: "Anna! I can't find my wallet anywhere. And I don't have any money and I need to bring Stuart to McDonalds."

I calmed her down and told her to meet me in the Pru and I'd give her some cash. Problem solved.

At 11:45: "Anna! This is the worst day ever. I don't have my keys to the house and I need to get the car keys and go pick up Stuart."

She decided to climb the fence. No big deal, right? Not really, until she stood on the trash can, the trash can tipped over, and she broke off a piece of the fence. Whoops.

At 12:00: "Ok I'm good. I got in the house, I'm in the car. Everything's OK."

AWESOME. My day is going just fine at this point. No troubles at all except for all the frantic phone calls. At 2:30 I arrive at the house Meg babysits at so she can go to class. (I help her out every Monday afternoon.) When I got there she was wearing a princess crown. I saw it on her head, but didn't think much of it. Thought it was normal I guess. Why? I have NO idea.

At 3:00: "ANNA. Why did you not tell me I left the house with a crown on my head?!!!!!!!"

HAHAHA. She had left the house, walked through Boston, had been on the train for 20 minutes and had the crown on her head the entire time. HAHAHAHAHA. Oh Megs, what a day.

At least we ended the night well- Meg, Zan, Josh and I to Fajitas and 'Ritas for some eats before heading over to the movie theatre to see NEW MOON!! Ahh, it was glorious. Yeah TEAM EDWARD!

weekend in Maine!

Had some good old fashioned Maine fun this weekend! Went up Saturday to visit with Hannah and we had a great time catching up, discussing wedding details, eating, hanging out with Hobart and Todd, and shopping! We went out to dinner Sat night with Reebs at a cute little restaurant in Portland called Pat's Cafe. YUM! We got mussels for our appetizer and then I got Shepard's Pie, Han got crab crusted haddock, and Reebs went with the hanger steak. Triple YUM!

Here's a pic of me with Hannah's new kitten Finley. So little and cute! I even liked him and I hate cats. I'm so allergic, it's insane. Luckily, he doesn't have real cat fur yet so I was safe. But I don't know what I'll do when he grows up! I'll have to double up on the Benadryl, which may result in me sleeping the whole time. He is a good looking cat though, so he has that going for him, I guess.

Sunday was super successful because we got up and went to YOGA! Not my first time, but it's something I don't do regularly. I reeeeally liked it and wish I could find a good place here in Brookline! I felt amazing afterwards. And the space was very cool. Yay yoga.

For lunch we went to this great restaurant called O'Naturals. It's a new fast food chain, but they only use natural and organic ingredients, which is pretty neat! I had a flatbread BLT and Han got a pesto chicken sandwich. It was super good and is a very original idea for a restaurant.

The afternoon we hit up the j.crew outlet (had to) and then it was back to Boston for me! Concord Coach Lines all the way... they have free wifi now too! FAB! I just love visiting Maine!

Thanks for having me, Han.. see you on the 19th! xoxo.

heaven in a bowl of apple crisp!

So a few weeks ago I posted about apple picking with Zan and Meggers. Well, I made a delicious apple crisp with all those apples we brought home and I'd like to share it with you! It was so delicious. Heaven, really. And super simple too! That's what I'm all about when it comes to the kitchen. None of this Martha Stewart mumbo jumbo for me... make it simple, please, so I can enjoy myself.

Apple Crisp Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour (I used gluten-free!)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

(whipped cream or ice cream for topping!)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening.

2. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.

3. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

This came out absolutely DELICIOUS. Reminded me of the "crisp bar" back in the day at Hobart. Who remembers that? YUMMMM-O!

the lost socks.

I just went into my sisters room to look for a skirt to bring on my weekend adventure to Maine. YIKES. First of all, there was no WAY I was finding that skirt. Second of all, now I know where all my socks went. They are strewn all over the floor this way and that most definitely NOT with their twins!! Poor socks.

MEG: I love you, but stop stealing my socks!

I will spare you all from bad dreams and won't post a picture here. I don't know what your thoughts are on a messy room, but that one just sent chills up my spine.

LOVE: dakota fanning

So as some of you know, I am a ginormous Ellen fan. I try and watch the show EVERYday. Well yesterday Dakota Fanning was a guest and, oh man, she is all grown up now! She's 15 and it seems like she's turning into quite a lady. I've always really liked Dakota Fanning, I mean how can you not? She's a great actress, super cute, and really down to earth (unlike some of those other child actresses out there. Lindsay Lohan? Gross.). In I Am Sam I just fell in love with her and I've been following her ever since. Her latest film is the new twilight series movie New Moon, which I am SO EXCITED to see! She plays Jane, one of the villains, and it will be interesting to watch her as one of the "bad guys", a different kind of role than she usually plays. I found an old youtube video of her on Ellen from a few years back. She is so hysterical and adorable, you can't help but love her!! She is an amazing actress and I can't wait to see what kind of film she'll do next and what roles she will play in the future.

Here's a clip from when she was 9... it's super funny!

oh, the anticipation!

Who's excited for New Moon?! I AM! I AM!

LOVE: green cotton PJ's

I had a weekend class (The Teaching of Writing) all weekend long. Nightmare. Here's how the weekend classes at Lesley go:

Friday night: 5-10

Saturday: 8-5

Sunday: 8-5

(Two weekends a semester per class. Incredibly painful.) Can you imagine sitting and thinking that long for 3 days straight?!

YUCK. All I could think of at the end of today was how much I couldn't wait to get home, get out of my jeans, and put on my pajamas.

No more worries. I am wearing them now and life is good.

These pajamas, most often found through Garnet Hill, are the coziest PJ's I have ever owned. They are super soft AND organic (so we can't complain there!). For years I would look at these PJ's in the catalog, month after month, and say I wanted them. I always say this about clothes in catalogs. I've been turning the pages down on clothing catalogs since I was a little girl, labeling and circling items I want. I have never once ordered anything from a catalog. Ever. I don't know why, I just never follow through. BUT! I found these pajamas at the Garnet Hill factory store last year in Franconia, NH and have been wearing them ever since (by night, of course). LUCKY! I have the pink PJ's (featured in the picture) but I better get myself another set, before these ones disintegrate. Not only are they cozy, but stylish too! LOVE MY PAJAMAS!

Kid Couture.

I just got the crewcuts holiday catalog in the mail today and everything is so precious I can hardly stand it. I just want to be a small being so I can wear all those adorable headbands, sparkly jewlery and cute puffy, fluffy skirts and pretend to be Fancy Nancy.

I was in the store a few weekends ago and picked up some necklaces from the crewcuts section. I couldn't help myself they were so cute. That, and I couldn't afford the adult versions. Poor is me. No, but really, I think the necklaces I bought were more my everyday style. I do love the fancier women's jewelry but it's just not practical for everyday wear. Unless your the Queen of England, and even then it's a little over the top.

Here are the necklaces I bought:

Yes, I realize I got the same necklace in 3 different colors. But they were 30% off 2 or more and I hardly ever pass up a deal like that. Plus, I had trouble deciding which one I liked the best. Who knows, maybe I'll give one as a Christmas gift? Ehhh, I feel separation anxiety already just thinking about this idea so don't get your hopes up. Just saying.

pretty ugly.

I just love these little ugly dolls!! They're so wacky and dare I say, adorable? I sure think so. I discovered them a few years ago while my friend was first starting up at her advertising job. All her co-workers were into buying these little figurines that were weird and goofy. So when I came across an ugly doll in a catalog I thought it would be a perfect little present for her! That was a couple of years ago, when there were only a few ugly doll characters. Now the creatures are everywhere, and after looking at the website I see they have over 20 uglys!

What kind of name is OX? No, not like the animal OX, as in HUG and KISS! How can he hug you with such short arms? OX uses his ears! He's not a very good listener, but he puts his ears to good use in many other ways! OX is great at magic, and his best trick is turning your stuff into his stuff.

Bop n' Beep love to do everything together. Be it an arguement over snacks, which movie to see, or what color race car not to drive, they always see things quite differently from one another. Bop gets along really well with Ox (they see things X to X) while Beep happens to think Wedgehead really knows his stuff. (just stuff, you know.)

Plunko is a business man. He’s got his own car wash, his own tire store, and ideas for lots of other stores. Some of those ideas are his very own! Plunko is a good guy to know. If you know Plunko, you can say you’ve got some connections. And if you call Plunko’s phone, you may get a bad connection.

I have collected 3 of my favorites. They match the colors of my room and I just think they add a touch of flair. They live on my bed between my sham pillows. They are pretty ugly, but super lovable too.

a little early, but oh so delicious.

Eggnog latte, anyone? Yes, please!

So it's November 10 and the Starbucks holiday cups have already been out for over a week. Is it me or does Christmas come earlier every year? I don't remember Thanksgiving happening yet. Oh well, more delicious drinks for all of us. I personally like the eggnog latte the best, but will occasionally change it up with a peppermint mocha or gingerbread latte. Like Meg always says, "There's nothing like a warm red cup and some holiday spice to get ya in the christmas spirit!".

Can't wait to break out the Mariah Carey Merry Christmas CD! But for that, I think I'll wait til after Thanksgiving.

Drinks at the Roadhouse: taste victory.

Last night, we headed over to the Roadhouse in Washington Square to meet up with our friends Hillary and John for some drinks. They have a huge selection of craft beers, and it's fun to try the different kinds. Last night I went with the Alagash White- not too creative but one that I do enjoy. Zan got the Ithaca Flower Power IPA and was very excited about it because it's one of his favorites from back in the day at Hobart. Last night the Roadhouse was pretty empty, which was strange for a Saturday night, but the atmosphere is nice and we had a fun time. I've eaten here before, when the theme was BBQ, but it looks like they have changed their menu to Baja Bayou (whatever that means?). Hm, maybe they aren't doing so well? I'll have to go back sometime soon and try out the new food. I really liked the old food and it's a bummer that they changed it. They used to have deep fried pickles, which were incredible, so I hope that's still on the menu. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Here's some pics from last night:

Good times all around... see you soon, John and Hillary!

so many books, so little time.

I picked up two new books at Costco yesterday. I just love books.

Books, books, books galore, so many wonderful books.

The Help was recommended by my friend Caroline, who is a serious lover of books.

“The Help recreates a time -- Mississippi in 1962 -- that is totally engrossing and pitch-perfect. This story of women in the South, black and white, in the eye of a hurricane of monumental change is thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable.”

-- Sheila Burns, Bloomsbury Books, Ashland, OR

And The Bean Trees is by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver. She wrote The Poisonwood Bible and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, both of which I LOVED. I heard The Bean Trees is excellent so I'm very excited to read it. That is, if I ever have the time to read for fun again (too much work for school. BOO). I have a ton of books in my apartment that I am waiting to read. Someday, right? Someday.

meet Asa.

Meet Asa, the little baby I hang out with part-time while I'm in grad school. Isn't he precious? And he's such a great baby too- super smiley, happy, and easy going! He reminds me a lot of my little Alistair (the little boy I nannied for in Charlestown 4 years ago), which is great because Alistair is my FAVORITE! Asa and I are at the park in this picture, taking a ride on the swings. Love his outfit. Adorable!

You'll meet Asa's big brother Wyatt soon. He was sick this week and no fun at all, but usually he's really sweet and he's super cute too!!

CCBB: the best around.

You need to make this chocolate chip banana bread. It is AMAZING.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 bananas, mashed (I used 5)

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used WAY more. I just poured them in until I thought it was enough, which probably ended up being around 2 cups. I'm serious.)

Directions

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Blend bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Add buttermilk. Sift flour with soda and salt. Stir into bananas mix. Add in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour & 15 minutes til done (mine took about 15 minutes longer than this).

COOL AND ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!

garage sale.

Today was the quarterly REI garage sale. This is the super sale for REI members ($20 to join for life) to go and get sweet stuff for super cheep prices. I personally am not a REI member, but Zan's family is, so I get to join in the fun and see what kinds of sweet things I can score! Let me try to paint a picture for you so you can have some idea what this sale is like. Basically, you have to get there pretty early and stand in line for a couple of hours before the doors even open. Some people get the as early 6:30 to snag a spot at the front of the line, but we usually get there around 8:15 or so and get a pretty decent place in the crowd. It was a little on the chili side today so there were people wrapped in blankets, and there was even one guy standing in a down sleeping bag. I dressed appropriately in a warm fleece, my hooded down jacket, and a hat.. the only thing that was cold were my toes!!!

The doors opened at 10 AM and by then the line had gotten very long, wrapping around the parking lot. They let in about 20 members at a time and we made it inside in the 2nd round of people. The sale does not take place in the main store-- Instead they put all the items in the back store room so it's pretty cramped back there, if you can imagine. The sale is mostly returned items- some used, but a lot new- and they even had some stuff this weekend that was brand new and only used for a photo shoot. Awesome! I snagged 2 brand new jackets- one windstopper Marmot fleece in a pretty red/orange color and also a knee-length black REI brand rain jacket (which is just what I've been pining for!). They have all kinds of different items at the garage sale, ranging from clothes, bikes, skis and ski boots, backpacks, shoes, gloves, car roof racks, tents, sleeping bags, and all kinds of little nicknacks . There are thousands of items and you can get a lot of them at 50%-90% of the original price, which is AMAZING because a lot of the stuff is really very costly at full price.

It was a fun day and I came home with some great stuff!!

Can't even wait to see what the next yard sale brings.