Bake and Shake

Wrap you up in my love. All over, All over.

Merry Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Prosperous New Years.
Thank you for this past year - every e-mail, comment, link, whatever. Thank you for populating the web with your wit, intellect and insight. Thank you for inspiration and kindness. You're all wonderful, and I hope you're reminded of it on a daily basis, this holiday season.

I did it, Tracy: A Greedy Christmas Eve Miracle

A little background. I've been looking to buy an Orla Kiely piece for a long, long while. I have not wanted to spend the amount of money required. This summer, I almost bought a used wallet on eBay. And then Anthropologie had this bag on sale, for 149.95 which is nothing, which is 200 dollars less than the MSRP, which is cheap, so cheap for this bag that I thought there was a big joke being played on those of us who like to pretend we have a million dollars to spend at Anthropologie, fill the shopping cart, then close the browser.

I waited on it for three days, promising myself that I would order it after Christmas, that too many signs had added up, I don't splurge on myself during this time of year, I could justify it then, and then I woke up this morning and ran down to the computer and signed in, checked out and boom - OUT OF STOCK.

But then I called Anthropologie, and some incredibly nice people helped me out and located the two stores in the country that had the bag at that price still in stock. I called the one closest to me, was helped out by a sweet, sweet woman - they did have it in stock, it was the same price and no they couldn't do store-to-store shipping but they'd ship it directly to me free of charge. So in the end, I paid 12.95 less than I was planning.

So that is my completely frivolous consumer Christmas miracle. It has brought ridiculous joy to my heart.

And PS: The other store with the above bag (they may have more than one) in stock, for 149.95? NYC, phone number (1) 212 - 343 - 7070. The item number is #843221 and the name is the Crayon Crocus Wheelie.

It isn't all bad

There is something to be said for how pretty it all is. Click for larger versions, more after the cut.

In 'The Shit'

HEY GUYS.

Let me tell you. Let me TELL YOU. This is INCREDIBLE. I don't know what the Portland-Metro area did, but we're paying for it. I can't form words anymore. This morning, a stray Boxer trotted into the backyard and I beckoned it inside, clapping gleefully because it was someone I was not blood-related to, something, whatever. The owner followed a few minutes later, and I stared mournfully as he hoisted the animal into his arms, hands clasped around it's belly and lifted each leg high as he waded through the bullshit that is 13 inches of snow, in Portland.

And not only that, like some foul cake there is an inch-thick layer of opaque ice exactly midway through the snow. Because after the initial eight inches, freezing rain fell and coated everything. Then yesterday, more snow fell but that was fine, because you figure the air is warm enough for snow, it is warm enough for rain, which will wash everything away.

NOPE.

A little light

Sisters, Sisters

"What was wrong with you back there?"

"WHAT."

"He was all about you. ALL about you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"He literally was complimenting you and you were busy looking at the white chocolate Irish Cream, and ignoring him. You ignored him."

"He's ten. He probably couldn't tell if I was a spunky young man his mom could invite over for a play date, or your mom."

"No, he was all about it. He was into you."

"He just liked my hat."

"No."

"He was just talking to me so you'd talk to him."

"Uh, no, because I tried talking to him and all he wanted to do was talk to you, or about you, because you were too busy not talking to him. AND I HAVE A BOYFRIEND."

"I have an ingrown hair on my upper lip that looks like a cold sore, no makeup on, a hat pulled down over my eyebrows and dirty hair. There is no goddamn way he was into me. You however, look like Alicia Keys."

"Whatever. What do you want for Christmas, by the way."

"Your face."

Dear Santa

I have been almost good, most of the time.

12 edible reasons to hate yourself: Those 'effing potatoes

"This is why Grandpa won't come over to our house anymore. He doesn't feel the bathrooms are safe."

I feel like this recipe is one we've all eaten before. You've probably made a version of this before, because you're in the advanced class and I'm in that class where you get to go to lunch early, and nobody talks about it when you eat dirt on the playground. You have parties a lot, in that class, and buy only stickers at the book fair. Gumnut Cottage. I'm in Gumnut Cottage, and if you recognize that, I'd just like to say you're not a Bogan. Year 7's are so hot.

But if you haven't, let me blow things up. I hope you've tasted something like this before, where instead of sectioning things off they're piled on top of one another. If you've ever watched 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives', and I make a point to whenever I can, then you'll recognize this sort of thing, where food is transformed into piles, recognizable ingredients meld together to form something that might be the cause of a plotline on E.R. or Grey's Anatomy, the Diner Disaster - "Basically, six eggs, a tin of Fancy Feast, some corn nuts, velveeta and green chiles, Guy."

Cashmere Winner!

Thank you, everybody, for entering. Now congratulations to the winner of her choice of styles, sizes, colors and necklines in Lands' End cashmere, Stef, whose comment slot (number seven, from the bottom up) was drawn by Random.org.

Congratulations Stef! A little refresher, Stef's favorite holiday food moment was as follows: "When I was little, we never ever fried anything ever and seldom *ate* things that were fried. But once a year, when Hanukkah rolled around, my mom would fire up the electric skillet and dump in an inch of oil, and fry fry fry enough latkes to last way more than eight nights...The house reeked of fried potatoes & onions for days afterwards, but as a kid I just assumed that's what the holidays smelled like."

Sweet.

(That's it for my first ever contest. Thanks to Katie, thanks to Lands' End, and I hope to do more of these in the future, even if the prize is a shoebox full of random things I find on a walk, downtown, at night, in northeast. Thank you again, and enjoy the cashmere, Stef!)

Nap Food

Third straight day of snow, Dec. '08 - Potato cake with scrambled egg, cheddar, avocado, bacon, sour cream and black pepper. Serve with hot sauce.