The Downside to Online Christmas Shopping...

We were so proud to be done with our Christmas shopping before the holiday rush and long lines, and a lot of that was due to shopping online.  

Apparently, the downside of online holiday shopping is that your credit card information can apparently be compromised, and the thief can purchase things like Match.com.  

And if that isn't bad enough, your husband calls wondering why you bought a subscription to Match.com and you're confused because you're happily married.   

You call and explain this to the bank, and now you're waiting 7-10 business days for your new credit card to arrive in the mail (yes, that means we will be without a credit card over the holidays. Joy). 

You gotta feel sorry for the poor thief though--clearly he's desperate (or just looking for more people to scam..)

Kindle Love

So I get a ton of use from my Kindle (and the free loans from the Lexington Library).  Here are some more books to add to your reading list:

Water for Elephants

I'm late on this bandwagon, but it's awesome.  Read it. 

The Book Thief

Written in Nazi Germany during World War I from the prospective of Death, the book chronicles the life of a poor family. Another astounding book that is hard to put down.

Cutting for Stone

An interesting novel about life in the face of tragedy in Ethiopia. The book draws you in immediately and truly brings the characters to life.

A Discovery of Witches

The book reminded me of a more sophisticated Twilight, involving history, science, magic and vampires.  I didn't adore the book like I did some of the others, but it was compelling enough that I will likely read the sequel once it is out.

The Night Circus

I had never heard of it before our book club, but I loved it.  A dreamy novel about a magical circus and the lives of those it touches.  I don't think it's a coincidence that I wore black and white with a touch of red almost every day to work while I was reading it.

'Tis The Season

For Christmas parties, apparently. 

We had a Christmas party last weekend, women lawyer's Christmas luncheon yesterday, the local Bar Association's party tonight and a friend's birthday dinner, my work's party tomorrow, I'm hosting a holiday-themed bridal shower Saturday morning, Habitat for Humanity's party Saturday night, our book club (which I am so excited about) Sunday (right--we are still doing this ladies?) a cocktail party next Thursday, and then we leave Friday for our "four Christmases" + NYE adventure (more on that later, I'm sure). 

I've spent more time than I care to admit trying to determine what to wear to all these events.

Just Lovely Katherine, Myself, and Katherine at last weekend's party

Last weekend, I wore a vintage dress.  Apparently C's grandmother and I were the same size, and she had some beautiful custom-made party dresses from the 1940s/1950s.  I totally channeled my inner 1950s Celia Foote in this one: it was a bright red and pink striped taffeta (it photographs much shinier than it was in person, and no worries, I promise there was no vomiting in the middle of the party floor).  Seriously, I love all things vintage--age makes everything better.

If you need me, I'll be rummaging through my closet trying to piece together a thousand different holiday-appropriate outfits...

Book Reviews

When I can't sleep at night, I read. Lately, I've been an insomniac, so I've been reading like crazy.  I've read some great books lately, so here are a few to add to your reading lists:

The Hunger Games Trilogy

I was skeptical at first because the target audience is about 13, but these books are seriously amazing.  I read all three (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) in one weekend--I just couldn't put them down. I can't wait to see the movie, especially since the two main actors are from Kentucky (and therefore District 12). 

The Paris Wife 

A wonderful glimpse into Hemingway's early life with his first wife, Hadley.  Very well written and interesting account of their life and love in the 1920s. 

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan  

 I knew absolutely nothing about Chinese society in the 1800s, so the book was extremely intriguing to me.  It portrays life and ideals of Chinese women from each stage of life, including growing up as an unloved daughter, feet binding, arranged marriages, the desire and need to have sons, and living/caring for in-laws. There is also an independent film based on the book, but I haven't seen it yet.

Heaven is For Real

This is a good, quick read for those interested in religion.  It is written about a pastor's four year old son who claims to have gone to Heaven during a near-death experience in the hospital.  

Read any good books lately that you want to share?  I'm always looking for suggestions (or people willing to lend me Kindle books!)

Shades of Grey

Oh the joys of homeownership.  Our home needs a new roof (which we knew when we bought it), but I had no idea how many colors a roof comes in. I guess I've never noticed and assumed most roofs were a standard brown, grey or black--I've never thought twice about roof colors. And, this is a rather big investment that will hopefully last another 20 years, so I want to pick a good color. 

So, here is our house currently:

It's a very pale cream/tan with black shutters, white trim and a black/charcoal roof.

We are not going to go with black because it apparently attract and traps the heat in the summer (but it doesn't do so in winter, which I know seems weird).  Grey roofs do not have this problem, so we are leaning towards a shade of grey. I initially was leaning towards charcoal/almost black, but I was driving by a cape cod in Fairway with our color scheme and noticed it had a light grey roof and loved it. 


Our roof shingles come in these colors of grey:

1. Driftwood:

2.  Estate Grey

3. Sierra Grey: 

 Here are a few samples of the general color scheme options (it doesn't help that I am in love with all these houses too).
Light greys:

Dark Grey/Black:

What's your favorite? Thoughts?

Giving Thanks

C and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Last weekend, we had several friends over for a thanksgiving dinner.  Here are some of the more popular recipes: 

Broccoli Casserole

Recipe from C's Family (picture from Google)

• 2 10 oz packages of frozen chopped broccoli
• 2-3 cups instant rice
• 1 can Cream of Celery soup
• 2 cups shreeded velveeta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 chopped onion
• 1/2 - 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice and broccoli according to their packages.  Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Sautee the onions in the butter over medium heat. Mix the rice, broccoli, soup, cheese and onions in a large mixing bowl and pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Top the mixture with Ritz crackers.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Sweet Potato Casserole 

Recipe and picture from Cooking Light

• 5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans (divided in half)
• 1 small bag of mini marshmallows

Put sweet potatoes in boiling water and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until very tender.  Drain and cool.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place potatoes in a large bowl and add brown sugar, salt and vanilla.  Mash this mixture together.  Fold in half of the pecans. Put mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with marshmallows and remaining pecans.  Bake until golden brown (about 30-40 minutes). 

Bread Pudding with Banana Praline Liqueur

Recipe from Galatoire Restaurant in New Orleans

• 11 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 24 slices of french bread (about 1 baguette cut into 3/4 inch slices)
• 1 lb salted butter
• 1 lb light brown sugar
• 4 bananas
• 1/2 cup praline liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon until well blended.  In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish (or an oversized muffin pan), put the bread slices in the bottom of the dish (or 2 per muffin cup).  Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread slices, allowing the mixture to saturate the bread.  Bake for about 35 minutes for muffin tins, or 45 minutes for dish (it is done when the pudding is golden and set in the pan).  


While the pudding is in the oven, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the light brown sugar and whisk until smooth.  Slice the bananas and stir them into the sauce.  Add the praline liqueur. Reduce heat to low.


Remove from bread pudding from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve onto plates and ladle the sauce into the pudding.  Serve immediately.




For Thanksgiving day, we went to Louisville to be with my family and met our good friend's beautiful baby girl.   We ate like kings all weekend when C's parents from Tennessee came in town over the weekend for the game.

All I will say is it was our turn :) 

Parents Ate All the Halloween Candy

This video from Jimmy Kimmel a few nights ago is too good not to share: especially the last few kids. Enjoy!