To everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah, here's wishing you a very sweet new year! (And perhaps some delicious honey-glazed cake like the one above, which comes from - who else? - the shiksa queen Martha Stewart[as spotted on the completely un-goyisha Amy Atlas' blog]).
In case you were wondering the significance of a honey-glazed cake, it is traditional to eat something sweet, such as honey, usually paired with apple. The round apple signifies the world, which was thought to start on this day, and the honey is for a sweet new year.
This holiday is nice not only for the sweets we're supposed to eat (hooray!), but also for the idea that (after Yom Kippur), the book is said to be closed on the past year and a another year starts anew. So with that sentiment in mind, let's bid 5770 adieu and head into 5771 with a totally fresh start. Image via Yes and Yes
Isn't this type clever? I didn't see it at first, but it's "2010" and "love" no matter how you read it - either top row, then bottom row, or the black block on the left, then the red block on the right. So smart!
These 2010love teesonly cost...you guessed it: $20.10. They're also part of the greater 2010lovemovement "created to inspire people to make a positive change in their own lives and the lives of others, starting now.”
A positive life change is always good, but for the lazyman, the tee is pretty cute in the meantime. ;) There's also an infant onesie: Psst: For the month of April, 10% of proceeds from 2010love tees will be donated to The Earth Day Network, in honor of Earth Day on April 22. Awesome!
Confession: I hate (hate) working out. Not that this is a secret, but it's certainly true. I do looove the aerial dance class I've started up again (after seven months off - ugh!), but doesn't this look so fun too?: It's called Jukari (it's actually called Jukari Fit to Fly, but let's just stick with Jukari for now), and it's borne out of a collaboration between Reebok and Cirque Du Soleil.
The moves - which include jumping, swinging, leaping and good old conditioning - target the whole body and give you a serious cardiovascular workout as well as muscle toning /building, but the key for me is that it just looks really fun.
These moves look pretty entertaining, and much better than hoofing it on a boring treadmill:
The workout takes place on the "FlySet," which is a steel bar attached by two loops to a rope, which is fixed to the ceiling with a 360 degress swivel, meaning you can not only hang from it, climb on it, but also move with it.
Especially now that the New Year is upon us, and B and I have committed to a beach house in August, I need to get my behind in gear. So if Jukari will make me look like Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Marissa Miller (below), I'm in.
Unfortunately, Jukari is only available in LA and NY right now (and internationally, but I'm not jet-setting these days), so I'm out of luck for now, but hopefully it'll come to little ol' Annapolis sometime soon. Hey, if we have pole dancing classes, aerial dance, and Zumba all over the place, can't we get Jukari too?
I haven't actually seen the Winter 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens in real life, but I came across some photos from the mag on Paper Source's blog and lurved this uber-organized work area: The overall color combination is a little more bright and "funky" than I'd use in my own house - I love the orange, green and blue, but I'd probably use just one or two accent colors (instead of all three) with white or tan or something slightly more mellow - but I die for all the organizational materials used.
This is a Type A's dream here, people. If I ever work at home, I'm going to need a space like this stat. (And don't you love all the wrapping paper organization? This stuff is like crack to me. Laugh if you will.)
Are you cleaning up and organizing your space with the arrival of the new year? I know I've been doing some streamlining and organizing (starting with under our bathroom sink - how exciting) and it feels good to glean in 2010! Any great organization ideas you've come across or done yourself? I'd love to hear...
Oof. Got a very late start to blogging this morning. Somehow this day is just flying by faster than I can grasp the hours. But, isn't this memo pad from Birdcage Cards so adorable and perfect for early January (month o' the will-I-keep-them-or-not resolutions)? It's a good one to strive for: As originally found on Love Obsess Inspire.
Kind of makes me feel a bit better about not getting to blogging earlier today. Let's just say I was busy being in the now. Sorry for the short delay, but I'm here, now. :)
Now that I've sat down to blog for the day, I'll be back with more soon. Stick we me on this fast-moving Hump Day!
One of my New Year's resolutions - are you totally sick of hearing about these yet? I kind of am, especially since I don't normally even make resolutions! - is to cook at home more often. I always think about how much healthier it is, plus cost efficient, but when push comes to shove, we often order food or go out. It seems so much more fun and exciting...? Anyway, we're going to make an effort to cook at home three nights a week at least and one of my go-to staples is homemade pizza.
B and I share the fortunate/unfortunate fact that we could eat pizza every day, forever, so pizza is always popular around here. I don't make the dough from scratch - that may have to wait for New Year's resolutions 2015 or something! - but Trader Joe's makes a really good dough for only 99 cents a bag. They sell regular crust, herbed or whole wheat. (We usually get the whole wheat, but it's admittedly a bit more sticky than the regular).
The entire pizza gets a layer of tomato sauce (I use jar pasta sauce, not "pizza sauce" from the can, ick) and we switch up what kind of sauce now and then. We also use fresh basil from B's basil plants when there's enough to pick. My half of the pizza is usually goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, while B's side is traditional mozzarella and pepperoni.
Since I make pizza so often (about once a week?), I'm looking to branch out in 2010 with our toppings choices. About a month or so ago, I had half an onion left over from something else, so I decided to caramelize it and added it, along with some yellow peppers, to the pizza. It was delicious. I've tried broccoli and yellow squash as toppings in the past too, but they've come out slightly burnt and not the best. B doesn't like mushrooms, so that's out, and I'm really not a fan of olives. So with that in mind, what other toppings and combos are out there? I'm thinking BBQ chicken might be the next one to try...mmm...but I know there are a ton of other topping options that we may be missing out on.
So? Any great ideas from you all? Do you have any favorite pizza toppings? Do you love pizza as much as we do, or are we just TBM obsessed? (TBM = tomato, basil, mozzarella.) Any great ideas we have to try? Please share!
I just downloaded this new screen-saver (why not switch things up a bit for the New Year, right?) and I'm eagerly awaiting the minute I stop typing and this bad boy comes up on screen.
It was totally free from 9031.com and I love the clean look of it, plus it's utilitarian - clock at a glance! Thanks to Swiss Miss for the heads up on this cool screen-saver.
Hahahahaha. This is not one of my New Year's resolutions, but only because I was already so clearly not in the leggings-as-pants category. They would look like sausage casings on my legs! Funny, nonetheless.
Kate* has a bunch of other cute and funny illustrations on her Flickr page, plus a book on the way of her Daily Consumptions.
Do you have any fashion resolutions for 2010? I didn't make any sartorial goals, but I should definitely focus on only buying items that I need, love or fit perfectly (or that I'll actually get tailored). Guess that means bye bye to my secret Forever21 addiction. Shoot, did I just blog that out loud?
That's definitely something I can stand to work on.
So, I know I said it before, but I'm really excited for this new year. Maybe it was because 2009 was so craptastic, but I feel like 2010 will (hopefully) be a considerably better year. Are you looking forward to this January and the year beyond? We're already starting to book up - with my mom's birthday, my birthday (Feb. 16th, in case you were wondering...mark your calendars now!), and various parties and celebrations - so I'm hoping that bodes fun times and good things.
Also, the Polar Bear Plunge is coming up on January 30th. It'll be here faster than we realize. Anyone up for it this year? I'll be posting more on it later, but please join us if you want to dip in the icy cold Chesapeake Bay for charity (and fun too, I swear!).
More posts to come later today and throughout the week. See you back here soon?
Happy New Year's Eve, all! I am so looking forward to tonight and to ushering in 2010. I'm always surprised when NYE slyly sneaks up on me - "What, it's New Year's Eve already? Wasn't it just Thanksgiving?" - but always thankful to greet a fresh year. I don't usually do resolutions (I'd probably keep them for about 2.2 seconds), but I like the chance to start anew on 1/1. Also, the celebrating on 12/31 is pretty fun too. :)
So what are you up to tonight? Big parties out on the town? Intimate gatherings with friends at home? We're still up in the air (poor B is still a bit sick), so we're not sure if we're willing to brave the freezing cold to party it up in either Phila or downtown Annapolis, or if we'll just keep it mellow with friends closeby. I'm sure it'll be fun no matter what.
If you are celebrating in, here are some fun decorating ideas from La Diva herself, Martha. How easy would it be to throw all the clocks in your house on a mantel, or add stick-on letters (from an office supply store) onto glasses? Party decor, done.
As the decade draws to a close (gulp), this chart is a funny way to take a look back at some of the fascinators from the past 10 years. Can you believe "I.M." was a new verb in 2000 and "download" was in 2002? Wow. I suddenly feel really old.
Click on the link below to the NYT to see the chart in greater detail. I can't believe a new decade is almost here!
Good morning! I hope you all had wonderful holiday weekends. Anything fun to report?
We had a nice holiday break full of family, food (so much food!), great gifts and catching up with friends and family from all over the country, but unfortunately my dear B came down with the flu last night after we got home from PA. The poor guy never gets sick so it's weird to see him so knocked out. So, I hate to do this to you all, but I need to take a day to take care of my sick muffin. I'll be back before 2010 I promise! Hope to see you back here in a day or so?
This wintery tabletop is so etheral and cozy. Love it! The hanging centerpiece is absolutely genius - and seems like it could actually be pretty easy to make yourself, if you're feeling ambitious - and the gem-tone colors paired with an abundance of white make everything pretty. This photo was from a wedding, but could work for any holiday fete or even New Year's Eve. So bring on the parties!
