unruly things

today I’m in a black shift dress, black merino cardigan, black opaque tights, and you guessed it, black flats. quite the outfit for dreariness. quite the outfit for those “I just don’t feel like dressing up today” days. I admit, have a lot of black in my wardrobe, but I’ve been trying to add color into it lately. my attempt at brightening up the black today is with a gray and white scarf. {yea, not so much}
I have to be honest. no matter how much I try to “liven” up my wardrobe with some pops of color here and there, I always end up falling back to black. I love black sweaters. I love black t-shirts. I love my black shoes more than the brown ones. there’s just something it does to my dark brown hair, fair skin, and big brown eyes that says “please, Alyson. buy more black.”
{and these are some things I want from UO}

I’m leaving my blog a little early for a nice, but cold, Thanksgiving break. I’ve been so busy these past few weeks, that it’s very nice to know I’ll be on break for a few days.

so, a little bit early cause it’s not quite the big Turkey day, but….

right this second:
I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings!

on a side note:
over this nice break, where I’m sure, like me, that some of you will be taking road trips to visit family and friends, think of all the new and fabulous music you could be acquiring with the in the moment mixed tape swap! you have until November 30 to sign up. so join the fun!

{image: my cute Grandmother cross-stiches, and cross-stiches well. she sent me this cute November kitty to put in my kitchen. oh how it reminds me of Moose}

dlb and I are spending Thanksgiving with his family in Idaho. the low tomorrow night is 5 degrees and the low Thursday is 7. I can be quite honest when I say that, my cheeks have never felt 5 degrees. EVER. I don’t think my cheeks have felt 10.
let me stress this fact: I’m a Florida girl… born and raised. I lived in Florida for 25 years, 7 months, and 26 days. that’s 9,355 days in the warm Florida sun. I have been in Oregon since August and I’m quite proud of how I’m acclimating to the weather. but it’s no where near 5 degrees here.
people say that once the air hits a certain temp, it all just feels the same. that there’s really no difference between 15 and 5 degrees. heeellllloooo?!?! who cares if they feel the same, I’m not prepared for less than 40 degree weather. my modest Florida girl attire is not quite set for Portland weather in November, no less Idaho weather when it reaches below freezing.

so. now that I’ve vented about the upcoming cold blast I’m about to experience… I think I’m ready for some warm clothes. thermal shirts, fuzzy sweaters, and woolen coats. looks like I’ll be needing those socks sooner than I thought, Jess!

oh yea. and these boots, please.

I like these bird magnets.
I’d like to put them on my fridge.
though something inside of me knows that our little black panther will knock them all off. he’ll say it’s a new hunting game.
anyway, I think they’d make a great gift.
{from anthropologie}

I like the edgy use of tartan in these necklaces by Scott Stephens.
{images from erie basin}

if thanksgiving were at my house this year…I’d make this:

Cranberry Wit Sauce
a traditional side dish with a twist.

ingredients:
2 Blood oranges, zested and sliced into rings
2 cups Witbier*
1/2 cup Belgian clear rock candy sugar, or regular sugar
2 tsp. Ground coriander
1 pinch Sea salt
1/2 cup Orange blossom honey
12 oz. Cranberries, fresh (1 bag)

directions:
In a large saucepan, add oranges (giving a good twist to release the juice), Witbier, rock candy, coriander and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring about 4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the sliced citrus, and add the honey, orange zest and cranberries; reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve. The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.

*For beer, use a local Wit or Double Wit from South Hampton brewery, if you don’t have a homebrew Witbier available.
{via beer advocate. click here for more Thanksgiving recipes with beer. that Holiday Ale Cheesecake with Barley Malt Crust sounds absolutely DIVINE.}

especially that little yellow belt.
{from here.}

I’ve just added a set of holiday cards to my shop. each set includes 2 of each style. this little pair of love birds is just one of the three styles offered. check them out here!

be ready for some more updates to the shop soon!