My four day weekend so far...

Thanksgiving went by so quickly that I'm glad I got a bunch of pictures, especially of my sisters!

 We wandered through a few shops on Black Friday but didn't want to mess with the crowds so we mostly window shopped. I loved all the Christmas displays!

Friday night, Mr. F and I went a bar in Ballard with my little sis!

This morning, we had breakfast at Macrina. I had the most delicious kumquat brioche french toast. It was amazing!

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AND this afternoon we finally saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1! It was everything we hoped for and more. Yes, we totally would have sat for another two and a half hours to see the second half. My favorite part was seeing how Harry, Hermione, and Ron had grown up. Fleur's wedding dress was pretty awesome too. 

Read more about Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding details on the My Wonder Land Blog! 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be in theaters on July 15, 2011!!!

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To brighten up Black Friday...Pobke Photography!

A friend from college has the most amazing photography business in Australia and I just had to share her most recent wedding photos! 

 I love how Christine, the photographer, captured the detailing on the bride's stunning gown and the awesome bridesmaid up-dos!

I adore this wide open field and the couple just waiting....

Love this red getaway car! It's got so much flair!

These wedding photos make me wish I had been to this fantastic party! Each smile conveys so much love and happiness!

I just love weddings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the image I left work with, as I walked in the snow to the bus. I'm so happy to have a four day weekend! It got even better when I came home to my new Born "Yolanda" boots! They just arrived in the mail from Nordstrom! 

PLUS,

 Mr. F worked from home and made an amazing Beer Braised Brisket! It was so delicious I forgot to take a picture!

Here's the recipe he used by Emeril:

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 (2-pound) beef brisket
• Emeril's Original Essence
• 2 large onions, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (not dark)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 1 boiling potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 turnip, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Cooked buttered noodles, as accompaniment
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon in 1 tablespoon water over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pat brisket dry and season with salt, pepper and Essence. Brown in bacon fat. Transfer brisket to platter. Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute more. Add beer, broth, and bacon bits. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Braise the brisket, covered, in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Add carrots, potatoes, and turnips for the last 45 minutes.

Transfer the brisket and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a plate and keep warm, covered. Bring the braising liquid to a boil. Let sauce reduce over high heat until thickened. Season sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Slice the brisket and arrange it and the vegetables with the noodles on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the brisket and the vegetables, sprinkle the dish of parsley, and serve the remaining sauce separately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

My walk to work this morning!

This morning I was inspired to snow shoe to work. When I got outside, there was only an inch of snow on the ground, so I strapped my snow shoes to my pack instead. It was a good thing I brought my trekking poles though, it was an icy morning, even though I waited until the sun was up!I couldn't stop taking pictures of Christmas colored leaves. I love their striking contrast to the snow!

The sun was rising over Capitol Hill and just peeking around Queen Anne. I love these trees and their light, on the Ship Canal Trail near Seattle Pacific University. 

 The houseboats start at the North end of Queen Anne and they looked particularly charming covered in snow.  The Aurora Bridge is majestic at all times of the day too.
 I walked by one of the houseboats used in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle and enjoyed South Lake Union's new park. 

The best part of the walk was seeing this crane by the Center of Wooden Boats! I could not believe I was this close to it. 

Did you get a chance to enjoy snow today?

I'm snow shoeing into work tomorrow!

It's snowing in Seattle!! It's practically a blizzard outside at 10:30pm, which nearly NEVER happens in this city.

This morning, I took the Metro (Seattle's transit system) and I was shocked when the 40-seater bus had 80 people on it! Fortunately, I live less than 4 miles away from work so I walked home today. These are the lovely winter wonderland scenes I saw after 5pm.

I'm planning on breaking out my snowshoes for tomorrow's trek to work!

My New Year's Dress

Mr. F and I will be celebrating New Years on Maui! I'm so excited that I just bought a dress for the occasion! I found this rock & republic KITT COWL MINI on Ideeli's sale. Check it out!

OOOoo, baby it's rainin', rainin'

Wow, this week's episode of Glee was so amazing that I have had their mash-up of Umbrella and Singin' in the Rain stuck in my head since Tuesday night. I love Singing in the Rain, Gwyneth Paltrow and Glee, so I think this was not only the best episode yet, but Umbrella/Singin' in the Rain might be my most favorite number too.





What song is stuck in your head right now? I know my husband has Cee Lo's Eff You stuck in his head.

Are you excited for HARRY POTTER and the Deathly Hallows?

There's a midnight show tonight and it opens every where tomorrow! AHHHHHHHHHH! I'm so so so excited about this movie! 

I adore Brittney Lee's artwork, and now I heart her Harry Potter artwork even more. I'm pretty sure this scene is from the Deathly Hallows book too!!!!


And just for fun, check out this cute clip of the Harry Potter cast trying on American accents!

Daniel Radcliffe cracks up as he tries to read words in his best American accent in this funny new video with MTV’s Josh Horowitz.

Read more:  http://justjared.buzznet.com/page/2/#ixzz15hCiXXKx

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

What I'm loving on Wednesday!

How sweet is Lagoon Love by Brittney Lee? This is her annual holiday card too.  I adore all her cat drawings. This reminds me I need to pick out Christmas cards! Have you started thinking about Christmas shopping and sending holiday cards yet?

Glee + Gwyneth Paltrow = LOVING IT

I found this video on EW's Hollywood Insider. Check out the review too!

Whirlwind weekend wrap-up

It was wonderful to have Thursday off for Veteran's Day! My best friend from high school had a few days off from pilot training, so we got to catch up! 

Friday afternoon, Mr. F and I drove from Seattle to Spokane to visit my little sister in nursing school. This is the turn-off that we were used to taking, when we went to Whitman. 

We saw wondrous windmills, in twilight, before we drove through Vantage, WA.

We made a quick stop in George, Washington, near the gorge. 

Saturday morning, we had yummy pastries at Madeline's with my sissy!

We also tasted a little bubbly at Mountain Dome Winery. 

Saturday night, we had a blast watching the local Spokane Chiefs beat the Tri-Cities Americans! 

Sunday, we spent most of the day driving home and reminiscing. 

How was your weekend?