Tuesday Things.
1. Probably definitely making this for thanksgiving: no-bake pumpkin tiramisu. I mean… just stop.
2. Target already steals all of my money but now they really are inside my brain. It’s like they secretly installed some chip in my head and know EXACTLY WHAT I WANT.
3. Yesterday I actually googled “how to stop being lazy.” So yeah.
4. Are you planning on shopping on Thanksgiving? I think that whole idea is totally cracked out because then employees can’t enjoy the holiday. I’ve worked retail on black Friday before so I completely get it. But what’s next… black Friday deals on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Annoyances. I find better deals before or after anyway.
5. Speaking of shopping, I’m so pumped you guys are liking gift guide week! I have four (maybe five) more gift guides to share with you and can’t wait to hear your ideas.
6. Completely in love with this dirty dancing wedding dance. I wish Patrick Swayze was still alive to see it. They are SO into it.
7. I recently tried a chai latte and the spices burned my throat. I really wasn’t a fan. Thoughts?
8. This. The ultimate fashion guide to Saved By The Bell. Too bad I still want to wear Kelly Kapowski’s clothes. No, really.
9. Oh so much TV stuff! I thought Boardwalk was so good this week… and the Walking Dead? Very interesting. But let’s talk about Homeland. Quinn… major hearts for you. I thought it was pretty good (or at least getting better) albeit being ridiculous, but then I had a big “what?!” moment. Saul’s wife mentioned that they’ve been married for 35 years… um, what? I thought that actress was in her late 30s at the most and Saul was just robbing the cradle. Am I just a terrible judge of age? Probably. Even if they got married when she was like 17… no. Does not work out. Girl looks GOOD. And now that I’ve spent an entire paragraph on fictional characters…
10. Are you putting up any Christmas decor yet? Waiting until next Friday? Tell me tell me. I’m nosy.
11. That house project I mentioned last week? We are still sort of working on it but imagine two homeowners walking in to Lowe’s, looking at paint colors for less than 30 seconds and going “oh that one looks good” and choosing it. Then getting home and painting their walls gray. Which ends up being purple. Uh huh.
102 Comments on “Tuesday Things.”
Christmas decoration are forbidden until the day after Thanksgiving! I have a near-Thanksgiving birthday so I think it’s only fair that we all enjoy the last days of fall and pumpkin and orange and leaves. And then we can pig out on Christmas.
So, Target: have you SMELLED the Noble Fir & Cedar candle!? It is my only Christmasy home purchase so far and it’s making my week so happy. BTW I feel like there needs to be a Buzzfeed article on how our love for Target grows as we get older and how it steals all of our money. You should write it.
I try to always wait on the Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving, but with Thanksgiving being so late I have a feeling I won’t be able to wait any longer. Christmas explosion all over my house is probably going to be this weekend.
That’s actually a really good question. I have no idea when we are putting up our Christmas decorations! I am ready anytime though!
Whoa. No bake pumpkin tiramisu. That’s insane… I need to find some good ladyfingers though.
First off I am loving your lists! As a fellow lister my inner organizer is going crazy. I’m sorry your first experience with Chai was unpleasant. I have found that the vanilla chai at smaller coffee shops is less spicy and a little sweeter than the spiced chai. Also, the Starbucks chai tea latte is the perfect blend of spicy and sweet. So if you haven’t tried it yet and are still open to chai tasting I would give it a shot.
Love the frapaccino cover photo!
Chai latte: where from? I like Starbucks but I put so much honey in it! It’s like a little teeny bit of tea and lots and lots of honey. So good.
Christmas stuff- black Friday for me upstairs but we will be starting our Christmas village this weekend downstairs just because there’s a lot to it.
Speaking of Black Friday, I’m with ya on the whole shopping on Thanksgiving thing! Horrible!
Oh wow, that video. Speaking as someone who may have watched that movie 200+ times during jthe unior high years, they totally nailed it.
my Christmas decor has started – and can I just tell you?? aside from the bright yellowish green, ALL OF MY ORNAMENTS were that color last year!!! I am so looking forward to unpacking them all again. I may have to get more. I love the Target.
I just had a conversation with two friends (as we were enjoying Irish coffees) that the heat makes the drink seem stronger… perhaps the heat enhances the chai spices? those are STRONG anyway… but I love them.
Can you do a post on smoking tips, ideas on what to smoke, etc? I got one for my hubby for his bday.
i don’t really feel like i have enough experience or my own tips yet to write a whole post on it, but i can tell you what we do!
we’ve smoked whole chickens, turkeys, pork tenderloin, pork roast and ribs. i’ve read that the less fat a meat has (like chicken and turkey) – those have a shorter smoke time. if the meat has more fat, you can smoke it much longer. we pretty much follow the directions that came with our smoker when it comes to times/temps.
as for wood chips, we’ve used applewood, hickory and cherry wood. you can soak the wood chips in water or even beer or alcohol – they definitely need soaked before smoking, so pick your liquid!
the liquid that goes in the smoker: we almost always use beer but i have used a 50/50 mix of water and bourbon.
as for spice rubs, many times i will just make up my own with what i have. things like smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic, etc. but i also find some awesome rubs at whole foods and we will use those too.
hope this helps!
#11. Totally did the same.exact.thing. Except with tan. Our hallway is now lavender. Sweeeeeeeeeet.
OMG that dirty dancing video. Their entire performance gave me goose bumps and foolish smile plastered to my face. I may have even shed a tear at the end. Im so pathetic. But seriously, that was the greatest, Im dirty dancing obsessed to this day!
Ha we had the same gray-that-looks-purple paint issue! My husband painted his office in a nice gray but when he put his cherry wood furnature in, it made the room look purple. Now people keep asking him why he painted his office purple haha.
Haha the paint issue is hilarious! Are you going to change it or is it growing on you?
definitely growing, we love it!
Purple walls are dope. You would have a conversation starter if you ever ran into Prince at Whole Foods.
No Christmas decor yet – but I did buy the new Mrs Meyers cranberry candle from Target – it’s ridiculously amazing and as “holiday” as I have gotten. How awesome was that Dirty Dancing video – but I think the DJ at the end *almost* ruined it by how annoying he was!
always buy those little paint sample tubs! choose a few colors and brush a big patch on the wall, preferably next to each other, and give it a day or two…look at them in all different types of light (morning, noon, night, lightbulb…) PS, Filtered Shade from Valspar is a great soft grey…half of my house is that color.
If it makes you feel ANY better, we did the same thing a few weekends ago. I picked out the color “perfect greige” …gray/beige, right? Wrong. It was more like pinkish-purple. So… right after we finished, we went right back to the store and bought a new color and painted our bedroom..again. It sucked, but I love it now! :)
I love chai but if I order a latte in any coffee shop I always get one less pump of syrup. Especially in Starbucks, theirs especially burn my throat.
I saw the Dirty Dancing video too and had the same thought. I miss Patrick Swayze…
Regarding chai lattes: Starbucks are the worst. But a good chai latte will not burn your throat at all, it will be smooth with just the nicest hint of spicy and sweet. I have found that the drinks made from powders are far better than the ones made with syrup or mix. David Rio is the best, and you can get it at World Market. Please try chai again!
I was going to suggest trying the David Rio chai brand, it’s the best!!
Love that Dirty Dancing wedding video! I watched it this morning, and it totally made my day.
We normally put the Christmas decorations up after Thanksgiving, but we had to put them up earlier this year bc my husband is having knee surgery on Fri and he won’t be able to carry the totes (yes “totes” plural) up the stairs for awhile.
#7 – I am suuuuper picky about chai lattes and the spices that are used. They can vary quite a bit between brands. Some are super gingery and spicy and some use a ton of cardamom, etc. #9 – Quinnnn!!!! <3 I would have guessed Sal's wife was like 48-50 and Sal is like 65. Even if she was 50, that would mean married at age 15…so your theory is correct. Makes no sense. #11 – Bahahaha…love it. So sorry, had to laugh. DIY's gone wrong = story of my l.i.f.e.
Christmas decor? Heck no!!!! It is forbidden to put up anything Christmas related before Dec 1. I seriously can’t stand it when my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, gets skipped over with Christmas music, decorations, trees, presents, shopping, media, tv, etc. enough!! And for the shopping, I would rather sit home snuggle in my pjs and slippers while all the crazies go and battle it out over a silly sale. Plus, I too find better deals otherwise.
I want to dive head first into your frappucino with a big slice of that pumpkin tiramisu. Yum!
If you’re getting a chai latte from Starbucks, ask for them to make it with no water (don’t worry, this is a totally normal request). The Starbucks recipe calls for the concentrate plus half water/half milk, but it’s too spicy for me that way, so when I get it I order a no-water chai. The extra milk tempers the spices just enough for me to really enjoy it that way.
Source: I used to work at Starbucks.
ahh thanks!
HOMELAND. i don’t even know where to begin. Was it supposed to be obvious who Carrie’s baby’s father is? How and why is Saul visiting Brody? Am I missing something?? I didn’t think Saul’s wife was that young, I’m not the best at judging age but i would’ve thought at least late 40’s. I’m so glad this season is picking up, i was worried with the first few episodes…but kept thinking the writers HAVE to know what they’re doing.
hmmm… i thought it was pretty obvious who the father is because of the timeline they kept mentioning in the first few episode, but my cousin said the same thing!
i only live for cyber monday, forget black friday. Do people still shop in stores these days? And no Christmas decor is going up until way in to December. You can’t rush these holidays.
Oddly enough, I was in a CLE (continuing legal education) last week and one of the speakers said Target basically knows exactly what your particular shopping habits are and those of everyone in your home and puts out fliers specifically targeting you. The example they gave was a teenager who got knocked up would start receiving fliers for baby stuff, disguising it with enough other crap that the parents (who may not be in the know yet) would be none-the-wiser.
So, basically, Target DOES know exactly what you want. How can you possibly be expected to fight it? ;)
whoa. scary.
already started decorating. if real Christmas trees were out and for sale right now, we’d probably haves our up right now.
Oh I am going to paint the living room walls grey? What color did you get from Lowes so that I don’t make the same mistake and end up with purple walls, my guy would not like that.
it is valspar london coach – we actually love it now!
What about Nashville? Did you see the ending of the last epidsode? Surprised me.
yes! crazy. totally unexpected!!
Already putting up lights outside. Tree being delivered on Tuesday. I try to drag the season out as long as humanly possible, and the late date of Thanksgiving this year is putting a crimp in my style so I am just ignoring it.
About your hall, as bad as this? (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/home-for-sale-on-rightmove-for-400000-if-you-want-a-purple-patch-8946306.html).
I’m a hardcore traditionalist about Christmas, the weekend before Christmas I put the decorations and tree up, if I’m home for Christmas then it gets done on Christmas Eve, they come down on 5 Jan (12 days of Christmas!). Both my parents have Dec birthdays so we have to celebrate those before we can start Christmas!!
lol – I totally Googled the actress who plays Saul’s wife when she said that! She’s 47 in real life.
i know! so shouldn’t she be offended that they have her pegged around at least 55?!
You probably got Bhakti chai, which sounds more exotic and lovely but is SO spicy. Many coffee shops have a choice between Bhakti and sweet chai (like the Oregon chai concentrate). Hope that helps! Chai can still be incredibly delicious. Alternative: you could just make your own at home with black tea and spices and milk. It’s super easy
Also, so psyched on gift guide week! Keep ’em coming!
Where’d you get your chai? Starbucks chai is just weird (um, they use half water and half milk, so yeah…nasty), Peet’s is pretty decent, and making your own at home with Oregon/Tazo/Trader Joe’s mixes is always best of all.
starbucks! it was weird.
I have a dinky little fake Christmas tree my mom got me at Walgreens when I was really sick with the flu a few Decembers ago. Haha fond memories of coughing my brains out circa 2010 in the comforting glow of it in the living room after my then-boyfriend had banished me from bed. Part of me wants to leave it up year round, but I worry then it wouldn’t feel as special.
I will be working on Thanksgiving. I work for Kmart & have no idea what shift I’ll have yet. Not a happy camper, that’s for sure!
Dan refuses to listen to holiday music or let me put up decorations until December. But I listen to it pre-Thanksgiving on the sly, when he can’t hear it. ;)
I pretty sure most of us who have missed out on family festivities due to working a holiday feel for the employees. The stores claim that employees will still be able to enjoy their Thanksgivings before showing up to work. Lies. How can you really fill up on all the good stuff if you know you have to work the crowd of crazy shoppers afterwards? No time for a nap after the I’m-so-full-I-can’t-move feeling. So sad.
I haven’t started decorating yet — I’m doing it this weekend! Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, so I don’t even have to feel guilty about it :)
#11 happened to us!!!!! we wanted to paint the kitchen grey and when we were done my guy goes: “did we just spend 2 days painting the kitchen purple?” Two years later the kitchen color has stayed and it’s honestly not purple to us anymore. initially the blue painters tape made it look worse than it was, but we became obsessed with white accents (curtains, crown molding, furniture) and it’s really only because it makes our kitchen look more grey than purple… who knew there’s such a fine line between the two!! haha
agreed – we already had white accents and we actually love the color!
I’ve never been able to drink chais. Luckily Trader Joe’s had a sample of their salted caramel chai…delicious! I made it weaker than the recipe called for and only used water. On special occasions I’d put a scoop in my coffee-yum.
I don’t like chai tea either, for the same reason. I have a friend who loves them, but hates coffee. So go figure.
In general, I don’t approve of putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. However, I’ll be out of town for most of December, so I went ahead and put up my tree so I can enjoy it. Doesn’t make much sense to go to all that trouble if I’m only going to be around for less than two weeks.
FUN!!!
What!?! You didn’t like a chai latte? I was for sure we were twins seperated at birth but now I’m questioning it! Try it with soy milk and request no water. It’ll make it creamier and not so spicy :)
The only chai I could drink is DD vanilla chai latte. Doesn’t taste strong, otherwise I wouldn’t love it! Absolutely loved the Dirty Dancing dance – envious! I refuse to shop on Thanksgiving. It’s not fair to the employees and besides, I am way too full to be running around!
Loveeee your gift guide! Such new ideas..thanks!
Target is such a money pit, and you don’t even have a kid! it begins to be double, no triple, when you do. Everything is so cute and so ‘cheap’ til you get to the checkout line. lol
Xmas stuff? I still have a mini pumpkin on my kitchen table. I guess I need to pitch it, eh!
The Christmas explosion has already started at my house. It’s so much work to put out all the stuff I like to start early so I can recover and have time to enjoy it. Still not done. I have 3 trees lit right now along with the mantel and the buffet in the dining room. I’ll finish up over the next two weekends. I won’t put up the real tree or turn the outside lights on until after Thanksgiving. I believe in putting up my outside lights when the weather is nice rather than waiting until after Thanksgiving and risk being out there in the cold!