Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

The sequel to The Phantom of the Opera - did you know such a thing even existed? I hadn't heard of this, but saw a preview for its Fathom Event during Twilight: Breaking Dawn. Sexy Nerd and I saw it last night. The stunning chandelier scene? It has been replaced with a gunshot. I won't go so far as to say that if you enjoyed the original, you are going to love this. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Andrew Lloyd Webber recreated the characters you know and love and threw them under the bus. He took the humble ballet performances and elegant masquerade ball and revved them up into the kind of Cirque du Soleil spectacular he must have thought his audience wanted. I just wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera. The most crucial element to the plot is based on something that I am fairly certain did not happen during the original! That said, I'm glad I saw it and I recommend you see this if you enjoyed the original. It was fun to see how the characters turned out 10 yea...

Yeah, you saw this yesterday. A house this beautiful deserves a post of its own!

We probably won't be building our dream home in the mountains for another 5+ years, but Sexy Nerd and I are having trouble being patient. How can we own 13 acres and not do anything with it!? In the meantime, I've been combing through the internets for home design inspiration. That colorful Victorian in the 3rd collage is my favorite house of all time , but Sexy Nerd says that it's not at all "mountainy" and that it's not going to happen. Hey, Sexy Nerd! If you're not going to build a multicolored Victorian home, why build a home at all? I have gotten him to agree on red window panes with big, green shutters (and everyone knows that once it's blogged, there's no taking it back.) Score! *More fancy dream home ideas here!*

Earlier today, I pinned and tweeted that I was in the process of baking a chocolate applesauce cake. Behold, the yummiest, most easy cake ever! Sexy Nerd's Slice 'O Cake My Cake (Funny enough, I didn't notice those chocolate cake crumbs on the stove knob until reviewing my photos.) If, like me, you have a jar of applesauce slowly fermenting in the back of your refrigerator, you're going to want to try this. And, if you're truly like me, you'll up the amount of chocolate from 2 Tbsp to 4. Mmmmm! Chocolate Applesauce Cake

I have been resisting, but as of yesterday I am all about PINTEREST ! It's like bookmarking things, but you can share them with the world and your bookmarks have handy dandy photos.  Come follow my pins and I'll follow yours. Ooh, and you can bet I'll be finding lots of things to pin from the Not "Baaad" Sundays blog hop! And an *update* (so fun, right?) The fabulicious winner of the last Best in Show Award, Vintage Mauve, is having her 1st ever blog hop today. I hope you'll swing by and show her some bloggy love after linking up here! Just look how nice her button is: (It's true. I did.)

Another week of voting has come and gone. Just like last time, one blogger blew the competition away! Bonus? She's a super cutie! I think your Brace Face (pre-brace face?) photo is adorable, Jessica @ Vintage Mauve. And I couldn't agree with you more that braces suck ! The rubber band currently tugging on my left canine? I'm certain it will soon pull my tooth all the way out of my gum. How is that an improvement, Mr. Orthodontist?? If you're feeling artsy, Vintage Mauve will teach you how to make a frugal and fabulous gift of coasters. Many, many coasters! I'm so happy that Jessica at Vintage Mauve found her way to my Not "Baaad" Sundays blog hop. She's a kindred spirit and one of my favorite new bloggers. And I have a pretty new award just for her: Be sure to check out Vintage Mauve , everybody. Do it! Do it, now!

Not "Baaad" Sundays Blog Hop RULES and Other Fun Info Because, really, what could be more fun than rules? 1. This Linky is open to all posts that you are proud of. Did you recently post about a great decorating project, craft, or recipe? How about a story or a cute photo? Share the fun! 2. Do you ever find yourself trying not to duplicate posts on blog hops but aren't quite sure what you posted the previous weeks? Problem solved! The Linky from today will be back on a future Sunday, making it easy to see what you've already posted and giving you another chance to visit any great posts you may have missed.   3. You don't want to be the grump at the party, so be sure to mingle with your fellow blog hoppers and tell them what a nifty job they have done with their post. You're bound to be the most popular girl at the link up with an attitude like that! 4. Please link directly to your post, not just your general blog, and inc...

My orthodontist is all about sending mixed messages. At my first appointment, he said I've been brushing too hard. He showed me how to brush gently from now on. At my first braces adjustment , he lectured me about my poor oral hygiene. I had been brushing too gently! He said not to be afraid of damaging my braces and that they are very strong. He then proceeded to grip my (very sore!) lower front teeth and shake my head from side to side, demonstrating just how mighty the braces are. He said that a toothbrush should last me a month, tops, and that by the end of the life of my toothbrush, the bristles should be smashed down and splayed out. So, I went home and brushed more aggressively, per the insistence of my orthodontist. #@*&!!!!!!! And then spat out a piece of my braces. Damn you braces. Damn you.

The votes have been tallied. Your favorite Best in Show blog post nominee is Little Green Bow ! It's not surprising. Just look at all the snazzy posts Deanna at Little Green Bow has to offer: She recently completed a 10 day juice fast and details how/why to try it in several posts. Okay. Truth be told, Deanna might prefer that I link to a different post than her juice fast results, which detail all kinds of nitty gritty details about her, but the results are impressive! Now I'm considering trying a juice fast too, though it might be hard with Sexy Nerd constantly saying that consuming nothing but juice is stupid and tempting me with delicious enchiladas. Guys just don't get it, do they? Deanna also made this super-cute nursery artwork for her friend. Not a bad friend to have! Thanks a bunch to everyone who linked up and competed for the Best in Show award. Which reminds me... Ta Da!

Good morning and happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone! It should be a good game between...uhhh...the two teams that are playing today. I'm just in it for the funny commercials, which I'll be watching online. Did I have you fooled? If you're a game fan, however, and you've stopped by in search of some Super Bowl party foods, might I suggest an easy peasy (and yummy!) batch of Popovers with Onion and Gouda ? Sexy Nerd-approved football snack (although, he will be ditching the game with me, so...yeah)