With the holidays quickly approaching my mind keeps going to Christmas. I caught myself humming along to The Christmas Song while shopping the other night and when I realized what I was doing I stopped myself mid-hum and had to ask, “Who is this person?” Nevermind the fact it’s my favorite Christmas song, this does not excuse a display of total sappiness in public. So you can only imagine my excitement when the December issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived, complete with detailed instructions on how to make the cutest of cute gingerbread houses. Actually, they are referred to as cookie cottages. I’ve posted my favorites below.

Peppermint Place:


Woodsy Hideaway:


Creature Comforts:


Long, long ago I would make gingerbread houses with my Grandma. They were incredibly detailed, beautiful houses fit for royalty. I wonder if children still make gingerbread houses with their family today? Is this tradition alive or does it only appear in the world of Martha? I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask my niece and nephew and report back to you.

All images in this post are from Martha Stewart.com.

The lovely Ikea is offering gingerbread house decorating sessions every Tuesday and Thursday in December. You can pick up a starter kit from Ikea for $4.99. (Although I think gingerbread houses work better if you use your own materials.)

Thanksgiving was held at my apartment this year. There was much debate over if the football game should be on or off. I made it clear the football game would be off, as turning on the football game only detracts from the holiday and causes things to go a little crazy. I think this cover of the New Yorker is a perfect representation of why I kept the football game off.

Which five comedians would you want to take with you if you were stranded alone on a desert island?

This question from the New York Times is causing great discussion on the web. So who are my top 5 comedians I'd take with me? I've put together my list below.

Zoolander

Woody Allen

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

George Costanza (Seinfeld)

Chris Rock

I have not mastered the heating system in my new apartment. Heat is included in my rent but it wasn’t until recently that I figured out the provided heating is limited. So I may be getting free heat but really this means a burst of heat will be delivered from the vents once every twelve hours. In the meantime I’m left to a poor, shivering state and can’t help but ponder winter wear. Just earlier I was browsing photos of the Inuit when I realized maybe something like this might be needed for life in my apartment this winter.

So while I was riding the elevator today I ended up talking to a fellow resident who lives on the same floor as I do. She was an elderly woman and I had the feeling she wanted someone to talk too. In truth, I find myself enjoying the company of the elderly more and more as I grow older. I know it may sound silly but when I’m around old people I start to remember my grandparents (who are gone) and I feel like I’m in their company again. Sort of. I feel like I’m stepping into the role of a granddaughter who will be told stories, given cookies and will work puzzles because these are all activities I remember from my grandparents.

The elderly woman and I ended up talking about heating. I asked for advice and she told me the only way to make it through the cold is to get myself a space heater.

“I have a space heater in my apartment. Do you want to see it?” she asked. I could hear the excitement in her voice. As if, the idea of showing off her space heater was the most thrilling idea of all time.

I’ve always felt a little nervous about stepping into stranger’s apartments but I’ve gotten past this because, well, I’ve just become more social over time. I followed the woman into her apartment and we talked in great detail about space heaters. She insisted on giving me a tour of her entire apartment, which was beautiful with stunning views of the river and highly decorated with care.

I left just a few minutes ago, feeling like I had just stepped out of a cozy scene where neighbors visit other neighbors and everyone is cheerful to one another. Instead of being distant strangers, people stop to say “Hello.” Typically, I have no interest in knowing my neighbors but this new apartment has brought about some interesting changes.

How to make stuff with your photos via hchamp. This is a great guide for me, since I am always trying to figure out how to best use my photos. I'm thinking this might make it onto my Christmas cards this year. Except, I'm tempted to create a new image... one that will surprise my family who often checks both my blog and flickr.

I find the most amazing things when I should be doing something more productive. Like, let's say, studying. During my procrastination I found this amazing souvenir set on flickr. He takes a common souvenir, goes to the site and photographs the two. Very cool. I have a box of plastic snowglobes at home, maybe I will try this out sometime.

I'm looking for a simple mattress sham but don't want to spend a lot of money. While looking at Target I found full size mattress shams for about $30. Eek! I want to spend a little less for a piece of fabric that has so little purpose in life. Any suggestions of where to look?

Update: Amy informed me I could find mattress shams at Walmart for $10. This fits into my budget a little better. Thank you, Amy.