More Time

“Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”

    ― Jim Rohn ―

Pumpecapple

This year I heard and learned more about turnduckins then I ever cared to.

BUT

A Pumpercapple Piecake?

That is a whole other story.

You might ask:
What is a Piecake?  Well it is a pie that is baked inside a cake.

What is a Pumpecapple?
The Pumpecapple piecake consists of the following scratch pies, cake and icing from bottom to top (feel free to change the order):

Pumpkin Pie baked in a pumpkin spice cake
Filled with crème cheese icing

Pecan Pie (or chocolate pecan pie) baked in chocolate cake
Filled with crème cheese icing 

Apple pie baked in our spice cake
Iced all over with our crème cheese icing

Garnished with pecan pieces And topped with a generous drizzle of carmel.

And it is calorie free! Well, not maybe not.  A serving size is 2,000 calories...

Sadly this is not a local treat!  Check out http://3brothersbakery.com/
 

 Photo Credit: aa.comhttp://hub.aa.com/en/aw/three-brothers-bakery-ultimate-solution

Cherry Mistmas!

Tequila Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try another cup...just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

CHERRY MISTMAS!!!

Running Shoes On

I have never understood running.

But, I do like shoes.

While on a recent flight I took the time to read the inflight magazine and came across some very cool running shoes that I thought were worth a second look.

SKORA Running shoes are made in such a way that the center of your foot does the work and not your heel.  The goal is to give as close to a natural stride as possible.

Plus they are pretty cute.

 So here are the reasons:
 

And here is some technical stuff about them.

I especially like the side laces, totally brilliant.

And here is a cuter picture of them.

And here is some more running stuff for the runners out there!

All images and graphics from SKORA

No Regrets

I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.     
~ Lucille Ball ~

   

Girl Power

Today, Google is celebrating the 197th birthday of Ada Lovelace with a homepage doodle that honors her contributions to computer science.

Source: Google.com

 

Holiday Party at the National Zoo

 Host your holiday party 

during ZooLights!

Dazzle your guests at your company’s annual holiday party with a sparkling new touch: ZooLights! Envision guests grabbing a warm mug of hot chocolate or mulled wine to sip as they walk through the very popular light features at the National Zoo before entering a transformed indoor exhibit. Enhance your holiday experience with the following:

• Experienced event planner dedicated to your holiday event
• Greet your guests with a candy cane martini or Bailey's hot chocolate
• Have Panda Claws stop by to say hi to your guests
• Ride our holiday trackless train

Indoor Venues

Amazonia Habitat Reception Capacity: 150 Details	Small Mammal House Reception Capacity: 200 Seated Capacity: 100 Details
Amazonia Science Gallery Reception Capacity: 200 Seated Capacity: 125 Details	Think Tank Reception Capacity: 150 Seated Capacity: 75 Details

 

ZooLights Dates

November: 23, 24, 25 and 30
December: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14-23, 26-30
January: 1
Note: Check with your event planner on options for non-ZooLights evenings.

Planners

Kelsey Thompson	Amy Gaus	Ashley Chinnici
202.633.8307	202.633.3068	202.633.3063
Email	Email	Email

***I have personally worked with the Zoo Event Staff and

 they are amazing and the spaces are very cool and a lot fun.***

MIXED Medium

Artist: Donald Baechler 

Source: Novogratz FB Page

ZooLights!

ADMISSION IS FREE! 

5-9 P.M.

NOVEMBER 23-25, 30

DECEMBER 1-2, 7-9, 14-23, 26-30

JANUARY 1

ZooLights is brighter than ever! More than 500,000 environmentally-friendly LED lights transform the Zoo into a winter wonderland. Lit animal silhouettes, musical light displays, and a new garden scene light sculpture make for truly magical sights! 

For more information visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/zoolights/

Pluck a Thistle

Picture Perfect

Thanksgiving is done and the holiday season has officially begun!

Inspiration comes in many forms this year.  A delightful blog post by Cathy of Pear Tree Greetings gives the top tips when taking your holiday photo this year.

Clothing:

Light Colors

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Right photo by: Ashlee Raubach

When the whole family is wearing light colors, it focuses attention on the darker colors in the photo, such as facial features, hair color, or the beautiful scenery in the background. We like a mix of light colors, which looks more natural than everyone wearing the same color.

Dark Colors

 Photo by: NikkiJamesPhotography.com

The dark colors this family is wearing make them stand out against the lighter sky and field. The dark blue color solidly grounds them and gives them the appearance of a tight unit, which is a nice subliminal message for a family photo.

Bright & Casual

Photo by: thearthurclan.com 

The playful poses of the kids match the playful colors in this photo, and help the kids stand out against the gorgeous fall colors in the background. Letting the kids wear something they’re comfortable in can also make the photo shoot go a little more smoothly.

Backgrounds:

Stark

Left photo by: Ashlee Raubach; Top right photo by: thearthurclan.com; Bottom right photo by: Ashlee Raubach 

A background without a lot of color, such as a snowy landscape, monochromatic field, or an urban setting, will keep the focus on you and your family. Even subtle colors will pop, like they’re hand-painted onto the photo (as in the winter scene at left) while dressing everyone in bright colors (like the other two photos) can make a completely different statement.

Colorful

Photo by: Laci Davis Photography
A brightly colored background can give your photo a ton of attitude, but it might call for simple, black and white clothes so the family members stand out. In this example, we notice Mom, Dad, and son first and then realize, with a smile, that their daughter blends right in with the fun surroundings!

Matching

Image: Tis the Season to Sketch Horizontal Christmas Cards
If you love the color of a certain Christmas card, have one or more people in the family wear something in that color, even something as small as a hair bow. That way, it looks like the photo and the card were meant for each other.

Creating Contrast for black & white photos

Image: Fresh Poinsettia Vertical Photo Christmas Cards and Gingham Photo Greeting Cards.

If you plan to make your photo black and white, creating contrast between light and dark colors will make it more interesting. Light colors, whether clothing, faces or background objects, will stand out the most. To draw attention to the faces in your photo, wear clothing that’s darker than your skin tone. Keep white clothes to a minimum, and avoid dressing everyone in mid-range colors which all turn to gray.

Now that you know you are ready for the 
perfect picture this holiday!

Blog Information Source: Pear Salad a blog by Pear Tree Greetings

Everyone Can Help Someone

  “We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

    ― Ronald Reagan

A Pie to Try

As the menu for this Thanksgiving continues to grow, homemade pie has now been added to the list.

I have NEVER made a pie before but this recipe from allrecipes.com has rave reviews.

No pie is complete without a personal touch.  Thankfully Style Me Pretty and Pinterest stepped up with the perfect pin.

 

Not sure which design I like best, but this inspiration is surely making my mouth water with ideas!

In One Hour

Wikipedia is the go to for quick information about ANYTHING.  

And now they are asking for help.  They want me and you and everyone who has helped make it the #5 site in the world to donate.

"If everyone reading this gave $5, our fundraiser would be done within an hour. Please help us forget fundraising and get back to Wikipedia."

So take a minute and give, because you use wikipedia, because you found and extra $5 in your pants, because it is that time of year or because you know it is the right thing to do.

 

The Grand Tourista

Travel is on my mind and I do not often travel light.

The Grand Tourista by Jason Wu for St Regis Hotels & Resorts.  This extremely limited-edition travel tote is a perfect blend of worldly travel and St. Regis sophistication.  Debuting today on Moda Operandi until November 22nd, you can reserve this exclusive bag!

 

After that you can find it on the St. Regis online boutique.

Private Pinning

To my delight Friday morning, Pinterest sent me a note that started my day off right!

SECRET BOARDS!!!

I have personally been emailing anything I didn't want the world to follow on my boards and this was JUST what I wanted and needed.

Here is the best part of the note:

Today, we’re excited to continue this tradition with a new feature we hope will make Pinterest even better—secret boards. Secret boards give you a place for things you’re not quite ready to share yet, like a surprise party, special gift ideas, or even planning for a new baby. We’re testing out the feature by giving everyone 3 secret boards. You’ll find them at the bottom of your profile. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

On behalf of our team here at Pinterest, thanks so much for pinning, inviting your friends, and sending us ideas for how we can improve. Most of all, thanks for sharing your inspirations. With your help, we’ll make Pinterest a little better every day.

—Ben & the Pinterest Team

 Mine are set and going, even though you will never seem them!  

Here are just a few of my public boards.

KMDoyle on Pinterest

UO in MontCo

Moment of History

    “ We live in a moment of history where change is 

so speeded up that we begin to see the present 

only when it is already disappearing. ”

    ― R. D. Laing

Mosaic Moments

Getting photos from off your iphone and onto your walls is about to get even easier.

Presenting Mosaic.

20 images.
20 dollars (plus tax and shipping).
 4 days.

Simple.  Gorgeous.

 

 

Celebrate all of your life moments.

 Hey Mosaic

Changing Shoreline at Shorehaven GC

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Florale

As Seen on Julib:

Perrier-Jouët has unvelied the Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Florale Edition by Mokoto Azuma - the first limited edition design of cuvée Belle Époque since the creation of its iconic anemone bottle by Emile Galle. The renowned Japanese floral artist created the unique bottle with a single delicate botanical arabesque dotted with white Japanese anemones - the original flower chosen by Gallé. In Mokoto's version, the flowers are suspended in a three-dimensional frame where the composition of white, green and yellow take inspiration from the sensation of champagne inside the mouth and the delicate movement of ivy and leaves. Of course, his tribute to Gallé's anemones revives history and connects a glorious past to a gorgeous present.

The artist spent months in his floral studio studying the bottle and flowers to create the perfect scene. The result breathes new life to the brand and iconic look of Perrier-Jouët Belle.

Go Wild - Gabon's Gamba Complex

 

Join Smithsonian's National Zoo scientist Dr. Alfonso Alonso and learn more about this little known—but immensely diverse—part of Africa: Gabon’s Gamba Complex.

• Please join us following the lecture at a reception with complimentary beer, wine, soda, and light hors d’oeuvres.
• Try your luck at a silent auction with unique items available to bid on.
• Have an opportunity to speak one-on-one with keepers and researchers about the Zoo’s work here and abroad.
• And purchase T-shirts, notecards, and other items to round out your holiday gift list!

 

 

Event Details

When: Thursday, November 8, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Smithsonian's National Zoo Visitor Center
Admission: $15 for FONZ members and $20 for nonmembers

Buy Tickets

Not a member? Join now to get the member rate.


100 percent of the proceeds of "Teeming with Life" will go toward improving the Cheetah Conservation Station and helping to bring new African wildlife species to the Zoo.
Questions? Contact Rebecca Sohmer at 202.633.4456 or email.

"Teeming with Life" is sponsored by the African Wildlife Ambassadors, a group of Friends of the National Zoo volunteers who are working to help the National Zoo help African animals at the Cheetah Conservation Station. Learn how you can help

Best Friend

Setting Hues

 

Design Seeds

Bloody Good Time

 

Brunch bites & Bloody Marys, who could resist?

This month is all about Breakfast for The Washingtonian.  Hopefully you saw more then one restaurant that you wanted to try and now is your chance! 

The Details:

Saturday October 20th, 2012

Long View Gallery

1234 Ninth Street NW

WDC 20001

11:00am - 1:30pm

$55

Valet Parking Available

For Tickets

Photo Credit: Washingtonian Magazine

Bonkers

Source

DB in DC

Looking Forward

You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever – because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow you heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

~Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

A Flea in her Ear

Opening this Friday at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville, Maryland.

A fresh and playful take on this classic romantic farce, the play brings an amorous and scheming cast of characters together at the Hotel Coq d'Or with hilarious results.  

For Tickets: Click Here
Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Dr., Rockville, MD 20851 

Be sure to check out the stellar performance of Romaine Tournel by Noah Steurer.
That guy has star power.

Photo Source