Conquering the cold.

This guy knows how to do it.
(http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/North_America/United_States/West/Alaska/photo571652.htm)

Winter wonderland.

I'd take that for Christmas. So gorgeous. Someday I will experience that for myself.

(image found here: http://www.trekearth.com/members/themunchkin/).

It's most definitely that time of year again.

Let the daily listening begin.

"...Oh (tinsel) Christmas Tree..."

We set up our first Christmas tree together this past week. Instead of taking our chances with the cats climbing, or knocking down a large tree, we decided (or rather, I convinced Andrew) that we should set up my great grandma's antique aluminum tree. As you can see, the cats weren't really entertained by it.

Since we try and make eco-conscious decisions in our house, we went out and bought some new "warm" LED lights to try out. I have never been particularly fond of LED lights but I thought I'd give the "warm" white a try. We learned a valuable lesson that night...LED lights, no matter how "warm" they claim to be, will turn your reflective aluminum tree into something that resembles an intensely radioactive cone of light. Needless to say, the lights are going to be on their way back to the store soon, I'll find other ways to conserve energy.

Some of the ornaments that made it onto the tree are ones that have been in my family for a long time. The santa above was made out of egg cartons and cotton balls by my great grandpa. Others are ones that my parents had been saving for me since my first Christmas. The newest addition to the collection is an enameled whale ornament that Andrew and I bought on our honeymoon.

I've really enjoyed spending time by the Christmas tree this year. It's really making this winter a little more cozy.

Dear Santa,

I just fell in love with this turntable.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Andrey

(Available for an obscene amount of money here: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=973625&parentid=QUICKSHOP&navAction=jump)

Thinking of Alaska.

I've been looking into some alaskan art recently. My search has sort of been all over the place consisting of Native American art as well as those who are professionally trained. These two paintings of the aurora borealis really caught my eye. Personally, I feel that it's rare for an artist to capture this natural phenomenon without it looking overly dramatic and cheesy but there is something about these that is very genuine. I have this idea in my head of the Alaskan wilderness being a very quiet place. These paintings are quiet to me. 

(Byron Birdsall - "Aurora")

(Sydney Lawrence - "Northern Lights" - A print of this actually hangs above Maurice's mantle in Northern Exposure.)

Laura Palmer would die for this...

I was stream of consciousness browsing on Ebay and came across this gem! Seriously, a Twin Peaks board game? AWESOME!

What the cuss?

Andrew and I went to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox last night. There was so much about it that was...fantastic! The incredible amount of tiny details in every scene was one of my favorite aspects of it. I feel like I need to watch it another two or three times before I could really take it all in. I loved how some of the characters even seemed to take on the features and expressions of the voice actors. Compared to Anderson's most recent films, it was a change to not see super saturated blues and yellows in the imagery, but it was a nice (and necessary) change.  And of course, the soundtrack was excellent. I can't wait to get a copy of it, the Beach Boys really did it for me. I would recommend this movie to anyone. It may be based on a children's story, but it's certainly made to appeal to everyone.

Today I found some great stills of my favorite, Bill Murray, on the set.