12 days of my favorite Christmas Movies

	12 Crafty Germans
	11 Songs by Danny Elfman
	10 Charming movie stars
	9 weeks on Broadway
	8 Bullet wounds to the back
	75 pound fat suit
	6 Intruding in-laws
	5 Minutes of Michael Caine singing and dancing!
	4 Mischievous Mugwais
	3 of Bill Murray's brothers
	2 Home-Alones
	And a Red Rider BB Gun........

Top 10 Things I am Thankful for!

Top Row:
1. The most incredible little man who changed my life for the better from the second he was born!  I am so amazed by how much he has grown up in the last 16 months, and I cannot wait to see the wonderful boy he will become.
2. My loving husband who puts up with me every day.  I don't know how he does it, but I just know that I am incredibly lucky to get to spend my life with him.
3. Our wonderful home and all of the other good things in our lives that we are extermely fortunate to have.
4. The first baby in my life - Cash is still the best dog anyone could ever ask for!  I know that when Blake stops pulling his tail so much they are going to be best friends.
5. My mom and dad, who have supported me throughout my life and always had faith that I could do anything that I put my mind to.  A lot of the good things in my life would not have been possible without them and I hope that I can provide the same for my children.

Bottom Row:
6. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece Adalyn....nothing makes me smile more then spending time together and watching Blake and Addie play together!  It makes me think of happy memories of being young and playing ninja turtles with my brother, or supermarket with my cousins.
7. My extended family in Chicago - especially the newest addition, Olivia, who joined our family right before Thanksgiving and gave everyone something to be extremely thankful for.
8. All of my wonderful friends across the country - although I don't get to talk to or see all of them as much as I'd like, I always hold onto the memories that we have shared over the years.
9.  Good food - like my new favorite pumpkin pie recipe!  I am so lucky to have a husband who lets me try new things in the kitchen, and appreciates trying new places as much as I do.
10. Having had the opportunity to see so much of this wonderful world!  Sometimes it seems unreal when I think back on all of the amazing places that I've been throughout my life but I will never forget how really blessed I am for those opportunities.  They helped shape who I am today and I really believe that I am a much better person from it.


Happy Holidays to everyone and please take the time to appreciate the great things, both big and small, that make up your life!

Top Ten Favorite Things....Week of 11/12

Top Row:
1 - Getting excited for Thanksgiving Weekend!
2 - Black Friday planning - stops on the list: Target, Toys R Us, Best Buy & the Mall
3 - Enjoying a large bottle of wine while watching the election coverage w/Eaphis
4 - Enjoying a night out with my boys

Middle Row:
5 - Random picture of Blake that I got to brighten my day
6 - Surf & Turf at Morton's steakhouse

Bottom Row:
7 - Angry Video Game Nerd movie trailer
8 - Blake's Christmas school pictures
9 - Beautiful weather over the weekend and getting to spend some time enjoying it
10 - Epic Rap Battle - Obama vs. Romney...thank you Chris for sending this one along!

What's for Dinner....Shepard's Pie

Considering the reaction that this got from the Beef, I have a feeling this is going to be a wintertime staple in the Boehmke household.  This was a quick version of the classic (only took about 30 minutes total!) and a good use for some of Blake's favorite things - leftover mashed potatoes, baby carrots, frozen peas.  Quick, comforting, and delicious = perfect.

What's for Breakfast...Chai Banana Bread

Another banana bread was on the menu for the week.  I accidentally added more spice to the bread then was called for, but luckily all it did was increase the Chai'ness (new word?) of the bread which is a plus for me.

What's for Dinner....Fancy Pasta Dinner

To celebrate the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook, I decided to cook Eaphis and myself a late dinner of her tasty recipes.  All were delicious!  Can't wait to meet her in December and get my book signed.

Yummy Cavier and Creme Fraiche on Rye Bread

Mustard and Gruyere Bread Sticks - first time using puff pastry and very happy about the results

"Straw and Hay" Pasta w/Gorgonzola, Peas, and Prosciutto

Perfect end to the night - Mexican Hot Chocolate w/Cinnamon Doughnuts

4 more years!!!

Just want to take a moment to enjoy the wonderful feeling I had waking up this morning;  I know that the last four years haven't been perfect, but I still have HOPE that this country is going in the right direction and that the future is getting brighter for my little man.  Also wanted to share this awesome Thank You email that my dad got from the man of the hour himself...makes me unbelievably proud of him and all of his hard work:

David --

I'm about to go speak to the crowd here in Chicago, but I wanted to thank you first.

I want you to know that this wasn't fate, and it wasn't an accident. You made this happen.

You organized yourselves block by block. You took ownership of this campaign five and ten dollars at a time. And when it wasn't easy, you pressed forward.

I will spend the rest of my presidency honoring your support, and doing what I can to finish what we started.

But I want you to take real pride, as I do, in how we got the chance in the first place.

Today is the clearest proof yet that, against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests.

There's a lot more work to do.

But for right now: Thank you.

Barack

Top 10 Favorite Things...Week of 11/5

Top Row:
1. SPLURGE ALERT - New Coach bag....couldn't help myself...it's like it was meant for me
2. Getting through Hurricane Sandy with power and no damage.  Thoughts go out to my friends who weren't as lucky
3. Finally getting my ass back on the treadmill

Middle Row:
4. Lunch with Sarah - excellent conversation and excellent pizza w/figs and gorgonzola
5. Halloween movie watching with Eaphis - Carrie and Paranormal Activity 3
6. Top Chef Seattle starts this week

Bottom Row:
7. Keeping the HOPE alive
8. New Ina Cookbook..first recipe coming this Friday
9. Slightly obsessed with The Voice...didn't watch the first 2 seasons but loving it
10. NERD ALERT - New Nancy Drew game came out...all about Tesla...super nerd alert

Steps to a making the perfect Chili

When the weather changes, it's only a matter of time before we get the Chili bug at Team Boehmke.  Over the last few years, I think I have put together a great recipe for what I see as the perfect chili.  Without giving away too many of my secrets, here's a few of the principles that make for a wonderful, cozy bowl of chili.  I may just have to cook up another batch on Sunday!

	1. A large, strong Chili pot - I stole this one from my parents (sorry) but it is the best
	2. A variety of delicious meats
	3. Lots of good veggies including peppers for spice
	4. Chili beans - know that a lot of states find it sacrilegious to include beans, luckily I do not live in one of them
	5. Spicy ketchup...Wegmans just happened to have this super fancy kind that I'd been wanting to try (delicious by the way)
	6. Load it up with Worcestershire sauce...can never get enough
	7. Special seasoning blend - change it up to fit your spice level
	8. Let it simmer for at least 6 hours and ENJOY!

Top Ten Favorite Things....Halloween Edition

Top Row:
1. Blake's Chicken costume - got our money's worth out of this one!
2. Yoda Pumpkin
3. Taking Blake trick or treating for the first time
4. Dad as a Viking...he went to go pick up pizza like this too
5. Costume party at the Little Gym w/Mimi and Grandpa

Bottom Row:
6. Costume parade at daycare...got to admit got a little bit teary seeing him march around
7. Addie in her Tinkerbell costume
8. Addie in her bear costume
9. Happy Halloween Morning in our Skeleton TShirt and crazy hair
10. Happy Halloween Night in our pumpkin PJs

Top 10 Favorite Horror Movies

Let me start off this list by saying that I am a HUGE baby when it comes to scary movies.  I will be scared for days, weeks, sometimes months after I watch one, and very often will watch a good portion of the movie with my hand over my eyes.  In addition, there is nothing I HATE more then torture porn movies....so you will never catch me watching a Saw or a Hostel or a Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  But I do enjoy a good scare every now and then, so I've made a deal with Jon that if a horror movie comes out that gets really good reviews, I will reluctantly agree to see it with him.

The movies I've included in this list are movies that I not only got a good scare out of, but have great storylines that I could (and do) watch over and over...despite the resulting nights of bad dreams.

	I get scared just thinking about the last image in this movie and it is the reason I will never go camping in the woods ever again.
	There's a reason that this movie is my pick for October.  It's really underrated so if you haven't seen it, give it a look.
	I am reallly deathly afraid of zombies and hardly ever watch movies with them...but I love the re-make of Dawn of the Dead.  Mostly because Sarah Polley kicks so much ass
	Obligatory Hitchcock inclusion....but seriously this is my favorite Hitchcock movie of all time
	I really think that the Paranormal Activity movies did the near impossible and have created a complete trilogy of 3 equally great movies that perfectly build off of each other
	I've said for years that if M. Night Shamalyan would just stop writing his own movies, he would be an amazing filmmaker.  His eye for color and his ability to set the perfectly unsettling mood is incredible.
	I've seen this movie at least 50 times...while the scare-factor has died over the years, I can still remember being terrified watching this in the theater.
	Again, despite the zombies, an awesome movie.  Holds special place in my heart because this was the first movie Jon and I watched together before we started dating.
	I've also seen this movie at least 50 times....and nothing has been lost over the years;  still as good and creepy as it was in 1991.
	Stanley Kubrick's the man...that's all there is to say