2009 September

Heavenly Pumpkin Brownies

September 29, 2009

Make these NOW, but don’t eat half the pan or you’ll feel a little sick. Trust me.

Heavenly Pumpkin Brownies

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs well, add in the sugar and butter and mix well. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix. Add the flour and spices and mix well. Spread in a 9 X 13-inch greased pan.

2. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

3. To make frosting: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until just mixed, careful not to over mix.

When the brownies are cool, frost. (I only needed to use about 1/2 of the frosting.) You can sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the brownies, if desired. Cut into squares and serve. Enjoy.

Obsolete

September 28, 2009

Guys and dolls, this is awesome.

The gist? It’s a book that highlights more than 100 subjects that are totally fading into obscurity, such as:

1. Mix tapes (I made some rad mixes in my day; 78% of which included this song.)

2. Getting lost

3. Porn magazines

4. Camera Film (Still buying 35mm for my Holga and DAMN PROUD OF IT. Take that, Obsolete!)

5. Cash

6. Operators (Remember dialing 0 on the phone? And, like, a REAL person would look up a number for you?)

7. Body hair (Haaaaaaa.)

This book won’t disappoint, you have my word. I laughed and laughed and laughed some more.

hair thursday makeover 77

September 24, 2009

sabra_before

Sabra’s hair:

Very thick and relatively unruly
Wavy
Large gray streaks
Normal to dry condition
Looking for a style that takes advantage of her natural waves
Open to new products
Petite frame with a small face

From Sabra’s email:

I’m desparate for direction. Bangs? or No? Keep growing? More layers? Smoother? Change the color? Anything goes! I’ve shaved my head in the past, cut my own bangs with a knife on a moving boat, colored it black, plum, brown, let it go naturally grey, then dyed it back. My only requirement is that whatever style I have be reasonably executable given that I get up at 5 in the morning to work east coast hours from New Mexico.

I’ve reached a delicate age (41) where I feel like having more hair is a flattering choice, but I’m struggling with how to manage the copious volume without looking deranged. I also want to maintain an edge (I’m a rock star — seriously I have a band and we gig) while also looking like I could work in an office (which I do). I would probably like to keep growing it a bit, but really I’d rather look sharp than have long hair for its own sake.

Sabra is making a salon visit this weekend, so let’s get started with her questions.

Bangs? No. (At least not short ones. Too many cowlicks.)

Keep growing? Maybe. I think a cut just above the shoulder would look great, although Sabra has a great face for a below-the-ear, wavy bob.

More layers? Well, layers always help with making waves beautiful and bouncy.

Smoother? Yes, and a curl-enhancing creme will work wonders on Sabra’s hair. (It will reduce the “crispy” look that I notice in her before photo.)

Change the color? Yes. The tones in Sabra’s hair are looking a little bit brassy. I would love to see a brunette look with subtle golden highlights – similar to the options below.

sabra_options

Be sure to check out other gorgeous celebrity hairstyles at Daily Makeover!

If Sabra decides to go shorter, I like Marcia Gay Harden‘s naturally wavy bob. With a couple of wave-enhancing products, she could wash, air-dry and be done for the day. Using a styling lotion or creme will definitely help give Sabra the smoothness she is looking for – I would recommend staying away from gels and/or mousses to keep from the crispy curl look. (Also, be sure to apply product with a light hand. A quarter-sized dollop is more than enough in most situations.)

However, I am loving Sophia Bush‘s layered bob for Sabra. It’s totally youthful, flirty and bouncy with tons of shine. I like the long sideswept layer sweeping across the front, which would really accent Sabra’s blue-green eyes. Plus, it could be smoothed out for work, but definitely gives a rockstar vibe when worn wavy.

What do you think?

I can’t wait to see what Sabra decides this weekend. We shall soon see….