Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Burlap Banner by atcompanyb

Recipes for Thanksgiving!

So Thanksgiving is coming up next week and if you need a little help coming up with a dinner plan, I've gathered several interesting (and tasty) looking options on the web that doesn't seem too hard to make. Just click on the photos or links for the recipes, which are a collection of side dishes, desserts, and miscellaneous stuff (like pumpkin puree, good for other recipes :)

Apple Bombes, via Zap*

Meat Keeps Holiday Guests Calm

If you haven't noticed in the past years of your entire life, everyone gets a little antsy during the holiday season. Whether it's finding parking, Christmas shopping, or grocery shopping for big holiday dinners, people are a little more nuts than usual. Sometimes I wonder why we can't all calm down a little, but I'm probably hypocritically plowing through an aisle of toys while wondering said thought. Thanks to researchers (or people who are eternally curious about other people) and just in time for the biggest dinner party coming up in a few weeks, research suggests that meat actually makes us less aggressive. (Sorry vegetarians! Be warned that there will be lots of pictures of meat).

5x7 English Bulldog Thanksgiving Card by snowy4052002

Sweet Tooth = Sweet Personality?

Just in time for Halloween, let us ponder whether having a sweet tooth equals having a sweet personality. After all, we do use taste-related words to describe others -- in fact, I just used "sweet" to describe a type of personality :) We use words like "honey," "sweetie pie," and "cupcake" to positively describe kind and caring people, and use words like "bitter" and "salty" to describe not-so-likeable people. Once again, I've been reading The Body Odd and they've found a couple of studies that claim individuals with a sweet spot also show sweet behaviors.

Halloween Ghost Brothers Cupcake Toppers by mimicafeunion

Pumpkins

Maybe it's a little early for a post like this, but I'm seeing a lot of fall-inspired items on Etsy and it's transitioning me into the mood for autumn. Pumpkin hits the spot right now, and since I'm a little hungry, everything's going to be food-related. Ready?

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin and Spice Truffles by estheraguirre

Are You Affected by the Weather?

I can't believe that it's September already! I love summer because I love the hot temperatures, sunshine, and longer days. Now it's all coming to an end as autumn slowly (or actually, rapidly) approaches. Just thinking about it makes me a little sad. I've noticed that my mood is directly affected by the weather and I think that's the case for many many people. Have you ever felt that your moods are tied to the weather as well?

What Summer Means To Me by Kristybee
Yes, I want to live the kind of charmed life evoked by these photos.

Thanks to studies done by psychologists (they never let me down), there is evidence that weather does indeed directly affect the moods of some of us. Now we can say we're not making this stuff up when we blame our crankiness on the rain (or the sun).

Toasty toes

It's getting frosty in New York. I'm still not used to the cold after these few years and I wonder when I'll be able to jump into the snow in a t-shirt (like my husband does sometimes). I'm one of those people who take off their shoes and wear slippers in the apartment so I've been thinking of investing in a new pair of warm winter slippers lately. My open-toed summer slippers are leaving my toes a bit blue. I can imagine myself curling under a sofa throw with my feet peeking out in some of these super cute slippers!

Blue Comfy Soft Warm Slippers by aykelila