I'm a mess. Ho ho ho.

It's been almost a month since my last entry, so first I'll do a quick list of bullets of what we've been up to, for those of you keeping track of my life (ahem, Mom). Then we can talk holidays.

Thanksgiving 08: What a fantastic holiday. We hosted members of our "chosen family" at the house this year, and it was just wonderful. My friend Tony the Chef did the most amazing things to our turkey--brining in brandy, shoving garlic & rosemary under the skin next to the meat, stuffing with apples and oranges. It was one of the most moist and delicious turkeys I've ever tasted. All of our friends brought delicious sides and snacks, actually, because they are classy like that. For my part, I baked 2 loaves of dill bread and 3 pies: pumpkin, pecan, and apple with a lattice-top crust. I hope to get caught up on photos over the next week or so, but suffice to say they all came out gorgeous! Good food, good wine, great friends--GREAT holiday.

Seattle Trip: The first week in December Mac and I went to Seattle to visit friends, do some business, and enjoy some proper chilly weather. Not that I'm complaining about our fabulous SoCal weather, but it's hard to get into the holiday spirit when it won't stop being 80 degrees outside (the weather has since changed, thankfully). This trip was PACKED, and as usual we ran out of time before we got to do everything or see everyone. We got a lot of great business done, striking up some fun partnerships and strengthening our Seattle press relationships. We got to see some of our favorite people on the planet. And we ATE. Oh, my God, we ate our way through that city. Someday I'm going to write the Mac & Dinah Guide to Seattle, with a list of must-sees, must-dos and must-eats. The newest revelation was The Black Bottle in Belltown. YUM.

Family Portrait Time: Yet another separate blog post in the making, we took family portraits with Mac's family at Sears the second weekend in December. We wore coordinated outfits and posed uncomfortably (at one point I was laying on my stomach). Mac's family all look happy and natural in all of these photos. I look like a robot.

Which, okay, I'm actually checking my calendar to remember what all we've done this month. We took the LA division of our awesome staff out to a holiday dinner, after video chatting with Scott and his lovely wife. The whole team chipped in and got us a Wii Fit. I'm choosing not to take this as a personal commentary on my need to lose weight, but as an amazingly intuitive and thoughtful present that we actually had every intention of buying for ourselves. They also got us a game that you play with your butt. Awesome. Seriously, we employ the best people on the planet.

We also hosted a holiday party for one of our clients, which went off perfectly and inspired a separate blog I need to write about throwing parties. Because, for real, I pulled that thing together in about a day, had tasks for everyone to help me with, and did the whole thing BEAUTIFULLY and under budget. I'm not bragging; I'm just good.

Everything else has just been a mad scramble to get prepared for the holidays. I always stress out about Christmas, every year. What do I get? Is it too much, not enough? Why do I put it off every year? Christmas cards still haven't gone out--it might be a New Year's/Wrap Up card this year. Plus I'd love to do a "Best of 2008" mix... but I never even finished or mailed out my Summer 08 mix. Oh, I'm a mess. Ho ho ho.

So that brings me up to date. The checklist of future blogs I just mentioned includes: photos, Seattle guide, family portraits, how to throw a fabulous party, and Best of 2008 mix. Yeah, we'll see.

Thanks for checking back on me, even though I haven't been updating. I appreciate everyone who reads Puffpiece, and hope you're all enjoying a fabulous holiday season!!

LOVE IT.

These things are currently making me very happy:
1. The Campo Gorilla Reserve is finished and open at the LA Zoo! I've been peering through the construction walls at this for the last three years I've been going to the zoo regularly. Mac & I have donated money with specific hopes that it helps fund this project. The old habitat was sad, y'all. In fact, on our first trip to the LA Zoo, we found a lot of it to be a little sad. But we also saw how many animals they've rescued, bred, and returned to the wild if possible, and we saw little construction sites all over the grounds, just waiting to flourish and become proper habitats for our beloved animals. And this one is done.

YAY.

2. This candle, purchased at Anthropologie for $15, smells just like Autumn.

LOVE IT.

3. Thanksgiving is coming. In fact, Mac & I get TWO this year, and one of them is tomorrow. For those of you thinking it might be delightful to have the McLeans over for Thanksgiving, or perhaps celebrate at our house one year, let me tell you--it IS delightful. And delicious, for I am in charge of Dill Bread, cranberry sauce (with orange & ginger), and apple pie with homemade crust. I made a practice pie this past weekend for my friend Mikey in DC.

PERFECT.

Pie!

It's a short week here at work and everyone's on vacation, which should be great? But it's requiring more concentration and work than I expected, and it's been a struggle for me. Partly because I'm so tired, having stayed up til midnight or 1 a.m. the last couple nights in preparation for company, and still getting up early for work. Mostly, however, it's because every corner of my mind is starting to become occupied with thoughts of turkey and gravy and cute napkin rings and place settings and PIE. A quick peek inside my brain this week:

Boss: I need this report to be on my desk first thing Monday morning.
Me: Pie?

Client: Hey can you switch out the links on this page of your site?
Me: Pie!

New hire: Can you show me how to do this?
Me: No problem. Pie pie. Pie pie pie. And also pie. Got it?

Coworkers: Can you help me with this annoying thing I should probably do on my own, but you could do faster?
Me: *sigh* PIE.

it will be GLORIOUS

WELL. Okay. Hi! It's been awhile. Let's see here...

Halloween was fun! We got the house decorated at the last minute and I carved two pumpkins. We went to three parties, I stole my friend Amanda's idea and went as Little Dead Riding Hood and no, you may not see pictures. (Corpse Dinah = not pretty.) My friend Anna came over on Halloween night and we gave out tons of candy while drinking wine, talking about boys and playing the American Idol Scene It game. (Except really, we were just singing karaoke into the toy mic. Did I mention the wine?) Overall: Fun holiday!

Next up: Thanksgiving! I've already bought too much crap. I'm just so excited!! We're going to have a full house this year, dinner for 9 or 10, AND my sister and her husband are coming out from Minnesota. YAY!! We're going to drink some of the delicious wine we've picked up in Napa & Australia, eat copious amounts of turkey and bread and gravy and mashed potatoes, and it will be GLORIOUS.

On a somewhat unrelated note, mAc and I have come to realize that the A-list of people we hang out with in LA, the ones we call most often, the ones who call us most often, the ones most likely to show up at movies & parties? Actually are the A-List: Allistair, Amanda, Alf & Anna. It may look suspiciously like we just can't be bothered to move farther down the address book when making plans. In reality, however, they really are just the coolest people ever. Trust me.

What else can I tell you? Work is kicking my ass, and that is enough on that topic. I'm toying with the idea of ballet classes. I know, what the hell? I'm also thinking about starting running. You can stop laughing aaaaaany minute now.

I guess I will just leave you with one of the prettiest pictures I've ever seen. Our friends Sarah & Ben in Australia got married last month, and they just sent out their photos. The photographers were absolutely fantastic, and this is only one of many fabulous shots they got.

Aren't they a pretty couple?

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the Arrowead Ramada in Phoenix, AZ! We've driven over the desert and through the holiday traffic to a hotel near Grandmother's house. A lovely hotel with paper-thin walls, close proximity to traffic, a noisy refrigerator, and 2 double beds so that we can sleep right next to my sister in law and her husband, who snores.

Today, I am thankful for Tylenol PM.

But Seriously. I love Thanksgiving, and I love that it gives us materialistic, self-absorbed Americans a day to reflect on what's important.

I am thankful for my family, who is enjoying good health. I am thankful that my mom's hip surgery went well and she can now walk without pain. I am thankful for my beautiful husband, who's currently quizzing me on my "Manifesto of Evil" and tickling my toes as I type this.

I am thankful for good friends--the friends I've made in LA with whom I've become so close, and the friends I've made all over the country throughout the years who continue to stay in touch.

I am thankful for mix CDs from friends, Veronica Mars, book recommendations, and that I get to see The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on the big screen this holiday season. I'm thankful for my beautiful red Fluevog boots I got earlier this year, and will be wearing to Thanksgiving dinner today. I'm thankful to have gainful employment that allows me to buy fabulous boots.

I'm thankful for our beautiful house, and I am SUPER THANKFUL that it's finally done enough to enjoy... for now. I'm thankful for Captain Awesome, and for his fabulous foster parents, who loved him so much they volunteered to keep him with them this weekend.

I'm thankful for a million other things. It's been an amazing year. I hope everyone is enjoying a fabulous Thanksgiving today.

Happy Thanksgiving

This year I am thankful for many things.

I am thankful to have a loving, amazing family in good health. I am thankful for my fiancee who loves me and swears he still wants to marry me even when I'm feeling bloated and stressed and cranky. I am thankful for all my amazing friends, from the new friends in LA to the old friends that are all over the country. I'd especially like to give a shout out to Kate and Conrad who have been supplying today's turkey, stuffing, and wine.

I'm also thankful for iPods, mom's Dill Bread recipe, Sephora, a car that works, The OC, Johnny Depp, M.A.C. concealer, John Fluevog shoes, TiVO, Patrina at Frenchy's Salon, blue states, rain, BCBG's new bridal line, Marix margaritas, JJ Abrams, and chocolate chip cookies.

What are you thankful for this year?

Gobble Gobble

It's that time of year again. Time to turn the kitchen upside down looking for the Egg Dish recipe, get this year's travel plans fixed (we're off to the Bay Area) and, of course, get on the wait list for your very own delicious holiday-flavored soda from those creative cats at Jones Soda.

Truth be told, I actually don't know if Turkey & Gravy Soda is delicious--I enjoy both turkey and gravy, but suspect that in carbonated form the flavor falls a little, well, flat.

Of course it's a novelty, right? It's a PR stunt for the folks at Jones, and I say good on 'em. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Peter van Stolk at a marketing conference, and he is one funny dude. Creative, too. Did you know that you can submit your photo to Jones Soda and they'll print it on the bottle? Wouldn't you be more likely to buy Jones Soda if you could get a bunch of bottles featuring Captain Fluffykins, your pet bunny? Exactly. The guy's not stoopid. Even if he does think people might actually drink soda that tastes like green bean casserole--it is sold out, after all.