Designing Woman

The JONSBO OROD table lamp at IKEA.

While the "slushpocalypse" continues on outside, there's nothing like a little DIY home decorating to fill up a weekend indoors! Following last Sunday’s cable re-wiring, and the prior Saturday’s painting party and Target shopping spree, this weekend, I’m focusing on the next step: lighting! Check out these table lamps from IKEA that I’m considering for the end tables next to our couch. Cute, right? Our apartment redesign has taken on a more modern motif so the clear glass design fits right in.

Other apartment must-haves that I've discovered along the way? Take a peek:

This Red Poppy Shower Curtain.
This wall mirror from IKEA.
These Paris-motif Kitchen Towels from Sur la Table.
Weeds Wall Art from CB2.

A Snowy Night

The kids from Peanuts try to catch snowflakes on their tongues.

The size of the snowflakes this morning made me think of one thing — Lucy Van Pelt and the gang from Peanuts. Remember in A Charlie Brown Christmas when they try to catch the individual flakes on their tongues? In case you forget (or have never seen it before), watch it for the first time here. Happy winter wonderland everyone!

Staying indoors tonight? Try this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis for Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. YUM!

Dance Party

The training floor at CLAY.

As far as fitness goes, it's always much easier when you're doing something you love. That's why the Cardio Dance class at CLAY in Union Square is the perfect way to mix up your weekly routine. The one-hour class is a work-out, but perfecting your dance moves after doing 30 minutes of in-class cardio to the beat is the best antidote to a long day at the office. Dancing isn't your thing? Maybe try TRED, a treadmill interval training class that puts spinning to shame. Or Abs Blast, described on the Website as an "intense and direct hit to the abdominal region." Whatever your pleasure (or weakness), CLAY's zen-like space has options for all.

My Weekend

Tracy McGrady plays his first game for the Knicks.

Courtside at the Knicks game to watch TMac? There was no better way I could have possibly spent my Saturday night. Even though the Knicks lost in overtime at the buzzer, the game was a season-changer for the team. The crowd — although missing Spike Lee — was at its best, and the addition of Tracy McGrady reminded me of another time in basketball when the tables suddenly turned. When the Boston Celtics added Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to their team roster.

Another Knicks player I'm a huge fan of? David Lee.

I [Heart] Diet Coke

The re-designed Diet Coke cans for The Heart Truth campaign.

As a long-time Diet Coke drinker — and in honor of Valentine’s Day this weekend — I thought I’d call attention to Diet Coke’s partnership with The Heart Truth. To celebrate American Heart Month, the campaign is providing 28 days of inspiring, heart-healthy tips to help you commit to getting (and staying) fit. Not only that, you can donate your My Coke Reward points to the cause (Diet Coke will match your donation!) and help do your part to support heart health programs for women. To get your daily dose of inspiration all month long, click here.

Besides, how cute are the redesigned cans?

Breslin on Broadway

Abigail Breslin on the February cover of New York Resident magazine.

She's sweet and she's quirky — the latest star to grace the cover of New York Resident, Abigail Breslin is mature beyond her years. But she's also a kid. At the age of only 13, she is set to play the young Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, opening February 12 on Broadway. It's her theatrical debut, but Breslin is feeling more than prepared. Read my interview with her and find out exactly who she wants to see seated in the front row on opening night.

A Winter Pause

NYC Blizzard on 2/10/10.

A very peaceful way to start the morning in New York. A children's book that I love about the snow? The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Please Don't Stop the Music

Citizen Cope.

Seeing a Citizen Cope show at the Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg is definitely not a bad way to kick off the week. Especially if it’s accompanied by food from Blue Ribbon Restaurants. Add to that, a few songs performed with the soulful, the impressively talented Alice Smith. No, not a bad Monday night at all.

Download "107 Degrees" featuring Alice Smith on iTunes.

My Weekend

The entrance to the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA.

It wasn’t an easy reservation to get, but as luck would have it, this weekend I managed to secure a Saturday afternoon reservation to see the Tim Burton exhibit going on now through April at the MoMA. The place was packed, but even though we had to move at a snail’s pace to look at each piece, it was completely worth the time it took to wander through. The entire exhibit was perfectly curated, down to the Beetlejuice-themed entrance lined with HD-TVs streaming clips from The World of Stainboy. The coolest part about the exhibit? You really get to see Burton's process, and understand how from the very beginning, his career was meant to be.

Up next for Burton? Alice in Wonderland opens this March.

“Oscar, Oscar, who will win?”

Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington in Avatar.

The nominees have been announced — including all 10 for best picture this year. I have to say, after *finally* joining the masses and seeing Avatar on Friday night, that film has got to be it. There’s no way James Cameron can lose. That film is a work of genius, from the story, to the cast, to the 3-D imagery, to the score. And let’s not forget Cameron’s unfaltering dedication to authenticity in his work: he hired Paul Frommer, a linguist at the University of Southern California, to create the Na’vi language spoken in the film. Like I said, he just can't lose.

My Weekend

Cocktail hour at Elizabeth.

This weekend brought me into Elizabeth for Saturday night cocktails and dinner with a friend. Known for their drinks, I ordered the +64, a mix of tequila, agave nectar and kiwi. My friend got the Double Down, another tequila-based cocktail, this one with cucumber puree, lime salt and chili pepper, fixed to be as hot as your tastebuds can handle. The drinks were fantastic — the company, even better — but I couldn't help but think back to my favorite place for cocktail hour in Boston: Eastern Standard. There, the Au Provence was my drink of choice. A vodka gimlet made with tarragon and lime, it is skillfully mixed at the hands of the restaurant's staff mixologist Jackson Cannon. Sipping an Au Provence (or two...), to me, ES was always the place to be — for cocktails, dinner and more.