Bake My Day!

Ashley and I work together at Bar Lubitsch.  I've known her for over three years and not only is she a wonderful Bartender and Friend she's an incredibly talented Host who is very well-known in the On-line Cooking Community as she's had multiple shows airing on YouTube, Snapchat, and also Verizon.  Ashley invited her other friend, Nicole (who also works at Lubitsch with us) and I to be a part of her 'Bake My Day' show presented on YouTube and sponsored by Nestle Tollhouse.

We filmed at the end of Summer for a Thanksgiving-themed episode where Ashley was baking White Chocolate Pumpkin Macadamia Nut Cookies.  We talked about 'Friendsgiving' which I've become quite familiar with out here in LA since I usually go home for Christmas, so getting back to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving was out of the question.  I certainly wish I would have gone home for it this past year...I'm sorry I couldn't surprise you like you wanted me to, Mom, but I'm really glad I was able to talk to you and tell you how thankful I was for you.  'Friendsgiving' is where your friends get together and celebrate the Holiday with some of the traditional fixings while bringing new treats into the mix as well.

It was such a fun day on-set, joking around with the girls, eating some tasty cookies, and celebrating Thanksgiving just a couple months early.  Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday because it's about being thankful, spending time with family and friends, and is one Holiday that is pretty much all about the food!  And you all know how much I love to eat :D

Check out our episode posted above and I hope that you decide to try some White Chocolate Pumpkin Macadamia Nut Cookies on your own...but don't eat all the chips like I do!

Heaven Gained an Angel

I apologize for my sudden disappearance here on my blog...my life completely changed over a month ago.  Early Saturday morning on December 5th, my Mom was hit by a car in which the driver lost control on the icy road, and she killed about 50 feet from our driveway in Wisconsin as she was nearly home from her twice daily walk.  She was young, she was healthy, she had plenty of life to live, and she was my best friend.  I obviously wasn't in a place to write here or be creative partially because I was so busy helping my family, spending time with all of them, taking on the daily tasks that my Mom did, and trying to understand why this could happen to someone so wonderful.  I know that everything happens for a reason, our life is predestined for us, and that God must have needed her in Heaven more than we needed her here on Earth.  But that certainly doesn't make the days, hours, or minutes go by any easier.  I miss her more than I ever thought was imaginable.  I talked to her nearly every day on the phone and sometimes twice a day or more.  I'd call to tell her what my plans were for the day, if I was going out, when I was heading to work and had some time to talk, when I was waiting between auditions, to find out what she and Dad had planned for the night, how her job was going, excited about when we'd get to see each other next, about guys and going on dates, and pretty much everything else.  I could tell her almost anything, gave far too many details at times, but I know she always appreciated that honesty, and that was important.  I've been trying to take things one day at a time, while some are easier than others, that last month while I was back in Wisconsin was really just a blur of emotions and emptiness.  The last two weeks here in LA have been jam-packed, which has really been great.  My friends have kept me so busy and booked all my time between all of my jobs so that I have something to do.  The support from everyone has been unwavering and appreciated beyond any words that I could say.  Thank you everyone for your patience, support, love, and kind words; they have helped me through this time and will continue to do so as the days, months, and years go by.  Thank you to my readers for allowing me a safe space to share my life and moments with all of you. 

My Mom meant so much to so many people and I'm grateful to be her forever little girl.  I pray for strength every day...I love and miss you, Mommy <3

Life Changes...

If I hadn't already realized it on the day that I got my new tattoo in November, I definitely know that life changes in the blink of an eye.  I tend to get a new tattoo after a major realization and I love the ink that I got at Black Diamond Tattoo!

It's got the three Heavenly Virtues, Faith, Hope & Love, and is concentrated on Hope as an Anchor.  Hebrews 6:19 (also my Birthday, June 19th) talks about Hope anchoring the Soul and I refuse to sink.  Justin Jakus did the tattoo in under an hour from design to execution and it turned out beautifully.  I'm so glad he was able to bring my dream to life.  

I did write a Yelp review for Black Diamond Tattoo in Venice if you're interested in checking out the Shop or seeing more of Justin's work!  He gets raving reviews for a reason :)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/black-diamond-tattoo-venice-3?hrid=Gxpbj1ARoWB8uosJDyPXdg&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Special thanks to my roommate for coming with me to hold my hand in case I got nervous.  Justin had the lightest touch, so I barely felt a thing!  I'll definitely go back to Black Diamond for my next tattoo but I know my family hopes that's not for quite some time...I still haven't completely convinced them on my little moments of rebellion and freedom ;)

Thanksgiving Karaoke & Friendsgiving

With Thanksgiving being this past week I decided to group together our Pre-Thanksgiving Karaoke with Friendsgiving on Thursday!  Let's start off with Karaoke on Wednesday...

Bon Jovi "Shot Through The Heart"

No Doubt "Don't Speak"

Celine Dion "Power Of Love"

Journey "Separate Ways"

This past week we had Pre-Thanksgiving Karaoke so I had people sing songs or artists that they were thankful for.  We had a big crew of people come through so it was a super busy night!  I'm thankful for Bon Jovi, a band I remember hearing as a young girl while I would have sleepovers with my best friend in grade school, and for seeing them perform Live on 'The Ellen Show' years ago with my roommate, Ashley.  I'm thankful for No Doubt as they were the first alternative band I listened to, introduced to them by my brother, I remember many Summers skateboarding and rollerblading in the driveway to their music.  I'm certainly thankful for Celine Dion, a powerhouse, and one of the first Karaoke tapes I had, that I started singing to when I was younger.  My new song that night, "Power Of Love" was the first song I had heard of hers.  I always loved Journey, but I truly fell in love with their music when I was at a Summer picnic in Wisconsin and listening to a Cover Band play all genre's of music.  The female member took the lead on 'Separate Ways' and it's been one of my favorite songs ever since.  It gave me the confidence to sing songs by male artists and try music I would have never sang before.  It was a really fun night of great music, thankful friends, and celebrations.

For Friendsgiving this year I went over to Jamie's for a fabulous Foodie meal!  I had made fresh Cranberry sauce flavored with Orange and Bourbon.  I'll get the recipe up here on my blog just in case anyone wants to try it for the Holidays!  I also did my Crock Pot Lava Cake which was perfect and molten.  There were appetizers, a salad course, your traditional Thanksgiving food: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Beans, etc with a fabulous spin to all of it.  Everything was amazing and each course was paired with wine and was so delicious.  We all watched Football and also played some "Taboo" as well.  Of course, Thanksgiving isn't complete without watching a Christmas movie so 'Home Alone' it was!  With all the food, I knew I was going to have a Thanksgiving feast a couple more times before the weekend was over :)

Heading over to Jamie's for Friendsgiving, Jamie and a delicious Goat Cheese and Crostini, Lily working on the Green Beans, a full plate of Thanksgiving food, Ben working on a drum stick under Edward's watchful eye, and this gorgeous red that was smooth and had lovely cherry notes...Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite Holiday...it's about spending time with family and friends, eating incredible food (make that a lot of incredible food), watching Football all day, and being thankful for everything in your life and what's yet to come.  I wrote this blog two years ago and it's still spot on and a fabulous reminder of everything I have to be thankful and happy for: http://lyndseywegner.blogspot.com/2013/11/happy-thanksgiving.html  What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?  Do you have a specific food or tradition you do every year?   I'm certainly thankful for all of my readers...I appreciate your support and love!  Happy Holidays!

November Karaoke

It feels like November just flew by and that it was just Halloween and now it's almost Christmas!  Karaoke has been a little slower this month except when my family was visiting me and then last week when we all celebrated Pre-Thanksgiving (but I saved last week's Karaoke for the next blog).  It was a really fun month of Karaoke!

Pat Benatar "Invinceable"

Michael Jackson "The Way You Make Me Feel"

Tracy Chapman "Give Me One Reason"

Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way"

10,000 Maniacs "Because The Night"

Bread "Make It With You"

Eric Clapton "Layla"

Linda Ronstadt "Just One Look"

Meatloaf "Paradise By The Dashboard Light"

Starship "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"

The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony"

Bill Withers "Ain't Not Sunshine"

3 Doors Down "Here Without You"

Staind "Right Here Waiting"

Fiona Apple "Criminal"

Richard Marx "Right Here Waiting"

Roxette "Listen To Your Heart"

Shania Twain "Still The One"

Les Miserables "I Dreamed a Dream"

How cute is my Dad getting
ready to sing Karaoke!

My whole family was in town visiting from Wisconsin that first week in November.  In fact, I even got my Dad to sing that night; he sang Alice Cooper's "Ballad of Dwight Fry" and that's the first time he's sang on his own at Karaoke (might even be his first time ever).  My voice was going out and I was trying to protect it for our final show that weekend of 'Thenardier's Inn' but I was able to sing my new song "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac on request by my Mom and Dad.  I also did Pat Benatar for my Mom and 10,000 Maniacs for them as well.  The second week was really slow but Jamie and Nick came in so it kept us all occupied for a little while.  I sang a duet with Marcus first, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" and it went far better this time than it did when we first did it a few years ago.  I also sang "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship with Nick and I think that was the first time I sang it.  It's such a great 80's song and reminds me of the movie it was in, 'Mannequin' with Andrew McCarthy & Kim Cattrall.  I did a variety of songs that night including my new song, "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve.  That was really difficult and I'll have to find a new key for the next time I try it but that's the point of trying new songs, finding what works and what doesn't.  The next week we started off with a Staind super-set  with the help of Marty to start off the night.  My new song was "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, another fantastic song and it was perfect for my voice.  I also sang Shania Twain "Still The One" which I performed in a talent contest about 15 years ago!  Jamie and I closed out the night with songs from 'Les Miserables,' since it had been a fairly quiet and chill night of good music.

It tends to get slower in November and December with a few busy shifts as I try to get the Thanksgiving theme and then the Christmas and Holiday music theme in December before I head back to Wisconsin.   We'll be doing our Christmas Karaoke on December 16th so get your songs ready now and get into the Holiday spirit!

'This Isn't Funny' Movie Premiere

'This Isn't Funny' Premiere

Earlier this month, the Hosts at Afterbuzz were invited to the movie premiere for 'This Isn't Funny' which was produced by Maria Menounos & Keven Undergaro, our Afterbuzz TV Founders, along with some other very talented people.  One of the taglines was 'Meeting the right person at the wrong time can be the best thing for you.'  I knew it was an Indie Comedy and looked fun and quirky so Katie (my 'Supernatural' Co-Host for the past two years) and I decided to attend the premiere!

Katie & I before the movie!

It was so cold that day and it was raining in LA but we bared that chilly Fall day and met up at the Crest Theater in Westwood for a few quick photos on the red carpet and then made our way into the theater.  'This Isn't Funny' was also directed by the main Actor, Paul Ashton, and the other main Actress, Katie Page, and they had also written the screenplay.  There were a few comedians in it as well as some recognizable actors, Mimi Rogers, Anthony LaPaglia, and Danielle Panabaker.  

It felt like the movie flew by...and before we knew it, I had laughed, felt some really heart-felt moments, cried, an open-ended semi-happy ending and then it was over.  It was super funny, quickly-paced, touching and something that most people can relate to, and was honest.  Paul and Katie had fabulous on-screen chemistry which made sense when we realized they were actually dating in real-life.  They are an adorable couple and have a fantastic movie on their hands.  You can actually buy it on iTunes now: This Isn't Funny on iTunes but I am so glad I was able to see it in the theater!  It stayed in the theater for a week and I really hope it did well, the cast and crew truly deserve it.

Not only was it a fun night out supporting our Afterbuzz family, Katie and I got to hang out together (finally) and see a great movie.  I'm so appreciative of all the opportunities Afterbuzz has brought my way and look forward to all the awesome events in the future :)

Party on Wayne! Party on Garth! Happy Halloween :)

This year for Halloween I had picked out my costume a couple weeks earlier since I knew I was going to a 90's Themed Halloween Party!  Thankfully, Rachel decided to be the Garth to my Wayne from 'Wayne's World' and we were all set.  Excellent :)

Wayne & Garth

Neil and Chris have their Annual Halloween Bash and spare no expense...the house is decorated with spider webs, pumpkins, Halloween posters and more.  There are libations of every shape and kind, some snacks, a killer play-list (90's music this year with some Halloween favorites - you have to groove to "Get Down Goblin") and everyone is dressed in costume or they don't gain access to the party.  This year I made my Salsa (Healthy Salsa Recipe) along with some Cupcakes and also came up with a Shot that we called Sangria De La Muerte or Blood of the Dead.  It was similar to a Margarita with a little Strawberry and then Grenadine to create the blood.  Both the Salsa and Shot were a hit!

Party on Friends!

Rachel and I had a blast playing Wayne & Garth, using some of of our favorite lines from the movie, which we had watched the week before as a little refresher course for the costumes.  'We're not worthy!'  'Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?'  'Schwing!'  All night longSamantha came as Rachel from 'Friends' and was the perfect blonde Rachel.  Jamie was 90's Catwoman, aka the Michelle Pfeiffer era, and was sensational!  The costume fit her like a glove and she rocked it!  There was a Buffy & Angel from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer,' dead Jack Dawson from 'Titanic,' (seriously incredible make-up skills) Poison Ivy also from 'Batman' and the two lovelies who created post it's, that would be Romy & Michelle (totally great and random costume idea)!  I knew we'd see some people from 'Clueless,' there was Mike Ditka, a little 'Terminator' action, Chris was Jeff Jeffries from 'Rear Window' and Neil was Marilyn Manson from three different time frames, changing costumes, wigs, and make-up.  It was by far the quickest I've ever done anyone's costume make-up so thankfully he had some photos for reference.  And of course Neil had three costumes...it wouldn't be Halloween if he didn't!

It was nice to hang out with my friends all together, take pictures of everyone throughout the night, serve up the House Shot to all the new arrivals (seconds and thirds for some of us), make some new friends, and celebrate Halloween 90's style!  Party on Wayne!  Party on Garth! 

Catwoman, Rachel, Ditka, Garth & Wayne
Ditka, Jeff Jeffries, Marilyn Manson, and Benny Mardones

Well, that just about wraps us up...see ya next year and Happy Halloween :)