What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends! The first week of December is over—can you believe it? (I can't.) Though I've spent most of this week trying to fight off a really annoying cold, there were some highlights, the sparkliest of which was our office holiday party last night, which is always fun. This year it was a held in a space that I kept describing as "like a library—but instead of library books on the shelves, there's wine!" Not bad.

This weekend I'm hoping to finally kick the damn cold, spending some quality time with ACS, hopefully getting my oil changed (ugh) and maybe, finally, picking up my little tabletop Christmas tree, which I planned to do last weekend but which fell sadly by the wayside thanks to the aforementioned cold (wah, wah). What are you guys up to?

Oh, and if you're in the mood for some reading:

An oral history of Freaks and Geeks. (Vanity Fair)

I love Chris Messina and The Mindy Project. (Did you know he had a small part in You've Got Mail, my favorite romantic comedy ever?) (NY Mag)

Not an article, but this video—of Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, Mariah Carey and some adorable kids singing "All I Want for Christmas is You"—is pretty much guaranteed to make you smile.

And in case you missed it, here's a link to my first-ever holiday gift guide (so fun to put together).

Have a great December weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday. xoxo

Photo: Audrey, via. 

The Great Fridge Debacle of 2012.

I've told you about the Great Refrigerator Debacle of 2012, right? That week back in October when my fridge decided to die and my lovely landlord didn't get me a replacement for a full week? Those were seven dark days, and I'm fairly certain I went through several stages of grief: Denial (that the fridge was dead), anger (that I had to throw everything away, and then later that the fridge was so delayed in its arrival and I had to spend so much money on takeout), depression (that I couldn't keep basic items, like my beloved almond milk, in the house)...it was not fun. And I complained a lot, as my friends and family can attest. (Sorry, guys.)

Anyway, I now have a new fridge and it works perfectly. But for that awful week that I was fridge-less, I was thinking about refrigerators so frequently that I spent a lot of time on the Internet doing research on them (no, really). That's when I was reminded of my love for Smegs. In my dream house, there is not a stainless steel refrigerator or one that is designed to match the cabinets or walls—no, there is a Smeg. (Probably a pastel green one to match my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer.) I love the fridges' vintage-y feel, their rounded edges, their everything. Now if only I had an extra $2,000 laying around...

P.S. I've typed the word "fridge" seven—now eight!—times in this post, in case you're keeping track.

P.P.S. I was thisclose to titling this post "A Smeg for Meg." You're welcome.

All photos via West Elm.

Buttered toast with honey.

Sadly, there was no brioche or orange gingerbread with cream cheese frosting to be made this weekend. No, after attending a fun benefit on Friday night (to which I got to wear a black sparkly dress I'd been hoarding for a year), I came home and discovered that my ears and throat were in a lot of pain, and I spent Saturday morning feeling super-congested, nauseated for a period of time and then, finally, just exhausted. The idea of trying to leave the house was totally overwhelming, so I didn't; instead, I let my little cat Zadie snuggle with me (she's a good nurse), slept for hours and ate a lot of toast and tea.

I love toast when I'm sick because it reminds me of my mom; whenever my brother and I weren't feeling well growing up, she'd stick a couple slices of bread in the toaster, let them get brown, then lightly butter them, cut them into strips and serve them to us. Comfort food at its best, I say.

So I did much the same this weekend, only at some point I was inspired to add a drizzle of honey to the buttered toast, and I don't know if it's just my fuzzy head talking or what, but you guys, it was so delicious. The crunchiness of the toasted bread, the creaminess of the butter and the sweet smoothness of the honey are perfect together, and I know the last thing you need is a recipe for toast, of all things, but you should try this. Really. And not just when you're sick.

Photo: Dimity Jones for Simply Breakfast

The Pink O'Clock 2012 Holiday Gift Guide.

Gift guides are a funny thing. On the one hand, I think they promote materialism in a way that I'm not very comfortable with during a time of year when I (maybe naively) think the focus should be on spending time with friends and family. And the really cynical part of me thinks that they're a way for advertisers and the not-so-ethical bloggers out there to make money via affiliate links and sponsored posts. (There are, of course, plenty of responsible bloggers who create sponsored posts and use affiliate links and are transparent about all of it, and they're absolutely excluded from that statement.)

But on the other hand, I really love picking out treats for people I love, and as I've been clicking through my favorite online shops and websites these days, I've found myself mentally cataloging items that would make perfect gifts for specific friends and family members. So I thought I'd share that catalog with you here today, as promised. The following 11 items are things I'd buy in two shakes of a lamb's tail for the people on my shopping list, and I hope you enjoy reading about what I picked. And hey, if gift guides aren't your thing, come back tomorrow, when we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming.

A piglet for Monday.

Just because.

(She is so overwhelmingly cute it makes me want to cry. Do you ever feel like that? Please say yes.)