Wine night on the square.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I don't pass up an opportunity for a nice glass of wine and some girl talk. It had been too long since our last hangout, so I proposed that Rebecca and I go out for some wine. She suggested Barriques on the square, which turned out to be the perfect place for wine and treats.

I walked across the square in the 30 degree weather, which really isn't that bad when moving quickly (when standing still, it's dreadful). Rebecca and I ordered wine and treats and hung out upstairs.

The place was quite crowded and they ran out of wine glasses, so Rebecca was given a Stella glass instead. Classy.

I enjoyed a fruity white wine and some lemon poppyseed cake, while Rebecca opted for an adventurous red wine and a pumpkin chocolate truffle. For those who haven't caught on yet: I drink like a prissy girl and Rebecca drinks like a film noir starlet. What else is new?

This was an ideal place to chill out: open late, affordable food and beverages, and judging by the abundance of laptop users, they seem to offer free Internet. Cheers!

A moo-worthy birthday for my dad.

I went home to North Carolina for 5 days over Thanksgiving, which coincides with my dad's birthday. Inspired by my new Wisconsin residence, I decided it was only appropriate to give my dad a cow card for his birthday. It was quite a hit at Thanksgiving dinner.

I know, I know, we look quite alike.

The card says "Holy cow! It's your birthday!" inside. Too perfect.

Team trivia: Madison style.

Anxious to test our random knowledge of seemingly useless information, my knitting friends and I went to The Brass Ring for team trivia today. Our team name: Purls of Wisdom (get it?).

My friend Kat ordered an Ale Asylum Contorter Porter (a beer made right here in Madison):

Would you care for a side of yarn with that beer?

I have noticed that people in Madison place a high value on the local production of food and beverages. It's unusual for me to live in a city with so many locally made products, and I must say that I applaud this effort.

As luck would have it, a Madonna question came up at team trivia. To say the least, I am a diehard Madonna fan. I have seen her three times in concert, I have every song she's ever released in my iTunes library, my brain is filled with useless Madonna facts, and in 20 years of competitive figure skating, I have performed to her songs more than any other artist. The question was: What number one song by Madonna was written by Babyface? The correct answer: "Take A Bow".

Needless to say, I was thrilled that my Madonna knowledge got us 6 points!
PS: Look at me successfully knitting cables for the first time!

When everyone in the bar correctly answered a question, free "flapjack" shots were distributed (orange juice, whiskey, and butterscotch schnapps):

Because I had to drive to the rink after trivia, I opted out on drinking.
Kat and Bronwen look oh so happy about their shots!

Kat's response to the shot: "That really does taste like Sunday breakfast."

Purls of Wisdom placed in the middle of the pack out of 15 teams. Not bad for a trio playing against large groups! 

Good friends, knitting, trivia, & locally made products: a lovely weekend in Madison, indeed!

Saturday at the farmers' market: how 'bout them apples?

With the winter weather approaching, the Dane County Farmers' Market has relocated indoors to Monona Terrace. Designed by Madison native, Frank Lloyd Wright, Monona Terrace is the perfect alternative to the outdoor market, offering a great view of (you guessed it) Lake Monona.

I wandered around the indoor market, where I discovered Romanesco broccoli:

Picture perfect, isn't it?

I continued browsing and decided to pick up a few goodies:

My loot from the market: cherry jalapeño jelly and two large empire apples.

My friend Kat and I met up at the market and decided to go to Marigold Kitchen for brunch. I was craving an omelette, so this was the perfect place to go. Luckily, we beat the crowd and found a table.

My veggie & cheese omelette with toast, salad, and sweet potatoes.

The pumpkin cake was calling Kat's name:

Cream cheese frosting!

Farmers' market + brunch = perfect Saturday.

October poll results are in...

After 15 votes, the results are in...

Are you rooting for the Green Bay Packers?
Yes! - 6 votes
No! - 5 votes
I couldn't care less. - 4 votes

Perhaps this little guy was in charge of tallying the votes.

Show some love for buttery goodness and check out the November poll on the right!

Are all Wisconsinites warm-blooded?

Fall is in full effect in Madison. The trees on Mifflin street are donning gorgeous hues of orange while I'm on the prowl in my vegan leather western boots and my favorite vintage coat.

While I believe that I am properly dressed to brave the windy climate, I have observed that many Madisonians tend to disagree with my idea of proper fall clothing. Last week, I saw a mother and daughter perfectly comfortable in flip flops. Today, I saw multiple people wearing short sleeve tees in the parking lot at Target. Isn't it November? Didn't I just put all my summer clothes in a drawer to make room for sweaters in my closet?

This leads me to my question: are all Wisconsinites warm-blooded? Have the sub-zero temperatures and heaps of snowfall made them unaffected by climate change? If yes, I can only hope that I will some day partake in this Wisconsin climate immunization. Until then, I will cozy up in my turtleneck and marvel at the tank tops on passers-by.