I recently stopped by Brasserie V for a little feature in Madison Magazine... 

This place is so cool!  If you go, you must try the mussels and fries (Moules-Frites) and you also have to grab a Belgian beer!  I'm not going to write much about the place because I want you to read the article when it comes out.  But here are some pics!  Love my little lunch dates with Channel 3000 editor Hannah McClung!

Dannika Lewis is such a riot. She recently held a holiday party and used an app to turn her bedroom into a photo booth.

This one is Insta Booth and is made for ipads... what do you think?!

I'm going to work on an Android app - the PhotoBooth app looks like it might be similar.  I'll let you know when I try it out!

In no particular order, here's a brief look at our first Christmas in Wisconsin.  So far, so good.  It is really beautiful with the sun and the snow... and it is quite a joyful time to live here.

I discovered this sledding hill in Madison.  And, Auto Awesome through Google Plus (that's what running this effect on the pic.)  Anyone know where this is?  (Answer: Elver Park)

The sledding seems pretty intense.

I worked on Christmas Day and attempted to learn how to produce a newscast.  My executive producer, Jess, is awesome and brought us these delicious red velvet donuts from Dunkin' Donuts... totally worth re-sharing the pic again.

Our friends Cara and Carlos (and baby Celia) invited us over for Christmas dinner.  It was amazing.  Jim and I only took one pic, and it was pretty stellar... 

And for the first time in a long time, Jim and I exchanged a few small gifts.  It was just nice to unwrap something this year... I got him a little jacket, a hat, and a watch... he got me a little TV for my kitchen and a Chromecast.  By the way... if there's a gift to give this year, it's the Chromecast.

And we got free pie at work.  My fave?  Always key lime pie.  Happy Holidays!!!

This just happened.  Minnie and Piper met Santa, and they loved him.  Did you know this Santa owns a rottie, too?

My friend Karen, formerly of Johannsen's Greenhouse, told me about this picture-taking-event last week.  It's put on by Dog Face Training and for $5, we got our pics taken of the girls!  The donation went to OccuPaws.

I love it all.  I have never had the girls take a picture with Santy Claws... and since we're all still alive, I'd say it was a success!

I am really looking forward to prom this year, although I'm not expecting an invite!

This year, I'm helping spread the word about an event called All Dressed Up, sponsored by the Junior League of Madison and Klinke Cleaners.

It's as simple as this - people donate their gently used or new dresses, and girls who want or need them, come and get them.  It's such a great program and it helps hundreds of area teens each year!

I'll be posting information throughout the year here, but online registration starts in mid-February and the event itself is in March.  Citrine on State Street just donated more than 80 dresses for the event!! That is tremendous.

TONIGHT:  I'll be at Sip and Shop, another League event, to talk about #ADU2014 and to go holiday shopping!  Join me!

Facebook:  All Dressed Up
Twitter:  @jl_alldressedup

We are meeting nearly every week to finalize one thing or another with the event.  Love getting ready for #ADU2014 and can't wait to see all of our celebrity shoppers at work!

As many people know, adoption touches my heart.  I was born in Korea but raised in Missouri.  My parents are Charles and Sharon Sherwood, and they're pretty cool people.  

But many more children in the world are still in need of forever families and forever homes.  And below, there's a special message from David Kim - a wonderful man who is loved and respected in the adoption community (to say the least.)

A friend of mine sent this video to me (thanks, Beverlee!) because I am one of "all those children" Mr. Kim mentions in the video.  And, yes, I even made an appearance around the 3:38 mark, much to my surprise.

Mr. Kim wants to remind folks that during the holiday season, we often reflect on the blessings in our lives.  It's also a good time to remember the children who are suffering and may never know the warmth and love of a family.  

It's heartbreaking.

The need is critical today in North Korea, where the people have suffered through years of agriculture disasters and a very depressing economy.  Conditions in orphanages are especially dire, where vulnerable children often go without food, medicine or warm clothing to protect them from the harsh winters.  Even more sad, joining a loving family is not currently an option for these children.

Holt International, my adoption agency, is trying to bring critically needed items to those orphans.  If you're looking for a cause this holiday season, a gift of $50 or more would help deliver warm clothing and food.

In the meantime, here's a message from Holt President Emeritus Dr. David Kim.  He worked alongside my hero, Harry Holt, and together, they cared for children in South Korea after the war.  I am thankful for his compassion and willingness to take action.  Without angels like him, I would not be able to share my gratitude of living in this beautiful country with my awesome family. 

Cheers and happy holidays!

I know there are more pressing things happening with the cold weather, but I thought I'd be cheery for a second.  It is downright cold, and I realized I've never bought a proper winter coat.  

Well, great minds think alike because Dannika Lewis and I have practically the same coat!  Thank goodness for Michael Kors and Kenneth Cole.  My coat, by the way, was a Black Friday purchase at Macy's.  Very good deal if you're looking.

We started Secret Santa today at work.  Mine totally gets me.

Here's how we do it.  We spend $5 a week on our person, and we give gifts on Friday.  Then, on the last Friday, we can spend $10.  

If you ever considered grocery delivery, let me tell you... it's pretty amazing.  This is my personal experience from Fresh Madison Market--the only place I'm aware of that delivers in Madison.

First of all, you just go online.  And order.  It's pretty simple.  Then, the folks at the store will even find out if there's a sale concerning your product.

For example, I didn't know that green beans were on sale for buy one get one (BOGO.)  So, that means that I ordered 10 cans and got 20!  Talk about service!  

The sames goes with sour cream.  I got two and only ordered one!

They give you a two hour window of time for delivery.  I requested between 9 and 11, and the guy showed up at 9:45.  I placed my order overnight, so I think that's a pretty quick turnaround.

Some things to consider -- if you live outside of the downtown area, you'll have to pay a $5 fee.  Everyone should also pay a tip.  I gave my delivery guy 20%.  Also, you'll want cash or a check for the tip because there was no spot to add a tip on the receipt.

IDEA: If you buy things that are on SUPER SALE that week, you could really get some incredible deals to level out the cost of the delivery!  It depends on how you want to work the numbers, but during a week that I really needed something like this, it was amazing.

I usually go grocery shopping for myself, but on a first impression, this was pretty cool. 

If you know me, you know I get geeked out pretty easily.  But, I LOVE This new video from Google+!  (BELOW)

WISC got a nice mention from Google in the latest Google+: Media video!  It is awesome to see so many people I've met on Google Plus in this video, from Maria Quiban in Los Angeles to Nancy Loo in Chicago.  It's just a nice honor to be mentioned with folks who are using technology that makes a difference in the way we communicate.

The video clip used is from our coverage of a breaking news event, when police were searching for a person carrying a gun, and perhaps going through the campuses of UW and Madison College in downtown.  Both schools were on a "shelter in place" -- I think it might as well be called a lockdown, but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, it was an interesting social media experiment.  I expect those will continue.