The Atlantic shows women’s progress in the world economy, and how far we need to go

Narrow the Gapp is a web project for the National Equal Pay App Challenge. The challenge is by The National Equal Pay Task Force of the U.S. Department of Labor. Attention builders: if you’re interested, you still have 23 days to submit.

This foreign correspondent talks about motherhood and career under some extreme life circumstances.

And Forbes says the inventor of Spanx is the youngest female self-made millionaire.

The iPad announcement was yesterday, so today’s crop of contextual stories are popping up.

Mashable gives the 9 features that matter.

Marco Santana wrote for today’s paper that Apple’s move to 4G LTE technology is a significant one.

And lastly, #JonathanFrazenhatesTwitter.

TechCrunch says a March 7th Apple announcement will reveal the new iPad 3, an invite that exploded on Twitter, hashtag OMG.

Speaking of Twitter, you’ll start seeing ads on your Android and iPhone Twitter apps, something desktop and mobile web users saw previously.

If you searched for something embarrassing years ago like ‘Tim Tebow’s girlfriend’ and would prefer advertisers not know about your secret celebrity crush, you may want to clear your search history ASAP.

It’s also worth actually reading how the Google privacy policy is changing if you use this stuff regularly.

In local tech news, Des Moines Startup Weekend is Friday-Sunday. Marco Santana will be on it.

So when Stevens, 28, became engaged last month to Neil Roberts, 29, she got on Pinterest, a virtual pinboard site, and started planning.

“We’ve had to move things forward as fast as we can,” she said of her 7-month engagement time. “Pinterest has been a great tool for me.”

When she started thinking about her wedding, Stevens first turned to the glossy, heavy magazines she imagined she’d pick up someday. She flipped through, but the pages fell flat for inspiration.

Engaged couple Jodi Stevens and Neil Roberts (The Wedding Format/Special to The Register)

She found that inspiration tool at Thinc Iowa, a tech convention held last fall in Des Moines that featured Ben Silbermann, co-founder of Pinterest (and former Des Moines resident). When she attended the October event, his concept impressed her.

“He seemed to really understand the value of design and user experience,” Stevens, marketing programs manager at Palisade Systems, said.

It also helped her find an idea for wedding “save the date” invitations. Two concepts – one “tying the knot” invite and another of a couple holding a string with the date – helped her hone an idea of combining the two. And she found both via Pinterest.

See Jodi’s wedding inspiration board

Besides seeing different ideas, the site helps organize the ones she likes.
“You can have all these things together on one beautiful page,” she said.

She’s shown it to her wedding planner on her iPad, sent the page to her bridesmaids and showed her mother that burlap table runners can be classy.

“It helps remove that barrier of communication by showing it,” she said.

Pinterest has also helped her figure out the little details from a big, general concept she and her fiancé started with, such as favors and thank-you notes.

Besides communication and inspiration, Stevens says Pinterest also helped her with an idea about milk bottles by seeing them in context of other pins on the site.

“It was validating that my idea could work,” she said.

She’s since found and bought 20 pieces of milk glass for décor.

Here’s how she uses it: she follows some people, mostly strangers, whose style of wedding or event décor she likes. She also finds pins by clicking on the wedding & events category on the Pinterest main page, which shows her pins from people she doesn’t necessarily follow.

“I think a lot of people use Pinterest for wedding inspiration,” Stevens said. And since you can click through the photo, she said she’s also used it as a finding method for information.

Pinterest is starting to change things for brides, says Kelly Sparks, 30, owner of Socialize event planning and management in Des Moines.

“It allows for more of a collaboration,” she said. She’s seen the evolution of DIY and blogs in the past few years become a bigger factor for brides, but Pinterest makes inspiration boards easier.

A self-professed Pinterest addict herself, she says she’s a contributor on a group board with the other bridesmaids for her sister’s wedding. She also finds ideas for events.

“When I talk to a bride in our introductory meeting, I usually ask if they’re on Pinterest,” she said.

Samantha Gass Martin, 26, got hooked on Pinterest from her wedding photographer, who was based in Michigan but sent her photos on Pinterest. She used it to find things with her peacock-feather wedding colors, but said she wished she used it more during the planning phases.

The West Des Moines resident now uses the site more as a newlywed, finding ways to organize her and her husband’s apartment, as a source for easy recipes, and for ideas for her job as a teacher.

Stevens currently pins items to a wedding inspiration board on Pinterest. “I think Pinterest put the fun back in wedding planning,” she said.

Looking for more wedding content? The Juice Magazine wedding issue publishes Wednesday.

But if you’re not a meat eater (like me) or have vegetarians or vegans attending your Super Bowl soiree, you may be looking for some options that are also delicious for omnivores.

Here are 5 delicious ideas:

Blue cheese ‘hot wing’ dip: The disclaimer says it all. This is to be made with full-fat ingredients. Vegetarians can get a taste of hot wings without the actual wings. For carnivores, you can serve chicken tenders with it as a dip for an extra punch.

Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wings veggie wings: One of my favorite nuke-and-eat dishes, this frozen dish doesn’t require much prep. Just heat it up and bring a bottle of ranch dip. I’ve found these wings to be teenager-approved, even ones that aren’t vegetarians.

Spinach and Artichoke dip: Also an option for a lighter dip. I usually use a fast recipe out of the Junior League of Augusta’s Tea Time at the Masters cookbook, but this one looks similar (but lighter). Few dips are more general crowd-pleasers.

A lot of these are dairy heavy, and I’m certainly not forgetting the vegan eaters.

‘Cheesy’ guacamole bean dip: The Kind Diet is one of my favorite cookbooks, and this recipe says Super Bowl.

Southern taco: It’s a taco with tater tots in it. Need I say more?

Anyone else planning their Super Bowl menu? What will you make?

Outdoors in Iowa is a treat, especially if you’ve been bitten by the trail bug. With little snow or ice and pleasant temperatures, there was nowhere else I wanted to be on my day off this week.

Here are three I’ve found that are my favorites:

Dirt trails via Greenwood/Ashworth Park: Turn left at the lake behind the art center and go up the hill. Behind Bergman Academy, join the dirt trails that meander and twist alongside Bill Riley Trail.

Dirt trails near Greenwood/Ashworth Parks - taken with Instagram

Be careful if the trails are wet or slippery and walk alongside to avoid damaging the terrain. If the trails are dry (last encountered before the snow), it’s a great trail run.

Bill Riley Trail: This paved trail stretches longer for those craving distance. Cycle Central Iowa mapped out a ride for cycling enthusiasts. If the trails are wet or you’re looking for something flatter, you can still experience the woods taking this paved route.

Brown’s Woods: I enjoy this short two-mile route through the woods with a rogue trail to a river view. Located further west of SW 63rd Street at Brown’s Woods Drive in West Des Moines, this is ideal for novice trail goers who want to start slow with an option of a shorter less than half-mile loop. I find what it lacks in distance it makes up for in view of the Raccoon River.

Tell me: what are your favorite trails? Do you prefer to bring your bike or go on foot?

Some may keep a notebook or an old organizer that tells thoughts or appointments from the day. But for plugged-in tech types, you may have checked in somewhere on Foursquare, posted a Facebook status or tweeted a relevant-to-the-day link. What if you could easily track back your digital footprint from exactly one year ago?

Enter Timehop. It asks and answers this question in the form of a morning email, compiling your digital output from social networks you’ve given the third-party application access to: Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram.

If you’ve been through a major change in habit or lifestyle, expect full-force nostalgia.
I’ve received my second daily email from Timehop, and they’ve reminded me that:

A year and one day ago I deemed the mild Augusta, Ga., weather too windy for an outside run and headed to the gym around noon. Then I worked on some freelance assignments in the afternoon, followed by heading into work for the night shift.

A year ago today, I started off my day with lunch at a favorite Augusta restaurant with a friend I now haven’t talked to in months. I learned about the Egypt Internet shutdown as it was happening via Twitter. I retweeted a journalist who I later met in real life in Boston this fall.

For me, it’s a retroactive reward of putting that information out there by organizing it into a way that tells the story of that day. For lighter social media users, there may be less payout.

What do you think about this tool? Creepy or contemplative?

Over at Oh Joy!, there’s inspiration for crafty recipe trading or goodies-giving with a ‘from the kitchen of’ stamp. One of my favorite Christmas presents was a cookbook that my mom had filled in with some family recipes, but the stamp makes it a bit more versatile for sharing recipes or branding labels.

Looking for a cold-weather entertaining idea? A Cup of Jo suggests a baked potato bar. See what she put as the fixin’s for hosting the fancy spud dinner party.

The latest designer collection for Target is coming out Feb. 5. See The Budget Fashionista’s post with the look book of Jason Wu for Target. Wu’s gained popularity since First Lady Michelle Obama wore a dress by him to the Inaugural Ball circuit. Wu says he’s not worried about following the popular Missoni collection for Target. The collection is out for a month, but if it follows the trend of Missoni for Target, you’ll want to plan to get yours fast.

Speaking of fashion, some people who celebrate Valentine’s Day may be looking for something pretty to wear. If you are one of those people who likes to celebrate this occasion, perhaps this romantic vintage dress from Midwest Vintage suits your fancy. Or maybe the occasion follows the dress. It’s listed on Etsy for $32.

Or you can celebrate with this free print that’s part hipster, part Cupid.

The restaurant recently invested in an iPad app that sends text messages to patrons on the wait list, lessening the build up in the hallway during busy times at the themed restaurant.

During a recent weekday lunch, I stopped by to check it out.

Here’s how it works for patrons: after putting your name in with the host, the app sends a text message with an estimated wait time. When your table is ready, you receive another text alert.

Unlike buzzers, as long as you have your phone with you (and can receive text messages), staying within the confines of the restaurant isn’t necessary.

“The best aspect of it in regards to customer service is our really busy Saturdays and Sundays,” said general manager Karen Davis. “We can send people out into the East Village to shop.”

However, you’ll want to stay somewhat near: after you’ve received the alert to return, the host or hostess will wait about 10 minutes before opening up the table for the next patron on the list, said Tracie Schultz, front of house manager.

If you’ve changed your mind about eating at Zombie Burger, you can send a text message back to cancel your reservation. Davis wants customers to know the text messaging service doesn’t work to answer questions on their end — just to notify.

Schultz said that patrons she’s spoken with are happy to hear about the new technology since the restaurant doesn’t allow reservations or calling ahead for a table.

Christopher Diebel, director of marketing for Orchestrate Hospitality, says Zombie Burger started using the NoWait app more than a month ago, investing in a buy after a two-week trial. The app seemed to be a good fit because of the cool factor and convenience factor.

It makes a difference for retaining patrons who learn they don’t have to stand in a congested hallway and can go shop, grab a drink or try on a shirt at the second place top-selling burger’s namesake shop, Raygun, Diebel said.

Other Orchestrate projects have gone digital in the past, as two of Zombie Burger’s sister restaurants have digital sommeliers to help choose beverages. Diebel said Centro and Django both have 15 iPads each to help patrons choose their drink.

Tech fans may also be interested to learn about TableNabbr, a Des Moines-built iOS app for restaurant goers to find a place to eat based on the number of people dining and the time allotted.

Future plans for the text messaging app at Zombie Burger will include a way to opt-in for messages about promotions, Diebel said. Other ways to keep in the loop are by signing up for e-mails on their website or following on Facebook.

Zombie Burger fans can also look out for an upcoming late night happy hour, which Diebel said will probably be started late winter or early spring.

Grab a cheap beer and watch some hockey or lace up your skates with a view of downtown.

My past experiences with hockey involved a team that shared an arena with concerts, exhibits and barrel horse racing. But here in Des Moines, the Des Moines Buccaneers have their own arena (at 7201 Hickman Road in Urbandale), and at a recent game I attended, full stands.

Buccaneers play Sioux Falls Stampede Jan. 7

Tonight, Friday, Miller Lite is $1.50 throughout the game. You can find more upcoming games, events and promotions on their website. As of 4 p.m. this afternoon, tickets were still available for tonight’s game against the Youngstown Phantoms.

If you didn’t buy your tickets to Saturday’s Wine, Women and Hockey, you’re out of luck. The wine-tasting and hockey 101 event sold out this afternoon, said Scott Montesano, VP of Sales and Communication for the Buccaneers.

There are plenty of other special events at games coming up, such as the Doxie Dash to Benefit the Animal Rescue League on Feb. 25.

Another idea for icy fun: skating at Brenton Plaza in East Village. Brenton Plaza is open 7 days a week with generous public skate times.

Skating at Brenton Plaza is affordable: $3.50 for adults on weekdays and $5 for adults on Friday nights and weekends.

Brenton Plaza on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

I took my parents there on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when the ice was crowded but fun. We saw all skill levels and ages on the ice, as I was out-skated by a 5-year-old child. Bonus is the view of downtown Des Moines and proximity to East Village restaurants and shops, making it a good stop for out of town guests or a date.

Looking for more winter adventures? Here are more top picks for winter activities on Metromix.

I’m a huge fan of Pinterest and spend probably too much time perusing pretty dresses and entertaining ideas for my pinboards.

But here’s another way you can pin with the Pinterest community: The Register is on Pinterest and we’ve started a community favorites board.

If you’re an avid Pinterest user and want to collaborate with others on our community board, send me an email at sowen@dmreg.com with a link to your boards.

You don’t have to be a contributor to follow the Register’s pins, though. Just follow our boards to see what we’re pinning.

What are your favorite pinboards on Pinterest? Any local gems?

January is the time to kick off a healthy habit, so why not make it fun? I dropped in to an adult hip hop class at Glaza Studio on Sunday night with a friend, and we had a blast.

There are no saccharine-colored walls or Monet ballerina prints. Glaza Studio’s distressed wall paint, vintage prints and loft atmosphere show it’s a place the young and hip feel at home.

Glaza Studio has several other adult dance and fitness classes, some that are drop-in, and some that require registration, so check their schedule on their website for more details on classes.

Breaking it down in dance class will bust any rut you’re in. It’s not just a workout, it’s a fun thing to do in Des Moines.

Dancing not your thing? There’s a lot to do just this weekend in Des Moines.

On Friday, Vaudeville Mews hosts a great rockabilly band, He’s my brother She’s my sister, at an 8 p.m. show. It’s $7.

Three other bands, including Cashes Rivers, will also perform.
More details on Vaudeville Mews site.

Des Moines blogger Lacy Brunette posted a Q&A with He’s My Brother She’s My Sister that’s worth a read.

On Saturday, it’s a full day to support Forey Jacobson.

The benefit concert is at People’s Court.

Full details are found on the Facebook event page

You can purchase tickets to the bar crawl, concert or just donate to Forey’s recovery fund at tikly.co.

If you like wine, cheese and chocolate (who doesn’t?), Farms Uncorked at Living History Farms in Urbandale.

There will be mini-sessions on wine, so you can expand your knowledge while you sample. You can buy tickets here, and they’re $18 for Living History Farms members, $20 if you’re not a member.

Also, this weekend is your last chance to go on a ‘Blind Date,’ the part-improv theatrical performance.

What are you doing this weekend?

My Southern mother forced me to write a thank you note to each and every person who gave me anything for birthdays, graduations and holidays. Now as an adult, I appreciate the practice. During my few days off post-caucus blur, I started making a dent in my somewhat belated thank you notes for Christmas presents and parties.

Since I’ve been writing these things since I was able to hold a pen, here are some of the habits engrained in me for thank you notes:

-In-person thank yous don’t count: Surely you’ve seen your friend who gifted you for the holidays since, but a note in the mail shows you appreciate the effort they made in picking that gift.
-Use decent paper: Thank you notes or your personal stationary is ideal, but not necessary. I’m between stationary, so I ended up writing most of my notes on colored cardstock with strips of patterned paper I picked up from East Village shop, Ephemera.
-Personalize: Don’t just say ‘thank you so much for the gift.’ Mention the gift specifically and use an instance of how you’ve used said gift. Example: ‘thank you so much for the blender. We made margaritas for our fiesta last week!’ or even ‘thank you for the scarf. It complements my red jacket perfectly.’
-Don’t be tacky-specific: No need to use dollar amounts for monetary gifts. Instead, tell them what the money is going toward, or what you bought with the financial gift.
-Belated is better than never: I’m sending a thank you for a holiday party friends hosted back in the middle of December — but it’s better than no note at all.
-Thank you notes for events are also nice: Perhaps you brought a host/hostess gift, but just as they prepared their home in advance and then picked up beer cans out of the nativity scene, you should also follow up with an after-party thank you.
-Don’t be stodgy: You may want a more formal tone for your stepmother’s parents, but you don’t have to be so polite in your note to a friend that you don’t even sound like yourself.
-Keep it short: It’s not necessary for your note or your hand that you write a novella to thank someone for an ornament. Get to the point and get it in the mail.

Other adult things:

This weekend I went to Mixology at the Science Center of Iowa (note: the next event is Feb. 3). I built and launched a rocket and the adult program in the planetarium reignited my love of stars. You Are My Fave has this roundup of grown-up star decor, since putting glow-in-the-dark stars on your ceiling isn’t cool anymore.

Apartment Therapy has 5 tips for getting started on home projects.

Bon Appetit’s food lover’s cleanse for 2012 looks delicious.

The 2011 best-of music lists are out in full force, some that I agree with, others I think are off.

Sure, you can buy the albums or songs on the top of those lists, but there’s something about the mixtape that ties it together with a personal perspective.

I’m looking forward to making and then receiving a 2011 mixtape in my friend and Des Moines blogger Laura Palmer’s mixtape exchange. Palmer is running the exchange on her blog, Love Letter to a New Year, at xo-lp.blogspot.com

Anyone can join in on the musical fun. Last year, thanks to a mention on the Nerdist website and other bloggers, she had more than 90 folks sign up for the exchange. Most were from Iowa, Palmer said, but also as far as New York, England and Portugal (not Portugal The Man).

Mixtape CDs in the exchange must include only songs from 2011, and not more than one song per artist for guaranteed variety of sounds.

“I could put the whole Head and the Heart album on there, but that’s not fun for the person who receives it,” Palmer said.

Mixtapes are a personal soundtrack of sorts, she said, and she looks forward to receiving her own mixtape CD in the mail.

Songs she’s considering on compiling her own mixtape?

“Lost in my mind” by Head and the Heart,

and maybe Frank Ocean’s “Swim Good”

and “Palomino” by Mates of State.

You have till Jan. 6 to sign up for her mixtape exchange, and it’s a good idea to peruse the rules there before you start compiling your playlist.

Tell me – what is on your 2011 playlist? What makes a good mixtape in general? Comment with your tips.

Since my New Year’s Eve attire will be a bit subdued, I decided to add at least a little sparkle, inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Cupcakes & Cashmere. She’s got a great tutorial here, but I decided to try it another way with a little more of a subtle sparkle and a faster result.

1. I chose an icy blue, by Essie, for the color. Do one coat before the glitter goes on.
2. For the glitter, I picked up this white with reflective blue-green glitter at Michael’s in the craft section (less than $6). Since you’re working with a small canvas, the glitter you use should be fine.
3. After the second coat, use a thicker amount on the fingernail you’ll bedazzle. Immediately shake glitter over the nail after painting. Think old school glitter projects making designs with glue — you want that effect.

I spotted more ideas in blogs and on Pinterest worth trying out this New Year’s:

How to make ice cream even better? This presentation suggests putting sparklers in it. (everythingfab.com)

Another sparkly sweet: cake pops (cupcakes & cashmere)

Party idea! A DIY sequin photo wall. They say it took two people two hours to do it, so start now! (Oh Happy Day)

Here’s a unique drink idea – Honey-rum fizz. (design sponge)

Local fashion blogger Lacy Brunnette included some cute, NYE appropriate attire in her post on fashion for the holiday season. (Lacy J. Brunnette: Des Moines Fashion Blogger)

An edgier NYE look inspired this Juice fashion shoot.

If you’re more of a beer fan, you can Guinness your champagne. (Leite’s Culinaria)

Looking for things to do? Check out the Metromix NYE guide.

This video is a cute overload: Zooey Deschanel! Joseph Gordon-Levitt! Ukulele! Performing ‘What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?’

If you haven’t watched it yet (or need something to get you in the NYE spirit), give it a watch.

Spotify is an on-demand music service you can download onto your computer for free. What makes it different from something like Pandora, which works like a customized radio station, Spotify is searchable for specific tracks.

I use it the most to create and share playlists. You can link to a playlist (here’s my favorite playlist – you’ll see you need Spotify to open it), send it through Spotify or various social media. You can also send individual tracks.

If you’ve linked it to your Facebook, others can see the awesome music you’re listening to in the ticker, newsfeed or on your timeline. Warning: if you’re trying to keep your love of death metal a secret, you’ll want to go to file>private session so your spotify friends won’t find you out.

Another way to use playlists: you can subscribe to others’ open playlists to have them show up in your Spotify playlist queue, or you can collaborate on playlists.

This is just the free part. It’s unlimited listening for the first six months, but after that, you’ll be limited to 10 hours per month and five listens per track.

There are also premium accounts if you love the service. The first price point, $4.99 per month, gets you no ads and unlimited listens. For $9.99 per month, you can use Spotify on your compatible mobile phone.

Since you can import your local files, I can see how some might use it as their primary digital music service, since the on-demand nature cuts down on actually having to buy the songs. The con to this: you can’t make an actual hard-copy mix CD for yourself or someone else.

How do you use Spotify?

Last year, it was sangria (which was a bit messy and sticky), but my favorite is in 2009 when I gave peppermint martinis as presents.

The recipe I used only required three ingredients:
3 parts vanilla vodka
3 parts crème de cacao
2 parts peppermint schnapps

I mix together before distributing into mason jars. A lot of gifting is presentation, so I used pretty, festive labels. (Make sure you write on the label before you put it on the jar!)

To take it up a notch, you can wrap the finished jar in cellophane, like a candy. Tie with red ribbons at the ends.

There are tons more ideas I’ve found around the web for things to make (especially on Pinterest!), but here are my favorites:
Cupcakes and Cashmere: Infused holiday spirits and Peppermint Marshmallows

Honey & Jam:: Recipes for Espresso Toffee shortbread, peppermint bark and spiced maple pecans.

But I am a novice driving through it. After picking up a friend for dinner last night at snowy Sherman Hill, I would have taken the massive hill/crash slide were it not for her coaching.

The last time I drove through wintery conditions was out of necessity, back in Georgia. It was the night of the national football championship and my team, Auburn, was playing. I needed to get to cable ASAP.

My windshield was frozen over, and since I was not yet an owner of an ice scraper, I brought out carafes of hot water. Apparently that’s a no-no. But this didn’t result in a broken windshield, fortunately, though I started using the butt of the carafe to break the ice off. Which broke my wipers. Ultimately, I made it (driving at snail’s pace) to watch the game.

It’s officially time for warm, inside events. There are three this weekend that are worth a journey no matter the weather.

PechaKucha is tonight at Jasper Winery from 7-9 p.m. If you haven’t heard of it, presenters follow the format of 20 slides at 20 seconds each. It can be on anything, but you can see slides and audio from past Des Moines events on their YouTube account.

Bonus is there will be a warm fireplace, appetizers and wine tastings before and after the event.

It’s a free event, and you can get more info here.

A movie I’ve been looking forward to opens at Fleur Cinema & Cafe this weekend. ‘Melancholia’ is getting good reviews, and it’s said to be a thinker.

Here’s the trailer:

Kirsten Dunst stars in this sci-fi movie with loaded symbolism about mental illness.

If you’re looking for something more upbeat, ‘Santaland Diaries’ opens today.

There are several shows at the Kirkwood Theater at Des Moines Social Club leading up until Dec. 23. The play is written by David Sedaris, and it’s delightfully funny.

What will you do this weekend?

The Android Market hit 10 billion app downloads, and they’re offering some apps for a dime for the next 10 days.

For those of you keeping score in the Apple vs. Android battle, Apple’s app store hit 10 billion back in January. Their prize was a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

ReadWriteWeb posted a good roundup about today’s list of 10 cent apps if you’re deciding on downloads.

There’s wine and cheese pairings, but what about pairings of music with food or drink?

Drinkify.org is one of the projects to come out of Music Hack Day Boston earlier this month. It’s simple: type in an artist or musical group’s name, and it’ll tell you what to mix up.

Interestingly enough, some of my favorite artists showed two of my usual orders: a PBR (for Wavves, St. Vincent) and some sort of red wine (Wilco, Bon Iver, Those Darlins).

It also had namesake recipes for popular artists such as Johnny Cash and Nicki Minaj. Neon Indian, less well known, also had its own recipe on drinkify.org.

Say you’d rather bake than imbibe – Turntable Kitchen pairs music with recipes. For example, Dominant Legs album “Invitation” with Banana Cake with Nutella and Cream Cheese Frosting.

Other recipes from the San Francisco couple’s blog include Black Pepper and Parmesan Ricotta Gnocchi (paired with Elliott Smith’s “Figure 8”) and Creamy White Grits and Charnterelle Mushrooms (with Iron & Wine album “The Shepherd’s Dog”).

Do you coordinate what you’ll eat or drink with what you’re listening to? How do you decide?

When we had our first snow, one of my first thoughts was to go outside with my dog Franny and shoot an Instagram photo. Franny has much more appropriate shoes for the snow than I do (novice mistake: I wore sneakers). But Franny doesn’t want to wear her snow shoes.

This merits video.

I downloaded the Instagram-of-video, Viddy, a few months ago. This free iOS app takes 15 seconds of video and gives you the option for filters, which include camera filter and music. You can dial up or dial down the effects and video sound vs. filter sound.

But this was the best opportunity I’ve had to use it.

It wasn’t easy (to get the boots on her paws), but I managed to get a clip of Franny in her snow boots to use on Viddy:

Viddy is similar to Instagram in user experience. Upload a video from your library or shoot one, then select the 15 seconds within the video for use.

My favorite filters are Black and White (with piano music), Retro (which I used here), and Snoop. Snoop, as in the rapper Snoop Dogg, filters the video as if it occurred in a smoke-filled room with hip-hop in the background.

If the Muppets are more your style, you can opt for the Beaker filter, or other characters. They’ll pop up in your screen.

The best share option is e-mail, so you can share outside of the app with others on a desktop. I opted not to connect my account to Facebook since the permissions seemed unreasonable to me (access the pages I admin at any time? No thanks), but I did hook it up to YouTube. It processed a bit slow. Twitter didn’t connect quickly either.

The video saves in your camera reel, so if you want to upload or share it, I’d try that way.

If Viddy is truly going to follow the filtered-photo path of Hipstamatic and Instagram, sharing and connecting functionality needs improvement. But as a fun video editor, I’d recommend it.

Sunday is a big night in Des Moines. One event is a film about Templeton Rye playing at Fleur Cinema & Cafe at 7 p.m. (Sidenote: there’s a Q&A with the current owner of Templeton Rye on Metromix)

You can buy tickets for the Fleur showing at MidwesTIX, and I’ve included the trailer below:

I mentioned a few shows this weekend in Ames in a previous blog post, but another music event is Music Saves, presented by the Des Moines Music Coalition. You can still make it to the Wilco show, since it’s 5-7 p.m. Sunday.

Update: If you’re going to Sunday’s Wilco show at Val Air Ballroom, did you know you could make a song request online? Share what you requested if you fill it out! I requested “Hotel Arizona.”

On Saturday Barcamp Des Moines, a tech unconference, is from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Des Moines Central Public Library. No set speakers — just show up and present by signing up for a slot.

Read more about it in Marco Santana’s blog.

Plus, if you weren’t in the holiday spirit already, check out this list of holiday events from Datebook.

What will you do this weekend?

The Budget Babe has a post about nude pumps, a good solution for what to wear with sparkling attire.

Good for a fall soiree: Oh Happy Day has a blog on DIY glittered flatware.

Oh Joy! highlights beautiful boho glam pieces from Free People’s winter collection.

An older post, but a great tutorial on sparkled nails. (without looking like you have a glitter ball on each finger).

The Budget Fashionista found some good deals on sparkly shoes. Or: you can repurpose old shoes with glitter thanks to this tutorial making the rounds on Pinterest.

What’s your favorite holiday sparkle thing you’ve seen? Tell me about it.

The Vinyl Cafe, 303 Kellogg, in Ames.

I started my day in Ames at the Vinyl Cafe in downtown Ames. At 303 Kellogg, it’s near the Main Street shops. The Vinyl Cafe is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a coffee shop (I had an Almond Joy latte with the sugar toned down). They also have bakery items and tables to sit. It’s a good place to study with good music, but not so solemn for a louder crowd to socialize. Plus: the vinyl.

Their used record collection was reasonably priced, but don’t expect to see a lot of new releases on the racks. I found Johnny Cash’s “Walk the Line” in good condition for $3.

Bonus: There’s a ‘listening booth’ to try it before you buy it.

Walking around Iowa State University campus could be an activity in itself (the campanile! the architecture!), but unless you’re new to the state like me, it’s probably not as exciting.

Farm House Museum, Iowa State University (taken with Instagram)

Nestled in the middle of campus, though, is a lesser-traversed landmark. The Farm House Museum, built in 1860 as the original building on campus, is worth a stop. The day I stopped by, they had just started decorating with greenery for the holidays. Included in those decorations were some Thomas Nast prints of Santa Claus that appeared in Harper’s Weekly in the 19th century.

The three-story house museum has a pioneer kitchen, items that belonged to former residents and beautiful furniture.

It’s free to visit the museum, but they ask you donate $3.

A few more details from the Farm House museum.

Its hours may be challenging — noon to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday — but the WinterFest event Dec. 2 will be an opportunity for those with traditional work hours. That free event is from 6-8 p.m. More info here.

Jumping back to downtown Ames, the pub for Olde Main Brewing Company and Restaurant opens at 11 a.m. This brewery at 316 Main St. will be sure to satisfy the beer snob you may have just dragged to the historic museum.

Current seasonal brew on tap is maple-flavored Floppy’s Sticky Flap Jack Breakfast Ale. Coming up next, scheduled for Thursday, is Reindeer fuel Chocolate Porter, which has actual chocolate in it, according to general manager Jamie Courtney.

Another item on my list of things to check out is a show at The Maintenance Shop, or the M-Shop. It’s an all-ages venue located in the Memorial Union of Iowa State University. A few good shows coming up include Jeremy Messersmith, Friday, and S. Carey, of Bon Iver, with the River Monks Saturday. More info here.

I want to hear what you’d add to this list. Add a comment with what you’d include!

I’m Sarah Day Owen, the associate online entertainment editor here at the Register. I’m a tech nerd, a style watcher and a fan of quirky entertainment. Those interests are what I’ll be blogging about here.

I picked DesModish as my blog title, since the current and stylish things in Des Moines are what I’ll focus on. Know of something that fits that? E-mail me at sowen@dmreg.com or find me on Twitter @SarahDayOwen.

I’m excited to learn more about Iowa as I blog, as I’m a new Midwestern transplant. I hail from the South, growing up in Florida, attending Auburn University (War Eagle), living in Alabama and most recently Augusta, Ga.

Yes, I heard about the winter. No, I’m probably not ready for it. I’m used to a cardigan as the most warmth needed and wearing sundresses in early March. I just recently learned gloves don’t work on the touch screen of my smartphone.

Reach out with your tech, entertainment and style ideas! I’d love to hear them. And connect with me other places, too:

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