New Year's Eve bash

New Year's Eve is tomorrow night! Do you have your plans set yet?

I was live at the fabulous Metropolitan Grill (in downtown Seattle) getting the scoop on how to make your bash stress-free and super posh.

Excutive Chef, Eric Hellner says that they key is small bites and easily prepped foods. Bruschetta, spanakopita, stuffed mushrooms, and ahi tuna are all great options. He stressed that you want to be partying like a rockstar, not slaving away in the kitchen.

As far as drinks go, you want to serve something that will go with all foods like a rose champagne. Head Sommelier, Thomas Price, suggests serving a couple of signature cocktails instead of a full open bar. Easier, more fun, and less stress for you. All good things.

If you really want to wow without the work, go to Metropolitan Grill and pick up one of their pre-prepared boxes. It comes with Chateaubriand, root veg, potatoes, and all the spices, etc. You will look like the best chef on the block and no one will know. It'll be our little secret.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH US AND LEARN SOME TIPS

With Head Sommelier, Thomas Price

With Executive Chef, Eric Hellner

The whole awesome crew!

Here's a recipe for your party tomorrow:

Bourbon Street Sidecar

2oz Woodford reserve Bourbon

1/2oz Southern Comfort

1/2oz Fresh Lime Juice

1/2oz Fresh Lemon Juice

Garnish

Sugar Rim, Orange Twist

Fill a shaker with ice. Pour in all ingredients. Shake until chilled. Pour into glass and garnish. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!! Be safe tomorrow night and enjoy yourselves!

Christie's Canadian Christmas #2

So there we were ... in Canada for Christmas ...

When my 7 month old puppy, Mocha Bean, got off the plane and stepped into 20 below freezing weather, he immediately started to cry. Picked up his feet one by one and refused to walk. So logically, I got out his winter boots that I had been saving and secretly wanting him to wear because they are so darn cute (he doesn't need them in Seattle of course). He looked adorable ...but...it was hilarious watching him try and learn how to walk in the stupid things.

If you need a good laugh today, watch this!

A Canadian Christmas ...

I haven't been on the air in a few days because I rode my dogsled home to Canada for Christmas. I hadn't been in my igloo for some time, worn a touque, had a Tim Horton's, or eaten any ketchup chips - and was in desperate need of all of them.

Check out this link! It's a house in the city I'm from, Edmonton, where the guy must take all year to decorate ... it's pure insanity ... Canadian style. So for all you haters out there ... TAKE OFF, EH, YOU HOSER! lol

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wish all of you lots of health, happiness, success, and joy in 2011. Much love!

Christie, Jason and Mocha Bean.

Prevent Terrifying Holiday Fires

So I'm standing in a "burn tower" ... it's dark, it's smoky, and I'm wearing 80 lbs of gear. Sounds scary enough doesn't it. Well add on top of that the fact that we're going to start a fire and burn a Christmas tree to the ground on LIVE TV! Yikes! I'm just hoping that nothing goes seriously wrong and that I come back with my eyebrows in-tact.

The 'burn tower'

I had wanted to do this on the show to illustrate just how fast these suckers can go up. It's terrifying. South King Fire and Rescue were nice enough to pull this together for us. Plus, firefighters LOVE to burn stuff.

I've seen all of the videos online but when you're in the middle of the fire, the smoke and noise overwhelms you. SO SCARY! This was nerve wracking just because we were going to do it 'live' - there were no do-overs. The fire team was awesome and they lit the tree with a huge blow torch. These trees were still kind of fresh (it takes a bit to dry out a tree) but they still burned.

The incredible firefighters - check out my gear ... it seriously weighed like 80 lbs




Deputy Chief Gordie Olson and PIO Kirsti Weaver

Things went off just as planned. Thank goodness. The tree burned, Layne and I gave viewers tips on how to prevent this from happening and what every family needs to know (see below).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH US BURN A TREE TO THE GROUND ON LIVE TV

The poor, needlessly murdered tree. Sorry little guy. You fulfilled your Christmas destiny.

This is where burned trees end-up

Here's the deal:

1. WATER YOUR TREE DAILY

2. Make a fresh cut at the bottom of your tree when you get it home (allows it to drink better)

3. Never decorate with old, broken, or torn lights

4. Keep heat sources, like candles, at least 3 ft from your tree

5. ALWAYS have working smoke detectors

6. Have an evacuation plan and practice it

Other things to be aware of at this time of year

1. Never deep fry a turkey in the house or garage (do it in the backyard)

2. NEVER put a wet or frozen turkey in the deep fryer (exploding turkey is very dangerous ...lol)

3. Use flame less candles instead of real ones

4. Use new, LED lights if possible. Always make sure they aren't old or broken.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON :-))

Holy Cow!

I just found out that our little adventure this morning with Coinstar on the streets of Seattle raised $131. Coinstar is going to match every penny. That means ....

$131 x 2= $262

Northwest Harvest can feed a family of three people for just 0.67 cents ... sooooo...

$262 / 0.67 = 391 (That's 391 FAMILIES)

391 x 3 people in each family = 1173 people

WE FED 1173 PEOPLE TODAY IN JUST 2 HOURS!!! Or ... dinner each day for a family of three for over a year

NOW THAT'S MATH I CAN GET ON BOARD WITH!!  Every little bit counts. It doesn't take very much to make a difference. 

Great job Coinstar and people of Seattle - I'm SO proud of us! 

Hitting the streets

Coinstar is one local company that's putting it's 'coins' where it's mouth is.

We are in the final push of Home Team Harvest and we hit the streets this morning to drum up some more support! We're trying to raise 2.7 million meals for hungry Washingtonians and I have faith that we're going to do it thanks to people like you!

What company do you know that would send it's President and a whole team of people to stand on the street corner at 6am and ask people for money? COINSTAR did! And they were awesome.

Coinstar is going to match EVERY SINGLE CENT donated through their Big Green Machines on Saturday, December 4th around the state of Washington. That's huge. They also agreed to match the money we were able to collect this morning (not to mention, they gave folks a free Red Box code for helping us out).

We were at Westlake Center and I must say, people were very generous with us. We need YOU to be generous too! Please come see us tomorrow (Sat, Dec 4th) all around the Puget Sound at different malls (check www.king5.com for those locations) and bring what you can. Food donations and money will all be happily accepted. It only takes Northwest Harvest 0.67 cents to feed a family of three. Donate a buck and you've already fed one and a half families. Well done!


CLICK HERE TO WATCH US HITTING THE STREETS THIS MORNING

Me & Mr. President, Mike Skinner

A generous commuter

The AWESOME team from Coinstar!!!

Thanks for coming out this morning - we really appreciate the support!

Text the word "Hometeam" to 85944 to make a $10 donation. That 10 bucks can feed 45 people ... that's huge! We need you Washington!

Sandwich Brigade

I was on sandwich duty. 2600 sandwiches to be exact.

We were live at the NW Harvest Cherry Street Food Bank location making turkey and cranberry/ cream cheese creations to feed Seattle's hungry. It felt good.

So many of us think about giving back but never get around to it. I'm too busy, I don't know where to do it, how do I start? Several volunteers get together for 3 hours per week to make sandwiches (they make 2600 per week) that go into bag lunches for people that otherwise wouldn't get lunch. In fact, that might be their only meal of the day.


Well it's easy to give back this year. King 5's Home Team Harvest is this Saturday and we're aiming to raise 2.7 million meals. We'll all be scattered around the Puget Sound area at different locations (check www.king5.com for those) collecting food but even before that, YOU CAN DONATE. Text the word Hometeam (one word) to 85944 and it will send a $10 donation. Do you know how many sandwiches that can make? 50!!!


CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THOUSANDS OF SANDWICHES

Check out all that bread!

Sandwiches, sandwiches, & more sandwiches




Sandwich Brigade

What a great morning!

Please donate today! Text the word "Hometeam" to 85944

Holiday Fire Safety

THIS IS SCARY!!

If you are putting up a Christmas tree this year, PLEASE watch this and learn. Always water your tree DAILY so that and be sure to keep candles and other heat sources out of the way. Yikes!!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A TREE BURN ... FAST!!!

Home Team Harvest

We're kicking off the 10th Annual Home Team Harvest! Our goal is to raise 10 million meals in 10 million years. We're still 2.7 million short. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

I was live at the Northwest Harvest Cherry St. Food Bank location this morning. They showed me how they can feed a family of three for just 0.67 cents. Can you believe that? You can't even get a cup of coffee for that! They have big buying power from farmers all across the country that sell to them at big discounts ... they also rely heavily on donations from people like you.

With so many people out of work these days and losing their homes, it's more important than ever that we band together to do what we can to keep our neighbors fed.

We've made donating really easy this year. You can be in your bed in sweats or at your computer at work. All you have to do is text the word "Hometeam" to 85944 and a $10 donation will be sent - EVERY PENNY goes to feed hungry Washingtonians.

Do it. It's the right thing to do.

Pallets of food in at the Food Bank

There were many many people in line waiting for this food.

We need your help folks. Please donate today.

Make it a great day!

Black Friday!

It's here, it's here, it's here!!!!

Black Friday, or "Day of Insanity" as I like to call it, kicked off very early this morning. I was live at Macy's in Alderwood Mall with hundreds of rabid shoppers trying to hunt down a deal on everything from shoes, to housewares, to socks. It was crazy! I must say that everyone was really nice and in good spirits and it's a great idea that this day happens before Christmas. I'm from Canada and we have something called "Boxing Day" - no, it's not a day where we all beat the h-e-double hockey sticks out of each other ... it's our version of Black Friday. It happens the day after Christmas which is really stupid because who wants to go spend a bunch more money? Nonetheless, people shop till they drop. Anything for a bargain right?

I've heard about the mayhem on Black Friday so I brought a helmet for some added protection. You've seen the Terry Tate Office Linebacker commercials... well, I'm CHRISTIE JOHNSON, BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPER!! No one wants to meet me in a dark housewares aisle. lol.

Shopping for shoes

With some of the shoppers

Mayhem in the shoe department

I'm not going to lie to you ... I thought it was crazy but I totally drank the koolaid and I'm headed back there right now to shop. Whoop whoop!!

Giving Back

Folks are pretty cynical these days, but every once in awhile you hear a story that warms your heart. Chef John Howie of Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar, in Bellevue, is giving back this Thanksgiving.


500 lbs of turkey
90 lbs of croutons
300 lbs of potatoes
300 lbs of yams
90 lbs of cranberry sauce
1200 dinner rolls

That's how much food he will be serving as he welcomes 600 guests (all from needy families that might otherwise not have Thanksgiving or dinner at all for that matter) into his restaurant for a 3-course sit down Thanksgiving meal. The 8th Annual Holiday Dinner offers needy families a fine dining experience. Many of these people have never dined in a white tablecloth establishment before, and Chef Howie doesn't make them line up. They are given a 'reservation time' and greeted at the front door as if they were regular paying customers.

The guy has given away 2-million dollars in gift certificates - truly amazing! Attaway Chef and Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Movember Stache

Yo "tmeats" - thanks so much for the "Movember pic"!! Looking good my friend ... looking good!

Bring on the snow!

The time is NOW to winterize your tires and make sure you're all set to go for winter roads. CHAINS CHAINS CHAINS!

Now here's the thing ... I'm from Canada where it snows A LOT! I've driven in massive snow storms my entire life and don't know anyone that has ever used chains. I always chuckled whenever I was down here visiting and everyone would be freaking out about "The Pass" and 'did I have my chains'. Uuuhhhhh ... no? lol...!!

Today I learned all about chains and why you need them - pretty interesting. I must say that with the lack of snow removal equipment, the hills, and the way that things freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw and then form the ice layer on the road, I can see why you might want these in your trunk. The boys down at East Hill Tire taught me everything I need to know including what kind to buy, which are easiest to install, and what the prices are. You can get your hands on some for about $35 /pair but those can be tricky to get onto your tire. The grand-daddy of all chains are called Auto-Trac - they are a piece of cake to put on and will keep you safe.

Thems are some good lookin' chains right there

CLICK HERE TO WATCH US CHECKING OUT SOME SWEET CHAINS

We also learned the difference between studded tires, non-studded winter tires, and the all season variety. Bottom line: go to talk to your tire guy and ask because it goes on a case-by-case basis. How much do you drive in the mountains, do you want winter and summer tires, etc

The gang over at East Hill Tire Factory - minus Joey Hester who rocked the chains this morning!

With Rob the co-owner


Learning about siping

Studded tires ... manly

Watching Joey put on the chains.

Thanks to the crew over at East Hill Tire for having us this morning and to Kelly for baking goodies!

Let's Get Fit!!

Feeling out of shape? Too busy to hit the gym? Don't want to spring for a trainer?

While there's no doubt that the best way to keep accountable and on track is to have a trainer, many of us either don't want one, can't afford one, or don't have the time to get to their particular gym.

I'VE GOT SOLUTIONS FOR YOU! Imagine if you could click a button on your Smart phone and get in shape? Okay, well it's not that easy, but it's still pretty simple. There are thousands of Apps out there to download (some free, others are very reasonable) that have personalized workouts, videos, pictures of the exercises, and explanations to keep you motivated and moving - and we all need more motivation! You can do this on your living room floor for goodness sakes!

Not only are there workout apps, there are also nutritional apps as well that count calories, track hydration levels, calculate your BMI, and keep you accountable for what you're putting into your body and what you need to put more of into you body. Get it?

We were at Seattle Strength & Performance this morning with Trainer Jaison and Trainer Jay who are both awesome but totally crazy (in a good way). They kicked my rear end but everything that they had me do really worked. If you want a personal trainer GO SEE THEM!



CLICK HERE TO SEE ME WORKING OUT WITH THE GUYS OVER AT SEATTLE STRENGTH & PERFORMANCE

Pushing the sled ... what am I trying out for the Seahawks?

Showing the peeps how these Apps work

'Working on my fitness'

Gettin er' done



Oh dear ...

Jay, Jaison, & Amber

I'm pooped ... ugh

Taking out my agression - a sledgehammer does wonders for the phsyche

Here's a list of some of the best Apps:

1. iFitness - $1.99. Good general all-around app

2. Gym Buddy - $1.99. A workout log to record your sets

3. WalkMeter - $4.99. PPuts your walk on a GPS and records all the stats

4. Go Pedometer - $0.99. Best pedometer on the market

5. Ian Gaines' Bootcamp Workout - $1.99. Total workout (not for beginners)

6. Daily Burn - FREE. Nutritional log

If you want a personal trainer, visit the boys over at Seattle Strength & Performance

Make it a great day and go get fit!

STOMP!

Okay, I got to perform and hang out with the cast of "Stomp" this morning! How cool is that??

The percussion sensation, Stomp!, has banged it's way to Seattle and boy am I excited about it! The hit show features 8 performers that play everything and anything that you would find in a junkyard or your garage ... brooms, garbage cans, poles, pipes, matchboxes, inner tubes, paint cans... you name it, they can make beautiful noise out of it! And between you and me, all they do is play...all the time. From the moment we got there until the second we left, they just wanted to play like we were kids on the playground ... it was awesome!


CLICK HERE TO WATCH STOMP ON KING5 NEWS

Stompin' it up!

Trying my hand at the garbage cans

Hanging ... literally, on the set of Stomp!


I feel like the luckiest girl!

Catch the show this weekend at the Paramount Theatre until Sunday, November 14th. Check out www.king5.com/newslinks for show times and to purchase tickets. Don't miss this show ... it's so worth it!

Happy Friday everyone!

Winterize Your Body

It's that time my friends...

Winter is coming and I can already feel my skin drying out like leftover fruit. Does that happen to you too? My hair gets brittle, my face dries out, and my heels crack. Sound familiar? Well ... I've got solutions for you! This morning I was live at Salon Voda on South Lake Union in Seattle learning tips and tricks to stay supple this winter. The crew over there is awesome and they are going to offer King5 viewers 50% off the "BioLustre" hair treatment until the end of November!! Get beautiful hair for Christmas!


CLICK HERE TO SEE ME WITH ROCK HARD HAIR - TOTALLY HILARIOUS!

Sheri & I getting our BioLustre treatment - my hair was hard as a rock!

Post treatment with Jesse - silky hair baby!

So after trying out the salon treatment we hooked you up with some awesome home remedies! Check em' out:

Dry / Cracked Heels: something we all deal with in winter (men...you too!)

- Take lotion or baby oil and slather it on your feet. Put a plastic bag over top of that and cover your feet with the fuzziest socks you can find. Go to bed. Do that for 3 days and your feet will feel like a babies bottom!

Men's Razorburn

- Men (and anyone else that shaves their face). Make black tea, dip a cotton pad in it, and dab it on your face where you would shave. Ahhh soothing...

Homemade Face Mask (you can use this on your hands too)

2 1/2 oz organic yogurt

1 Tbsp carrot juice

1 Tbsp organic honey

Tbsp ground almonds

1 tsp whole milk

Apply mixture and let set for 20 mins. Remove with warm water and moisturize. AWESOME!

Homemade Salt Scrub

- Olive oil & sea salt. Mix together and exfoliate your skin baby

** Try not to take super hot showers. I totally love them but they are bad for your skin. It strips moisture from your skin. Aim for a warm shower instead.

Check out the Salon Voda website or give them a call at 206.838.8632 to book your BioLustre Treatment before the end of November and get 50% off!!! DO IT - my hair feels amazing! No more hedgehog :-))

First Mailing Deadline of the Season

It's already that time of year ... time to start thinking about sending out your military holiday care package. Families stationed overseas are so far from home and it's only fair that we let them know that we appreciate them and are thinking about them over the holidays.

This Friday, November 12th, is the first - and MOST ECONOMICAL - deadline to make sure that your package arrives in time for Christmas. The US Postal Service offers a 'Military Care Kit' that includes: 6 boxes (2 sizes), packing tape, customs forms, and labels. They'll send it to you FOR FREE so that you can pack it full of goodies and ship it off! Call 1-800-610-8734 to have the kit shipped to your house!

That's what the post office looks like (and it gets worse around the holidays) so DON'T wait to send your package!

Getting stuff shipped

Make someone's day :-)

Don Leingang from the USO (Puget Sound Area chapter) joined us to help us know what to send and what not to send.

Items that are suggested: magazines, beef jerky, gum, dry-fit shirts,

Things you should be wary sending: homemade food, baked goods, weapons, alcohol, etc

The USO/PSA is also doing a Food Drive this upcoming holiday season to support military families. You can donate money on their website to buy turkeys or organize a food drive of your own and the USO will come to collect it! Go to http://www.usopsa.org/ for more info

And http://www.usps.com/ for more info on how to get those packages off!

Happy packing!

First "Stache of the Week" entry

We have our very 1st "Stache of the Week" entry!!! It's our very own Rich Marriott - it's from the 80's when Rich was skiing at Schwiezer. Nowadays, Rich prefers snowboarding.

Dude - great beard! Loves it!

Check out Rich Marriott rockin' an awesome beard!

Thanks for supporting Movember Rich!

IT'S MOVEMBER!

It's officially "MOVEMBER" - the month formerly known as November. Starting November 1st, men grow mustaches all month long to raise awareness and funds for cancers affecting men. Here's the deal ... men are way less likely to schedule appointments with their doctors, thereby denying them the chance of early detection and effective treatment. SOOOO..... by growing a stache all month, you'll become a walking billboard. Your friends will say "why are you rockin' a stache buddy?" And you can say "because I'm trying to start the convo that ALL men need to have dude ..." Get it?

CLICK HERE TO SEE US KICKING OFF MOVEMBER & SHAVING OFF 'STACHES

The OPSB Rugby Team & Hooters' staff were awesome this morning!

With the awesome stylists from Salon Voda

Here's what our very own Brad Goode would look like if he grew one ... stay classy Brad!

If you want to look as good as Brad does ... here's what you need to do:

1. Log on to http://www.movember.com/ and register TODAY!

It's that easy!!

"STACHE OF THE WEEK" CONTEST

I'm running a "Stache of the Week" contest for King5 viewers and each Friday I'll crown a winner right here on the blog. It's super simple to enter:

1. Go to http://www.king5.com/
2. Click on "Your News" (it's on the menu bar across the top)
3. Click on "Submit Photos/Videos"
4. Follow the cues from there

I WANT YOU TO TAKE PART! !

Tonight (Monday, November 1st) there is a kick-off event happening at Hooters on South Lake Union. From 5-7pm there will be free wings and Voda Salon will be on-hand to shave your 'stache for you. That way you have a clean face to start growing your new one TODAY!

Happy growing!