tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4587234134319273522024-03-05T22:28:55.421-05:00Wonderous Clusterf#@kdissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-46864602255209282992012-06-19T08:30:00.000-04:002012-06-19T08:30:03.356-04:00GoodbyeFor two and a half years I've been blogging here on Wonderous Clusterf#@k. I've bitched about working part-time at Sbux, shared my adventures, posted far too many pictures of my Cheese, and everything else in-between. But, sadly, I feel it is time to call it quits. While I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts, dreams and pictures in this space, I feel now that it is not the best use of my time. I've recently been going through some major life stuff, stuff that is too private and emotional to discuss on here. Let me just say, that in these last couple weeks I feel like I've been put through the ringer and what I've discovered about myself is that I can actually handle those hard and unfortunate parts of life pretty well. Even those parts that you don't see coming a mile away and hit you upside the head and knock you unconscious. Yeah, not fun. But, while everything isn't as peachy right now as I once thought it was, it is my hope that one day I might know the happiness and contentment that I once did. Though, I'm sure it will not come easily, I am lucky to have exceptional people in my life who ground me and look out for me. To those people, you know who you are, I love you and I am beyond grateful for the support you've shown me through this rough time.<br />
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To everyone else, thank you for following. Thank you for being just the tiniest bit interested in my life and what I had to say/show. I am grateful for all the thoughts and comments you've shared. Maybe I will see you again, someday. Until then, I hope you all have a great summer. <br />
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Much love,<br />
Jessica dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-67701082520120991762012-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:002012-06-01T08:00:03.275-04:00Double Secret Surprise Time!In a couple weeks my mom is turning 60. Crazy, huh?! And get this, my sis is turning 40 this December! Where does the time go? Anyways, my dad wanted to throw a surprise party for my mom. But when he approached the topic with my sister and I, we practically simultaneously said "Hell, no!". Well, it was two separate phone calls that he made, so it wasn't simultaneous...but it would have been if we were together! See, while my dad or my sis would love to have a surprise party thrown for them, they're the social types, my mom and I are the exact opposite. The thought of a surprise party makes us crawl in our skin a little...okay, a lot. Ugh, just thinking about the idea of a surprise party is making my stomach do somersaults! Anyway, needing an alternate plan, my sister and I put our heads together...a dangerous thing. But in this case, an awesome one! And what we came up with might be the most perfect (for my mom) secret surprise EVER! And, as with most surprises, it all starts with lies...<br />
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A couple weeks ago I planted the seed that Antoine will be out of town this weekend, visiting his best friend in L.A. (Lie #1). So I said I was thinking about coming up for the weekend with the Cheese-man (Lie #2) and visiting, using a chance to visit my grandparents as my main reason for coming (Half-lie #1 - I will be visiting my grandparents but obviously mom's bday surprise is the main reason I'm coming). What mom won't find out until I park my car in their driveway tonight is that instead of bringing Cheese, I'll have my sister in tow (Surprise #1)! And instead of spending the weekend laying around not doing anything, my sis and I plan to kidnap my mom and take her to Cleveland for a girls weekend (Surprise #2)! We've booked a hotel for Saturday night, thanks to Antoine's generous donation of hotel reward points (Surprise #3)! And on Saturday, after we have breakfast with my grandparents, we're meeting up with my hlp, Amanda (Surprise #4) and going to David's Bridal so I can try on wedding dresses (Surprise #5 - a biggie, since that's one of the wedding related things that matters most to my mom...and one wedding thing that doesn't exactly thrill me)! Oh, yeah, and my sis and I did my wedding flower dry-run last night, so we'll be taking my mom a bouquet (Surprise #6)! Here's a sneak peak of the bouquet we're giving her...<br />
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I gotta say, the dry run went very smoothly and didn't take long at all! And, as I expected, it consisted mostly of a lot of sister chit-chat! I'm really looking forward to doing the actual flower arranging the day of with my sis, mom and Amanda!</div>
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Ok, where was I? Oh! We're taking mom to to <a href="http://meltbarandgrilled.com/">Melt Bar and Grilled</a> (Surprise #7 - what what!!). And we're taking her on a little birthday shopping spree (Surprise #8) and to <a href="http://luckyscafe.com/">Lucky's Cafe</a> for breakfast on Sunday (Surprise #9)! Her head might literally exploded from all the awesome surprise-fun this weekend!<br />
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It should be a blast! Hope you all have a great weekend, even if it's not filled with double secret birthday surprise shenanigans!dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-43633848853953617412012-05-31T08:30:00.000-04:002012-05-31T08:30:04.745-04:00Orchid Fever...Or "My flowery version of wordless Wednesday. Oops! I forgot it's Thursday. Crap! And also, yay!!"<br />
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<br />dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-29039559739637159702012-05-30T12:36:00.001-04:002012-05-30T16:16:35.882-04:00The Life of a Basset HoundFact: my dog is a lazy lump of fur. Don't get me wrong, Cheese is a playful, fun-loving dog. He loves to be outside running, exploring and meeting new people/new dogs. But, there's another side to him...the lazy side. Like most basset hounds, Cheese spends anywhere from 14 to 20 hours a day laying down and/or sleeping. It's what basset hounds do. It's in their nature. And if you ask me, there's little else in the world more adorable than a basset being lazy, in their element. They turn into a big pile of floppy, snoring cuteness. And here's your proof...<br />
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It doesn't get much cuter, right!? Yeah. Anyway, have a good day everyone! Am I the only one who keeps thinking it's still Tuesday!? <br />
<br />dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-63262906011136879192012-05-15T12:45:00.001-04:002012-05-15T12:45:16.349-04:00Simple MomentsI realized something the other day, though I'm certain it's not the first time a person has come across such a realization, nor the first time I have in my life, for that matter. What I realized was this, life is made up of moments. Moments that stand out and moments that don't. Moments that we forget about 30 minutes after they've happened, and others we will remember for years or even the rest of our lives. But remembering these moments isn't the important thing. After all, we only have so much space in our heads to store them and they can't all fit up there. So, after time, even the best and most life-changing, most transcendent of moments will often fade. Maybe they will be replaced by some other earth-shattering happening, or maybe they will be forgotten just to make room for that moment when you accidentally swallowed a bug while you were canoeing. We have no control over this, and some of us (me!) seem to remember less moments than most people. But let me state again, the remembering is not the important part. No, it's the realization that all these moments are special in some way. Maybe because they made us laugh or because they taught us something (however painful that thing was at the time) or maybe they made us appreciate something/someone in our own life a little more. Every single moment touches us, in some way or another.<br />
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Films and books tend to focus on the big moments, those life-changing moments that rock the core of you and transform you in some way. Because, those are the moments that matter the most, right? I don't think so. I've been thinking a lot lately how people say that your wedding is the best day of your life. Through <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/">reading</a> I've come to see that not all people believe that. Sure, your wedding should be a special moment, it's the day you make a public commitment to share a life and marriage with someone else, for the rest of your life. But isn't it the life and marriage afterwards the really rewarding part? To me, it seems like it should be. The wedding is just a ceremony, put on, mainly (at least in my case), for the people around you who you love. For me, it's the marriage, the moments after the wedding that I'm excited for. It's the little, inconsequential, and often ordinary things that I can't wait to experience. Those simple moments where I step back and realize that I am completely content and blissfully happy with the person I have chosen to share my life with...all while we pick out flowers for our garden at our local home improvement store or walk along with our snowies talking about nothing in particular. It's those simple moments that I'm really excited about. And I know I won't remember most of them, but I hope that every so often I can stop and realize just how special they are... dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-62955275777711301962012-05-14T11:55:00.000-04:002012-05-14T12:29:34.409-04:00Weekend in Instagram<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As per usual, this weekend went by too quickly. Even though I sort of had an extra day, since I called in sick on Friday because I had done something funny to my knee the night before. Luckily, a lot of icing it down and resting helped and it felt much better by Friday evening.</div>
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Snuggling with this furry guy didn't hurt either!</div>
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Thursday night was my first attempt at making challah bread. The finished product was a tasty success. I made it as part of a surprise for Antoine; along with a meatloaf and mashed potato dinner.</div>
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Friday, while I rested my knee, Cheese laid on Antoine's nap making this face. He was so excited Antoine was home (as usual), but he was also sleepy (because he's a basset hound)...so he attempted to fight off the sleepiness and stay awake, so he wouldn't miss anything. He did not succeed, falling victim to the sleepiness just after I took this picture.</div>
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Friday evening, since my knee was feeling better, we decided to take Cheese to the dog park after dinner. It was the perfect night for it, breezy and not too warm.</div>
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Afterwards we dropped Cheese off at home and treated ourselves to sundaes at Graeter's. Pictured above is my turtle sundae (my favorite). Yum!</div>
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Saturday morning Antoine made his famous Cap'n Crunch french toast, this time using my homemade challah bread! It was very tasty.</div>
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While we ate, this guy laid at our feet being weird and begging for food.</div>
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We also picked up two peonies plants for our garden while we were at Lowe's.</div>
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Since the weather was so lovely, we took Cheesy for a walk. Normally we take him on relatively short walks since his leg bothers him sometimes and he gets over heated. But he seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were, so we kept walking. Then all of a sudden, he decided he didn't want to walk anymore... <br />
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...and stopped and laid down in the middle of the sidewalk. This isn't the first time this has happened. And generally after a couple minutes of resting we can pick him back up and coax him on. However, we were still about a 1/2 mile from home, so there were several more "breaks" along the way and a lot of "Come on Cheesy! We're almost home!! Good boy!"</div>
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Then, when we were just 5 feet from our front door, Cheese forfeited again. This time not even the promise of carrots could make him get up. After about 10 minutes and a half a handful of carrots he was willing to get up and go inside.</div>
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Antoine and I ran some errands and did some more plant-shopping. Then we went home and cleaned out our raised veggie garden and planted all our veggies for this year: five tomato plants, five strawberry plants (our two plants from last year multiplied and nearly doubled in size), corn, two types of beans, Brussels sprouts, banana peppers, cucumbers and some lettuce. I'm very excited, we're planning doing some canning this year.</div>
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After all that planting and weeding we thought we deserved a little treat, so we finally tried out the taco truck that had been parked in Pleasant Ridge for over a month now. We had heard good things, so we were excited to see if it lived up to the hype. And it did!</div>
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We both got three tacos each ($2 per taco, plus $.75 extra for cheese or sour cream). I got two steak tacos and one chicken taco (pictured above), while Antoine got one steak, one chicken and one beef tongue taco (all came with cilantro, onions, cucumber and lime on corn tortillas). The steak was very tender and the chicken was very flavorful. Antoine said the beef tongue was definitely his favorite, that it melted in his mouth. He also said that he wanted to try the pork tacos next time or a burrito. The stand also sells tortas, which I've never had but I've heard are really tasty and I'm anxious to try. I'd highly recommend this stand to anyone in or around the Pleasant Ridge/Norwood area. It's pretty authentic and reasonably priced.</div>
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So, that was our weekend. Hope you all had a great one! </div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-951382705370690562012-05-09T10:15:00.002-04:002012-05-09T10:23:29.914-04:00Psst...Get in close and I'll tell you some exciting (at least to me) news. No, closer. Come on, I probably won't bite. Probably. That's better! The news...Antoine and I are going to Vancouver over Thanksgiving! <br />
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDUNozXgcUk8UKR-27pUYTw4wVbSlGJFaU-vNb3COhkkwsMHO0PKxkBkWkn3rzwgHSM1ud4x97ZTCc_mV90Y86W6o5D8di61D-A35jQwMlqF7vp9kbtwj5eu3Xw4Tmi1uOvvkOG_ufE4/s640/vancouver.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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[<a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/vancouver-canada/">source</a>]</div>
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We've been talking about it for months and months, I even renewed my passport in anticipation (though, truthfully, not having a valid password was driving me up the wall anyway). But last week we booked our flight! Part of me thinks that this trip is a highly frivolous thing to do when we're planning and saving up for a wedding, but that part is quickly smothered by the extremely excited, larger part of me that's doing its happy dance. </div>
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Now, you might remember <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/three-hours.html">my post</a> about how Phoenix is evil and I want it to die? Well, yeah, my feelings haven't changed. Scratch that! They have, I hate it more now (if that's possible)! The three hour difference continues to be a pain in our asses. And the fact that Phoenix seems to be anti-AT&T is nerve-wracking. When we try to face-time, my screen freezes with Antoine in mid-sentence and the speakers make loud, high-pitched screeching noises. When we text, it sometimes takes him hours to receive my messages. And when he calls me, the calls don't go through half the time. Yeah, Phoenix can go do inappropriate things to itself and die for all I care.</div>
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But...(in an attempt to retain even the slightest amount of positivity) there are positives to this god-awful project. Namely, skymiles, hotel rewards and credit card points. And this summer, the hotel Antoine stays at is running some promotions that will leave us with a couple extra nights stays. While he's been saving up most of his hotel rewards nights for our mega-honeymoon (as well as skymiles), we figured why not splurge a bit and use up these promotional stays for a pre-wedding-cation. And since Antoine's been racking up skymiles flying to that horrible city every week, we've got plenty of miles to use for our Vancouver flight. So, in November when everyone else is eating turkey and being subjected to forced family time, we'll be relaxing and exploring Vancouver, BC! Oh, and did I mention we'll be staying in this place...</div>
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[<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g154943-d156094-Reviews-The_Westin_Bayshore_Vancouver-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html">source</a>]</div>
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And this place...</div>
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[<a href="http://www.hcareers.ca/seeker/employer-profiles/westin-grand-vancouver-careers">source</a>]</div>
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Yeah, to say I'm excited would be a gigantic understatement! So, now's the point in the story where I ask you fine folks who have been to Vancouver for suggestions on what to do/check out while we're there. So far on our list:</div>
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<li><a href="http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/bloedel/index.htm">Bloedel Conservatory</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vanaqua.org/">Vancouver Aquarium</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.granvilleisland.com/public-market">Public Market</a> (and perhaps <a href="http://www.ediblecanada.com/tours.php#tour-2">a tour</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.tourismvancouver.com/vancouver/about-vancouver/vancouvers-neighborhoods/chinatown/">Chinatown</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.vancouverchinesegarden.com/">Chinese Garden</a> (depending on the weather)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.flavortownusa.com/locations.aspx?state=BC">Diners, Drive-ins, and Dive spots around the city</a></li>
</ul>
Is there anything we're missing? Any must-sees? Keep in mind that the weather will probably be rainy and cold, so that does limit what we can do. But still, any suggestions would be much appreciated! <br />
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So that's the scoop. Oh, don't mind me, I'm just standing here in the corner doing my happy dance. I don't think I've been this excited for Thanksgiving in a very long time. I've heard flying on/around Thanksgiving can be a nightmare, but I gotta say spending the holiday in a city that doesn't celebrate it will probably be wonderful! Apparently I've become quite the cynical lady in my late twenties. But I'm okay with that. Anyway, hope you have a good rest of the week!dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-26577853366686599892012-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:002012-05-04T08:00:03.306-04:00Moving WaterBecause it's Friday and my brainy is all mushy and happy (yay, finally seeing Antoine after 11 days!), here's some pictures I was playing around with of a small waterfall at Franklin Park Conservatory.<br />
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Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm sure it will go by too quickly, but alas.<br />
<br />dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-77646383540137988242012-05-03T08:00:00.000-04:002012-05-03T08:00:12.215-04:00Playing with EffectsHere's some leftover pictures from Franklin Park Conservatory, where I played with some different editing effects. Just having some fun and experimenting. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnghB_zSQvqHLvf4zMnj3iPVOcRAXO0hVYb2WM7OqTbD4BgsS7fpCaD_L1xG8diuF_X57qqAAUyPwLxDs9DNuFqzoaMuC9cKeGiS2BowUYfDz1ENePtZOkEhsaVw3RYtr4y4fW6wYTQM/s1600/DSC_0795+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnghB_zSQvqHLvf4zMnj3iPVOcRAXO0hVYb2WM7OqTbD4BgsS7fpCaD_L1xG8diuF_X57qqAAUyPwLxDs9DNuFqzoaMuC9cKeGiS2BowUYfDz1ENePtZOkEhsaVw3RYtr4y4fW6wYTQM/s640/DSC_0795+edited.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<br />dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-85662175287428269672012-05-02T08:00:00.000-04:002012-05-02T08:00:18.146-04:00Columbus: Franklin Park ConservatoryThis past Saturday, just before the weather turned to shit, Amanda and I headed over to the <a href="http://www.fpconservatory.org/">Franklin Park Conservatory</a>. Amanda had been ages ago, but I had never been. I had heard good things, and we all know how much I love flowers and taking pictures of flowers, so it seemed like an obvious activity for Amanda and I to do over our girl's weekend together. Oh, and their "Blooms & Butterflies" exhibit was going on...perfect timing! <br />
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Franklin Park has a great collection of Chihuly glass artwork. I always enjoy seeing his pieces mixed in amongst the flowers; they're so vibrant.</div>
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I've only ever been to two different butterfly shows/exhibits: <a href="http://cincyparks.com/krohn-conservatory/">Krohn's</a> annual exhibit, which has a great deal of butterflies, and the <a href="http://www.butterflies.org/">Butterfly Pavilion</a> in Denver, which is a permanent butterfly house crawling with a wide variety of butterflies. Franklin Park, in comparison to these two, had far fewer butterflies...but it wasn't a million degrees in there, so that was nice. But still, I managed to get a couple of decent shots...with the help of Amanda pointing out all the butterflies to me!</div>
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The ones that didn't make it...kind of sad.</div>
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Within the butterfly wing of the conservatory there was a decent sized koi pond with giant, gorgeous koi in it!</div>
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Also in the koi pond, more Chihuly glass. For some reason, the floating glass orbs were my favorite.</div>
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Oh, and now it's time for me to rank their orchid collection, since we know that's my thing! They get four stars from me! What I liked best about their orchids was that they all weren't just restricted to one house (like Krohn's Orchid House...although don't get me wrong, I love Krohn's collection). I spotted orchids in at least three separate rooms. In fact, one of the main hallways/lobbies was littered with them.</div>
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Overall, I loved Franklin Park Conservatory and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys flowers/plants and is looking for something to do in Columbus. It's slightly pricey, $11 for adults...but that gets you into the whole place...which is pretty impressive. It felt like it was about three times bigger than Krohn Conservatory, with several different wings, and there was a great variety of plants and flowers. There are outside gardens that, unfortunately, we didn't get to explore since it started pouring just as we were getting done inside. But that just gives me an excuse to go back some other time!dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-36194991786801497072012-05-01T08:10:00.000-04:002012-05-01T08:10:21.596-04:00Weekend in Instagram: Columbus editionThis past weekend I drove up to Columbus to hangout with my best friend,
Amanda. We were both overdue for some girl-time together, and Antoine
was nice enough to offer up some hotel reward so we had a free place to
stay. The weekend was filled with good stuff like tasty food, shopping
and wine drinking, and here's the proof:<br />
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FYI: I think the Heidi braid is going to become my second best friend during the summer-time!</div>
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Saturday night we picked up some pizza from <a href="http://www.mellowmushroom.com/">Mellow Mushroom</a>. It was the first time trying it, for both of us. Pictured is the Red Skin Potato Pie, which was pretty awesome!</div>
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Afterward dinner we did classy things like put on our pajamas and filled up the bathroom sink with ice, to chill our wine.</div>
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We continued to be classy, each drinking a bottle of wine out of plastic cups while watching Big Bang Theory and That 70s Show.</div>
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After I picked up Cheese from his boarding place and took him back home and gave him a bath, I curled up on the couch and tried out my new nail polish I had picked up on Saturday.</div>
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Overall, it was a nice, relaxing weekend filled with laughing and perhaps a bit too much wine. It makes me wish, desperately, that Amanda still lived in Cincinnati, so we could hangout more often. [Insert sad pathetic guilt trip here]. Anyway, stayed tuned tomorrow for a peek into Columbus' Franklin Park Conservatory!</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-57823978834003167862012-04-27T09:55:00.000-04:002012-04-27T09:57:45.590-04:00Cheese-making ClassAbout a month ago, Antoine spotted this deal on Groupon for half off a cheese-making class in OTR at the <a href="http://www.cheesygourmet.com/">Cheesy Gourmet</a>. We immediately forwarded the deal to my sister, another lover of cheese, and within a half hour we had all purchased the Groupon and had tentative plans to go together. Fast forward to last weekend, when Antoine and I met up with my sister and brother-in-law (and two of their friends, Holly and Chris) to embark on our first cheese-making class.<br />
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Cheesy Gourmet is set up behind a little store front in OTR. Our class, which started at 3:30pm, was stationed in a little alcove filled with tables and chairs just outside of the kitchen. There was a sushi-making class going on in the kitchen, so it made sense that we be in the alcove since we didn't need knives and sushi rice, just a hot plate and some milk. As you will see, most of the class consisted of instruction and snacking on cheese. Oh, and drinking wine! It had been advertised in the Groupon that the class was BYOB, and I think everyone in the class took advantage of that! (Sidenote: If you BYOB, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a corkscrew [if you need it] and some disposable glasses)<br />
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Our instructor, Joshua, was energetic and encouraged all 12 of us in the class to be animated and ask questions as he went along; actually, he demanded it. He described that the process he would be showing us was an attainable way to make three different types of cheese: spreads, crumbles, and blocks. And, through this relatively simple process, we could have cheese spread in under a hour, crumbles in just a couple hours and a block of cheese in about a day. <br />
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Holly and our instructor discussing cheese-making and products.</div>
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Chris taking notes.</div>
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At the beginning of class, Joshua set up a pot on a hot plate filled with vitamin D milk. As we waited for the milk to reach a low boil, Joshua directed us to a collection of plastic containers filled with cheese spread he had made, but not seasoned. It was our job to season them, with a variety of herbs and spices provided, and then feast on them...a tough job, I know! </div>
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Christian seasoning up some cheese spread.</div>
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I may or may not have drank over a half bottle of wine on an empty stomach and left the cheese-making class completely wasted. Okay, I did! And it was awesome!</div>
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A variety of seasoned cheese spreads that Michelle and Christian whipped up: an Italian-y spread (top), chili powder and garlic (middle), lavender and salt (bottom).</div>
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Michelle enjoying some cheese spread.</div>
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She's so cute!</div>
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Once the milk had reached a slow, soft boil it was time to add the lemon juice. The introduction of acid causes the milk to curdle, thus separating the curds and whey.<br />
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Straining out the whey.</div>
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Ta-da! Cheese.</div>
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I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the class. Initially, I thought we might learn to make mozzarella...I mean, it looks so easy when people make it on cooking shows. We didn't make mozzarella or feta or cheddar, because in reality, those cheeses take more ingredients and time (we're talking years of aging people!) But, the nice thing about this class was that Antoine and I walked out feeling like we could go home and make cheese immediately, and all we'd need is some milk, acid (lemon juice) and a flour sack/cheese-cloth. And within no time at all, we'd have something we could eat! The class was accessible and we got to see the whole process from start to finish (without any mysterious swap-outs where the chef tells you, "And this is what it looks like after a 6 months of again at precisely 76 degrees..."). We left inspired to make cheese and try out different flavor combinations. We left thinking, "We can totally do that! And we can use our basil or rosemary we have growing to season the cheese!! And we can put it on PIZZA!!!" </div>
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I'd definitely recommend the class. It was a fun and instructive way to spend the afternoon. Take a bottle of wine, eat some cheese, and get inspired. Cheesy Gourmet also offers a variety of other classes, including sushi-making and Indian cuisine. </div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-64958902607481155662012-04-23T08:26:00.001-04:002012-04-23T08:32:16.452-04:00Weekend in InstagramThis past weekend was one of those where you don't do much because for most of it the weather is miserable, but you still have a great time doing relatively nothing. Yeah, that was this weekend. On Friday, I got out of work almost 2 hours early thanks to some leftover comp time. So Antoine and I picked up a pizza from Dewey's and headed to Ault Park for a picnic. Not only was the pizza awesome (I've been on a Ryan's Inferno kick lately...if you've never had it, I highly recommend it. It's not really spicy, just really flavorful. Also, we get it without the celery.) but the walk around the gardens was lovely. Since we didn't have Cheese with us we were able to actually walk around the gardens (stupid no dogs allowed rule!). Everything was starting to bloom, and even though there was a storm on the way the weather at that moment was gorgeous!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholwLn-kaVrAKD-4huj1nOvuVIcuFjnDMIdTRxaBmELnSFhIpqPCHCMsSOFZa4b_2yMEksDQklxT_lg-9ySiykt8mdq0Z1JkJh6TDA9rKnDzSFxPvKk6rr8-6lvF9IWJBHZGgxOMsvHH8/s1600/Ault+Park+rose+garden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholwLn-kaVrAKD-4huj1nOvuVIcuFjnDMIdTRxaBmELnSFhIpqPCHCMsSOFZa4b_2yMEksDQklxT_lg-9ySiykt8mdq0Z1JkJh6TDA9rKnDzSFxPvKk6rr8-6lvF9IWJBHZGgxOMsvHH8/s400/Ault+Park+rose+garden.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">So, what's so special about the rose garden at Ault Park? Well, that's where Antoine and I are getting married...in just a little over a year! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesbCMxi5JFwseAZ8apYbhwL6pir8A3sS2dxGj5DivNRU5cv6pTLtWNO_6978QhWE-A8vlTGC6UBh-K-bjXeW1COTwaQo5ZWsvrbapmbfK-JeEIkeh6PKn0oTbJzQNhHBuwa0MLl9YBms/s1600/Ault+Park+rose+garden+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesbCMxi5JFwseAZ8apYbhwL6pir8A3sS2dxGj5DivNRU5cv6pTLtWNO_6978QhWE-A8vlTGC6UBh-K-bjXeW1COTwaQo5ZWsvrbapmbfK-JeEIkeh6PKn0oTbJzQNhHBuwa0MLl9YBms/s400/Ault+Park+rose+garden+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Right here, to be exact.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb6NhTByVxC1O6WqquwijNmHf1OwLHMRAwVze-3Ge3HgItLffwJpjAZbSi_0dVkhyZbe968B-2boVtQ4qK1MyvGJJ6Fpb6psOezg65d8T-8ok23DNE0okroPuFQd_uzQEUb_288SAX3k/s1600/purple+flower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb6NhTByVxC1O6WqquwijNmHf1OwLHMRAwVze-3Ge3HgItLffwJpjAZbSi_0dVkhyZbe968B-2boVtQ4qK1MyvGJJ6Fpb6psOezg65d8T-8ok23DNE0okroPuFQd_uzQEUb_288SAX3k/s400/purple+flower.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tons of flowers were in bloom and it smelled amazing in the rose garden.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fEL_3AxZU1XlUo50h-7kvKyxt_-6T4FeAyVdbDxc2eNOOukkwYZePZiI9aGd_-wg2U-CfRzd6C9qPs6eFgaLy9UQm7b3jj6i02HygG0WSGBXxGH3WLT86fUC_S6_4zOm6eQ3YkQGYfQ/s1600/lilies+of+the+valley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fEL_3AxZU1XlUo50h-7kvKyxt_-6T4FeAyVdbDxc2eNOOukkwYZePZiI9aGd_-wg2U-CfRzd6C9qPs6eFgaLy9UQm7b3jj6i02HygG0WSGBXxGH3WLT86fUC_S6_4zOm6eQ3YkQGYfQ/s400/lilies+of+the+valley.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The rest of Friday night was pretty relaxed. We went window shopping and ran some errands. I know it sounds lame, but Friday night is the best time to go grocery shopping since no one is there. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Saturday started off very slow. Just a lot of laying around, not doing much. But then we met up with my sis and brother-in-law downtown to take a cheese making class. More specifics on that later. All I'll say for right now is it was pretty fun and it was BYOB, so even if I hadn't learned how to make cheese I walked out of the class in a fantastically drunk mood! After the class, A and I made a run to Party Source for supplies to make minty drinks (mint juleps and mojitos), because obviously I needed more alcohol in me, at 5 o'clock on a Saturday night, when I hadn't really eaten much that day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NCyv2Gi0_dJmax4HnfherMU9UOSYMOal47jQZJYoPx87hCP_HoSIKR9HTMMIyY-hqLByWIEKo_zK47-jfBPPCzbwEh9dtIVgK-rm98Spg3kb53c3zpcqcuYR6ugk0zWCK-nATr3omE4/s1600/giggle+fit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NCyv2Gi0_dJmax4HnfherMU9UOSYMOal47jQZJYoPx87hCP_HoSIKR9HTMMIyY-hqLByWIEKo_zK47-jfBPPCzbwEh9dtIVgK-rm98Spg3kb53c3zpcqcuYR6ugk0zWCK-nATr3omE4/s400/giggle+fit.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Then, while running to the Post Office, I proceeded to have a giggle fit and take a horrific amount of picture of me giggling...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQa20SZsoP0swm9ByDsljc3U7FH0-ILiLxT9y1eCeK3ReRW-IDMfhjdhIrQqsIIbH3mwiYmxWlz3YSJKHA9hIvRLA-S-T7tTeuWTeACluJHrYHQmcp4VJnRXklEB3Aa5MGrVoEmsEHm4/s1600/raspberry+mojito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQa20SZsoP0swm9ByDsljc3U7FH0-ILiLxT9y1eCeK3ReRW-IDMfhjdhIrQqsIIbH3mwiYmxWlz3YSJKHA9hIvRLA-S-T7tTeuWTeACluJHrYHQmcp4VJnRXklEB3Aa5MGrVoEmsEHm4/s400/raspberry+mojito.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When we got home Antoine made turkey burgers and sweet potato fries and I whipped us up some drinks. A raspberry mojito for me (above) and a mint julep with Maker's Mark (below) for Antoine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dHi7jBlD1qzFETdH-CFd05Kw_D818zT-OyjRrQGnR6arFjaPt4rS06SMKttbvbkhyphenhyphen1tOUOkVwkxOzfC4a6m8-xjulDqqbDNowfwN9hyVg-ECOi2PiohiysRct4tlvizhv-xQMkENEag/s1600/mint+julep.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dHi7jBlD1qzFETdH-CFd05Kw_D818zT-OyjRrQGnR6arFjaPt4rS06SMKttbvbkhyphenhyphen1tOUOkVwkxOzfC4a6m8-xjulDqqbDNowfwN9hyVg-ECOi2PiohiysRct4tlvizhv-xQMkENEag/s400/mint+julep.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEOiBAM78UrHM_J6WyZyHoYBOt2McGkureFhsFZg34QAusqa6_UyNheOZcO23RPe_LOXfz9wrxhWlCddCnRJtkT1MDNUakBqND-lSdqwh12Ma14QBfXwwqXxDUniS3AOu3c9FT4Zz9JE/s1600/raspberry+mojito+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggEOiBAM78UrHM_J6WyZyHoYBOt2McGkureFhsFZg34QAusqa6_UyNheOZcO23RPe_LOXfz9wrxhWlCddCnRJtkT1MDNUakBqND-lSdqwh12Ma14QBfXwwqXxDUniS3AOu3c9FT4Zz9JE/s400/raspberry+mojito+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Please note: this is the same raspberry mojito, I only had one! I do have some self-control.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd8A21FhQziuZxImkpd1PnukPt7qHk1gB03ocEUbr46fVLRZ-klqTa1rpYVQNo4Cei4h_Vcj9GFYYr7224v5CnWz18xxEvMFb85NwUXsM9TuXL-ExK00xviWTtOy6ujKzU9-6tSPM3Wk/s1600/cheese+the+beggar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd8A21FhQziuZxImkpd1PnukPt7qHk1gB03ocEUbr46fVLRZ-klqTa1rpYVQNo4Cei4h_Vcj9GFYYr7224v5CnWz18xxEvMFb85NwUXsM9TuXL-ExK00xviWTtOy6ujKzU9-6tSPM3Wk/s400/cheese+the+beggar.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While eating dinner, the Cheese-man put on his usual beggar-face. I caved and shared some watermelon with him.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyytBKRZ-vmhhLAikvGNFa6bua_lb20zdeFm2Rt0Bby2qokQ_29bMArokB54yJM9r_ToIaQJR5gQzwsnvn7E3nlhW1mihBOB3rVnAH4Cjt8xayYgCnV49u0utouk5aYuGbsb99_f9Fn_Y/s1600/galaxy+nails.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyytBKRZ-vmhhLAikvGNFa6bua_lb20zdeFm2Rt0Bby2qokQ_29bMArokB54yJM9r_ToIaQJR5gQzwsnvn7E3nlhW1mihBOB3rVnAH4Cjt8xayYgCnV49u0utouk5aYuGbsb99_f9Fn_Y/s400/galaxy+nails.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On Sunday pretty much the only thing I did, besides watch season one and two of Portlandia for the second time, was attempt to do galaxy nails based on <a href="http://www.beautylish.com/a/vcyxy/galaxynailtutorial">this tutorial</a> I had found. Not the best ever, but fairly decent for a first attempt. I'll definitely give it another try sometime in the future, maybe try out so different colors.</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-51457295406437671722012-04-13T07:21:00.002-04:002012-04-13T07:56:25.855-04:00Creature CollectionHere's part <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/04/cleveland-museum-of-natural-history.html">one</a> and <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/04/compass-collection.html">two</a> of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History photos. This final set are all taken just outside their <a href="http://www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/OnExhibit/MythicCreatures.aspx">Mythic Creatures exhibit</a>; a collection of monster/alien creature toys housed in a glass display case. For some reason, I was just mesmerized by this fantastic selection of vintage toys all packed tightly into the display case. Hope you find them as interesting as I do...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6duqqpcTEdtig4G_jAJx17-fDA3RDA1j-oZhbvOO81HiJYt7ypOHgA3R_tJSRrpFpHDnUOK2RnkwzUhSKUjNO5bHkCFPREzsiJnVvws6oAKRSf5lzCYGJ0bGXRbe1HY6pj6ORunmdGLU/s1600/DSC_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6duqqpcTEdtig4G_jAJx17-fDA3RDA1j-oZhbvOO81HiJYt7ypOHgA3R_tJSRrpFpHDnUOK2RnkwzUhSKUjNO5bHkCFPREzsiJnVvws6oAKRSf5lzCYGJ0bGXRbe1HY6pj6ORunmdGLU/s640/DSC_0547.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The white cyclops is, by far, my favorite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEdX-uuB3vIDX_YDInuU15cLKlhVFawSpKcwhu0RQpqV1wOnRLavyeD-r3m_sP3-6RXBTXe01H9oSvwBtm4lBGNolaH9KgZb8a4f-iOUPOFB6W4HOcjnE2LCkHI8uq0_UPkv4rWAlzKU/s1600/DSC_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEdX-uuB3vIDX_YDInuU15cLKlhVFawSpKcwhu0RQpqV1wOnRLavyeD-r3m_sP3-6RXBTXe01H9oSvwBtm4lBGNolaH9KgZb8a4f-iOUPOFB6W4HOcjnE2LCkHI8uq0_UPkv4rWAlzKU/s640/DSC_0548.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hmbucj6-dqJz1BtlyRXiX3imDLi8uAxgyDl0FPQAMUfVp4XlmMW6VXzrFJBGv9ZEx5_gszbkbZW_LlfWlsfQ0t5zKWSH7onnVastxlup7ryRPEmYkQLv_P9btYGyIK6iJdfLIHkWWQ/s1600/DSC_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3hmbucj6-dqJz1BtlyRXiX3imDLi8uAxgyDl0FPQAMUfVp4XlmMW6VXzrFJBGv9ZEx5_gszbkbZW_LlfWlsfQ0t5zKWSH7onnVastxlup7ryRPEmYkQLv_P9btYGyIK6iJdfLIHkWWQ/s640/DSC_0556.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7T1DJMignq2UxlCNbPaEThE5XEu0uERJBvkh8iL8z37mOtGSYOSiLQZrALt3a6_Z8z80DhbPkfeoYp6VEr0YZxgR-Fz7qmFvN5jO8GxxhZGBYWq3LgbXD_GYx2tS4BoGA4DyzRKGTNE/s1600/DSC_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7T1DJMignq2UxlCNbPaEThE5XEu0uERJBvkh8iL8z37mOtGSYOSiLQZrALt3a6_Z8z80DhbPkfeoYp6VEr0YZxgR-Fz7qmFvN5jO8GxxhZGBYWq3LgbXD_GYx2tS4BoGA4DyzRKGTNE/s640/DSC_0559.JPG" width="418" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">No, wait. This guy might be my favorite!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, hope you have a happy Friday! I'll be working my tail off at work trying to make a deadline, so I'm so very ready for it to be the weekend! But aren't we all!? </div></div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-38858715567154996792012-04-12T07:29:00.000-04:002012-04-12T07:29:00.970-04:00Compass CollectionHere's part two of my pictures from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. You can find part one, <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/04/cleveland-museum-of-natural-history.html">here</a>. This is a collection of compasses from just outside the planetarium. I just loved the look of them.<br />
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The Natural History Museum is one of the places in Cleveland that I have been to, many times. When I was growing up Cleveland was the nearest large-ish city...so when my school had a field trip to the zoo or a museum, that's where we went. You might remember my feelings about <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2011/11/cincinnati-museum-center.html">the Cincinnati Museum Center</a>, how it was old, outdated and did nothing for me. Well, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is definitely old and it doesn't stand up to Chicago's Field Museum or DC's Smithsonian...but I love it. It ties me to my youth. School field trips, weekend trips with my mom...just the two of us. And you know what, it hasn't changed much at all since then, but I still love it. So, here you go...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt0lqA6TwGQAWr5H6iZqPFf7UWz2sxWUwiVktFgJMiP1wC0CZkujW9tDt95Pt-xBcnGd_Nf2FCWzJB5GjLl7P2Jh-S9DEIjkndtECLZqdCZbw3uBgW8Rg7B96FmeZkKg2U2TCp49jhgk/s1600/DSC_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt0lqA6TwGQAWr5H6iZqPFf7UWz2sxWUwiVktFgJMiP1wC0CZkujW9tDt95Pt-xBcnGd_Nf2FCWzJB5GjLl7P2Jh-S9DEIjkndtECLZqdCZbw3uBgW8Rg7B96FmeZkKg2U2TCp49jhgk/s640/DSC_0461.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Nu3Up6Up_4f6Pdu6mT7bSmkBTV08TqAUsSWXTz1Ra8sLo1T7F2Lbc-MHMbeNRNmSMVwxHgEsbaXD7_YUN9unbHL0WGVEOnWZvGKOn6EmIzgdy2BG3XxokNQNT_B92V5KmsVUgpuxZbA/s1600/DSC_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Nu3Up6Up_4f6Pdu6mT7bSmkBTV08TqAUsSWXTz1Ra8sLo1T7F2Lbc-MHMbeNRNmSMVwxHgEsbaXD7_YUN9unbHL0WGVEOnWZvGKOn6EmIzgdy2BG3XxokNQNT_B92V5KmsVUgpuxZbA/s640/DSC_0489.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah, one things Cincinnati Museum Center is definitely lacking...otters! Cleveland's has an outdoor area with bird exhibits, deer, turkeys, and this guy. So cute!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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We spent nearly three hours there, exploring the museum and me taking pictures. Prepare yourself for two more museum related photo-dumps to come. I got a little picture happy...I'll blame it on the museum and all the good memories it brings up!dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-28199586673369224832012-04-09T09:20:00.002-04:002012-04-09T09:36:05.652-04:00Weekend in InstagramWhat a lovely weekend. I don't know about you, but Antoine and I had a fantastic weekend. The weather was beautiful and we not only got some stuff done, but we also managed to do some fun stuff too. Here's a peak into my weekend...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-xaIDMBKvD02x2qE5Q54PhquZKfJE0lK0t6V5FqRXvGlU5skq9Co_-LLDAcCl8C_lQyxhwqRXSpMjFJ22JwVlGxq0Kc7fw32p6JdQHuUUiAiHgooVPhTAUIws2DpWAIR_bZT0Gsu434/s1600/crab+ragoons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-xaIDMBKvD02x2qE5Q54PhquZKfJE0lK0t6V5FqRXvGlU5skq9Co_-LLDAcCl8C_lQyxhwqRXSpMjFJ22JwVlGxq0Kc7fw32p6JdQHuUUiAiHgooVPhTAUIws2DpWAIR_bZT0Gsu434/s640/crab+ragoons.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'll let you in on a little secret...a good way to start a great weekend is a sushi date with your favorite fella. As soon as I got home from work on Friday, Antoine and I headed over to <a href="http://saigoncafe-cincinnati.com/">Saigon Cafe</a> for a bunch of tasty sushi. I'm an anti-social weirdo and I like to go out to eat super early (especially on Friday and Saturday nights). We got there a little after 5pm, and there were only like two other tables in the whole place. We started off with crab ragoons, which we had never had there. They were very crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside...just how they should be.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe3AeUXJw3kRfK_TfX76Pe6gsi_Gkgt9DRqPWwNgMutcokidYtTpKEAMXWgjGb55_UBMlW7PCqQ9k3gEAORaxFm0fnb0AqaGMAE5hFUVXt_2DCz37BMv75Xd1LBgvM7ODA1b2n80Oab0/s1600/sushi+date.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe3AeUXJw3kRfK_TfX76Pe6gsi_Gkgt9DRqPWwNgMutcokidYtTpKEAMXWgjGb55_UBMlW7PCqQ9k3gEAORaxFm0fnb0AqaGMAE5hFUVXt_2DCz37BMv75Xd1LBgvM7ODA1b2n80Oab0/s640/sushi+date.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Then onto the sushi. Saigon Cafe currently has all of their sushi half off, not just their regular rolls. And Antoine and I were really hungry...so we went a little crazy and got <a href="http://saigoncafe-cincinnati.com/index_htm_files/Sushi_2012.pdf">four rolls</a>. (From top to bottom: tuna roll #12, Alaskan roll #6, the Dragon roll #16, the Crazy roll #18). The Alaskan and the Dragon were my favorites. After sushi, we ran to Microcenter and JCP and then capped off the night with a trip to Menchie's.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT4tQJR_FDJGMIgTThhtfZF4-0rtNP5pCjtmb7h5AXVb4plnZ6JypKR8N7FM5_u0OY1h8ov_J8eK0rz7AuVR9_NSuYPfMjYaPy86ciZcz2GItr6ZXA6PoIhXUwTVR_O08f_pco0gxbUk/s1600/Menchies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT4tQJR_FDJGMIgTThhtfZF4-0rtNP5pCjtmb7h5AXVb4plnZ6JypKR8N7FM5_u0OY1h8ov_J8eK0rz7AuVR9_NSuYPfMjYaPy86ciZcz2GItr6ZXA6PoIhXUwTVR_O08f_pco0gxbUk/s640/Menchies.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://menchies.com/">Menchie's</a> is one of those self-serve frozen yogurt places with like 10 different types of frozen yogurt and a million different toppings. Once you've decided what you want they simply weight your selection and you pay accordingly. Antoine and I shared a cup of mountain blackberry and mudslide frozen yogurt with a crap ton of topping on it...and it only totaled up to $3.50. It was delicious! I definitely prefer it over <a href="http://orangeleafyogurt.com/">Orange Leaf</a> (which have been popping up all around us), since you can sample as many flavors as you want, without asking. And the flavors, I feel, taste better than Orange Leaf's...plus they have gluten-free, low carb, kosher and dairy free options. Only downside to Menchie's is that it's in Mason.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBw2QC-c83MNU8E2a_-ainHdX1cDDp55TdtDx-oJDFmZGEsuGFpBdm26-5GZBpgy2IfzNMr7e_T-bz7LyHhgkA-LgaRxs7kIYV_Jwx6iXLWLORWTVKluJix9JOw7G61pfAr3zYsKBFCs/s1600/Eastery+nails.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBw2QC-c83MNU8E2a_-ainHdX1cDDp55TdtDx-oJDFmZGEsuGFpBdm26-5GZBpgy2IfzNMr7e_T-bz7LyHhgkA-LgaRxs7kIYV_Jwx6iXLWLORWTVKluJix9JOw7G61pfAr3zYsKBFCs/s640/Eastery+nails.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> After we got home, Antoine had to do some stuff for work. I made my way upstairs and painted my nails. Yes, I'm still on the nail painting kick...and no, I don't see an end to it anytime soon.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdau5c1CFRJ9RDjMHb6_htzgFkklamD3RZPz9keDkIjRi-EPWHj_GCjw-6t5AF8fzsTitXgu_rlVuG-WYX6hdbVIecqFVj0NNhRZ44WOFaYFTTcT4wLSFzpm4NyAz_UI_BbAooovJmgg/s1600/sprouting+sprouts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdau5c1CFRJ9RDjMHb6_htzgFkklamD3RZPz9keDkIjRi-EPWHj_GCjw-6t5AF8fzsTitXgu_rlVuG-WYX6hdbVIecqFVj0NNhRZ44WOFaYFTTcT4wLSFzpm4NyAz_UI_BbAooovJmgg/s640/sprouting+sprouts.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Saturday morning we had to wake up bright and early to take Antoine's car in for an oil change. So while we were up we decided to go get some bagels and coffee (for me) and get our grocery shopping out of the way. Here's a shot of our little brussels sprout seedlings, on our way out the door.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQm-6_-_ZYqa9t4XVWlTRbGbQoB1kAReB-Z8ErCrgKuJgJ4ztkog09ASilynu4GzT9yiioTUw334dPV0vBqYnj6itbeDCxYCsiGBswoOlO_rSH1c-JGIdfwYoy37QxOhWje8XP8zWqcHw/s1600/dog+park+April.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQm-6_-_ZYqa9t4XVWlTRbGbQoB1kAReB-Z8ErCrgKuJgJ4ztkog09ASilynu4GzT9yiioTUw334dPV0vBqYnj6itbeDCxYCsiGBswoOlO_rSH1c-JGIdfwYoy37QxOhWje8XP8zWqcHw/s640/dog+park+April.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It turned out to be such a lovely day, so Antoine and I decided to take Cheese to the dog park.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qL5fSHhKTA5aRoL3JNRqr1R9x4IPVtFNtJY-bMN3wnwePQZN8X7cdCn6bjUL9KHQhLQZK7oE3wO3oj0nW_pAVKPF60fzccxPayjmmrDKh4_6XFlK_RpF8VkUn5UqhozpyUArrr9fPxw/s1600/dog+park+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qL5fSHhKTA5aRoL3JNRqr1R9x4IPVtFNtJY-bMN3wnwePQZN8X7cdCn6bjUL9KHQhLQZK7oE3wO3oj0nW_pAVKPF60fzccxPayjmmrDKh4_6XFlK_RpF8VkUn5UqhozpyUArrr9fPxw/s640/dog+park+tree.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Usually we follow Cheese around the park as he makes his way to every single person there (no joke! Dude likes getting pet.) But, this time there was a free bench under the trees, so we took advantage and sat and watched him from a distance. He's always on his best behavior at the dog park, so he really doesn't need to be watch too closely.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm-6Czxh9PMQf5U60DcNLJHlDr4L5zrZD85Eg8x7Ywc0kh_h24tDDU5L2azRNa5ITVmdQ3rrEyFb9WXHyfXzaEZzUpGP8TE8RjpqwSXSJToR1RFnvUdvmWn88NzXtHJOmVaoXASm3QUI/s1600/yawning+gui.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm-6Czxh9PMQf5U60DcNLJHlDr4L5zrZD85Eg8x7Ywc0kh_h24tDDU5L2azRNa5ITVmdQ3rrEyFb9WXHyfXzaEZzUpGP8TE8RjpqwSXSJToR1RFnvUdvmWn88NzXtHJOmVaoXASm3QUI/s640/yawning+gui.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After the dog park, Cheese got a much needed bath and then everyone was due for a nap...even Guillermo who had probably been napping most of the day already. Plus, Antoine and I had tickets to a Reds game, so we knew we wouldn't make it through the game without a nap.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMZ0Uoh9QSCK-XsLW7zLGqKLIgB5Rbz7HIgmAp_CmjA0vyD4CgE2bffXkp0qL9IG3aZby-dQz-Hld8NKXhVum0ScD7lzjDWl0VplGiR0CyKhvezxYN46zfCBQXYun5JpGvFCGeakhzTY/s1600/watermelon+glacier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMZ0Uoh9QSCK-XsLW7zLGqKLIgB5Rbz7HIgmAp_CmjA0vyD4CgE2bffXkp0qL9IG3aZby-dQz-Hld8NKXhVum0ScD7lzjDWl0VplGiR0CyKhvezxYN46zfCBQXYun5JpGvFCGeakhzTY/s640/watermelon+glacier.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On the way to the game we stopped by Hold the Nuts (our favorite soft serve place, in Silverton) for a little pre-game snack. I got my very first watermelon glacier (soft serve + watermelon slushie) of the season...so refreshing!</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61BhvLpZGYfOJ9HkEPYbJrdjChr3n-KozMtfIUtzdS6Szv1vsZmLsvWL12cwTOlnrbtuU0OBuTy4ejJeSY1Drwb-w1t3dV2CFgCHdqVOdp5av1hyphenhyphenPaaVuHKPSt-_Q-8inyINeg22NMW0/s1600/baseball+game.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh61BhvLpZGYfOJ9HkEPYbJrdjChr3n-KozMtfIUtzdS6Szv1vsZmLsvWL12cwTOlnrbtuU0OBuTy4ejJeSY1Drwb-w1t3dV2CFgCHdqVOdp5av1hyphenhyphenPaaVuHKPSt-_Q-8inyINeg22NMW0/s640/baseball+game.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is the second year in a row that Antoine's parents and brother have gotten us opening night Reds tickets for Xmas. It's a great gift because Antoine's brother always finds us really awesome seats (row F!!, first base side) and opening night always has a fireworks show afterwards! It reminds me of <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2010/04/love-story-part-four.html">our third date</a>! *swoon*</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2o9kcTZEmdAaqUjXhUCZi3uhIsSU6fwxzSar_S_bO-jTSvGfdAS-5YZdIui0tQDx5XkIXWqpaRLwhUB6H_BFtsEAB6fC-bYkfyDvEJPxTTJhPZj_EktSF3GBwvYY35XYdEDgd4uZGMc/s1600/A+%2526+I+at+the+ballpark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2o9kcTZEmdAaqUjXhUCZi3uhIsSU6fwxzSar_S_bO-jTSvGfdAS-5YZdIui0tQDx5XkIXWqpaRLwhUB6H_BFtsEAB6fC-bYkfyDvEJPxTTJhPZj_EktSF3GBwvYY35XYdEDgd4uZGMc/s640/A+%2526+I+at+the+ballpark.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A and I at the game! Sadly, they didn't win. But we still had a good time! And the fireworks were fantastic, as usual.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPR7LCJv4rrsc9uOOgUiYLHoke5tC9yCfodwPWAMKjKuSRBX9da7GGYkFCHaERGqq1lJq7wppQ7rfVl4rP6PnnWDyqyI6TGvIFfMs5iaamVyeeHOFO4GG0-jyQ05gKFOSMrFOhQi-fko/s1600/fireworks+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPR7LCJv4rrsc9uOOgUiYLHoke5tC9yCfodwPWAMKjKuSRBX9da7GGYkFCHaERGqq1lJq7wppQ7rfVl4rP6PnnWDyqyI6TGvIFfMs5iaamVyeeHOFO4GG0-jyQ05gKFOSMrFOhQi-fko/s640/fireworks+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEH5ZiDrGBk11e7Dg_GW5P8xzFe_918ooZStoH4RmqG87rSdQUrGkOvzLhL7JMMzK2rPQz164ZbyY90Bqenf1qk1NwzjwsmqI1c6kRCDsoBQhAlqXDHyhYC1yCgm-DrHOYRDGshoQGXU/s1600/fireworks+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOEH5ZiDrGBk11e7Dg_GW5P8xzFe_918ooZStoH4RmqG87rSdQUrGkOvzLhL7JMMzK2rPQz164ZbyY90Bqenf1qk1NwzjwsmqI1c6kRCDsoBQhAlqXDHyhYC1yCgm-DrHOYRDGshoQGXU/s640/fireworks+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKTgx0GSRRMa-21hsQBVFM8PnRcqwQnBot_C5Ftfv51Z1tu1o0Rls4XA89r6-3ly5_fpNyMYYG_jxyIo7A-G_8n-GTykdlUFJDaTnQDrPf4VooqEYDUSMZhTH6B5EzK7LKWdzIPzR1U4/s1600/b+%2526+w+Guillermo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKTgx0GSRRMa-21hsQBVFM8PnRcqwQnBot_C5Ftfv51Z1tu1o0Rls4XA89r6-3ly5_fpNyMYYG_jxyIo7A-G_8n-GTykdlUFJDaTnQDrPf4VooqEYDUSMZhTH6B5EzK7LKWdzIPzR1U4/s640/b+%2526+w+Guillermo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sunday morning we slept in, which Antoine really appreciated (usually I wake him up "too early" aka at 8 or 9am.) But, as usual, I was awoken by this guy, purring my ear off.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizSWp7rTDC-rgTH-ZU26wO-DOAddSddpgTPDQD0F0gWR-trBrgIHk_JGsOjlk-FVPHt9VIteFNuG2oWnFdk692C67LUDbOke3hiCLRVkFmykRb1nSPh2Hw_rU7F9Epbfy0hQhi7l8mx8/s1600/cap%2527n+crunch+french+toast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizSWp7rTDC-rgTH-ZU26wO-DOAddSddpgTPDQD0F0gWR-trBrgIHk_JGsOjlk-FVPHt9VIteFNuG2oWnFdk692C67LUDbOke3hiCLRVkFmykRb1nSPh2Hw_rU7F9Epbfy0hQhi7l8mx8/s640/cap%2527n+crunch+french+toast.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Antoine, being the awesome and amazing guy that he is, made us Cap'n Crunch French Toast for breakfast/lunch. So flippin' good! I could really go for some more right about now!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcPIYF2kni8p1fbrOJQUQNaL4nA33lf-KYzWhnhuPKoX8aoHXaLla_m67r2cc-IVE11kKNaVHw_vOsEiCSLfAiCIh3D8XLU1JjDEo43VnFAdc1eh5_biJEdeoucaLhX2LQAx8baOQqnQ/s1600/weirdface.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcPIYF2kni8p1fbrOJQUQNaL4nA33lf-KYzWhnhuPKoX8aoHXaLla_m67r2cc-IVE11kKNaVHw_vOsEiCSLfAiCIh3D8XLU1JjDEo43VnFAdc1eh5_biJEdeoucaLhX2LQAx8baOQqnQ/s640/weirdface.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cheese proceeded to pitch a fit when he realized he wasn't getting any French toast!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMlOtr423PxP0GESJSi5MC7jZDnmYNE1hfmKvBD4W0o4qnVZcFauwW8nN-a0ETgLdVuRV3kRRLWZOxoCi_J_nlWhJT1QhjTTIKbFEp7NI7pdXWijHA28YBhSROQ4XaXRNs6E0RvxBjrk/s1600/obligatory+orchid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMlOtr423PxP0GESJSi5MC7jZDnmYNE1hfmKvBD4W0o4qnVZcFauwW8nN-a0ETgLdVuRV3kRRLWZOxoCi_J_nlWhJT1QhjTTIKbFEp7NI7pdXWijHA28YBhSROQ4XaXRNs6E0RvxBjrk/s640/obligatory+orchid.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The rest of the day was full of shopping and outdoor activities. I don't know why, but every time we go to Lowe's or Home Depot and we pass the orchids I have to take a picture of them. It's a disease I have.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21liG1pTLnBBsG2Txe5OLx5nXH59b2Y2iOVE7SWnFaP91ANM4SHG1xMZ3gQaj8oZgj0ttfU9OqmTD0fLqFfNu75kz2viy7rwMONs_QKt_1fBTUKkDMr_vkwoSHOFFgMU20HM0mtHJj5s/s1600/clean+car.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21liG1pTLnBBsG2Txe5OLx5nXH59b2Y2iOVE7SWnFaP91ANM4SHG1xMZ3gQaj8oZgj0ttfU9OqmTD0fLqFfNu75kz2viy7rwMONs_QKt_1fBTUKkDMr_vkwoSHOFFgMU20HM0mtHJj5s/s640/clean+car.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While Antoine mowed the lawn, I washed my car. This was the first time I've ever washed a car...ever! Mainly because it's the first time I've had a car worth washing. Have I mentioned that I love my new car?!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIWd0-9R7Jm7SSNlaJ-EJxcQUl_wb-q-XwN5Lkdb8Ckju9LBWMCZHGvJ84W2J0LHgI9GRVAvHIro708oXbEBzWVxTI-SThwnrcUbXLmjatFSVkxvxh9Ly8fxKueda_IJiNXp0_g0SVFY/s1600/Cheese+in+the+grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIWd0-9R7Jm7SSNlaJ-EJxcQUl_wb-q-XwN5Lkdb8Ckju9LBWMCZHGvJ84W2J0LHgI9GRVAvHIro708oXbEBzWVxTI-SThwnrcUbXLmjatFSVkxvxh9Ly8fxKueda_IJiNXp0_g0SVFY/s640/Cheese+in+the+grass.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While A and I were keeping busy, Cheesy roamed around on this little tether thing, exploring all the smells.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkF-YIk8r9EGwIa0yUO7kd34lGCH64SGo3sr2XPLISmPYBw5t2wnBKVGKJ8iRO-x9G86avTp4rwvf34pIR4Nb55r_cqhgNSlnSEbp1CiUlEuPAHPhcCplq999zQZSlkXMty5be9yLD2s/s1600/rosemary+chicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkF-YIk8r9EGwIa0yUO7kd34lGCH64SGo3sr2XPLISmPYBw5t2wnBKVGKJ8iRO-x9G86avTp4rwvf34pIR4Nb55r_cqhgNSlnSEbp1CiUlEuPAHPhcCplq999zQZSlkXMty5be9yLD2s/s640/rosemary+chicken.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Since Easter really isn't our thing, we weren't obligated to go to any relative's house for dinner (woot!)...so we rounded off the weekend by grilling out. I made a quick marinade for some chicken (oj, fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil and a little dried thyme), and Antoine expertly grilled it. It was quite tasty. I've already got another marinade recipe to try out for next weekend.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, that was my weekend. It was absolutely delightful and I'm sad it had to end. But boy, oh boy, I do love Spring. I hope next weekend is just as lovely as this one was...I can't wait!</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-51962963654393155902012-04-05T08:18:00.002-04:002012-04-05T20:56:20.632-04:00Lucky's Cafe in ClevelandThis past weekend Antoine and I, with Cheese in tow, drove up to Cleveland to spend the weekend with my hlp, Amanda, and her boyfriend Aaron. Amanda and Aaron just moved into three-story duplex with a bazillion rooms on the east side of Cleveland. In planning to come up for the weekend Antoine and I insisted that we go to <a href="http://luckyscafe.com/">Lucky's Cafe</a> for breakfast Saturday morning. It's another Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives spot that Antoine and I were anxious to try. Plus, brunch is the best meal of the day! So, we got up early, because I'm a nutso and was worried about fighting a crowd of hungry people and made our way over to Tremont. Lucky's is a pretty small place that, in addition to serving up awesome locally produced meals (some of the ingredients come from the garden behind the restaurant) also makes delicious-looking pastries (we got a blueberry coconut scone to go and boy was it tasty!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv_Fbs5ksGwMJuh4EP-09wo2hhteQgilbkLQmOy1p_WVnsqlWQG8NqIm0PJypZ_eoPpNGXfepd5JN3q4efJqq7_tcIxXptgI5EQxX9RRedeamtMoWPkA3Xu0qofFrrwQqX64tFCo3Zbk/s1600/lucky's+%28blog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv_Fbs5ksGwMJuh4EP-09wo2hhteQgilbkLQmOy1p_WVnsqlWQG8NqIm0PJypZ_eoPpNGXfepd5JN3q4efJqq7_tcIxXptgI5EQxX9RRedeamtMoWPkA3Xu0qofFrrwQqX64tFCo3Zbk/s640/lucky's+%28blog%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYur_ORSq5er5-oUVDcCFrgf7WdYXX6quk5XSIa2nOoaKUKUmyFCXNlSncInhbXjhU1iB-DRSEV5rxwoFwgWNKQVIH-Axz_jmHgz9akuT_Ii1qSjyIZh-pwnDqI_AXbP9MZgNMH3HYec/s1600/granola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYur_ORSq5er5-oUVDcCFrgf7WdYXX6quk5XSIa2nOoaKUKUmyFCXNlSncInhbXjhU1iB-DRSEV5rxwoFwgWNKQVIH-Axz_jmHgz9akuT_Ii1qSjyIZh-pwnDqI_AXbP9MZgNMH3HYec/s640/granola.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> After seeing the Triple D episode that featured Lucky's Cafe, I knew what I wanted for breakfast. The homemade granola with fresh fruit and yogurt, drizzled with honey. Look how gorgeous it is! Look at the apple, it's like a freaking sculpture. I almost didn't want to eat it, but I was hungry, so I did. It was fantastic. It was supposed to come with pineapple but I asked them to keep that off, so I was worried that there wouldn't be much fruit...obviously no need to worry about that! The granola was chewy and delicious with bits of dried fruit in it. The honey balanced out the tang of the yogurt perfectly. Antoine was worried that it wouldn't be enough for me, but I was totally stuffed by the time I finished it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzgnMCJBpmJWiQUnHBVt3zHoiFYeGfR0xeJx4XrTYI4uaGRL38jL5RQMIVoVQsztwPJeYGkm0rGxUlZ7G7nNCijbBGwI8Hy5UHWUHezS8yB5mZbUTWspmSbamxJu-5WTZV8yQ5v4Ueyk/s1600/lucky%2527s+biscuits+and+gravy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzgnMCJBpmJWiQUnHBVt3zHoiFYeGfR0xeJx4XrTYI4uaGRL38jL5RQMIVoVQsztwPJeYGkm0rGxUlZ7G7nNCijbBGwI8Hy5UHWUHezS8yB5mZbUTWspmSbamxJu-5WTZV8yQ5v4Ueyk/s640/lucky%2527s+biscuits+and+gravy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Antoine naturally went for the cheddar biscuits and sausage gravy with eggs (also featured on Triple D), served with hash browns and grapes. He loved it! In fact, he said that it was even better than Mayberry's biscuits and gravy (which was previously his favorite biscuits and gravy). I tried a bite, then another bite, then another. I gotta say, this is the only biscuits and gravy I've ever had that I would actually consider ordering myself. The cheddar in the biscuits took them to a whole other level. And the hash brown thingies were pretty fantastic, so flavorful that you didn't need any extra salt, pepper or ketchup.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3r9UlaoH54MSDWNSxJT-MUvWAwH70AiKG-wEOmZ89gOmXQbJD_BsmZehFwP9Mop2vf7-bi3-61oWYgLjMbzsdb-1ZmwJAf7XYk-Hq_HBkJDVD7H2hWFViqpu5GR4Bopkr7Ywi9mSgVs/s1600/pecan+bacon+%28blog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3r9UlaoH54MSDWNSxJT-MUvWAwH70AiKG-wEOmZ89gOmXQbJD_BsmZehFwP9Mop2vf7-bi3-61oWYgLjMbzsdb-1ZmwJAf7XYk-Hq_HBkJDVD7H2hWFViqpu5GR4Bopkr7Ywi9mSgVs/s640/pecan+bacon+%28blog%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Antoine and I shared a side of pecan crusted bacon...because, really, how could you pass that up!? It was tasty! Sweet with a little bit of smokey saltiness in the background from the bacon.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovWJSv7_cKtE93ul4e2MOlJh4kmGHADyZKxoGzDjk5MCW_LTbSLMEFUyel1sB3ycNES6c9_zOoIN6Br5x7Ja0h5dm4SlwEDaVHimmv4UnHaOHAzAoJHJYDoj6i6JD1qizhJpzz8N829k/s1600/mac+and+cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovWJSv7_cKtE93ul4e2MOlJh4kmGHADyZKxoGzDjk5MCW_LTbSLMEFUyel1sB3ycNES6c9_zOoIN6Br5x7Ja0h5dm4SlwEDaVHimmv4UnHaOHAzAoJHJYDoj6i6JD1qizhJpzz8N829k/s640/mac+and+cheese.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aaron got the baked mac and cheese, and let me just say that if ordering were a competition, Aaron would have totally won! This was beyond AMAZING! The best mac and cheese I've ever had. Period. Baked to perfection with cheddar, mozzarella, brie and parmesan cheese and served with a side of homemade applesauce. I will admit that when Aaron left the table to use the restroom, all three of us attached what was left of his mac and cheese like vultures. It is now my goal in life to re-create this mac and cheese at home! Challenge accepted!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04uSBucBhjXqQ2uKu22JUPo5IZGKIcAhy_NnApvHCSsfA8udi-I_1KCpKUfq6aIlDtrAqG_AFuty3ZqP0ETLDqigbQ57IMMXQzkv9WYZo9z0xEXh6rBo_NOfLBzgXRBelVF9obkQ5As8/s1600/omelette+%28blog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04uSBucBhjXqQ2uKu22JUPo5IZGKIcAhy_NnApvHCSsfA8udi-I_1KCpKUfq6aIlDtrAqG_AFuty3ZqP0ETLDqigbQ57IMMXQzkv9WYZo9z0xEXh6rBo_NOfLBzgXRBelVF9obkQ5As8/s640/omelette+%28blog%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Amanda got the veggie omelet with mushrooms, spinach and white cheddar, served with hash browns, fruit and banana bread. She said later that the omelet was pretty standard, especially once she tasted Aaron's mac and cheese and my granola. But she, like Antoine, really enjoyed the hash browns. She also really liked the banana bread, which I tried and thought it was quite tasty.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9XLILeo-lASycMxTsq9Y_z0hRjp_OjCeiQzdchF9477ov6JejlnkddgGICowADhiGXUi5RAtUTDvSs8vy0hCOBxFRGSxyxm2bkHMtrAOL2phKDc3UOOdkxIttOc7l3thVCFkteDcGcE/s1600/granola+b%2526w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9XLILeo-lASycMxTsq9Y_z0hRjp_OjCeiQzdchF9477ov6JejlnkddgGICowADhiGXUi5RAtUTDvSs8vy0hCOBxFRGSxyxm2bkHMtrAOL2phKDc3UOOdkxIttOc7l3thVCFkteDcGcE/s640/granola+b%2526w.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> So pretty!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhez2B49fFe08YhTEcX21cp-nvs95EpKteBWSuIFcNihR6oJHuSyvGZL8Wx6EL1kjrSmRRRhSlRJp3NPvYyyo_ariRMQ0Ee72anzEVnaZvqP1MldrybsZLqoeofoji4DeAInR2VUXWT7UY/s1600/weirdo+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhez2B49fFe08YhTEcX21cp-nvs95EpKteBWSuIFcNihR6oJHuSyvGZL8Wx6EL1kjrSmRRRhSlRJp3NPvYyyo_ariRMQ0Ee72anzEVnaZvqP1MldrybsZLqoeofoji4DeAInR2VUXWT7UY/s640/weirdo+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Just outside Lucky's Cafe) Bunch of weirdos!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I'd highly recommend Lucky's to anyone visiting the Cleveland area. It was delicious. And if you like mac and cheese, theirs will BLOW YOUR MIND!! Word of warning, if you see these two weirdos (pictured above), run away...or they will make strange faces at you!</div></div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-26518955449462304202012-04-04T10:09:00.001-04:002012-04-04T10:16:33.898-04:00Flowers on the Brain!For some reason I've always known that I wanted to do my own flowers for my wedding. It's no secret that I love flowers. I love taking pictures of them; I love smelly them and admiring them. I'm not so great at growing them, but luckily there's these things called wholesale flower superstores online that will ship you what you need, when you need it. All you need are a couple of friends and family members and a moderate amount of supplies and BOOM...wedding flowers. In reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Wedding-Affordable-Meaningful-Celebration/dp/0738215155">A Practical Wedding</a>, I've come to realize that DIY or DIT (do-it-together) isn't for everyone, and no one should attempt to DIY their whole wedding or even most of their wedding. But instead you should DIT the aspects that seem like they'd be fun and you'd enjoy them, instead of the things that stress you out just thinking about. And for me, DIT flowers seem like a fun activity for my bridesmaids, my mom, and I to do <i>the day before the wedding</i>. I can totally picture us all hanging out in my sister's basement, with hot tea and snacks working on bouquets and small centerpieces. Just thinking about it gives me the warm fuzzies. <br />
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And it's not surprising, that like most aspects of our future wedding (which is over a year away), I've (we've) got this ALL figured out. I know the wholesale online flower mart that I plan to use, <a href="http://www.bloomsbythebox.com/">Blooms by the Box</a> (an <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/">APW</a> sponsor). And I've pretty much settled on the flowers I want, and it's within our budget.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nveQDv9IMBtz7BQWEFCwx3oFxo1BgQY0Dfeuui2zE4tMcslzCzfvD3h49jenSNgY4bFAkAu_lMEVKXzqJkkUhX3ugfpgoMJvQZ1QUdrizdqFU_kLgtbnXaQ9I_ApDbCc-hntesMxI4Q/s1600/Wedding+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nveQDv9IMBtz7BQWEFCwx3oFxo1BgQY0Dfeuui2zE4tMcslzCzfvD3h49jenSNgY4bFAkAu_lMEVKXzqJkkUhX3ugfpgoMJvQZ1QUdrizdqFU_kLgtbnXaQ9I_ApDbCc-hntesMxI4Q/s640/Wedding+flowers.jpg" width="628" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Purple lisianthus, lavender Cool Water roses, mini green hydrangeas, green hypericum, pink waxflowers, white peonies, light pink ranunculus, cream lisianthus, and purple larkspur (probably just for centerpieces).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://iloveswmag.com/2011/08/04/southern-weddings-monthly-round-up-july-2011/"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEich1WSg3rJIJPrY8lFFKz0YybnU7gUr_AR0c5PPiBekENyw8W0_yfbtTQAfI5WPE85WY-3LBFmUHqhE_wULXAjSvoI6FOZKfiDDFGehtEs2TZDVxzk7ApEHwCL599Z1kb9Hx0FvyQ76HM/s640/Southern-Weddings-Bouquet.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And, at least for right now, I'm kind of liking the idea of wrapping the bouquets with twine or something kind of natural looking. I don't really care for satin ribbon...it looks too formal to me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_I-zGf6qNKlgjkMa7PL9eW_Y9ViNDXLfE-Guvu5IXEdJq0VVr8NitRL3JBoSMWJQwUkQax0mn2NcnEx3zpnckxPtPwiAltqAko_oRjyBVTYuvixoQAKv2lttDH003rHkHPyViuoPvAU/s1600/faux+mercury+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_I-zGf6qNKlgjkMa7PL9eW_Y9ViNDXLfE-Guvu5IXEdJq0VVr8NitRL3JBoSMWJQwUkQax0mn2NcnEx3zpnckxPtPwiAltqAko_oRjyBVTYuvixoQAKv2lttDH003rHkHPyViuoPvAU/s640/faux+mercury+glass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">For the centerpieces we've been collecting an assortment of small/medium sized glass jars from wherever we can find them (old mason jars, old peanut butter jars, etc). We're planning on trying out <a href="http://makeprojects.com/Project/Faux-Mercury-Glass-from-Recycled-Vases/1668/1">this tutorial</a> that uses Krylon Looking Glass spray paint to create faux mercury glass. I think the purple/pink/green/white palette of the flowers will look very pretty against the silvery faux mercury glass. Most of our tables at our reception will be two to four seaters, so small centerpieces that people can talk over are ideal.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, that's the plan. Any wise words or suggestions from people out there who've done their own flowers would be much appreciated! Is there anything you wish you would have known before you started? Things that I've learned through reading APW and Bloom by the Box's DIY Wedding Flowers e-book include: 1.) we will be doing all of this arranging the day before the wedding <b>not</b> the day of, 2.) I plan on asking our reception venue if we can store the centerpieces there the night before (actually, I'm going to see if they'll let us assemble the centerpieces upstairs the day before...after we've done the bouquets at home or at my sister's), 3.) Flower prep takes time, especially with wholesale flowers; different flowers needs different types of attention when you're unpacking them (that's why I opted out of tulips, because they can be temperamental), 4.) I do intend to do a <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2008/08/diy-flowers-dry-run/">dry run</a> before the wedding.</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-40855074895840282402012-04-03T11:10:00.001-04:002012-04-03T11:16:47.834-04:00Brunch at Mayberry (part 2)You may remember way back when I wrote <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2010/09/mayberry-brunch-delicious-review.html">a raving review of Mayberry's delicious brunch</a>. It quickly became one of our favorite brunches in the city. Then, for a while, they stopped serving brunch for some reason. Then it came back, but before we had a chance to go Mayberry moved from their downtown location near the public library to Over-the-Rhine. So, a couple Sundays ago we invited my sister and brother-in-law to brunch, and they picked Mayberry. Neither had ever been for brunch and it was everyone's first visit to the new location. So, without further ado...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dEfu-DomCPBo5DnOiDDUzHrsLw7MPpOVC7agb-PS8mjeHvUaxb5x8Zc_nxj3Je3CRbfdH6mR5nAn04COvGqu_SbN9KAO2A59FLQFObIioAtPHkMMGIA47p_NwtynLWpJXk_wVYYL33Q/s1600/mayberry+menu+%28blog%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dEfu-DomCPBo5DnOiDDUzHrsLw7MPpOVC7agb-PS8mjeHvUaxb5x8Zc_nxj3Je3CRbfdH6mR5nAn04COvGqu_SbN9KAO2A59FLQFObIioAtPHkMMGIA47p_NwtynLWpJXk_wVYYL33Q/s640/mayberry+menu+%28blog%29.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mayberry's menu changes pretty often, though they keep some items on the menu permanently...like the Rosemary Biscuits and Sausage Gravy and the Tater Tot Casserole.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GxHg-54bSs3d5Xtq-2de_PTBJYvVZs6ruaAyyTkGrQP-0fdToD7E9tqHI3xnJVSdIKl7fQXxpaeFXduGMKNFFzVkXnK7QyI1l2c53hn7vovVCdc8Pgiu9yr_EpupunB8fAa7GBsaSjk/s1600/french+toast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GxHg-54bSs3d5Xtq-2de_PTBJYvVZs6ruaAyyTkGrQP-0fdToD7E9tqHI3xnJVSdIKl7fQXxpaeFXduGMKNFFzVkXnK7QyI1l2c53hn7vovVCdc8Pgiu9yr_EpupunB8fAa7GBsaSjk/s640/french+toast.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sadly, one item that always used to be on the old Mayberry's brunch menu, the Elvis Killer, was not on the new Mayberry's brunch menu. <insert face="" pathetic="" sad=""> The Elvis Killer was my jam. I loved it hardcore. So instead I went for the French Toast with strawberries and chocolate. It came with this buttery deliciousness all over it! YUM YUM YUM! </insert></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichKodReu6Kn5e_Tzg_KOYbqvq0RVuG6LTQJof5Pl5eCmYF7BJN60a1MGbhr5tTRpwR4mZ7M56zNRmx4QzvHMfAU6QE4E2ear3clZvYNoh6Hnw3k_gicoiJZPJGVYiUQTQxurVVGGUL9c/s1600/biscuits+and+gravy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichKodReu6Kn5e_Tzg_KOYbqvq0RVuG6LTQJof5Pl5eCmYF7BJN60a1MGbhr5tTRpwR4mZ7M56zNRmx4QzvHMfAU6QE4E2ear3clZvYNoh6Hnw3k_gicoiJZPJGVYiUQTQxurVVGGUL9c/s640/biscuits+and+gravy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Antoine went for his Mayberry usual, the Rosemary Biscuits and Sausage Gravy with a poached eggs on top. He's a biscuits and gravy kind of guy and he loves this dish. I'm <b>not</b> a biscuits and sausage gravy kind of gal, but I gotta say, Mayberry's is pretty tasty. The rosemary in the biscuits adds a nice aroma and flavor.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Vqqf78yBh6Q3az_6id2XJ_4ypY7WxfvnqI0sTnik_Ef0NzhYwP7bkC1pHir_viqHP1bu6RvOgPbW8Acjyzj9r1svOcZkmdKO4kLdfIbkoaBAvg8cmvFxVkYus6I2bsz6vW19ofCdxqA/s1600/BLT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Vqqf78yBh6Q3az_6id2XJ_4ypY7WxfvnqI0sTnik_Ef0NzhYwP7bkC1pHir_viqHP1bu6RvOgPbW8Acjyzj9r1svOcZkmdKO4kLdfIbkoaBAvg8cmvFxVkYus6I2bsz6vW19ofCdxqA/s640/BLT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My sis got the BLT with Peppered Bacon, Leek Gouda Fondue and Roasted Tomato. The second I took a bite of this my eyes rolled back and I let out a fairly loud "Mmmm!" Delicious.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHeUR4gNSwPrGoC36tKhxjTI7Z-_kmtQ55kx6Cg8uZOH0jwP1DcBSkx65BBFkfge_WUXYHKbjQI_hTwH7Q5YgyKwJjxS2LUZ2jUKKCA79n1qEMWOA8KUEbG9_ugKrZv9nQVFEPq-4aQY/s1600/lamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHeUR4gNSwPrGoC36tKhxjTI7Z-_kmtQ55kx6Cg8uZOH0jwP1DcBSkx65BBFkfge_WUXYHKbjQI_hTwH7Q5YgyKwJjxS2LUZ2jUKKCA79n1qEMWOA8KUEbG9_ugKrZv9nQVFEPq-4aQY/s640/lamb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christian got the Roasted Lamb with Mashed Potatoes. I didn't try this, nor did anyone else at the table, because I don't like eating lamb. But he seemed to really like it. He also got a Bloody Mary, and he enjoyed that as well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlan6Av5SdVtzDmTz_cYMPJAPNlQMJXGxtCdZmk__0PiHudyPUeTL_Nkm-HaK1ia88g0s87wKMRoYjWyebE2f_lcc0V868U0aDrxMJO6mOBVzabAXWvOgecw8eNRu_2eYft6aEZnextCQ/s1600/tater+tot+casserole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlan6Av5SdVtzDmTz_cYMPJAPNlQMJXGxtCdZmk__0PiHudyPUeTL_Nkm-HaK1ia88g0s87wKMRoYjWyebE2f_lcc0V868U0aDrxMJO6mOBVzabAXWvOgecw8eNRu_2eYft6aEZnextCQ/s640/tater+tot+casserole.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ahh, Tater Tot Casserole. It's so pretty and delicious! This was by far the BEST Tater Tot Casserole I've had at Mayberry! Beyond cheesy with lots of little lovely browned bits. If it was acceptable I would totally order like 10 of these for brunch, but I think people would judge me!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">As far as the new location goes, it's bigger, which is a definitely plus. They've got a nice big bar as well. It's a definite step up (as far as size) from the last place. I hope that they do very well in this location, I know I'll be back many, many times...stuffing my face full of tater tot casserole!</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-44745941926097805612012-03-29T09:41:00.001-04:002012-03-29T09:47:49.272-04:00Three HoursDuring my final year of college, my parents, my sister and I took a family trip to Arizona over spring break. It was the first time I had done anything over spring break since I had been in school, so despite the fact that it was a family trip to a place I really didn't care to go I was excited. There were good parts of that trip. The grand canyon was good. The park ranger-guided moonlight walk around the rim was one of my favorite parts of the trip. But then there was Phoenix. I hated it the moment we landed and got off the plane. It was blistering hot, as if I could feel my fair skin actually frying. And it was just the beginning of March. Everything was brown and orangish-red with barely any green insight, besides the spiny cacti. The city itself was sprawled out and sad-looking to me. We went to fancy hotels that my sister had managed to reserve since she's a travel agent. But that didn't make me like it there. It was still so hot and devoid of all the things that I love about Ohio in March. Back in Cincinnati things were about to bloom, daffodils and hyacinths would be popping up through the ground soon. Birds would begin singing their happy songs and making their nests. But there, in Phoenix, it was hot and everything around me felt dead. It felt as if the sun had set everything on fire and burned it to the ground with it's insufferable rays. I disliked everything I encountered in and around that arid, dusty city.<br />
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Fast-forward to 7 years later. After 10 months of working in the wonderful and fairly close city of Chicago, Antoine finds out his next consulting gig is in Phoenix. Antoine was over-joyed to find another consulting job and by the opportunity to rack up more frequent flier miles. I was wary, with good reason. I knew my Texas born fella could handle his heat, but I also knew that Phoenix and I didn't see eye to eye. Then I find out that Phoenix doesn't participate in day-light savings time, so in March when we lost an hour here in Cincinnati, Phoenix sat on its lazy ass and did nothing. So instead of being a two hour time difference between Cincinnati and Phoenix, it was now three. And what a difference three hours makes.<br />
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When Antoine is going into work, I'm going to lunch. When I'm getting home and eating dinner, he's working. When he's leaving the office, the office that has no cell phone reception, I'm starting to get sleepy. When he's getting back to his hotel with his dinner, I've either fallen asleep on the couch or am about to pass out in bed. Our schedules are off. And techology seems to be against us. Half the time he doesn't receive my texts. And when we face-time, when he finds time to face-time, the signal is all scramble. When he manages to call me on his way to or from work, the connection is lousy. Let me repeat, I do not like you Phoenix!<br />
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So, for right now, I'm frustrated. I know there are reasons to be thankful for this project. I am thankful that Antoine has a job that he enjoys and I am thankful for all those perks of consulting, the frequent flier miles and hotel points will make planning our honeymoon so much easier. But right now, I don't care about those perks. Instead I am anxiously waiting for August to roll around and for this project to be finished. Then, hopefully, he can find something on the east coast, a little closer to home. Hopefully.dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-45278880037282084722012-03-26T09:17:00.001-04:002012-03-26T09:23:39.698-04:00Weekend in Instagram This weekend was a mix of rain and beautiful sunshine. It rained most of Friday, so Antoine and I decided to order a pizza from <a href="http://deweyspizza.com/">Dewey's</a>, one of my favorite pizza places (lately we've been getting the Ryan's Inferno, which is never spicy [yay!] but always hits the spot everytime) for dinner. After the delicious pizza we got into our pajamas and prepared ourselves for the last five episodes of the Walking Dead (which we had been saving up). God, I love that show! It's so flippin' good.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6eE95jJ7Frez8KpYxfxlnNLSiU2aayeuqNxHb8iYUjaHOk5NJHZsKjHB47cNMBNY76eYOZDnas330H14DxRZLoHy9NifafprE42SyiNgm7RIc6vktW58YILNsoaHdsKYiiAvFitWi88/s1600/crackle+nails.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6eE95jJ7Frez8KpYxfxlnNLSiU2aayeuqNxHb8iYUjaHOk5NJHZsKjHB47cNMBNY76eYOZDnas330H14DxRZLoHy9NifafprE42SyiNgm7RIc6vktW58YILNsoaHdsKYiiAvFitWi88/s400/crackle+nails.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While we were watching the Walking Dead I painted my nails with some crackle polish I had recently found on clearance at Sally's. It was my first attempt at crackle polish and I gotta say, I'm a fan.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vD5U4LHmUekkOccZL_iThGUOEqIZCqnpBqpZ1cc1BAmmAC6s2Z-b4Qi8o0BkedXyD13pMRBze9HsQFwhQgZg9nuUogtTAcuifKYS-yu4uPXB1CT-wpKTFzsPJsBWKnx8QTg0FeEC81I/s1600/new+glasses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vD5U4LHmUekkOccZL_iThGUOEqIZCqnpBqpZ1cc1BAmmAC6s2Z-b4Qi8o0BkedXyD13pMRBze9HsQFwhQgZg9nuUogtTAcuifKYS-yu4uPXB1CT-wpKTFzsPJsBWKnx8QTg0FeEC81I/s400/new+glasses.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Saturday morning I woke up to find that my new pair of glasses had arrived. I got them from <a href="http://coastal.com/">coastal.com</a>. They have this promotion where your first pair of glasses are free (as long as your Rx isn't too crazy), so all you have to pay is $10 for shipping!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_sb2kpFbcZ7_byrcbsS0aJ8WHb2hm1bio6ArbEZ46r4pF9jCJxHF_dZJRcTwSpVVoJIPVyugflSvMU3uAwhhv2MMlF83DpEai3TzWiL86tlAjZ64AkRYIdL58cxEyn6lzy_ZBM5Jmrw/s1600/tulips+in+the+flower+box.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_sb2kpFbcZ7_byrcbsS0aJ8WHb2hm1bio6ArbEZ46r4pF9jCJxHF_dZJRcTwSpVVoJIPVyugflSvMU3uAwhhv2MMlF83DpEai3TzWiL86tlAjZ64AkRYIdL58cxEyn6lzy_ZBM5Jmrw/s400/tulips+in+the+flower+box.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">According to my weather app on my phone it said Saturday was supposed to be dreary...but it was gorgeous. The purple tulips in our window flowerbox were loving the sunshine.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIoOV7vP0PGvGSMZwW1YVooNd0R_wZ3TuIjfsPPUpTEz2baW5I1pUKqq_UT5WPqyyT3wS1w7HDqmSYmcAdjuIndCierzbmGzazRcpeqkFqXzmj0VLG31kIAREtNrRybJTN-6fyRYG6Wk/s1600/flowers+from+home+depot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIoOV7vP0PGvGSMZwW1YVooNd0R_wZ3TuIjfsPPUpTEz2baW5I1pUKqq_UT5WPqyyT3wS1w7HDqmSYmcAdjuIndCierzbmGzazRcpeqkFqXzmj0VLG31kIAREtNrRybJTN-6fyRYG6Wk/s400/flowers+from+home+depot.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Since the weather was so lovely we decided to add a trip to Home Depot to our list of errands. I picked up some herbs to plant (rosemary, basil and cilantro for now) and some new seeds to sew (including pickling cucumbers, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, and romaine).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAJObsH6jUy9y8bw9qdg3t3nFgIHj9SOzwwv8JDRWXOHOswUcZlSZGQjIZunpw7KRVRs8G3XlKnKJJsZpatwv2RFDzHDRQFVbK7d_Hl7ImOc56TTxMCcirDZqJrYEPn7Zi3RBRRBL_WU/s1600/forsythia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAJObsH6jUy9y8bw9qdg3t3nFgIHj9SOzwwv8JDRWXOHOswUcZlSZGQjIZunpw7KRVRs8G3XlKnKJJsZpatwv2RFDzHDRQFVbK7d_Hl7ImOc56TTxMCcirDZqJrYEPn7Zi3RBRRBL_WU/s400/forsythia.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While we were at Home Depot, Antoine and I were gawking at these gorgeous forsythias. We ended up leaving, going to the grocery store and then going back to pick up two of them. Since we bought the house about two and a half years ago we've had these evergreen shrubs on either side of our porch. When we bought the house they were fine, but over time they've slowly begun to die. So we've had our eye out for something to replace them...and the forsythia seemed like a great choice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNhSrd-BnmEXuu8Jykfng6_DMZBpdKAqIudsQdjLOlngeKfqweg4yxujVk8arxp87-ftjubW0ZS11pyzLJG6ExYlXfk4vpVfU-IKSGvPlQ9G-IjQVCcpgMwB9enEb032EN2SIMmPw53c/s1600/forsythia+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNhSrd-BnmEXuu8Jykfng6_DMZBpdKAqIudsQdjLOlngeKfqweg4yxujVk8arxp87-ftjubW0ZS11pyzLJG6ExYlXfk4vpVfU-IKSGvPlQ9G-IjQVCcpgMwB9enEb032EN2SIMmPw53c/s400/forsythia+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They're hardy and vibrant, yet have a delicate look to them up close. And they really pop next to our blue house. I'm in love.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ar531SFpuJWlRLqGcHhedu6A8gW6CMZmV07da5VRYL5tOskvLYcC6JEt_T7IecWY8R1ba0GBeUGCCMv4gbv-yYswH7_6YODSsKDCVeZBsD4NRpr_gb0OhWnUJbxaojnDTSSm-iNn0wI/s1600/old+shrub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ar531SFpuJWlRLqGcHhedu6A8gW6CMZmV07da5VRYL5tOskvLYcC6JEt_T7IecWY8R1ba0GBeUGCCMv4gbv-yYswH7_6YODSsKDCVeZBsD4NRpr_gb0OhWnUJbxaojnDTSSm-iNn0wI/s400/old+shrub.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here's the sad, dying shrubs that Antoine ripped out of the ground.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_DaHL8L7afPgFrPvb3DxaYZNImxPi3hG6xkJ-hiAk36cZpkw7W9HpRBLD4ZY0l58s6IUjAIoWK-VSTIFZz9FxgPNSUsYQCRaDW0LQ65JsCyaP-wecUXO04YF-6CMD1uOyWd4ck_lkYQ/s1600/smoothie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_DaHL8L7afPgFrPvb3DxaYZNImxPi3hG6xkJ-hiAk36cZpkw7W9HpRBLD4ZY0l58s6IUjAIoWK-VSTIFZz9FxgPNSUsYQCRaDW0LQ65JsCyaP-wecUXO04YF-6CMD1uOyWd4ck_lkYQ/s400/smoothie.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On Sunday we took it easy and didn't do much of anything, mainly because I wasn't feeling too hot. But I did whip up a delicious smoothie for breakfast. I got the idea for <a href="http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/03/wannabe-green-smoothie/">The Novice Chef's recent post on green(ish) smoothies</a>. I took her recipe and tweaked it a little, since I have a bag full of frozen blueberries in the freezer and I'm not a pineapple fan. I went for non-fat greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries, a fresh banana, and a couple handfuls of spinach. I ended up having to add a little OJ to mine, since my blender sucks. I gotta say, I was a bit skeptical about not being able to taste the spinach, but I figured Jessica wouldn't lie to me. And she didn't. With all that other tasty, fruitiness in there you really can't taste the spinach. I even gave it to Antoine to try (and he had no idea what I had put into it since he was in the livingroom the whole time) and after he took a sip I told him there was spinach in it and he thought I was kidding. And seriously, they're super addictive. I actually had two of them yesterday and I'm craving another one already!</div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-32441902315351998272012-03-16T08:01:00.001-04:002012-03-16T08:12:12.531-04:00SunlightBecause it's Friday and I really can't think right now, I thought why not subject these fine folks to more pictures of the Cheese-man. I took these one afternoon when Cheese was hanging out under the dining room table, in the sunlight. Consider it <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/experimenting-in-manual.html">round two of experimenting in manual</a> with Cheesy as my muse...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYBJtyeJlL4czPpOkwY6Ady9pnzH54HRYvI4-Sl__N9D16B3uxarHm2zw_mt6Fk0eiiE6XcT94EKUY4i090i1LHn_xut74UXBmHIUFJTG1axL-nD7vEGSP9at65sHC3x-wJFl02_I8k0/s1600/Cheese+in+Sunlight+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYBJtyeJlL4czPpOkwY6Ady9pnzH54HRYvI4-Sl__N9D16B3uxarHm2zw_mt6Fk0eiiE6XcT94EKUY4i090i1LHn_xut74UXBmHIUFJTG1axL-nD7vEGSP9at65sHC3x-wJFl02_I8k0/s640/Cheese+in+Sunlight+6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp50bpHAabfr8X2kOUGEdzTNgra5-qWKTf67FS-2IznfrQ5aVbwtscz6H-i7Vw9U-844Xv6zaMq9DzxugUNTyyuLeH0P5Vo6oUscRBou_1ODeNeAYgwakzlfY6VOhg4IGixjOp3KBU6sQ/s1600/Cheese+in+sunlight+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp50bpHAabfr8X2kOUGEdzTNgra5-qWKTf67FS-2IznfrQ5aVbwtscz6H-i7Vw9U-844Xv6zaMq9DzxugUNTyyuLeH0P5Vo6oUscRBou_1ODeNeAYgwakzlfY6VOhg4IGixjOp3KBU6sQ/s640/Cheese+in+sunlight+4.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
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Happy Friday all! I hope you have some wonderful weekend plans in store. Antoine and I have plans to go to brunch downtown with my sis and brother-in-law. We're going to Mayberry, one of my favorite area brunch spots. But this will be my first time there since they switched to their new location, so I'm very excited!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-69563944673228566522012-03-15T08:05:00.000-04:002012-03-15T08:05:00.142-04:00It's Like Junior High Again!For about a month and a half now, I've been painting my nails at least 2 or 3 times a week, experimenting with different color combos and <a href="http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/2012/02/nail-tutorial-zig-zags.html">techniques</a>. It all makes me feel like I'm in Junior High again. When I was in Junior High I would lock myself in my bedroom for hours (without the windows open, to my parents' constant dismay) and paint my nails, blue with big yellow stars, cute little hearts and glitter, and ladybugs with little googly-eyes. It was one of my "things". Once I got to High School I kind of grew out of it. I continued to paint my toenails, but I left my fingernails alone...until now. I've noticed a big resurgence in fun fingernail painting, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and experiment a little. Hell, I still had a huge case full of nail polish to have fun with, some actually from my Junior High days (which I then proceeded to throw out).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1MwSDQxt32kGcUJC-sf3KbtRA9t_yZTh98OBJdaKlNkzczfmzyilAELv2O8ovZBnHs7_naykSNXHrPR2VW03iFiLqbXlrotdLgyof8XvyXnfm4xNHgMd-SfB_Q08QxZMcqs5tJweSKk/s1600/nail+collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1MwSDQxt32kGcUJC-sf3KbtRA9t_yZTh98OBJdaKlNkzczfmzyilAELv2O8ovZBnHs7_naykSNXHrPR2VW03iFiLqbXlrotdLgyof8XvyXnfm4xNHgMd-SfB_Q08QxZMcqs5tJweSKk/s640/nail+collage+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QKCu8Pd9gGJcvmdopl8nrZpzfc2g185c-raQ8kTcYAK_5NmUxKVqQBWoiJgJRcjJbm1jiRILOCh14ZGxmTNdhaHihkO5UzFUSp0q1dF0ihAi8UVxOH1tnOnrBpMXc7J5FBeHp01pHaw/s1600/nail+collage+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QKCu8Pd9gGJcvmdopl8nrZpzfc2g185c-raQ8kTcYAK_5NmUxKVqQBWoiJgJRcjJbm1jiRILOCh14ZGxmTNdhaHihkO5UzFUSp0q1dF0ihAi8UVxOH1tnOnrBpMXc7J5FBeHp01pHaw/s640/nail+collage+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvjAr05Y8VWspjJo2CnseFxgcCb3aRm_G-WSOnC2fcAmO-RqkTN2Yfx5tM-8UVvwqEfpYf9pz1ewyCoKr28Cpe_dytT42um_lvVsfPBaYDK-HMZyjmKPbpGjIG1BsJOhNsyi91G4miF8/s1600/nails+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvjAr05Y8VWspjJo2CnseFxgcCb3aRm_G-WSOnC2fcAmO-RqkTN2Yfx5tM-8UVvwqEfpYf9pz1ewyCoKr28Cpe_dytT42um_lvVsfPBaYDK-HMZyjmKPbpGjIG1BsJOhNsyi91G4miF8/s400/nails+9.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZrC89QtIPALLH0mzHZK2X67bBkiQxzGojTe6l5DHMllswq_rpBrxMLtPea5VyYD9c_8r3guCpWIH_yng1evS5MSx28X5IdIK10X3wU4wIozhbyGSpEm-nW19EEAVZWHPsrQpdfna0Ig/s1600/nails+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZrC89QtIPALLH0mzHZK2X67bBkiQxzGojTe6l5DHMllswq_rpBrxMLtPea5VyYD9c_8r3guCpWIH_yng1evS5MSx28X5IdIK10X3wU4wIozhbyGSpEm-nW19EEAVZWHPsrQpdfna0Ig/s400/nails+11.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm not what you call a girly-girl. I don't wear a lot of jewelry (most of the time none, except for my engagement ring), so painting my nails in a cute and often sparkly way to be a little girly without feeling uncomfortable. Also, since I've been painting them regularly I've noticed that they're really growing. This is partly because the nail polish makes them really quite hard so they don't break as easily, but also because I really don't bite them when they're painted. If you look at the first couple of shots you can kind of see how much they've grown compared to the last couple. Also, it gives me something to do with my hands while I'm watching tv.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>dissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-458723413431927352.post-10482758294261793572012-03-13T07:57:00.001-04:002012-03-13T08:23:38.871-04:00Rainbow CupcakesOne of my favorite blogs that I follow is <a href="http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/">The Dainty Squid</a>. <a href="http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html">Kaylah</a> is a cat lovin', tattooed, creative lady living in Northern Ohio. She sports the most awesomest hair ever and wears amazing vintage outfits that I couldn't begin to pull off. And since I've been reading her blog I've wanted to try out her <a href="http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/2010/09/colorful-cupcakes-tutorial.html">Colorful Cupcakes tutorial</a>. So, I added it to <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/02/27-things-before-28.html">my 27 things before 28 list</a> (#8). And then the day after my birthday I made them!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-JjFVi-K_nYpV3b2yC33uhcg3EHpmkuYCaSMOIGbvJIHsA6yHcM4LS29NC-Hqirb316bdwCiKK5mATnRHSAe_F3Q4TIQvTxu0xEIDrHHfIr8gPML_1faOGBWXrQu3jKAwxhy0zhcjmc/s1600/cupcake+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-JjFVi-K_nYpV3b2yC33uhcg3EHpmkuYCaSMOIGbvJIHsA6yHcM4LS29NC-Hqirb316bdwCiKK5mATnRHSAe_F3Q4TIQvTxu0xEIDrHHfIr8gPML_1faOGBWXrQu3jKAwxhy0zhcjmc/s400/cupcake+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I followed Kaylah's tutorial exactly, using white cake mix and buying the Wilton food coloring gels she suggested (love them! A sample pack of 12 colors was only $10 on Amazon). I ended up doing 5 different colors: pink, yellow, green, blue and purple. When it came to filling the cupcake liners, with about half of them I just randomly threw in different color (see above).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdaAdwkrtwhKWY3IJOpVfTYYGzQI0KwxCt1boTZhpMAvM-bPqQKmaHTU79Hk0Y2wZYkgHnzOQqpNrgl2KqHej6tk6BkA19ZPtnIR3Y7d28oQyk00nkupTo0lN_jIb-F5sg8wS43nzFqs/s1600/cupcake+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdaAdwkrtwhKWY3IJOpVfTYYGzQI0KwxCt1boTZhpMAvM-bPqQKmaHTU79Hk0Y2wZYkgHnzOQqpNrgl2KqHej6tk6BkA19ZPtnIR3Y7d28oQyk00nkupTo0lN_jIb-F5sg8wS43nzFqs/s400/cupcake+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> With the other half I carefully layered the colors in a rainbow pattern. This took more time and patience. But it was totally worth it! I ended up getting two different flavors of frosting: chocolate and lemon. Antoine's not crazy about chocolate frosting, but I am!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUojEerhY4uE9E28k9lESGNwkxvtT885J7rvwEm0gUgZTg0gRNu-LjGXXDA7WbpM0ppkXcxKZJSjIj71RUmqaEbDC37xd7pu1Kr13I3WPegmv_vPX8rfLFKcCD47jK59bZ_TsCGNO7_8/s1600/cupcake+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUojEerhY4uE9E28k9lESGNwkxvtT885J7rvwEm0gUgZTg0gRNu-LjGXXDA7WbpM0ppkXcxKZJSjIj71RUmqaEbDC37xd7pu1Kr13I3WPegmv_vPX8rfLFKcCD47jK59bZ_TsCGNO7_8/s400/cupcake+4.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYugU_DfloI0-bgFHuAZKfaK9A9aAxhTXYWTtQ-fbKxz5fnuQYzaqhNlmfPwfxA03b9EbU1TlGLT15eg2itXA0G7Vc6SN0Y8RsNqCzo9DesTO2RtDAvOJRNGeXMC69HsPmJ1-Il0uSars/s1600/cupcake+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYugU_DfloI0-bgFHuAZKfaK9A9aAxhTXYWTtQ-fbKxz5fnuQYzaqhNlmfPwfxA03b9EbU1TlGLT15eg2itXA0G7Vc6SN0Y8RsNqCzo9DesTO2RtDAvOJRNGeXMC69HsPmJ1-Il0uSars/s400/cupcake+3.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXElbMIPDRno5rSCGOndLWub7X3HT9KQdlEH4kBw1Er8WRQpbUxHQ8czXn3vn5ose7k_c5NsSbw0bIrgT_2TSP0va8v5YUvc8kWsAJKWNeI9pFoFt9HXcZ_Kw01JqkNYZPpnru2WBHgsY/s1600/cupcake+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXElbMIPDRno5rSCGOndLWub7X3HT9KQdlEH4kBw1Er8WRQpbUxHQ8czXn3vn5ose7k_c5NsSbw0bIrgT_2TSP0va8v5YUvc8kWsAJKWNeI9pFoFt9HXcZ_Kw01JqkNYZPpnru2WBHgsY/s400/cupcake+5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Needless to say, I spent the majority of that weekend eating cupcakes! But I was okay with that, since it was my birthday weekend and all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">You know, as far as taste goes, these cupcakes are pretty standard. I mean, it is just box mix. But now I know that there's something to the phrase "you eat with your eyes first". These cupcakes were just so much fun and so colorful that I felt they tasted better than they actually were. I'd highly recommend this tutorial to anyone, especially for a kids birthday or something. The response I got when I posted some of these photos on Facebook was pretty intense. Everyone was in awe...if they only knew just how easy they are to make. And how much fun they were to eat!</div><br />
1.) Read Jane Eyre <br />
2.) Go to Midpoint Music Festival <br />
3.) Romantic cabin weekend with Antoine <br />
4.) Start jogging <br />
5.) Make at least 4 LP books for Etsy <br />
6.) Finally watch Casa Blanca and Citizen Kane <br />
7.) Go camping with Amanda and Aaron<br />
<strike>8.) Make rainbow cupcakes </strike><br />
9.) Go canoeing <br />
10.) Visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park <br />
<a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/experimenting-in-manual.html"><strike>11.) Learn to shoot photos manually </strike></a><br />
12.) Embroider/needlepoint something <br />
13.) Gather, scan, and print family photos <br />
14.) Make a miniature book <br />
15.) Make blueberry jam from scratch <br />
16.) Have another drunken, long-distance tweeting party <br />
17.) Make most of the Xmas gifts I give this year <br />
18.) Get a pedicure this summer <br />
19.) Try 5 new (or new to me) Cincinnati restaurants: <a href="http://howidealwithmycrazylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/senate.html">one down</a>, four to go <br />
20.) Have an unplugged day with Antoine <br />
21.) Learn to French braid <br />
22.) Buy yarn from a fancy yarn store <br />
23.) Blow dry my hair less (doing good so far!)<br />
24.) Go to the "World's Longest Yard Sale" <br />
25.) Learn to make latte art <br />
26.) Plant a better garden <br />
27.) Hang more of our Rob Jones prints/postersdissolvedintosomethinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00333867681986199662noreply@blogger.com1