More Weddings . . .

I'm just back from a fantastic wedding in North Carolina. A big congratulations to Erin and Nathan!

Erin and her dad love the circus - so her wedding featured a big tent set up in the backyard of a NC plantation right next to the water. Her mom got a bunch of mason jars and put old fashioned French lables on them and then went down to the grocery store and put various flowers inside. They hung the jars on wire hooks down the isle and the jars on the tables for the reception simply had a bow around them. They printed off extra large old fashioned circus posters and had a live band for the reception! It was a wonderful party - thanks for inviting me! I'll try and put up pictures later!

Princes, Princesses, and Books

I read quite a bit - It's not just a habit from unemployment, in fact my reading habits have decreased since I was released back into the wild. But I do, on occasion, make it through a book.

Most recently I finished The Princess of Nowhere and I can tell you . . . skip it. She might be the princess of Nowhere, but this book goes no where. I love historical fiction, it's one of my favorite genres. But the characters are thoroughly unlikeable and the plot lacks . . . well, plot.

Some of you might recognize the author - Prince Lorenzo Borghese. Famed for his appearance on the Bachelor and now owns a pet products company. The head tag line on the back of the book reads "Princess Pauline Borghese was one of the most fascinating women of her day. Now her story is unforgettably told by one of her descendants . . ." The problem here being the writer in question in NOT an actual decedent of Pauline Borghese. Pauline Borghese married Camillo Borghese, they never had any children. The author is a decedent of Camillo's brother . . .

Believe me, everything is a little flimsy here . . .

Good Things to Eat in New Jersey

I was just up in New Jersey for the weekend. It was my baby sister's birthday, she turned 28 - somehow that makes me feel older than when it's my birthday.

We are always on the look out for fantastic places to eat. This trip we came across two excellent choices that won't break the bank.

First up is My Kitchen Witch - with a menu offering breakfast and lunch, you'll be hard pressed to find a better way to start the day. I had the Grilled Chicken sandwich - a very tasty piece of warm chicken with sliced apples, brie cheese, and bacon (done nice and crispy) on a roll. Kate had the turkey sandwich which was also excellent, but I can also recommend their blueberry pancakes.

Many of their items are named after the Wizard of Oz (and other famous witches) which makes this Kansas girl very happy.

Also delicious - try Lulu's Fresh Mexican Grill in West Long Branch, NJ. The taco are killer. The salsa's fresh. Two extra high thumbs up for the pulled pork tacos topped with just a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Lulu's is a tiny little place run only by its owner, Anthony, who is a really nice guy.

Happy eating all!

Spring Cleaning

It's a love/hate relationship. I'm oh, so glad when it all works out and everything is bright and shiny and clean. It's just the getting there that kills me. Actually, I take that back - it's the getting motivated and the staying motivated that kills me. Right now I have time on my hands to accomplish the task - but where is that motivation? I believe it's lying in the hamper with the dirty laundry I've been ignoring for the last two weeks. But I do feel Spring Cleaning sneaking up on me. Last year I read an article on how to organize you shoes in a half hour. I had a good long laugh. First of all, in all of the examples of ways to organize you shoes, the shoes magically had a closet of their own. Not on this girls budget. Second of all, what are they organizing 10 pairs? There needs to be real article out there that doesn't involve fantasy closets and unrealistic numbers of shoes. And really, if your shoes had their own closet, would you really only own 10 pairs? I think not.

All Hail the Book Lovers!

If you haven't been paying attention - and I won't judge you if you haven't, but really where have you been? -- Borders Bookstore is going out of business. While it's very upsetting for me to see any bookstore go under (I remember RainyDay Books from my childhood, it still upsets me and that's probably why I have to watch You've Got Mail ever time it's on TV), now is the time to reap the benefits. We're talking cheap, cheap books. Anywhere from 60%-80% off. Now my current budget restrictions prevented me from going hog wild (that and -other downside - they didn't have the book I wandered in for), I did walk away very happy and managed to purchase 4 books for the price of 1. And most of you who know me, if I had to choose between eating and buying books (or shoes for that matter), let's bring on the hunger strike!

Capers! And Chicken . . .

At the grocery store yesterday a jar of capers suddenly lept of the shelf and landed in my basket. And I love capers. So what's a girl to do? I made Chicken Piccata. It's surprisingly easy and most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen (except for the capers, unless you're me . . .) Here's what you need: 2 Chicken breasts - boneless, skinless Juice of one large lemon Salt Pepper 1/2 cup Flour 2 tsp. Paprika 2 tbs. Butter 3 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 cup Chicken stock 3 tbs. Capers I've discovered the perfect portions Chicken options at the grocery store - and I love it. The chicken tastes good and it's pre-sealed so I can just toss what I don't use into the freezer. First up - Pour the Paprika and the flour onto a plate and mix Take chicken breasts and pound until slightly flattened - I don't own a mallet, so I used the potato masher . . . Salt and Pepper chicken breasts Drag chicken breasts through flour mixture and shake loose amounts off - set aside. Now in a medium sized pan over medium heat - melt butter and olive oil. When it starts to sizzle, add chicken. Cook chicken for 3 min - Then flip and cook for another 3 min . . . Remove chicken and set aside. Put lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers into the pan. Bring to boil. Put chicken back into the pan and simmer for 5min Remove chicken Quickly whisk sauce and pour over chicken. Serve. If it doesn't seem buttery enough you can add an extra table spoon of butter to the mixture before you whisk, but I found this to be overkill. Oh, so good . . . and surprisingly fast and easy. Add a salad or a pasta to complete!

Old Town

With spring in the air (or mostly as it's been freezing the last few days) it's a great time to get out and visit Old Town Alexandria. I admit to being a little bias as it was the first place I lived when I moved out to DC. King Street is where most of the action is - lined with shops and great places to eat. That said, don't miss the Torpedo Factory - located at the very end of the street, right next to the water. The old factory has been converted into artist spaces and no only are items available to view and purchase but if your local and have the time, classes in various mediums are offered. Stop and enjoy the waterfront while your down there - there's a little park off to the side where people picnic, play volleyball, and walk dogs.

Also, don't forget to wander off the beaten path - there are loads of small shops off King St worth a look. If you enjoy looking at old historic houses, go over a block from King Street and walk up Prince - some truly great homes with rot iron gates, old door, and fantastic gardens.

Squirrely T-shirts

This past summer, as many of you will remember, my cousin got married. At the wedding, my uncle - who's a fairly laid back person - announced as he was sitting quietly, that he, "Felt a little squirrely coming on . . ." and some how, it made sense at the time. It has of course lead to a few jokes in the family. For this past Christmas, as I was getting my craft on, I put my uncle's statement to good use and made my aunt and uncle Squirrely T-shirts.

Iron on t-shirts are super easy and fun to do . . .

Go to the craft store and purchase a plain t-shirt and an iron transfer package. Print out what you want on the computer.

The big squirrel went on the back and for the front . . .

Iron that puppy (or squirrel in this case) on . . .

And voila!

Personalize t-shirts for whoever you want them for!

Hyperbolic Coral Crochet!

Back in July, I began to participate in the Hyperbolic Coral Crochet project. What exactly is that? A group of people from the DC area came together and created a coral reef - entirely out of crochet. And, not to sound too proud of myself (as I only contributed two pieces), it's pretty awesome. It's on display now at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and will be up until April - stop on in and have a peek. It's massive - don't get so side tracked by the main display that you miss the smaller set ups - including one coral reef made of beaded crocheted coral.

You'll find my name (along with many, many others) on some of the displays. And if you go to your left as you enter the exhibition and look around the first column and look down, you'll see one of my yellow pieces tucked in!

More information on this amazing exhibition - click here or for the one at the Smithsonian click here!

Happy coral hunting!

Nothing Like the Winter Time Blues

Is anyone else glad Spring is almost here? The last few weeks have been cold and dreary. Thankfully, the weather has had a few days where a break in the cold was given. I'm just glad to be getting out of the apartment on these nice days and taking a walk around town.

I haven't been up to much as my lack of blogging suggests, but I chalk it up to the wintertime blues. However, as spring approaches, I'm getting restless - aren't you?

Part of it is, I'm getting back on my feet and getting my energy back. It's nice to not be fighting my body to actually get stuff done. I have a list a mile long of things to do - expect more updates as we fly though March . . .

Happy New Year!

And what a new year it is! I don't know about you, but I'm so glad 2010 is now in the rear view mirror. I've been counting down the demise of 2010 since March. Not even kidding. I'd give you all the reasons 2010 sucked, but we'd be here all day - so here are some highlights in no particular order:

Losing my job

Being sick for 8 months

Losing my grandmother

My close friend losing her mother

The raccoon that moved into the attic right above my bed

The psycho roomie that moved in down the hall (between the two, I'd have kept the raccoon.)

Myself moving to another location as a result

My sister who took a job in New Jersey because her boss was a jerk

My current awesome roomie who accidentally managed to date a married felon

My computer biting the dust right after Thanksgiving

Still being out of work almost a year later

AND . . .

Landing in the hospital right after Christmas when I was supposed to go down to Florida for a friends wedding.

Do I know how to have fun or what?

I'm not really complaining - more just reflecting on why I am oh, so glad to welcome 2011~

I did make it out of the hospital on the 31st - so I'd like to think all the bad luck has been confined to the previous year. And we think we've solved the mystery as to why I've been sick for 8 months - these are good things.

I have every hope and expectation that things are turning around. I know that 2011 is going to be a fantastic year full of changes. New challenges, too, yes - but after looking at the list above, better forward that back.

Wishing you all a very, very Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!