Busy bee!

I've been so busy lately..all last week, this weekend and this week coming up too. Highlights include:

Roller Derby
Mates of State
Lots of Bowling
Late night baking + cooking
Juice parties
BRUNCH!
BBQ
Seeing sister
Happy Hours
Lots of hang outs with lots of people
yummmmmmmmy beers! EDIT: ommegang hennepin, and witte.

Here's to Bestsummerver2009!

can i get a (man with a) mustache please?

via ffffound

stuff white-er, chrisitans like?

the ever famous website- but turned onto Christians..pretty funny..

Stuff Christian Culture Likes

#66 on the list? Backrub Chains!

yummy goodies

I've baked a few times in the last week- both spur of the moment, with ingredients I just had lying around. The first was for cell, I wanted to make a snack, and I had a bag of apples- so I just googled "simple apple dessert" and ended up making a peanut butter apple crisp pie. It..was..phenomenal. I don't like pie/crisp/cobbler, generally anything with warm, gooey fruit in it- but i wanted to eat the whole pie! the peanut butter/cinnamon/apple combo was just too good. I was kind of glad that we had a small cell that night, so we could all have seconds!



The second was a craving for chocolate that couldn't go unfed. I had read a blog a few weeks ago about a microwaveable 3 minute chocolate cake in a mug. So i decided to try it out. A few tablespoons of cocoa, sugar, flour, an egg, some milk and vanilla, and I was on my way to a 5 minute dessert in a cup. I want to play with the recipe more, and maybe change it up a bit, but overall for the time it took to prepare, i was satisfied.



ps- im sorry all my photos lately have been pretty lame. My camera is just about shot- i guess that happens over 3 years of constant use- so until i buy a new one, iphone photos are all i've got!

Summer Adventuressss

I'm coming close to being summer girl- no pants, sundresses, and lots of fun! Here is my to do list by the end of summer:


Go to Knoebels
Go camping
Have open bbq night at my house
Start and finish my next quilt
Take a trip
Take a road trip
Go to NYC more often, and find new things to do there
Ride my bike farther
Buy a new bike
Go to State College for 4th of July
Run consistently
Go to DC when my parents are in town
Make new friends
Find somewhere to have a bonfire
Go hiking
Always have a fridge with beer in it
Get a pick-up soccer game going weekly
Have a "work from home/home during the day" lunch at least monthly if not more
ADDING: go to baseball games!

#$(fwhke@Q$(%EW

That's what i say when I'm super excited. Well that and "eeeeeeeeeee!"



I cannot freaking WAIT!!!! oh, and what's that? It comes out on my birthday!!! how perfect of a world do we live in? (only joking..)

NYC

I went up to NYC for 24 hours to see my big sister, and hang with her. She was in town auditioning for ballet companies (she's a professional ballet dancer) one of which is in Philly! I'm crossing my fingers she gets in, and moves here :)

I got this awesome cookbook for Christmas, and wanted to see the actual bakery(baked), so i took my sister and her friend to Brooklyn to check it out. We were starving when we got there, so we stopped in this hole-in-the-wall place called "Hope & Anchor" and it was a gem! The girl working was also adorable. If you're ever in Red Hook, you should go!





I got the Sweet and Salty cake, dark chocolate cake infused with a salty caramel, caramel chocolate ganache and topped with fleur de sel. yum! Alex got the Chocolate cloud cookie, and ohhhh myyyy goooooodness, it was the best ever!!

We also bought some dreams, for only $.99!



My aunt took us to a cabaret show, and then we stopped by a favorite of mine, Billy's Bakery in Chelsea. yum. We had breakfast at Eats, and then I hopped home. I'll be back in the city in a few weekends, as my little sister is performing at Carnegie Hall!

yeayeayea

Clark is finishing up my tattoo, and while we were video chatting the other day, he held it up so i could see, and i took a screen shot of it. EEEEEEEEEE, it's so pretty.

I'm getting some much needed sister time the next couple of weeks..YEA!

catch-up

I had a pretty busy week last week, ending with a party at the zoo! I also had a few left over photos from my trip to Boston- so it's just going to be a photo blog this time :)

I did ok at candlepin..it helped me though with precision at regular bowling!

Luckily, i had a great coach!

Potato sack races at the zoo. Yes, that's Jason winning.

Giraffes are one of my favorite zoo animals.

This guy looks fake!!

focaccia bread!

I woke up extra early this morning to bake some bread for my lovely roomate and bestie friend Haley. It was tricky because she was still at home, and it was for a surprise party. The theme of the party was "tea and bees", so I found a recipe for this focaccia bread that had honey in it. Garlic honey focaccia bread with rosemary and roasted bell pepper. It was delicious! Pictures, and recipe below..



I specifically bought this corn meal, because it had a native american on it :)





* - 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 package fast-rising yeast
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup water
* 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon honey
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
* 6 Tablespoons chopped roasted red bell pepper, drained
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
* Cornmeal


Directions

1. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat water, 1/4 cup honey and oil until very warm (120° to 130°F); stir into dry ingredients. Stir in garlic and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each to 4 x 5-inch oval. Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with cornmeal. Place dough pieces on sheets. Sprinkle each piece with 1 Tablespoon roasted pepper and 1/4 teaspoon rosemary. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
3. Bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Warm remaining 1 Tablespoon honey; drizzle on top of focaccias. Remove from sheets; cool on wire rack.

dog farts

my dog has the smelliest farts everinlife. What's his deal??

I'ts especially entertaining when you can hear it. He is such a little man, he knows what's going on, and hasn't left my side anytime I'm at home since Monday. He wants to take care of me, and I'll take that, even if he's stinky.

Today was such a beautiful day. I was walking to Mueller's house for lunch, and it was soooo windy out. I was praying as I walked, and i could really feel the wind against my body. It reminded me how strong God is, and it made me so thankful that He is on my team.

Back to my bowling league this week, which was so awesome. I missed them. It makes no sense to me, but I was so joyful and happy today. I'm trying to allow myself the time I need to process, and reconcile, but I just feel so good. I think that everything just ended up making so much sense, that I don't really feel that sad. I am such a different, better person than I was a year and a half ago- and I'm so thankful I had that time, filled with fun adventures, and love. I learned how to be an independent, individual woman as a part of this community, and I learned what I need, and what I want, and what I'm willing to compromise. These are all awesome things to know for next time around. I am happy with my life, and the path I've been lead down. I'm also excited to see what's next for me. The peace of God is such an overwhelming beautiful thing, that I can't even begin to comprehend, so I'm just trusting it, and going with it.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

life man

I'm certainly glad it's spring. There is something about the sun that just makes the worst day cheery. My life is changing, in wonderfully good ways. I'm trusting in God right now, and I know when he closes a door, another one will open, and I believe that He knows what's best for me, and I'm ok waiting until that comes. I'm not saying it's easy- but the trusting in Him part makes it manageable.

I got some fabric to start a new project, for my new beginning. It's going to be another quilt- for me this time..



Thank you thank you thank you dear friends for loving me right now, and being there for me. I needed you- and you have been so wonderful. It makes being on the other side of the country from my family so much easier. One day at a time!

song for the weekend

I return on Sunday am. Here is a lovely song to look forward to my return with. I cannot WAIT to see you all! Perhaps a hangout after PM on Sunday? Hmmmmm?

Tattoos

I've been wanting a tattoo for awhile now. Yes, another one..I normally don't know what i want until the day of, and I just come up with something. It's worked well for me so far :) This time though I thought about it, and Clark is drawing something up for me. I'll just say it's native american themed. Here are some other things I'm loving as tattoos, who knows!






And I still want a whole sweet treats piece to go with my cupcake. cotton candy, ice cream, dancing gumdrops, lollipops, candy canes..all with faces of course! (and thanks to Joshua's idea- what if it was a candy totem pole! best idea ever!)

Nathan Larson

time in boston so far..

has been rough and tough. I can't wait to get home to you all! In the mean time, here are some fun iphone photos of the good times I have been having!

Lennard + awesome

bowling night + lucas + nevada(I'll be trying candlepin this week!)

cutest dog everrrrrrr..I would get a papillon if I ever got another dog.

Lucas came over last night to keep my company, while everyone else saw "Watchmen". We made the yummiest milkshakes ever! They tasted exactly like Frosties from Wendy's. You wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. I met Lucas when he was 17, and I was 20! We were such babies..

Only 5 days left my dear friends..I cannot wait to be with you again!! You are missed so greatly!

worst idea ever

Who thought of this?? Can we make a pan that makes all the pieces middle pieces?? This pan ensures that each piece of brownie has at least 1 edge on it. Nightmare!

Italia

In less than 2 months, I will be on my way to Italy! I found super cheap tickets ($375), so I decided to act quick, and go visit Laura (Weegie's sister). I'm flying into Milan, taking a train to Florence (where she is studying abroad for a year) and then we are taking a weekend trip to Cinque Terre, a beeeeautiful little beach town. It's going to be a nice little relaxing trip, and I'm super excited to see her, and have girl time! It will also be beautiful weather for a beach weekend. Hooray!

sickness

I don't think I have ever, in my life, ever- been homesick. Growing up I wanted to be out of the house as much as possible, and whenever I went on trips, or even when I moved to LA- I never missed "home". Being away from Philadelphia this week has been one of the hardest things I've done in a long long time. I am so home sick. My heart hurts, and feels broken. I'm so in love with my life there, and all of you, and my amazing boyfriend- that life without all of that stuff is just not life. It is hurting, and I just want to cry.

It's really made me realize how much I love all of you, and philadelphia, and weegie.

I just want to come home.


photo credit: jason

ABC 3D

This has got to be the coolest pop-up book/ABC book ever in life. I saw it at the Keenan's house!



Oh! And for those of you reading this in google reader, take a trip over to my blog, it got a sprucing up, and I'm pretty proud of my new header!

Small Houses

Jason sent me this recently, and I kind of fell in love. I didn't blog about it at the time, but they just came out with a new model, and I can totally imagine myself building one of these, and living in it. Tiny Houses!

This one is 297sq feet, 1 lofted bedroom, 1 bath




This one is 743sq feet, 2 bedroom 1.5 bath. So cute!



10 reasons to live small (via AT)

1. Everything is at your fingertips.
2. They're cozier.
3. They clean up faster.
4. They allow you to live with less of everything - simplicity & economy.
5. A small space allows you to experiment more with different design ideas.
6. They get you outside more.
7. They put you more in touch with your neighbors/community.
8. They are cheaper. They put more money back into your life.
9. Small spaces require more imagination (large spaces are for those with no imagination).
10. Small spaces create momentum. They force one to make decisions, at home as well as in life

mom!

Johnny finally met my mom last week. In case you didn't know, our mom's were bff's back in grade school. We had no idea until after we'd been friends for a few years. Small world. So I've met his mom a million times, but this was his first time meeting mine. It was awesome.