PILLOWS

I've been noticing more often than not, lately, that I've been having to dust my sewing machine.

Which translates into: I've not been using it enough!

I had some bare pillow forms and scrap fabric that I like to pick up at yard sales or the craft store when it's on clearance; so in a couple short hours last wednesday night, my bed got a little pillow make over.

Navy and white flowered in the back and light pink in the front are the new additions.

 I love them.

Mainly because they're new and I love a good change of pace in house decorations, but also because they were so cheap! We all know I'm a sucker for a good deal and now I won't feel bad if I get sick of them next season and want to make new ones :)

DANG iPHONE.

All I wanted to do was update you with iOS 5, that's all! It's good for you!

And you thought it would be funny to play a trick on me and completely delete every piece of information I've ever stored on you. I bet you knew that I didn't have anything backed up, didn't you?

Maybe you're sad that you were my second iPhone and not my first? I'm sorry, that wasn't my fault, you shouldn't hold it against me.

You're laughing, I know it.

It's ok, I'll laugh some day too. But right now? Right now I'm not laughing and I don't trust you, not one bit. You're on my bad list. You're probably on Santa's too.

Watch out.

And don't try to pull anything like this again because I'll have you backed up in so many places I'll restore you like nobody's business.

But thanks for the wake-up call; my life probably shouldn't reside in and be centered around you. Lesson learned. You win iPhone. Just this one time.

TODAY IS RAINY

All week has been rainy, actually.

But it's Friday! Thank goodness. And that means it's:

1.   The most selfless thing I've ever done was     always let Kyle win at Monopoly when we were little so that he'd keep playing with me. (Ok, maybe he legitimately won, but it helped my little 8-year-old self-esteem at the time!)   .

2.   When it comes to working out    I've been slacking lately, but I do enjoy it! 

3.  A woman should always   have a cute apron   .

4. I wish I could    bake all day and grow money on trees    because then I'd    start a cute little baking blog and open RooCakes (my dream bakery) in the cozy, yellow, vacant corner shop down the street across from starbucks. Chubbs would lazy around in the window all day and be our store mascot    .

5.  A best friend is    essential in life; they're just wonderful .

6.  I can't get enough of     baking (PUMPKIN!) and fall-scented candles these days .

7.  This weekend I am    yard-saling, cleaning the house, and then enjoying the clean house with a glass of wine and my latest knitting project   .

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

I ALMOST FORGOT!

Pete won some tickets through work and took me on a date to see my first (and his too) Eagles Game!

It was rainy, it was intense, we lost and the crowd got mad, but I had great company (and a cold brewski in my cup holder). I was one content little Eagles fan.

SPECIAL DELIVERIES

I LOVE to bake...surprise right?

A sunny day in the kitchen, windows open, apron on, pandora streamed quietly in the background and a recipe just waiting for me to fix it up? Heaven.

There's just one slight problem. 

I only have so many neighbors, coworkers, friends, mailmen boyfriend and dog to consume my creations.

My coworkers are conviced I'm trying to get them all fat and I think my neighbors are getting sketched out by all the random goodies (I promise they're not poison!). And although I believe most things in moderation are ok and I usually healthfully-amend my recipes, trying to consume an entire batch of cookies before they 'go bad' is not good for anyone.

Soooo my recently-discovered solution?

Surprise! Special Delivery :)

I whipped up a batch of these BEST-EVER Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Cookies, and [modified] Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread (all compliments of Pinterest) over the weekend and off they went!

Nowadays with all communication going electronic everyone loves receiving some good-old-fashioned, non-bill mail right? Now imagine that mail edible and delicious...JACKPOT

Keep an eye out, you might be next!

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FRIDAY

1.   Something popular that I can't stand/just don't "get" is     Ugg boots. Horrible, just horrible .

2.   Something unpopular that I secretly love is    roller blading. It's so good for you, why did it become nerdy?!? 

3.  When I've had a bad day I   sit on the front porch with Chubbs and a glass of wine   .

4. I'd prefer    mexican [food]    to    italian [food]      any day.

5.  Something that makes me nervous is    all this rain/hurricane/tornado business .

6.  Something worth fighting for is     family .

7.  When people think of me, I hope they think    something nice or else I'm doing something wrong :)  .

Want to get in on the fun? Check out Lauren's blog here.

Happy Friday...I have a three day weekend and the Horns play tomorrow...Woohoo!

IT'S PUMPKIN SEASON...

...Although, I think it's always pumpkin season in my house. Ask The Mom, she's the only one that truly understands this; the boy is learning, but I think he still just assumes I've got the temporary cold-weather pumpkin bug.

Sorry Pete, it's not temporary. And I can't help it, I just. Love. Pumpkin.

Flashback 2 months ago, a vendor brought these adorable Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops into the office. A perfect bite-size piece of cake on a stick covered in frosting. Genious. Could not get them out of my head, but needed perfect recipe.

Enter perfect recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Cake Balls dipped in White Chocolate Frosting. Oh my. So yummy. And the extras make for some very happy co-workers.

(adapted from bakeat350.com)

Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

1 Can (15oz.) Pumpkin Puree
2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Ground Ginger
1/4 t. Allspice
1/4 t. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 C. Water
1/4 C. Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1/2 - 3/4 can cream cheese frosting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
White Chocolate Candy Melts

Beat everything together (ending with the eggs) and bake in a 13 X 9" pan according to the package instructions. Make sure the cake is completely baked before removing from the oven. Let cool completely on a wire rack.


Crumble the cake apart in a bowl and add cream cheese frosting. Using your fingers (this is the fun part!), mix thoroughly until the cake holds together when formed into a ball. Add more frosting if necessary. Roll into bite-size balls, place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and refrigerate several hours.

When ready to dip, melt the white chocolate following the directions on the package. Roll with a spoon and place on another waxed paper lined sheet to harden. Store at room temperature.

Enjoy! 

MY CAT IS CRAZY...PART II

I laughed a lot last night. Got home from work and had a good hearty laugh, took a picture and continued to laugh.

Blind down.

Pete didn't get it. Concerned about the damage to the blind and possibly window that he'd have to fix for me, he didn't understand why I thought this situation was so funny. Then I realized, he wasn't in the picture when this happened.

(take a minute to reminisce; it's pretty comical.)

So he looks at me, completely confused, and all I say: 'Mica was chasing a fly.' The funny part? This makes immediate sense to him, no more questions needed, because he knows of her erratic, multiple personalities and he just says 'Oh,' as he closes the curtains 'I take it this is something that happens a lot.'

Yes, yes it does.

Mica: 2, Blinds: 0

PINTEREST

Call me behind the times, but I have JUST I been introduced to Pinterest. I've known about it for a while now, but for some reason I requested an invite and never got one so I figured it was some super hard-to-get-into clique, but apparently it's not. It took my friend Jaime about 2.5 seconds to secnd me an invite and another 2.5 seconds for me to log-in. (Thanks Jaime!)

I think this Pinterest thing was such a great idea. It has something for everyone and has a way of connecting users to things they love and maybe some things they never knew they loved. It's just fun. 

It took me a while to get the hang of it, but now, one week in, I am absolutely obsessed. I have more party ideas, decorating tips, yummy recipes and fall fashion looks than I know what to do with! But it's nice to go through the home decorating ideas and pretend that someday I could actually make a room in my house look like some of the pins these people post, or have the fashion sense to look as cute this fall as some of my fall fashion board does.

Whether I actually do any of the diy projects I pin or make any of the recipes that look oh so delicious, it's nice to know that all my pretty little Pins will sit on my Board and inspire me everytime I come back to them.

(p.s. Let me know if you need an invite!)

CITY TO SHORE 2011

This past weekend, the boy and I rode (his first time, my second) in the MS Society's City to Shore bike ride. It's a 75-mile ride from Philadelphia (well actually just outside of Philly in NJ) to Ocean City, NJ. It's a challenging ride, but a rewarding one. We had a great time riding together, hurting together and finishing together. After 6 hours on the bike, boy were we happy to cross that finish line and start the celebration!

Happy to be standing!



The bikes on top are as big as the car...



Of course I had to get a picture of the Mins, it's just so cute.

The rest of the weekend (Sunday) was spent relaxing, refueling and a couple errands (that's all we could get in for the day...our poor legs weren't moving too fast :/ ) BUT all that aside, we're already excited about next year.

LATELY...(via iPhone)

The garden has been out of control. It's slowing down now that it's dropping to the 40's at night, but I successfully made it through the summer without having to buy tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos, green peppers or basil.

I got a new car!
The Ford is still slowly giving out on me, by giving out on me I mean blowing through catalytic converters like they're cheap or something. After the third catalytic converter in 18 months failed, I decided it's time to invest in a new every-day car. The MINI! It's wonderful, like a go-kart for adults, and oh-so-cute. The Ford is still around, but strictly for hauling and camping because it sadly can't handle too much more. 



Best part? Although he wasn't able to make it to the test drive, Chubbs still fits!

 

Mica, being Mica.

Night out in Philadelphia for Heather's birthday! We hardly ever make it all the way into the city anymore because West Chester has so much going on, so it's nice to have an excuse to go every once in a while.

A visit with the almost-two-year-old (woah!) Nephew, Ryan. He is so much fun; we had a blast going to the zoo, playing in the founatin, getting ice cream, going swimming and just being silly together. He's such a cutie. 

Remebering 9.11

Fall is (un)officially here (I think 3 more days and it'll be official...)! But more importantly this also means my favorite beer, Oktoberfest, is available in our local brewery. The weather was beautiful so Pete and I checked out the Restaurant Festival in town on Sunday; the crowds were suffocating so we escaped into Iron Hill Brewery for a pint of Oktoberfest and a seasonal Sampler. The perfect Fall-ish Sunday afternoon :)

HI :) IT'S FRIDAY!

1.   The last thing I ate was       A SmartDog Tofu Dog this morning...I know, gross, but this girl needed a boost of protein .

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is    Homemade Pizza from Pete's Birthday dinner, buuuuut I left it in the fridge this morning as I rushed out the door :( No pizza for me...

3.  The best things     are family and friends (and pets).

4.  Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is   a clean house. There's something about a clean house that emanates calm  .

5.  Sports are     something I've never been good at. And I'm ok with that :) .

6.  I miss     ,  sometimes, the days of flashlight tag and fort-building. When you're only worry is whether your friends will be able to play or not. Oh the joys of being a kid  .

7.  Right now I am       incredibly antsy to get on the plane to North Carolina to see my whole family for my nephew's baptism! I almost can't stand myself   . 

ChubbCut

Now you see it...

 (Chubbs with fur, October 2010)

Now you don't... 

(Chubbs sans fur, June 2011)

You can't really tell the extent of the shave in the after picture, but he went from about 3" of hair to 3/4" of hair in 1.5 hours. I still laugh every time I see him because he looks like a really huge puppy (you know like those babies that look like they could be little old men? kind of like that...)

A VERY MUDDY 25

I wanted to do something exciting and out of my element for my 25th birthday (tomorrow) so I decided on The Philadelphia MudRun sponsored by the National MS Society. And it's THIS WEEKEND!

Sadly due to some last-minute conflicts some friends had to back out of my team and I'll be running solo, but I'm still super excited! Not to mention the awesome support I'll have the day of the race : The mom, the sister-in-law, the niece, and the boy :)

I have to admit I'm a bit nervous; I haven't been training like I should be for the 6-mile muddy obstacle course, but I'm hoping the adrenaline will kick in and carry me through. Feel free to check out my personal page (obviously I've been slacking on the raising money part, too...) and wish me luck!

I SPY A STRAWBERRY!

So excited.

I guess these things really do work!

BIKING TO WORK: PROS & CONS

With rising gas prices, the most beautiful weather I've felt in a long time, and pretty spring flowers in full bloom, I've decided to finally try biking to work. It's something I've thought about for a long time, but never had the guts to actually do it. I got my bike tuned up last night and decided while my confidence was high I needed to jump in with two feet and just do it before I chickened out for another few months! I'm only about 11 miles from my office and there's a new fancy paved and non-motorized path that I can take for about 5 of those miles so it really wasn't too bad (aside from the first hilly 6 miles...but I'm trying to erase those from my memory so I'll ride it again).


During my ride into the office I started to go through some positives and negatives of commuting to work via rode-bike...

Con: Pennsylvania is NOT the most biker-friendly or biker-populated area. It's definitely no Austin where I'm fairly positive there are more bikers than drivers.

Pro: Arrive to work stress-free and 350 calories down to start the day (and then another 350 before dinner from the ride home).

Con: Prepare breakfast; you will be hungrier than normal at 8am!

Pro: Save roughly $6 a day in gas...$30 a week and $120 a month

Con: Felt a bit trapped in the office; lunch-time errands are not possible and lunch break is confined to a quarter-mile walking radius.

Pro: Get home from work not only done with your work day, but also done with your workout! No extra time spent working out.

Con: Wiping down with a wet wipe, getting dressed and trying to dry the sweat out of your hair in an office public bathroom - not the easiest task.

Pro: Feeling of accomplishment boosts work productivity.

Con: Deer bolting across the street are not just a hazard for moving vehicles; also moving bicyclists (true story.) 

Pro: Passing-up stand-still traffic is the best feeling.

Con: Getting a flat tire and having to walk you bike a half-mile to the nearest gas station while all those stand-still cars are now passing YOU...not so much the best feeling.

All-in-all I think biking to work is definitely a great alternative to driving. It's not possible for me to do every day of the week, but I'd love to try it at least a few days a week, weather permitting. I'm a bit nervous to try it again after my first flat tire on my first ride home, but thanks to a pretty handy and bike-savvy boyfriend, I now know how to change the tire myself and have all the tools to do so and am feeling pretty prepared.

A few more practice trips and I'll have my route down and hopefully learn some shortcuts.

All you bikers out there...any tips for me??

MY LITTLE GARDEN

Although only half of it looks planted, I assure you it's all filled with little veggie sprouts. Now fingers crossed that they survive the still 49 degree nights! When is it going to be warm and stay warm?!

FILL IN ZE BLANKS

Because I started it and never got to finish...

1.   What I love most about my home is       pretty much everything; the front porch, backyard, location, how the kitchen opens to the family room, the windows and bright light that comes in and the pets that live inside. It truly feels like a home and it's just perfect for me.    .

2.  I'm excited because,    I'm having a Cinco De Mayo party tomorrow!!!!

3.  My preferred method for blowing  off steam when I'm frustrated is     to cry it out and vent to someone that I know will love me even after I yell at them for something that's not their fault at all (usually The Mom)   .

4.  Currently I am craving   Classic Diner; I have a lunch date with the boy there today and it just can't come fast enough  .

5.  The thing I love most about my mom is     her selflessness. And her extreme love for M&Ms  .

6.  If I was going to write a book about my life, the title would be       "A Perfectionist and OCD Sandwich." Perfectionism from The Dad + OCD Cleanliness from The Mom = Me; sometimes it's probably pretty entertaining   .

7.  If I were to eat one thing for the rest of eternity it would be       pizza. Bet you didn't guess that one! Calcium, protein, carbs, fats, fruits (tomato sauce) and veggies all in one; perfecto.