Hello? Is anybody still here? Well, after a few days of radio silence over here, we’re back! Mr. Gets Me Every Time and I took a fall vacation and I can’t wait to tellshow you the details.
We visited London, Ireland and Northern Ireland during a nine-day trip. It was relaxing, rejuvenating and such a blessing. While we didn’t cross everything off our list, we did see a great deal. Photos coming soon, I promise!
Sure, pizza night could suffice with just one pizza. But, pizza night turned out to be a great excuse opportunity to use up some leftovers that were starting to tread the thin line between edible and, well, not so much. So I made three small pizzas—Buffalo Chicken, BBQ Pork & Veggie. (Yes, before we go any further, I cook pizzas on cookie sheets lined with foil. Hey, it works for those of us without a pizza stone nor the room to store a pizza stone.)
A Buffalo chicken pizza ranks at the top of the list for me and the Mr., so obviously it got to be the biggest pizza of the three. All three pizzas were made with a refrigerated, store-bought pizza crust. AND pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. We are all about cutting corners on a Friday night. Here’s how each of the three pizzas played out.
Buffalo Chicken: Leftover Buffalo chicken (baked earlier in the week), Frank’s, blue cheese crumbles & mozzarella cheese
BBQ Pork: Shredded BBQ Pork (slow-cooked earlier in the week), BBQ sauce, corn, onion & mozzarella cheese
Veggie: Sliced onion, green and red bell pepper (not used in the weekly salad we make), marinara and mozzarella
This past weekend, Labor Day Sunday, I took another trip to Boston’s South End to check out some more of the goodness that is SOWA. My friend, Jill, and I had been planning an outing for some time and we picked the perfect Sunday to go.
We started by checking out some local artisans including Fiber & Water. Their designs were great their product value unbeatable—one print, with matte and frame for $35, or 2 for $60. Love it. They do custom orders too, so be sure to check out their burlap prints.
We spotted one of our coworkers showing off his fantastic prints at Upside Down Grin and after a quick chat we were back to hunting down some girlie things, like great jewels from Camla. Her designs were light, natural and ethereal. Definitely everyday wears.
Then, we spotted these great wool-felted bags from Sarah Kingsley Designs. In a way, they were a bit nostalgic of the woven purses I carried in middle and high school. But, the bright colors and bold combinations brought me right back to 2012.
Finally, we headed indoors where Jill and I both snagged some vintage goods at delicious prices. (more on that soon, promise) and speaking of delicious, a trip to SOWA, just wouldn’t be complete without swinging through the fresh, local food stands. This may have been my last trip of the season (a busy fall coming up), so I’m thrilled we made a point to go. There’s always new sellers to check out, so it’s a great way to start any Sunday in Boston.
Let’s start with the “there.” Last weekend, I was in Pittsburgh, PA for a dance teacher convention. What’s that you ask? Basically it’s three days of learning dances, warmups and teaching techniques for all ages. And during the time not spent dancing, you’re pretty much eating or sleeping or talking about dancing.
Eating things like this steak salad topped with fries—they only make them like this in “the ‘Burgh.”
And sipping cocktails and mocktails all while having a few hours to catch up with my mother. We only see each other a few times a year so we try to use dance as an excuse to get together if we can. (Mom is a dance teacher too, by the way.)
And this was a most convenient meeting place because we actually never left the airport really. The hotel where the conference was held was connected to the airport. So you could see, and wave to, all the planes coming and going.
When we get to the “here,” I must start with this plant. Is it time for a bigger pot? Interwebs help, I’m not quite sure what I’m doing from this point on.
New duds coming to the shop soon, just in time for football season. But for now, you just get a sneak peek and a chance to win some toyidermy over on Cubicle57.
Of course I can’t do an around here roundup without a picture of Louise and a little project preview. More on that next week, friends.
The weekends just seem to be flying by as summer comes to an end. (yes, I said it.) And while I wish it could last forever, there was a coolness in the air that I cannot deny loving. Here’s what I loved and learned this weekend.
1. We went back to Jimmy’s in Brookline and it’s still delicious.
2. Not having to blast the AC all weekend is a great thing.
3. The Pittsburgh Pirates have their best chance in years.
4. Going to the movies really can free your mind.
5. Nachos, like the ones in this recipe, are a must, every. single. weekend.
6. There are so many weird chemicals in the things we use daily. (I’m working on switching to (mostly) natural products for all things makeup, hair and household cleaners. Let me know if you have suggestions.)
7. It’s actually really is ok to wash the laundry and not fold it right away. Really.
8. New wool rugs shed. A LOT.
9. My girl is at it again to keep the green alive.
10. As evidenced by the photo above, I have some work to do.
Alright week, bring it.
Every once and a while, I feel like I just need a weekend off. This past weekend was one of those. Just some time to watch some baseball. (Go Sox, and Pirates. Yes, I can have two teams.) Catch up on the DVR’s holdings. Watch the close of the Olympics. Get my craft on, which included filling some custom orders and a bigger project, complete with a trip to Home Depot. So, without any further ado, here’s to another week!
No, I’m not talking about pushing things aside and forgetting them. Really, I’m not the type to do so. I’m talking about literally sweeping under the rug. The Mr. And I ordered a new rug last week and it came in record time. What do you think?
We hedged our bets and went with RugsUSA.com, despite reading some negative reviews—no one can please everyone. But, we are more than happy with our gorgeous 6×9 wool rug (that we got at 75% off) that’s currently shedding as much as the cat. It’s a dark charcoal gray with a cream trellis-like pattern. And, it’s, perfect.
Sorry folks, no before picture here, it was too much to bear. And sorry for the low-quality photos. The iPhone was in full effect, demonstrating how great a 2+ year-old iPhone is at taking photos.
The rest of the weekend included lying on the new rug, crafting, cooking, fro-yo, painting, olympics, sushi and the regular weekend chores.
It was the best of times, it was the messiest of times. And it was also the most colorful of times. Pictured above is the gear my friends and I needed this past weekend as we hit up The Color Run, also known as the happiest 5K on the planet.
We arrived dressed in white and sleepy to get an early start to the race. It paid off, because we were in the second wave of runners to leave the starting line. And then, the color begins. While we don’t have any mid-race pics, here’s one as the team neared the finish line.
We got some color, that’s for sure. But we weren’t quite colorful enough. So, instead of waiting for the “Finish Line Festival” we took matters colors into our own hands.
Color flew and we couldn’t be happier. Our team, The Color Oneders, started together and finished together.
And colored together.
While there were some hiccups to this event, the race itself was a lot of fun. We’re pretty sure the course wasn’t a true 5k, but we didn’t mind. When 11,000 people are able to sign up for an event, there’s bound to be a few mishaps, a lot of lines and not enough water cups ready at the finish. But, why focus on the negative? Plenty of people have done so here. (Apparently, New England Day 2 went much, much better, in terms of organization!)
As you can see, that didn’t bother us too much. Thanks Color Run for hosting the event and being open to feedback about how to make it better (loop the race course, cap the sign-up, have more buses if needed) for years to come here in New England. Until next year, keep it colorful!
PS. Thanks Hailey for The Color Run gear photo! And thanks Maggie, Hailey & Megan for the fun run!
On Sunday, the Mr. and I were lucky enough to spend a day soaking up some sun and fun with our family. We lounged on the beach, dug in the sand with our nephews and hunted for crabs when the tide went out. All while managing to only get a little sunburnt–no small task for our Irish-blooded selves. Here’s our take on the beautiful coast of Mattapoisett.
Summer is speeding right on by. How have you been enjoying the dog days?
This weekend the Mr. and I treated ourselves to a date night. While deciding what to do, we realized there was something we’d never done together—miniature golf. (Or “putt-putt” as we called it in the South.) After doing some research we decided to head to Middleton, MA and try our luck at Golf Country. You’ll understand why we chose this particular location momentarily.
After grabbing dinner at a nearby restaurant, we took to the greens. I was green, Mr. GMET was red. And it was game on!
There are two courses (18 holes each) at Golf Country and we chose to play the Millpond course. You can choose to play both at a discounted rate though, so you know.
It’s a lovely course that’s been updated regularly. But we weren’t there for the scenery. It was all about trying to make par.
From this shot, you probably think that we did. But we didn’t make par. We both went over. But considering this was our first game of miniature golf in at least five years, we were pretty proud of our efforts.
I won’t spill who won. Guess in the comments if you wish. I’ll tell you that par was 42. Final score was 50 to 57. Who do you think won? Oh, who cares. Let’s get to the rest of the reasons why we chose Middleton.
Hello Richardson’s. So what if there was a faint smell of manure as we played mini-golf. The golf course (and batting cages and driving range) is next to a real live dairy. A dairy where they make the most delicious ice cream in the most wondrous flavors. I had coffee with jimmies.
The Mr. had mint chocolate chip with jimmies. But those aren’t the only reasons we chose Middleton. (I know it just keeps getting better, right?)
FIREWORKS! I mean, we wanted to celebrate the 4th of July all week. Who doesn’t love independence? Who doesn’t love fireworks? Who doesn’t love ice cream? Yes, it was that good that I’m still talking about it. And I only eat ice cream like once a month, people.
The display put on by the town of Middleton was fantastic. Now, it was no 4th with the Pops on the Charles River. But that’s not what we signed up for. We were there for the mini-golf, the ice cream and a competitive romantic date night that got us out of the city.