Sunday, February 27, 2011

We Shall See, UGlu, We Shall See…

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I needed to get these up on the house, like 5 years ago.  My parents brought these back for me from Mexico like 2 years ago. The UGlu states that it will hold house numbers…we shall see, we shall see…

The Eyes…The EYES!!!

Are freaky!  This is on the side of a beautiful Victorian style house in Mishawaka/Granger, Indiana.  It’s been a shop for awhile, but they don’t get a lot of traffic there in spite of being @ one of THE most congested intersections.  I blame it on the fact that you can never tell if they are open.  Their solution?  Add a huge freaky billboard where the model has disproportionate man hands and creepy white teeth and eyes that stare at you through the poorly timed LONG light.

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Right before this, we saw a Tom (turkey) chasing after 2 other hens and holding up traffic.  I had never seen turkeys fly.  It was funny watching the male unable to fly) chase after the 2 chicks that dumped him.  Guess fluffing them there tail feathers doesn’t always work, there Turkey Man! 

Then, after this billboard, we saw a hotel sign that was advertising “Country Lovin’” Packages – Dueling Banjos immediately came to mind and images of being tied to a tree with a leather belt by the neck.  I don’t think I want their package, thank you very much.

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And this, well, Yoda just looked so content and comfortable.  I had to capture the moment.

It IS like Christmas!

My sister, despite her recent bout with pneumonia, drove from Madison, Wisconsin down & over to South Bend to spend my birthday weekend with me.  This was a big deal for a couple of reasons ~ 1) she works 4 jobs and usually only has Sundays “off” (which are consumed with chores) and 2) she’s very much involved with the political goings on; I am certain she was a little sad that she was missing out on some of the activities that she would undoubtedly participated in if she were home (and her health would allow).

We didn’t do too terribly much on Friday, manicures, pedicures, strolled through Meijer, South Bend Chocolate Company, Riverfront Café, The Red Purl Knit Shop, then dinner with friends.  Part of the day involved keeping the dog with us, as I had the 1st showing on my house.  Keep your fingers crossed on that one for me, please.

On Saturday, the only goal we had was to go to Hobby Lobby.  Funny thing is, MOST of what we did, we could have done anywhere.  We watched Netflix, played a game through iPad/iPod Touch against one another.  It was funny.  She has a Hobby Lobby, but I had a gift certificate and she loves the place.  We went, we shopped.  I ended up with a GORGEOUS picture frame.  I have nothing to put in the frame and I am not generally a fan of 8X10’s, but I couldn’t pass this one up. After spending the majority of the gift certificate, we were on our way.

Neither of us had ever been to The Christmas Tree Shop.  We decided to go.  We were a little concerned with we saw that everyone walking out had a shopping cart full of goodies.  Everyone.  We didn’t see anyone walk out empty handed.

Neither did we.

If you’ve never been to a Christmas Tree Shop, just so you know, it’s not a “Christmas” shop ~ guarantee, they are going to have Christmas stuff as seasonally appropriate, but they are not one of those places that only sell Christmas stuff, like that place in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Think more along the lines of Marshalls/TJ Maxx meets Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s like the Target version of Big Lots.  You know what I mean. 

We were like kids in a candy store.  LOVED the place.  Within 100 yards of the door, I had 2 navy accent pillows in hand.

We found a lot of fun things.  As with some, they weren’t really great deals, others really really were.

My favorite purchase there though was something that, per the company website, I was under the impression they were no longer being made ~ TOOTSIE POP DROPS!!!

006I bought 2 boxes and am enjoying the 2nd box today. It’s all the joys of a Tootsie Pop, without the annoying stick!  Gosh I love Tootsie Pop Drops.  Well, Tootsie Rolls too.  Yum.  Made my day.  Yeah, the box pictured…it’s empty.

We are now HUGE fans of the store.  I will have to “Like” them on Facebook to prove my allegiance.  (That’s our cultural procedure now, right?).

We also went to Big Lots, the Tuesday Morning.  Both were a little of a let down after the emotional high we were on @ the Christmas Tree Shop.  Then I found iPad screen protectors for $5 (normally $20) and my sister found ribbon holders (to each their own).  So, Tuesday Morning was a success too.  We were exhausted by then and had to wave the white flag and crawl home.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Remember When You Were in High School and Couldn’t Wait to be a Grown Up?

I am having one of those days were I am wondering if things ever change.  I can’t'/don’t want to give my real time example, as I try not to put anything in here that is too revealing about certain areas in my life.  I will use an example that happened my freshman year of college instead.  The situations are pretty much the same, only the supporting cast has changed ~ I, of course, am the star. Smile

My first college class was on a Monday morning, 8 am.  Yeah, I know.  Not to mention I was going to a commuter campus and had to drive 40 minutes. 

The English Prof was an elderly woman that made it very clear, very early in the first class that she really preferred male students and people that doted on her.  I did not fit either category.  She also made it clear that she didn’t appreciate humor in any way, shape, or form unless you fit into one of the afore mentioned categories..  In a nutshell: I was not a “cool kid” and I was screwed.

About half way through the semester, I realized that no matter what I turned in, I would not receive anything over a “C.”  Time to test that theory. With my mom’s consent, I used one of her papers from the same course. She had taken the course a year before and while it was a different professor, it was the same assignment.  This was a paper that she received an A on.  It was retyped and submitted.  I got a “C.”  We took the paper to the Dean and I was able to retake the course with a different professor ~ I got an A.  What a difference a teacher makes.

I find myself in a very similar feeling situation right now.  Unfortunately, I don’t believe that I am going to have the same resolution.  I am out in the “real world” now and things don’t always work out the way they should.  So, for now, I will do my best to try to make the best out of what I can.  All I can do is try.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Cool Blanket

004My Mom is amazing with, well, most anything.  But she is especially gifted with crafts. When I was little, she made many of mine and my brother’s clothes.  She made my 1st Communion gown, a few wedding gowns, random outfits, so on and so forth.  She also makes amazing cakes.  Again, wedding, birthday, baby showers. She has been making quilts for the last few years.  I believe the 1st was for my nephew back in 2002.

I had given my Mom all of my t-shirts from various fund raising 5k walks and bike rides.  She gave me the 1st blanket today.  It’s fun ~ the binding has paw prints on it and the back is navy fleece. There were a bunch of t-shirts, so she has enough to make 2 blankets.  The 1st one is large enough to cover a twin bed, the 2nd one she said, will be much larger.  I am so excited to see it!

Here are some of the fun things Mom has done recently:

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My sister’s wedding quilt

 

 

 

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A friend’s baby shower train cake

 

 

 

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My dear friend’s baby shower.  I LOVED this cake!!  Three dimensional deliciousness!

 

 

I don’t think I have any others documented digitally…it’s a shame though, because she does some amazing work!!

And the Blanket Begins

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I have started the Block of the Month again.  I have decided that I am 1) going to keep this one for myself and 2) I am going to keep it mostly this blue.

I am proud that I had only messed up minimally on this one.  The February pattern is starting off a bit rough. It would help if I actually PAID ATTENTION to the pattern.  I am still deciding if I want to frog it or not.  I can leave it in there as a reminder of “how far I have come” so 20 years in the future when I am a seasoned knitter that knits like the wind, I can reflect back, shake my head gently and sigh. It could happen.

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Noooo! Part 2

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MAN!  Later in the evening, I hear the evil sounds from earlier in the day being replicated.  This time, the front of the house.  Cecelia again distanced herself from me and my house guest turned even more fair than she normally is.

I have already received 2 quotes and I have 3 more to come. So far, I really like Jason.  His quote was a little bit higher, but he was just so darn funny on the call.  He provided a bunch of unnecessary personal information that just made me smile. He was friendly and while I didn’t need to know that he was on his way to have stitches removed from his foot out on SR 23 in Granger, I felt as though I did need to know because he was just that nice.

The quotes are better than I expected: $218 & $255.  We’ll see what the others bring tomorrow.

Oh, Jason’s stitch removal went well.  They gave him an insert for his shoe and it feel so much better.  In case you were wondering.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Nooooo!!

Sadly, I called this about a week ago, but the ice hadn’t melted enough to try to dislodge it.  016Well, it’s friggin’ dislodged now. So is my spirit.  Sadness.  Cup half full: The dog was in the house.  Gutter is cleaned out.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Angel Darling, Sweet Pea, Sweetheart… Your Choice

I held an angel this weekend. My dear friends had their baby on Friday.  It was tough because I was on a business trip and I knew before I left that there was a strong possibility that I would still be gone when she arrived.  Thankfully, I made my tight connection flight,  but I still didn’t get home in time to see the baby on Friday.

imageTrying to get to see Angel Darling was like one of those movies where no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get to the place you want to be.  the movie that came to mind was an obscure one: Thank God It’s Friday.  It’s a 70’s classic ~ be sure to check it out.  When I finally made it there, it was all I could do to hold it together and not blubber over the baby.

linyI wanted to get a small gift for the baby that spoke to where her honorary aunt was when she was born.  This book said it all.  I do want to re-write the text though.  Angel Darling might be a little too young to hear my version though!

Most of my friends are in varying stages of baby-ness. One friend has seven, a few have families are on their 2nds, another has an 18 month old, a couple are incubating as I type.  The only surreal one seems to be Angel Darling.  I am not sure why, but she has taken my breath away and it just seems surreal that she belongs to my friends.  All I can say is she chose two of the most amazing people to call Mom & Dad.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Toulache, thank you for the yumminess

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I was in NYC for the first time in a long while.  I usually go to Long Island for work.  The hotel I was in was on 8th Ave., which is parallel with Broadway and one block over from Times Square.  I figured I HAD to walk over there, despite the fact that I had no real desire for anything other than food.  But, again, I was only 2 blocks away…and there was the Hershey store after all…

The staff at my hotel recommended Toulache (http://www.toloachenyc.com/media/toloache.html), a Mexican Restaurant of sorts.  I have been to Mexico and the meal resembled the dishes I had eaten there, it was just prepared in a very urban manner. It was quite good.  The salsa was creamy and had a zip and the quesadilla was good.  The tres leches…holy imageMOLEY, it was good.  What made it so good was the fresh meringue. Now, for those of you that know me, if you look at the photo to the right, you may see something that made me hesitate…red sauce.  Crap, does this lovely piece of cake have strawberry sauce on the plate? Sadness…nope! It was hibiscus!  Phew, crisis averted.  Deliciousness ensued.

But wait, there’s more!  The margaritas…Oh, the margaritas…I had 2.  A traditional and then…the one that this place is known for ~ it had cucumber and jalapeños in it and was rimmed with a salted chili powder.  YUM.E.

imageThis is the view that I had from my table.  I was upstairs and I was a BIT worried about walking down the stairs after that 2nd margarita…

The last pic I wanted to share is the COOL tile in the loo:

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isn’t it fun?!