Beeps 'n Rays

Thankful Thursday

2012-02-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight has turned out to be an incredible evening because of some lovely ladies in my life. About a month ago I decided to start my own Mary Kay business, and so each week I have a training meeting. And these meetings offer so much more than just training. Motivation. Support. Hugs and smiles. Encouragement. Suggestions. Supplies. Even though I only just now got home (notice, it's nearly 10pm), I am feeling more energized than ever. The neat thing is that the more time I spend in this company (of women), the more I feel the positive energy rubbing off on me. What a blessing!

Knock, knock...

2012-02-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

Who's there?!

So I guess I missed my chance to blog about all things January 2012. Suffice it to say I was B-U-S-Y, mostly because I started my own business. I am excited to share that I am now a Mary Kay consultant! Have any of you ever sold MK before? Just wondering...

Several of my friends have nudged me to get back on here and blog. This is a short one to say the least, but it's late! It past my bedtime, and I should be asleep already. I'll just leave you with one little picture of my current sewing project.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

2012-01-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

What a year it's been! I waved goodbye to my twenties, took some amazing trips with my hubby, finished a quilt that I'm very proud of, watched my little sister get married, got a promotion at work, and received a dSLR camera from Santa. Each of these blessings has come with challenges, but I feel like I've learned a lot and come out the better for them. It's funny, but I feel like it took turning 30 to finally get to know myself. Maybe wisdom really does come with age?! I know that I'm blessed to have a hubby as supportive and loving as B, as well as friends and family to balance my life. I just wouldn't be "me" if it weren't for all of you!

Here's to a happy, healthy new year for you and yours!

Cheers!!

A Cold Hour Outside

2012-01-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

A cold front is on its way in, and it's blustery outside! But the sky was so pretty, I braved the weather so that I could play with my camera a bit. I was going to post just one picture, so as not to bore/overwhelm you, but I couldn't quite narrow it down to just one. Considering how many I took, though, five isn't so bad. My favorite is first...

Pinterest giggle...

2011-12-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

The English teacher in me just LOVES this one. I couldn't help but chuckle, and then jump right over here to share it with you. Maybe you'll giggle, too!

Camera Strap

2011-12-29T11:58:00.000-05:00

I made a camera strap for both my sister and Jackpot's birthdays, and they came out so cute! I loved that the tutorial I followed included a pocket for the lens cap. Unfortunately, my sister's lens cap did not fit in the pocket, so hers was a bust.

Since my sister's lens cap was too big, I decided to tweak the original tutorial a bit in order to eliminate the pocket altogether because I didn't want the strap to be any wider than it already was. My version came up a bit short (literally) but I think I know what to do for the next one. I decided to keep my "guinea pig" version, so now I feel ready to try my hand at yet one more for my sister.

Walters Art Museum

2011-12-27T23:49:00.002-05:00

MMC took me to an art museum today to play with my new camera. I was literally giddy with glee. She caught me giggling when I took the one below. Look at the cab in the center of the circle!

I got a cam-ra,

2011-12-26T19:03:00.001-05:00

I got a cam-ra, I got a cam-ra, hey, hey, hey, HEY! (*sung to the tune of "I got a dollar" from the Little Rascals movie that came out a million years ago).

Here are some of my first pics, which I took during a walk around my neighborhood yesterday. I was so excited!

That poor bird nest is sideways and hanging on by a thread!

The contrast of colors just 'makes' this photo. It wouldn't have been the same without the blue sky.

This photographer's first self-portrait.

Texture, texture, texture!

I took a picture of this same branch from two different directions. The lighting in this one was so much prettier.

I just love all the little white butts in the lake. You can tell they were completely UN-interested in me.

The way the light was coming through the grass was just lovely.

Something green! Lines! Shadow!

Does anyone know what kind of bird this is?

Hubby really liked this one, so I included it here.

Like, totally, frickin' amazing. I love my new camera!

Neat.

Such warmth. The monotone color is fun, too.

I was having fun with this arrow on the street. Can you tell?

I was really taken with the colors on this bark.

If you made it this far in my post, I hope you enjoyed. I had so much fun on my walk yesterday!

A Thank-you Quilt

2011-12-25T18:33:00.001-05:00

Several months ago, one of my mother's friends generously offered to refinish a table that she was giving to B and me. Since then, I had been planning on making something for him as a thank you. I finally decided upon a strip quilt, which I thought he would be able to use since he has two, very young granddaughters. In order to get it together a little faster than normal, I decided to sew around the edges inside-out and then flip the quilt right-side out through a small opening that I left. I ironed around the edges and then top-stitched to give it an edge. This was certainly much faster than bias tape, but it really complicated the quilting process because it didn't allow me to stretch and baste the pieces of the sandwich together. As a result, many of my quilted lines puckered near the edge where I had top-stitched. Of course, these were really just minor imperfections that disappeared after the first washing/drying.

All of the fabric that I used came from my cousin who donated so many beautiful prints. I enjoyed going through them and figuring out the order for the strips. For the back I ended up using a perky green print with bold flowers. The colors were perfect with the citrus colors on the front.

In the end, the recipient was so pleased with the quilt and used it just a few days later to tuck his granddaughter in for a nap. Great success!

This Year's Tree Ornament

2011-11-28T18:01:00.002-05:00

I got this bullfinch (birdie) pattern here and decided to use whatever scraps I had lying about. So instead of black, white, and red, mine are... well, you can see for yourself! I used them to decorate the wine bottles I was giving to some of my family members.

I've been working on other sewing projects, too... but I have to keep those under wraps (pun IN-tended) until after Christmas.

Stuffed Elephant (cute!)

2011-11-23T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today I got inspired to sew something for a friend's up-coming baby shower. After a little nudging from MMC (thanks for sharing the pattern) I embarked upon the stuffed elephant from Retro Mama on Etsy. I made the elephant out of soft flannel and embroidered its eyes--my first time doing a satin stitch. The elephant alone didn't quite seem like a complete gift, so I added some coordinating burp rags. I'm happy with the finished product, and I hope the mommy-to-be is, too.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

2011-11-14T20:58:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I went out of my way to walk through a pile of particularly crunchy leaves today. Hehe!

Grandpa's Craft

2011-11-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I drove home to visit my mom, Grandma, and Grandpa. They were together at a Christmas Bazaar selling Grandpa's wooden wares (bowls are his specialty). I came home with a set of gorgeous napkin rings Grandpa turned. I love that although they're all made of walnut, none of them match. They make me want to start using fabric napkins with every meal!

Since I had my camera with me, I couldn't help but stop along the way to snap a picture of the fiery Autumn trees lining the street. Stunning!

Jackpot is Famous

2011-10-24T19:05:00.001-04:00

Remember this serious sewer?

Well let me just show you how awesome she is. She's being featured on a blog as this week's "self-taught sewer." Check out her interview at One Eleven. I'm so proud of her!!!

Hakuna Matata

2011-10-23T13:28:00.001-04:00

We're back from seeing The Lion King on Broadway. AMAZING! We had such a great trip.

We took a bus to NYC and checked into our 4-star hotel, The Kitano, right on Park Avenue.

We had just enough time to freshen up before heading out for our dinner reservation at Joe Allen's. We started with fried calimari and a yummy Malbec. Bruno ordered a steak, and I had shrimp-pesto pasta. Delicious! After dinner we wandered around Times Square a bit before heading to the theater.

For the show, we sat in row K, 11 rows from the stage and just two seats from the aisle, which was perfect since animals walked down the aisle multiple times throughout the show. One of the coolest things was a life-sized elephant (I think there were four people working the puppet: one in each leg), but my favorite were the giraffes! Bruno loved the rippling sun that looked like it was really rising over the African savannah. There were bird kites that flew above our heads and a stampede of animals that rushed down the stage. The singing and music was so moving, they nearly brought me to tears several times. The show was truly everything I had hoped for.

The Good Stuff

2011-10-20T19:23:00.003-04:00

National Writing Day was a blast! I loved sharing with my kiddies
Getting re-inspired to record "things that speak to me" in my Olmert notebook
Shopping for fabric. Jackpot and I bought the makings for 2 quilts that our sewing club will donate
Hearing that little N wondered where "Auntie C" was today after school
A good work-out at the gym
A long, hot shower (no need to rush because of work)
Planning my NYC outfits: dresses everyday!
Looking forward to seeing The Lion King on Broadway... check that off the bucket list
The house to myself for a while
Papa John's for dinner with hubby

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T19:18:00.001-04:00

My hitchhiker

More Weekend Pictures

2011-10-17T19:31:00.000-04:00

I just got some more pics from L's camera (I'll take credit for the first two, which I took when my camera's battery had died). But the rest are all L's handiwork. Loved the scenic views!

Girls' Weekend in the Valley

2011-10-16T20:31:00.002-04:00

Last Friday I headed out to the Shenandoah Valley with my sister-in-law, her twin, and two other women. The five of us spent the weekend in Bayse, Virginia, holed-up in a snug little time-share, crafting to our hearts' content. L and her sister spent their time making baby-shower invites, while I finished my digital scrapbook, Volume 1: 1980-1989 (yeah, I have so many kid photos I had to break it up by decade).

On day two we decided to take a break, so we drove towards the town of Mount something-or-other (hehe, I forgot its name already!). We saw Virginia's longest covered bridge. Why did they used to cover their bridges, you ask? To protect the floor boards from weather elements--it was much easier to replace roof boards than floor boards. See? And I bet you didn't expect to learn anything here, today.

The countryside was GOR-GEOUS. Just check out these photos.

Happy Fall!

WIP: Mosaic Pillow

2011-10-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

Check out the new pillow I'm making! I got the idea here.

Autumn Door Decor

2011-10-01T21:57:00.001-04:00

Great success! I originally got this idea from an Etsy shop and pinned it on one of my boards. It was one of those "I could make that" moments... and so I did. I finished gluing the last felt rose on tonight, and couldn't help but run outside to hang it right away. I think it looks "awe-tumn."

My Chat with Bono

2011-09-28T17:49:00.003-04:00

On my way home today, I heard U2's "One" on the radio. It came as such a pleasant surprise. You know, one of those songs you don't often hear on your commute home, but that holds such a comfortable, familiar place in your heart. For some reason (maybe because of the events that had happened today) it really spoke to me today. Here are a bit of the lyrics, along with my internal monologue... I felt like I was having a conversation with Bono today, and he gave me such a good kick in the butt! A little reality check about life. It's too short to get caught up drama.

Is it getting better? (no)
Or do you feel the same? (sure seems that way)
Will it make it easier on you now? (one can only hope)
You got someone to blame (oh, is that what I'm doing? crap!)
You say

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should (hmph! I don't need a morality speech)
One life (true, true)
With each other
Sisters (that's debatable)
Brothers
One life (I know, I know... let's get it right this is the only chance I get)
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One

So you know, I'm not exactly excited about or motivated by the thought, but I'm thinking this was a subtle reminder to rise above and be the best "me" that I can be. Unfortunately, that's not always so easy. Nonetheless... thanks, Bono.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T17:36:00.000-04:00

My felt roses are done!

A little spot of sunshine

2011-09-25T18:47:00.000-04:00

The late afternoon sun was streaming through my blinds and onto my crafting table. I couldn't help but snap a picture or two, in the hopes of capturing its beauty. Not sure how successful I was, but if nothing else, the picture gives you a sneak peak of my current crafting creation.

(You loved that alliteration, I know it).

Little E's Big Wedding Day

2011-09-11T10:10:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Capt. and Mrs. Kless!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T16:31:00.000-04:00

We made props to hold while posing for pictures in the photo-booth my sister hired for her wedding reception. Yeah, I'm excited.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T17:28:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's been that kind of day where even B's toes are protesting... hehe!

Rocky Start

2011-08-29T22:12:00.001-04:00

Well, we're trying to get this school year off to a good start, but Mother Nature sure is making it difficult! Today was supposed to be the first day of school, but because of widespread power outages after Hurricane Irene, I spent the day at home. It was so weird to have the first day cancelled!

After work tomorrow, I'm hoping to come home and get started on my next sewing project: a head-band-wrap thingy. It's something I saw while in Southern France, and I've been dying to try my hand at copying the idea. Can't wait to get started!

Did you feel the earthquake, too?!

2011-08-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

If you felt the earthquake (whose epicenter was identified near Richmond, Virginia) leave me a message saying where you were at the time!

This was my first-ever earthquake experience, and just think, it was the strongest in recent recorded history! I heard that the last "significant" earthquake in this area happened in 1885 and was 4-point-something on the Richter scale. And this one was a 5.8... yowzer!

I was in Ellicott City, Maryland, and felt it rumble through my whole body! At first I thought it was construction or someone working on the roof of the building.

When I got home, things seemed to be in good order: nothing broken or damaged. However, the earthquake obviously had its way with my house, too! Several things were knocked over, and some doors had "magically" opened. My poor little ceramic bride and groom did a belly flop off of the top shelf!

165 miles (and no longer counting)

2011-08-20T23:01:00.000-04:00

One hundred and sixty-five miles (aka: 330,978 steps) later, and here we are, back at home, safe and sound. It's incredible to think about how many steps we took over the duration of our trip. I'm so glad that I wore a pedometer and tracked our progress.

Just think, with 165 miles we could have walked from Baltimore to NYC or Virginia Beach!

How cool is that?!

The Most Confusing Word

2011-08-12T06:57:00.003-04:00

Prego

1] Spoken by a waiter with a grand sweeping gesture inviting us to sit and have lunch at his café.

2] Spoken by an angry museum curator, just before she shooes people who are standing too close to old statues.

3] Spoken by the hotel concierge in response to our “graztie.”

The last scenario actually made sense to us, because according to our little Italian phrase book, prego means you're welcome. But given all the other situations, we were left a bit befuddled.

So what, pray tell, does that word mean?!

Coliseum and Vatican City

2011-08-09T16:35:00.002-04:00

Rome Days 2 & 3:

On Monday we woke up early enough to be at the Coliseum by 9:30 in the morning before it got too hot out. Good plan, except that it wasn’t early enough to off-set the heat at the Ruins, which we visited second. It was a scorcher and we were touring a dusty plot of land full of old stone, brick, and marble. Needless to say, it wasn't very forgiving in the noon sun. Nonetheless, we wandered around and got a feel for the lost Roman city.

Back to the Coliseum for a second. First, as you know I geek out a bit when I learn cool things about language. So, you can imagine I was very excited to find out that the floor of the Coliseum would be covered with sand before gladiator games and wild animal hunts, and that the word for sand in Italian is “arena,” so I’m guessing you can figure out the rest from there. Truly, the Coliseum was the world’s first arena—finished in the year 80 AD. Would you believe that the floor plan was nearly identical to the modern arenas I’ve been to for games and concerts? Unreal that the original plan has barely been improved upon!

We ended up eating dinner outside at a restaurant not far from the Coliseum. (The bruschetta was delish!) B kept mentioning how surreal it felt to be dining with the Coliseum peeking out at the end of the street like a stage backdrop or something. We tried to take a picture to capture it, but it was hard to do. That’s why I’m pointing!

The next day we took the exact opposite approach to our morning strategy. We lazed about and didn’t leave until 11am, leaving just enough time to travel to the Vatican and arrive in time for our reserved entrance time. Let me just say that it was well worth the extra money to reserve a time. The other folks (who didn’t have reservations) were stuck in a very, very long line that wound around in the sun. The Vatican Museum is the second largest in the world (second only to the Louvre in Paris), and like the Louvre, we found it a bit overwhelming and chaotic. However, it was worth the crowds to end the tour in the Sistine Chapel. Yup, we’ve been there, done that, and unlike the Mona Lisa, it did not disappoint.

We left the museum and walked around the block to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Christian church in the world. The second largest is the Duomo in Milan, which we also visited on this trip! We waited in a 30-minute line (in the scorching sun) to be able to go inside, but it was worth it. There’s a reason this church won the award for biggest. It’s humongous! We enjoyed the gilded ceilings and extravagant decorations, we knelt in prayer, and we toured the crypts below. And that was it. It was about three hours since we had started in the Vatican and we were done.

For dinner, we ate at the Hard Rock Café—I know, I know, what were we thinking?! When B suggested we eat there, with that glow in his face, how could I possibly say ‘no’? Believe me, I didn’t suffer. That little bit of “home” tasted good. We’ll have more pasta tomorrow!

In case there's any doubt, yes, he's pointing at a Bruce Springsteen album. Of course!

Rome by Bus

2011-08-08T08:49:00.000-04:00

Today we toured Rome by bus. We figured it would be the best way to take in the city as a whole, without completely wearing out our feet (which by the way, are starting to fall apart on us… blisters!). Do I look much like a tourist?

Here’s a quick recap of what we saw:

Archaeological sites. There are a lot, so much so that the tour guide made a joke about them: it’s pretty much impossible for them to excavate any new/old construction site without hitting ancient Roman remains of some sort. It must be an archaeologist’s dream to work here!

Old, historic buildings, fountains, and obelisks.

PS: the Egyptian obelisk in the right-hand side of this picture is from the year 1,000 B.C. OMG!!

The Coliseum.

Vatican City.

In the coming days, we’ll be touring some of these sites up-close and personal. Can’t wait!

We finished the day off with sangria, meats, cheeses, and pizza. It was a relaxing change of pace from the “go, go, go” tourist pace. Loved the view, too (and how cool is that reflection on the window behind us?!)

Terrific Tuscany Tour

2011-08-07T16:45:00.000-04:00

Today we took the “Best of Tuscany” tour through a company called Walkabout. We heard about the tour through my sister-in-law. I know this is a bit of an advertisement, but seriously, if you ever have the chance, take this tour. We loved every bit of it.

We started the day by getting in line at the bus station. This is important, because this is where we met Claire and Ryan. We hit it off with them right away and enjoyed their company for the rest of the day. They’re the same age as us, they’re both middle school counselors, and they’re taking a multi-country trip this summer that ends next week in Rome. Who knows, we might even bump into them again there!

That’s them, holding their alarm clock—the only thing they had with them on the trip to keep time! (That’s what happens when you depend solely on your cell phone for the time… and people said watches were out-dated).

Our first stop was Siena, an old town known for its 17 neighborhoods, the oldest bank in the world, and its annual Palio horse races. The entire city only has about 50,000 inhabitants, and the whole thing is small, cramped, and Medieval—so when I say “neighborhood” think “small boroughs.” Each one has its own mascot and my favorite was the caterpillar (represented by the colors yellow and green). Others included giraffe, turtle, she-wolf, goose, forest, and wave.

Now, on to the bank. Originally, the bank was just a bench/booth in the market square. The Italian word for bench is “banco.” You see where this is going? That’s how we got the word “bank!” Okay, but the really cool thing is that if you couldn’t pay your taxes, then the city would send someone out to break your bench with an ax because you had defaulted. So the Italian word for that is “banco rotta”… “bankrupt”!! Cool, right? Check out that old bank!

The Palio takes place twice a year in their central plaza (look them up on Youtube!). They line the buildings with mattresses and such so that the jockeys and/or horses don’t get too badly hurt if they have problems with the tight turns; they truck in loads of sand to cover the street where the horses run; and they pack the center of the track with people. It’s a big freakin’ deal for whoever’s neighborhood horse wins the race. Below is a picture of the plaza, which they call the "sea shell" because of its shape... it's not square.

Our next stop was lunch at an organic vineyard/farm. Nearly everything we ate was produced on-site, including: red wine, white wine, olive oil, fresh bread, pasta, beef, tomato sauce, ham, salami, and even biscoti. They treated us to a wine-tasting with our lunch, so we got to try four of their wines. Additionally, the view was breath-taking, so you can imagine that we didn’t want to leave!

However, we had to move on to our next stop: San Gimignano, sometimes referred to as the “Medieval Manhattan.” We had a direct view of this city the entire time we ate, so it was neat to get to visit in person, too. This place was steaming hot, and it was hard to believe that in the Medieval days, people opted to live there. At one time there were probably as many as 40 towers (although now there are only about 14). The taller the tower, the richer the person—as you can imagine, it was a way of showing off wealth. Imagine this though: these super tall towers were built with safety in mind as a first priority, so there weren’t any windows until the very top level. I can’t even imagine climbing all those stairs in all that stifling heat! We bought some hats to help us cope with the glaring sun.

We ended the day in Pisa. Here’s another thing for you to look up on Youtube: their yearly festival in honor of their patron saint. They call it Luminarius. Too bad we didn’t get to see that in person!

What we did get to see was the leaning tower. Yes! It was there, still leaning. I found it amazing though, that such a small town had such a huge domed church, baptistery (because you couldn’t enter the church until after you were baptized… bit of a conundrum back in the day), and bell tower (“leaning tower”). We learned that each of these small towns that we visited today were all booming cities in the 1000s, 1100s, and 1200s… up until the Black Plague. Two-thirds of their populations were wiped out, and none of these cities ever regained their status, power, or wealth. Fascinating that something that happened thousands of years ago still resonates.

So if you’ve stuck with me, thanks! That was our day in a nutshell. I tried to just make note of either the key points or the fascinating facts. Until next time… ciao!

Florence (Firenze)

2011-08-05T17:54:00.000-04:00

Today we enjoyed Florence. Overall, we had more of the same: more churches, more castles, more cannolis, more gelato, more pizza, more sun, more sweat.

But this city has much more of an "old" feel to it than Milan, and we enjoyed that.

We likened it to Toledo, minus the Arabic influences, plus statues of naked Roman soldiers.

The best part? Sunset over the city as seen from the highest point.

PS: I think Pinocchio is from Florence...

Total steps: 17,540

Two days in Milan

2011-08-04T16:46:00.001-04:00

DAY 1:
We woke up early in Barcelona and made our way to the airport to fly to Milan. So we walked to the bus stop, rode the bus to the airport, and flew to Italy. Then we took a bus to the city and rode the metro to our hotel. Lots of travel! Luckily, everything went smoothly.

Our Milan hotel is lovely, and fortunately we were able to check in right away. As soon as we were settled, we went out in search of food. We hadn’t had a proper meal all day and it was already 2pm. We quickly realized that we were too late for food—unbeknownst to us, the Italians were observing a sort of siesta. Or at least regulated times for serving meals. The cafes and bars we passed were only serving drinks. We feared that our first Italian meal was going to be McDonald’s (ugh) until we spotted a cute little “cafeteria.” We entered and asked if they spoke English. Alas, they replied that no, they spoke Italian. Ha! They said it with a bit of humor. That’s when we experienced our first bit of Italian kindness. A random customer who was on his way out offered to translate for us. With his help, we found out that they would allow us to order food, even though it was obvious that it wasn’t meal time. We had chicken Milanesa served with a side of spinach, carrots, roasted potatoes, and fresh bread. The home-cooked meal was just what we needed! After thanking them profusely, we started our adventure.

On our way to the Duomo cathedral, we passed through the shopping district. Boy was I impressed! The street was lined on either side with every shoe and clothing designer you could think of. Not to mention all those “chain” stores we’re used to at home. It was surreal though, to see the Italian places like Armani and Dolce & Gabbana and realize that they were at home here in Italy. We saw one suit ensemble advertised for nearly 2,000 euros. Wowzer!

At the Duomo we paid to walk up the 150 steps to the rooftop. From there we had a beautiful view of the city, as well as an amazing view of the cathedral and its architecture! I do believe that I was able to appreciate the gothic designs far better because I was so much closer to them, rather than squinting at them from below. It was hot in the sun, but that aside, I could have wandered around up there for hours!

We finished the day off with pizza, beer, and a night-cap of limoncello. This is where we experienced our second bit of Italian generosity. The waiter treated us to our limoncellos for free! We had asked about them (ie: when it was appropriate to drink them—after your meal in case you’re curious). We explained that it would be our first taste and that we would definitely order them after our meal. When he brought the check, he pointed out that they were on the house. So cool!

It had started raining just as we were finishing our meal. We hurried back towards our hotel, walking close to the sides of the buildings to try and stay dry. The rain wasn’t coming down too hard, but it was surprisingly cold. Luckily for me, the gelato-place on the corner was still open, and it happened to be the perfect place to hide from the rain. We sat on a bench in front of the shop and savored our treats while B regaled me with tales from his past. What a wonderful day!

Total steps: 15,878

DAY 2:

We had already seen everything we wanted yesterday, so today we took our time getting ready in the morning and casually strolled around the city. We visited a public park, walked past the Scala Theater, wandered through the Sforsesco Castle and tried our best to hide in the shade. We had pasta for lunch at a cafe and dinner again at the same place we ate the night before. Our favorite waiter was there again, and like before, treated us like royalty. If you're ever in Milan, visit the Olimpico Bar! We again visited the dessert shop on the corner, but this time we shared a cannoli. Mmmm! Tomorrow morning we'll be up bright and early to catch a train to Florence.

Total steps: 14,610

It's our Last Day in Barcelona

2011-08-02T17:49:00.000-04:00

...so we spent it by the Mediterranean!

We walked along the beaches. I was busy taking pictures, but leave it to B to notice that the beaches had many topless/nude sunbathers. What a freeing experience that must be. I would probably give it a try one day, would you?

The sun was high in the sky by noon, so we headed to the aquarium to hide in the shade for a bit. At first I was a little under-whelmed by the experience (I guess I'm spoiled by the Baltimore aquarium?). However, they had a very, very cool feature: a people mover that took us through glass tunnels "within" the large shark tank. We loved it because everyone got a front-row glimpse, but no one could stand in one place and hog the view. I took a ton of pictures, but since flash wasn't allowed, they aren't as sharp as I would have liked. I'm gonna share some anyway!

Afterwards, I got a hankering for my new favorite flavor of gelati: Galleta Maria (aka: Maria cookie flavor). We stopped in every little ice cream place along Las Ramblas until we found one that had my flavor. I decided to get a scoop of coconut too. Why not?!

At this point, we decided to come back for afternoon shower and nap. It's so refreshing!

Dinner was an adventure! Upon recommendation from our hotel, we went to Siete Puertas for some good paella. And boy was it good! We started things off with the "7 Puertas Appetizer Sampler." I think that was the adventurous part. We enjoyed the mussels, cod fish ball, croquette, codfish salad (like potato salad), Serrano ham, and calamari. We did not enjoy the sardines nor those shell things (don't know the name):

At first we thought they were just decorative, but then we realized we had been given over-sized toothpicks so that we could pull the meat out of the shell. Now I've eaten and enjoyed escargot, but it's covered in garlicky sauce. This appeared to be "plain." Just as B was about to just go for it and put the whole lump of grey meat in his mouth, the nice guy next to us warned us not to eat the front. Huh? We literally had to ask him to point to the "front" since it all looked the same to us. That sealed the deal for us, and (un)fortunately, neither one of us tried it.

The paella came out a bit later and was delicious, with a combination of meat, fish, and shellfish. There was even part of a lobster tail on top. We washed everything down with a yummy Cabernet savignon and then rolled ourselves back to the hotel. Thank goodness for that walk back!

Total steps: 17,650

A Gaudi Day

2011-08-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

Considering everything we saw (and I wrote about) I should have declared yesterday a Picasso day. That makes today a Gaudi day!

We headed straight to Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, his unfinished Catholic cathedral (construction was started in 1882). According to B, half the charm is that it's still not finished after all these years, so there's no hurry to finish now. (Just a bit of a cynic, eh?) Inside, the columns are designed to look like trees in a forest.

Afterwards, we continued our trek up-hill to the park that Gaudi decorated. From that high up on the hill, there is a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. Officially, the park was meant to be a bourgeoisie suburb of Barcelona, but no one wanted to live that "far" from downtown, so only two of the proposed houses were ever built. They look like real-life gingerbread houses. Who wouldn't want to live here?!

We ended our day with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I know that we're in Europe and we're supposed to be eating and tasting different food. But you know what? Tonight we missed home, and boy did my fajitas and B's cheese burger taste good!

These are other examples of Gaudi's architecture that we passed in the city.

Overall, we walked over 10 miles today, up and down and all around. We never once used the metro or a cab to get anywhere... just our feet! Take a look at where we went:

Total steps: 21,001... wow!

Barcelona: "Hot town...

2011-07-31T16:11:00.001-04:00

Summer in the city,
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city"

Beautiful day, but hot! Thank goodness for the cool breeze blowing off of the Mediterranean (the same "mistral" wind we enjoyed while visiting Cassis in southern France). It was like air conditioning for the city.

Las Ramblas is a long, wide pedestrian street full of little artsy-craftsy vendors and performance artists. Keep your backpacks and purses close to you! This place is a pick-pocketer's dream because everyone has to slowly "ramble" along in a crowd of squished-together people. Check the photo below to see what I mean:

Today we walked along the famous Las Ramblas, down to the water, and then through the streets to the Picasso Museum. The coolest part of the museum was Picasso's study of another artist's work: Valasquez's Las Meninas, which we saw in person while in Madrid. How cool! (Ok, and on a side note, this huge department store in Spain also has their own ad which pays homage to Las Meninas with a modern twist. Also very cool!)

Velasquez's original, painted in 1656:

Picasso's interpretation, painted in 1957:

El Corte Ingles's promotional ad, as seen in 2011:

Madrid

2011-07-30T17:33:00.000-04:00

We've walked and walked all over the city, and we both agree that so far, this has been our favorite. If you're planning a trip to the southern part of Europe, make sure to include Madrid! Ironically, I think I have taken fewer pictures here than anywhere else. I'd say it's a result of the fact that #1 I've been here before and that #2 I'm enjoying so much I forget to snap a picture!

Here are just a few images for you to enjoy...

Touristy things we did/saw: Museo del Prado, Museo de la Reina Sofia, Museo Thysenn Bornemisza, Palacio Real, Plaza de Espana, Plaza Mayor, Plaza Oriente, Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Santo Domingo, El Corte Ingles, and the Paseo del Prado.

We also made time to walk to the neighborhood where I lived when I studied abroad here on Calle Hilarion Eslava (near the Moncloa metro station). We tried to contact my host mother (Pili) in building #29, but the doorman said she wasn't home. Oh well!

Top food items in Spain: sangria, ham croquetas, fried eggs, pisto, serrano ham, cheese, paella, tortilla de patata, flan, and cold beer.

Total Steps: 14,305 (7/28); 14,297 (7/30)

Toledo, Spain

2011-07-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

Toledo is just a short, 30-minute train ride from Madrid, so B and I made sure to spend some time there today. Toledo was my favorite city when I studied abroad in Spain ten years ago. The city is built upon a hill alongside the River Tagus (yes, the same one from Lisbon) and surrounded by a brick wall.

Toledo is famous for its mixture of architectural influences that resulted through many conquests and changes of power throughout the area over the centuries. There were the Romans in 192 BC, the Visigoths, the Moors in the 8 AD, and the Christians in 1085 AD. Many of the buildings--as well as the maze-like streets--were influenced by Arabics.

We walked from the train station up-hill to the main square (Plaza de Tocovar). It was h-o-t, so the first thing I did was buy a fan. In this picture, the thermometer says that it is 38 degrees Celsius, but I swear it had just changed! It said 39 before I turned my back to pose.

B loved the atmosphere and agreed that it was definitely worth seeing. We spent a long time in the Army Museum housed within the Alcazar, "one of Toledo's most symbolic buildings, whose earliest origins go back to Roman times (3rd century). It was conceived historically as a fortress, castle, or palace." I thought that this was just amazing, because inside they had uncovered and then preserved parts of the fortress that had previously been there: brick and stone walls, water cisterns, watch towers. Of course I LOVED all of the archaeological stuff! I even snuck in a few pictures, even though I wasn't supposed to.

After strolling around the city and peeking into the shops along the Calle Comercio (aka: Commerce Street), we ended up at a corner cafe. We drank beer, ate croquettes and marzipan, and enjoyed the water that misted down on us from the umbrellas over head. Life was good.

Total steps: 10,301

Overnight Train (again)!

2011-07-29T11:58:00.001-04:00

No worries, you won't have to hear anymore complaining from me! Last night we took another overnight train (eek!) from Portugal to Spain, but thank God, this time, everything went as planned. We had our private, two-person room with a bathroom (and shower!). Dinner and breakfast in dining car were included. Heavenly!

Here, B is in the little bathroom. The curved shower is behind him, and if the train bumped a little he'd get thrown backwards onto the toilet. It was TEENY but private. We loved it.

Here, he's leaning over the two cushioned seats that were in our room. The red door to the bathroom is just behind him, and his head is nearly touching the opposing wall. The window is covered by the curtain in this picture. You can see just how small the room is!

And finally, B is peaking out of the door from our room. While we were eating dinner, the crew folded our cushioned chairs down under the bottom bunk and folded the two beds out of the wall. They made the beds with sheets and blankets and left a little chocolate by our pillows. How cool!

This morning at breakfast, I took a picture of the dining car. Very chic!

We arrived in Madrid relatively refreshed and were able to check into our hotel right away. Yay! After settling into our hotel room, B said, "I'm loving Madrid already," and that pretty much sums up how we're feeling today.

Final Lisbon Images

2011-07-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

In Portugal, the sidewalks were never made of concrete, cement, or asphalt. Instead, in every city we visited, the sidewalks were paved with "Portuguese stones" arranged in beautiful and often intricate designs.

Additionally, many of the buildings were covered with ceramic tiles. The effect was often gorgeous.

On our last day in Lisbon, we took a bus tour around the city and saw some beautiful sights, including this "Tower of Belem," which used to be in the middle of the River Tagus but due to sedimentation run-off, now appears to be along the shore.

We returned to our hotel to pick up our luggage and then to head to the train station, but before we officially left the city, we feasted on one last "pastry meal." I'm not sure if we managed to include every food group, but who cares! There's nothing like a Portuguese pastel de nata!

Total Steps: (7/27) 10,969

Lisbon Highlights

2011-07-26T18:38:00.001-04:00

We walked through several plazas and along narrow streets from our hotel down to the waterfront. At first, we were disappointed by the city and felt that it was tired and run-down looking. Thank goodness we realized that there was more to the city than that. It was just a bad first impression.

(bad)

(much better!)

We ate dinner by the River Tagus as the sun set. Lisbon has a statue that reminded us of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro and a bridge that reminded us of San Francisco!

The next morning, we ate the most delicious breakfast of our entire trip: a ham and cheese sandwich, followed by the famous Portuguese “nata pastry” (one of many that we ate while walking around the city—B basically wanted to eat one every time he passed a bakery)! Look at that face.

When we passed a little bar that sold a particular egg and ham sandwich that his grandma makes, he had to stop and eat one, even though he wasn’t even hungry. Look at that face (again!).

At 2pm, we got on a bus headed out of the city towards the town of Sintra. What a beautiful place tucked away into the hillsides of the mountains. When we stepped off the bus, we were expecting more of the same muggy heat that had oppressed us in Lisbon. Instead, it was like the place was air conditioned. No wonder all the monarchs always put their country “houses” in the mountains! We walked around for two hours and took in all the sights and tastes (B was eating pastries again)!

(Did you notice the name on the house??)

The tour bus then took us along a scenic route back to Lisbon. We visited Cape Rock—the furthest point west of continental Europe. It was ridiculously windy, and I was not prepared. My hair was always in my face and I felt like my purse would have blown off of me if I hadn’t secured it with my non-camera-holding hand. Like all the other places we passed along the Atlantic coast (including the sea port town of Cascais where B is posed in front of the boats), it was gorgeous.

When we finally made it back to Lisbon, we decided to order the exact same dinner at the exact same restaurant as yesterday. That’s how much we loved the lombinho and veal. Mmmm!

Total Steps: (7/25) 6,893 and (7/26) 14,160

THREE Days of Train Travel: July 23rd, 24th, and 25th

2011-07-26T18:18:00.000-04:00

As you know, we spent the day in one train station: Marseilles. Literally—12 hours! We boarded our overnight train at 11:30pm and didn’t get off it until 11:30am the next day. Yikes! That marks the longest layover followed by the longest trip either one of us has ever had. We could have been in Brazil by now! Instead, we moved from central, southern France to western, southern France and ate McDonald’s three times in one day. There’s a reason they invented planes.

We “slept” in a room for 6 people: 3 bunk beds stacked on each wall. Luckily for us, only four of the beds were occupied: two by us, and two by a friendly, Parisian couple. They were clean and quiet, so we were happy. Each bunk was provided a sheet/sleeping bag thing and a pillow. There was no place to stash our luggage (and besides we wanted to be able to keep a close eye on it) so we put it in the bunks with us. That meant that we got to squeeze in alongside our luggage. So cozy! The train bumped and jostled along the tracks through the night, and we did the best we could to sleep in our little Gaza strips. I think I had two different periods of 4-hours of sleep. That makes 8 hours if you add it all together, right?

When the train finally arrived at our destination, we weren’t even sure it was the right place. It looked desolate! Instead of the bustling, busy station that we had gotten accustomed to in Marseilles, we were now stranded in Irun, Spain. There was one small café, but it was closed, I guess because it was Sunday. At least I had brought a few snacks with me. (Hopefully after this experience, B will stop making so much fun of my tendency to travel with little snacks and bottles of water—he would have had to deal with Mrs. Cranky Pants if I had been stuck here and hungry!). There were plenty of seats for the twenty-or-so people who were waiting with us. However, the seats were nothing more than glorified train tracks repurposed as benches. I bet you can imagine what our butts felt like after sitting on blocks of wood for 5 hours.

To make the whole experience complete, I had the joy of sitting next to a man who smacked his lips after every sip of his drink. Just when I thought he was done torturing me, he seemed to magically produce another bottle of juice. Ugh! At long last, all his beverages and smacking lip noises were done. Or so I thought. I guess with nothing else to do, he figured he should loudly snore his way through a nap. Oh if only I wasn’t attached to the electrical outlet by this seat! I could barely, barely stand all his weird snap, crackle, and pop noises. B and I just kept making eyes at each other across the aisle. Anything to make the time pass…

We eventually boarded our train headed south to Madrid. First class seats--they were the best! We had plenty of room to stretch out, our seats reclined, and they served us dinner. You know how I love my meals. I did the best I could to watch the movie as well: Morning Glory, but it was tricky because it was in Spanish. (I guess that’s what happens when you travel through Spain). The beautiful Spanish countryside, and the six hour train ride, just seemed to fly by.

Consider the juxtaposition of that sweet ride to our next train, and you might understand why we called it the train ride from hell. The next train was an overnight ride from Madrid to Lisbon. It was twelve hours long. We did not have beds. We had seats—and they weren’t even good seats! In fact, we decided that they were the second worst seats on the entire train. Every row of seats on the train faced forward, except for the row in front of us. They faced backwards and didn’t recline (those were officially the worst seats). Are you getting the complete picture here? They faced us. So, for twelve bumpy, squishy, uncomfortable hours, we sat in the same clothes from the day before and tried to keep our knees from bumping into the Greek college boys across from us. Oh yeah, and we were somehow supposed to sleep.

[No pictures to share from this leg of the trip.

As B said, "I don't want to remember that."]

Needless to say, when we finally arrived in Lisbon and made it to our hotel, we took the first room that was available. We checked in, showered, and took a six hour nap. Many, many hours later, we woke from the dead and ventured outside to enjoy the city that we went to SO much trouble to get to.

A McFlurry Kind of Day

2011-07-23T12:46:00.001-04:00

Not sure that you'll get the right idea from this entry's title. Maybe it should have said a "hectic" kind of day, but I wanted a play on words. A little pun? You see, it's 6:30 pm, and I'm sitting down for the first time in 6 hours, enjoying a McDonald's treat.

We woke up this morning and everything went according to plan. Our train from Aix en Provence arrived precisely on time in Marseilles. We checked the big blackboard to see which platform our next train was on, only to realize that our next train was delayed by an hour and a half. This meant that we were going to miss all of our connections, including our overnight train into Portugal. Yikes!

We spent 3 hours being semi-ignored/semi-helped by the "help desk." The final result? We would have to come back tonight at 11pm to "see" if they could find us a seat on the outbound train. That would only get us to the border between France and Spain. From there, we'd have to fend for ourselves. It sounded outrageous!

As a result, we decided to call our travel agent and our travel insurance to see if they could lend a hand. After an hour on the phone between them, our prospects weren't looking any better.

Finally, we spent another hour and a half at the international ticket office. That's where we finally got helped by the wonderful, amazing Lise. While she was helping us, her boss walked over and we realized that we recognized each other. He had sat right next to us on the train two days earlier. What a coincidence!! Between Phillipe and Lise--and a lot of strategic maneuvers--we were finally given an exit strategy. Up until we met them, it had been pretty much impossible for us to find a way to leave France. It seemed we were stuck. But now, these two wonderful people had the perfect combination of patience and knowledge. They saved us!

Now, we have a new plan, but it will take a whole extra day of traveling. Unfortunately, that means we're going to miss our stop in Porto and instead we're heading straight to Lisbon. Considering all the difficulties we've had to deal with in this train station, it doesn't seem so bad. Anything to leave!!

Wish us luck!

Cassis & Calanques

2011-07-22T17:16:00.001-04:00

Today we took a guided tour of a nearby town, and while there, a boat tour of the creeks that surround it (called Calanques). The boat tour was so relaxing that B closed his eyes several times and nearly took a nap. I, on the other hand, spent the 1-hour ride darting back and forth from side to side snapping pictures of the cliffs surrounding the beautiful, azul waters. We saw many little boats heading towards the small beaches inside each of the creeks. I imagine it must be a wonderful way to spend a warm, summer day! Speaking of warm, the weather has been gorgeous, unlike what we experienced in Paris. The high today was 80 with little humidity, and the sun was shining all day.

After the boat ride, our tour guide drove us to the highest point in the area. It turns out that that cliff is the 2nd highest cliff in all of Europe! Can you believe that they didn't have any guardrails or fences around the edge? Like, none! Apparently, the city doesn't want to take any responsibility for people's safety. As a result, the view was literally breath-taking. I never did look straight down.

When we got back from our tour, it was only 1pm, so we decided to wander around the "Old Town," which has many medieval buildings, squares, gates, and cathedrals. We also were able to see the excavated site of an original Roman Bath from 1 B.C. It is so old, it was surreal to be looking at it.

Since tonight is our last night in France, I wanted to take a moment to say that we have truly enjoyed our time here. The people have been really nice to us. Before coming, we both had been given the impression that people here could be uncompromising and difficult to communicate with. Instead, we have found that people have put themselves in uncomfortable positions to try and speak with us in English, even though they all claim to speak only "a little bit." What a wonderful experience!

Aix-en-Provence

2011-07-21T17:25:00.000-04:00

We woke up early this morning to catch a train from Paris to Marseille, and then to Aix-en-Provence (in Southern France). It was so early, in fact, that we were able to chat with some of our friends who were still awake the night before... the 6-hour time difference is so weird!

Once we got to our new city, we spent the day wandering through the narrow streets, appreciating the fountains for which they're famous. We stopped for crepes, pastries, and dinner goodies. B was inspired and stopped in three different stores to buy meat & cheese, freshly-baked bread, and a bottle of wine. We feasted on the terrace of our hotel room as the sun set. The weather here is much warmer and milder than what we experienced in Paris, so we really enjoyed soaking it all in. Such a beautiful day!

Look at all the cheese!!!

I can't believe B stopped long enough for me to take this photo. Once he had that hot, fresh bread in his hand, he was ready to drag me down the street back to our hotel.

(Total steps: 11,340)

Happy Anniversary!

2011-07-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

It's been four years, B! I love you.

P.S. - We didn't even realize that today was our anniversary until we saw the date printed on our train tickets. We're turning into B's parents: they never know that its their anniversary until B calls to wish them a happy day. Hehe...!

Au revoir, Paris!

2011-07-20T15:29:00.001-04:00

Today was our last day in Paris. First thing tomorrow morning, we head out to the train station to travel south. Not sure if we'll have such a good internet connection down there as we have had here, so I may or may not have blog updates for you.

Today we started out at the Musee D'Orsay. It was by far our favorite! We saw tons of paintings by famous artists: Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Klimt, Cezanne, Delacroix, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Pissarro. We spent a long time there because we enjoyed it so much.

We left and took a little walk to locate (once and for all) the place where Julia Child had lived. The other day, when we happily stumbled upon her street, I didn't know which house number. So I researched, and was able to get a good look at it today. Let me just say: she lived in a beautiful part of town!

Because our wanderings had led us near the Hotel National des Invalides (aka: Army Museum) we decided to go in. B really enjoyed their exhibit on France in WWI and WWII. I didn't mind it too much, but I have to admit I was ready to go when he was!

Next we decided to hop on the subway and visit the Conciergerie, which was originally (in the 6th century) a royal palace. First of all: How cool is that?! It was nothing like Versailles, but the fact that it was so old totally trumped the gilded bronze of the other palaces. Anyway, over the centuries, its purpose changed. During the French Revolution (and the Reign of Terror) it was used as a prison to temporarily hold people who had been called to attend their Revolutionary Tribunal trials. Meaning, they were called to decide whether or not they were headed for the guillotine! This is where Marie Antoinette was kept for 76 days until her execution. Yikes.

Our last stop of the day was les Deux Maggots, a cafe that was once one of Hemingway's regular haunts. Unfortunately, today it was really nothing to write home about. Ha! I love the irony of that. Anyway, we ordered a quick meal there and let our legs rest a bit.

We came home the long way (by subway) so that we could stop and pick up some souvenirs, stop by the train station and activate our train tickets, and pick up one last Parisian pastry. A yummy chocolate/croissant twist thingy for me, a delicious chocolate-filled pastry for B! I even lucked out because we stumbled upon a beautiful garden with lots of photo ops (notice the statue in the background?)!

(Total steps: 18,200)

Rain, rain go away!

2011-07-19T14:27:00.005-04:00

To help pass the time (while waiting in the 1.5 hour long line to Versailles) we started brainstorming songs that referred to rain...

Rain drops keep fallin' on my head...
And I wonder, who'll stop the rain?
Cold rain running down the front of my shirt, I'm flat on my back, wheels in the dirt...
I'm only happy when it rains
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain, but I like watching the puddles gather rain...
She only sleeps when it's raining, and she screams, and her voice is straining, and she says "Baby, it's 3am I must be lonely"
I wanna seek shelter from the poison rain, where the streets have no name

We did eventually make it inside. Magnificent! It's truly amazing to see all the splendor: the ceiling murals, the tapestry-covered walls, the marble, gilded bronze everywhere. And then the gardens. *Sigh* Oh what I wouldn't give to have that backyard!!

Overall, the weather today was miserable. It was cold and rainy all day! We had to buy umbrellas and a scarf. We were seriously disappointed with the umbrellas! After just one day of use, mine popped backwards (which bent the wire 'spokes' underneath), two of B's wires separated from the fabric (so now they stick out dangerously, just waiting to poke out my eyes!), and the handle to mine fell off while I was crossing a busy street. Of course. B was kind enough to take this photo of me in front of the gilded gate. As you can imagine, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I walked over there to pose!

After Versailles, we took the train back into town and then walked several blocks back towards our hotel. On the way, we passed by the site of Napoleon's tomb and noticed a lot of pomp and circumstance. Later, we realized that France's president was inside attending a funeral to honor seven soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Being so close to the most newsworthy thing of the day made me realize that our hotel really is in the heart of the city.

We went back to the same cafe that we had already stopped at on our first day. The cafe is just around the corner from our hotel, and they have this ham, cheese, and egg sandwhich that is just so good! It's called the "croquet madame." B ordered it the other day, and today I just had to have my own.

At some point, the rain finally stopped. We decided to go out for a hot chocolate and were shocked by how light the sky still was. Look at the sun -- still shining on the very tops of the buildings at 9:25pm.

At 9:40pm, while we sipped our hot chocolate outside at the Cafe Comedie, we watched as the sun finally set. Gorgeous!

(Total steps: 13,625)

Don't Visit Paris on a Monday

2011-07-18T13:02:00.002-04:00

Nearly everything was closed! Versailles, Musee d'Orsay, Musee de "Hospitals," the Sorbonne... all a bust.

While traipsing from one end of town to another (some metro stations closed as of today for repairs, so we did a lot of unexpected walking) we racked up nearly 10 miles. Right now we're back in our hotel room resting our poor little feet. But we're not done for the night. Not yet!

What we did see:

Breakfast buffet in our hotel.

Our first view of the Seine River.

The Eiffel Tower. We climbed 674 steps to the second level. Phew! Unfortunately, the top was closed because it was too windy, so we didn't get to go any higher.

(Notice I planned ahead for the windy weather up top and had my hair properly secured!)

"Rue de Loo" - the street that Julia Child and her husband lived on. We stumbled upon it by accident, but boy was I excited because I've been reading her autobiography: My Life in France.

Notre Dame.

Some very "Frenchy" things that we saw in our travels:

They "build" a beach each year. You can see them shoveling sand out of the barge and onto the sidewalk. My question: isn't it a bit late in the season to just now be building the beach?!

Dinner was marvelous! We wandered just a block or two down from our hotel and found a yummy little restaurant that boasted traditional French cuisine. The atmosphere inside was just what we were hoping for: cosy, quiet, and quaint! The waiters were very kind and did their best to explain things to us in English. I mean, what is "duck magret" anyway?! After the waiter attempted to describe it, I was intrigued enough to try it. What I ate: Escargot. Duck magret with fig sauce and homemade mashed potatoes. A rose wine from Aix-en-Provence. A homemade vanilla creme brulee. What B ate: Escargot. Sirloin steak with Bearnaise sauce and french fries. The same rose wine (we shared a bottle). Chocolate mousse. At some point during our meal, we realized that of the four tables in the back room (including ours) three were occupied by Australians. How random! We enjoyed chatting with them and savoring our meal. Needless to say, we went home happy.

(20,200 steps total)

Paris in 16,172 steps...

2011-07-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

The Louvre - This, our first morning, was cold and rainy. Only about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. What happened to summer in Europe?! I was hating myself for not having packed any pants.

Arc de Triomphe - After a quick power nap at the hotel, we were ready to take on the day. Luckily, the sun decided to come out so the weather wasn't as miserable as before. We climbed a bajillion stairs to the top and enjoyed the view.

Champs Elysees - We walked along the main street and its gardens.

The End - We had dinner in a little cafe. Wine. Fois gras. Quiche lorraine. Yum! Later, when we got back to the hotel, B found the Women's World Cup finals on TV. We caught it just in time to see the Japanese team win. I said to B that even though of course I'm supposed to be rooting for the US, it was really moving to see the Japanese win because it obviously meant so much to them.

I hope you all have a good week! Tomorrow we're off to see Versailles.

I searched HIGH and low

2011-07-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

and I finally found my newest nail polish color: "Braziliant." You could say I was a bit crazy looking for this particular one... just because of its name. Last week I went to five different beauty boutiques looking for it. Apparently, it's one of summer's hottest new colors because I never found it! I had given up. And then today, I just happened to be in the beauty aisle, and I just happened to glance at the Essie colors. And it just happened to be sitting there, alone, not in its right spot. Can you believe that I finally found it in the place I figured I was least likely to find it?! You know what happens to watched pots...

Saturday at Grandma & Grandpa's

2011-07-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

I love my Grandma and Grandpa!

And I'm so glad they bought a house on the water. I'm even "gladder" that they love to host crab feasts!

The delicious Maryland Blue Crab (before)

And after! Nothing beats a hot, steamed crab with a sprinkle of Old Bay on top.

The view from their shore:

And from their pier:

And from the boat! My brother took us "kids" out for a ride. All the way out to the Solomon's Island bridge and back.

Okay, check out the moon in this one (below). It was still way too sunny for the moon to be out! Also, take a look at the bluffs (cliff) in this photo. Whenever I see coastlines like that, I can't help but imagine what it must have been like for the first settlers, sailing up the waterways and looking for places to establish new colonies.

Along those historical notes, the boats that carried the Englishmen (who eventually marched up to the White House in DC and set it on fire) are known to have been here. Crazy.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T19:16:00.000-04:00

Farmer's Market Fresh

A Bit of Indulgence

2011-07-04T19:30:00.001-04:00

Oops!

I confess. I (the one who never goes to McDonald's) have been to McDonald's twice already in the time I've been here in Brazil.

The thing is, they have this sandwich -- the Cheddar McMelt -- and it's different. And quite yummy! Hamburger, cheddar cheese sauce, and sauteed onions on a whole-wheat bun. That's it!

I guess you could say I'm hooked. So what have you indulged in recently?

Roadtrip to the Mountains

2011-07-03T23:05:00.000-04:00

Today Bruno's family treated me to a beautiful day-trip. We drove about 2 hours outside of the city. The roads curved around the sides of the mountain, so the view was lovely! Our destination was Friburgo, which happens to be the city that was devastated by the flooding and mudslides.

While in Friburgo, we stopped at a Delicatessen that specializes in cheeses and sweets. Their business tactic was brilliant! They gave you a taste of anything you wanted, and even some things that you didn't. We bought candied fruits, cheese, and cookies.

On our way back home, we stopped at a Brazilian steakhouse. An authentic one! The food was delicious, and the restaurant was beautifully landscaped. We really enjoyed the day.

Breathtaking!

Hoity-toity gone wrong

2011-07-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

Lots of times, companies here like to use English words to seem "cool," "worldly," or "desirable." I couldn't help but chuckle last night when I noticed the paper napkin I was using. The brand name was printed directly on the napkin. I'm not sure that Snob is really an appropriate name for a paper-products company. Hehehe...

The Layout

2011-06-30T17:28:00.000-04:00

Per my momma's request, here's an "aerial view" of the plot. Of course it's not exactly to scale, but I did my best!

A Drive Around Town

2011-06-29T16:40:00.000-04:00

In order to get out of the house a bit, B took me to the mall to walk around and window shop. Of course I did buy some pao de queijo and a Bob's milk shake! So yummy! I snapped as many pictures as I could along the way to give you a feel of the streets of Rio (granted, we were not in "Manhattan" but rather "Queens").

Here is a picture of B backing the car out of the driveway while his Grandpa closes the gate behind us.

This is the view down the street. There's a fashion university on the corner of the block.

And we're back! Isn't this university beautiful?! With the palm trees lining the street it makes me feel like it's in California.

The Exterior Tour

2011-06-29T09:36:00.001-04:00

I know I'm a little bit biased, but I do think that the close-up pictures are more interesting to look at. Here are a few that I took this morning. If you have any specific photo requests, I'm spending lots of time here, so I'd be happy to oblige.

Okay, but also, for those of you who are more interested in the big picture, I tried to take some photos that will clarify the layout here.

When you pull into the covered driveway, B's family's house is directly in front of you and his grandparents' house is to the right. Their house is the original house, closest to the street, and has a little patio/garden in front. [Anything with white, iron bars is this house].

His parents' house is two stories with the bedrooms/bathroom downstairs and the family room/kitchen upstairs. Everything you need is there, but it's all very compact. [Anything with black, iron bars is this house].

Once you walk up to the front door of the big house, if you turn to your right, you see the door to the office/family company. They have a catering business and cook/deliver lunches to construction sites. Pretty cool! [Anything with green, iron bars over the doors or windows is this building].

If you keep pivoting to the right (and sort of look over your shoulder) you'll see the back of B's grandparents' house. His grandma and grandpa spend the majority of their time in their outdoor kitchen (pictured below underneath the slanted roof). They make "salgadinhos" and sell them in bulk. Today, they were working on finishing a request for 600 of these little snacks!

If you walk towards the green office door, there is a space between the big house and the office building, pictured below. The house is on the left and the office is on the right. This was all kinda tricky to explain, but I hope you followed! Even if you didn't, I'm sure the pictures helped to give a better picture of where they live.

10 for Tuesday

2011-06-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a cue from my dear Jackpot. Here are 10 random thoughts floating through my head:

I've been hearing A LOT of Portuguese lately. Not sure how I feel about that... At times it becomes so much that my brain just shuts down. How do my ESOL students survive day in and out?!
My brother-in-law is graduating from college this summer. Today he gave us a copy of his graduation photo - a group shot! Man, I so wish that were our custom here. I had many friends in my program that I would've liked to have a photo of. You know, something sentimental to look back on.
Amarula is a yummy precursor to dinner! Why can't I have this every night?
Last night I had a lot of good laughs with my hubby and his brother. Usually my BIL is quiet, so I don't feel like I've had many moments with him throughout the years. It was so nice!
Thank god for summer break.
Why even bother with dinner? Let's just skip straight to dessert every night!
Tomorrow I'm thinking I'll take some time to play with my camera. Maybe I can get some cool shots of the architecture?
Has anyone seen Bad Teacher yet? I can't wait! I know it's giving my profession a bad name, but I'm betting Cameron Diaz's character gets to do a lot of things we only wish we could do!
Thank goodness I traveled with my computer! I was entertaining myself with Sims all day today.
I wish I could hear what I sound like to native speakers when I talk in Portuguese. I imagine I say things like, "it was accident" and other little-kid sounding things. Oh well! At least people can understand me!

"Something Blue" (Post #5)

2011-06-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

I promised this post a long time ago, but hadn't gotten a moment to put it together. I wanted to share some photos that I took while finishing my sister's wedding quilt, which I named "Something Blue." I gave it to her at her bridal shower, and needless to say, she loved it. Yay!

Here I'm pinning the quilt sandwich.

Quilting. I decided to quilt straight lines 1/4" away from the edge of each block. Essentially, I started at the edge of the quilt and then followed the seams. Since I had added a border, I had to eye-ball it from the edge to the beginning of the blocks, but that was only about 7 inches worth of "guess work" each time. I'm pretty sure no one can tell!

Check out the gloves I bought. I had heard about these texturized gloves to help with the quilting process, but I didn't own a pair for my first two quilts. I saw them on sale one day about a month before I was going to need them for E's quilt, so I snagged them. Boy were they a success! I don't know how I ever managed to get a grip of all that fabric and push it through the sewing machine.

In this picture, you can see how the quilting "framed" each block.

Another close-up view of the quilting pattern: two parallel, straight lines in each direction.

For the first time, I decided to use pre-made binding. What a time-saver! I truly think that this "cheat" alone is what allowed me to finish in time for E's bridal shower. My buddy Jackpot talked me into it (she's always so sensible!) and I'm so glad she did. Also, for the first time, I tried machine stitching the binding to the quilt, with mixed results. While it did save me LOTS of time and I do believe that the quilt will be sturdier because of it, it just did not look as nice as hand-stitching. I might give it another try on my next quilt, but we'll see... the jury's still out.

Tada! The finished quilt top. I took this photo with the help of my friend MMC while at work. Yup, that's the school's football field behind the quilt! Wasn't it a beautiful day?! (PS: Neither one of us was tall enough to hold the quilt completely off the ground. I guess that means it'll definitely be long enough for both my sister and her tall fiance!)

That's me!

I tried a new way of signing this quilt. I typed my message, got my sister-in-law to help me reverse the image, printed it onto special ink-jet "paper" and then ironed it onto a leftover piece of the white fabric. I hand stitched the label to the bottom right-hand corner (on the back). I liked that I could personalize the quilt without stressing over embroidery or handwriting! What do you think?

Here's the back. My hubby is standing on one of our chairs in order to keep it from touching the floor! The stripe on the back has one of each of the ten original fabrics, each set off by a piece of the white fabric. I think it turned out just LOVELY. If I hadn't already promised it to my sister, I definitely would have kept it for myself!

The happy recipient...

...modeling with her quilt,

...and lolling underneath it. I think she liked it!

Uma "View" Beleza

2011-06-26T18:23:00.000-04:00

We went to dinner at a friend-of-the-family's house today. He lives in the lake district and has a BEAUTIFUL view. Can you believe it?!

Just Like That

2011-06-26T08:21:00.001-04:00

My sister is having a make-up artist come as part of the wedding prep, so she advised me to find a picture that I could show the woman. I've been keeping my eyes peeled, and I think I finally found what I was looking for. In this particular photo, Naomi Watts has a very natural look: her cheeks and lips have a bit of rosy color, but her eyes are really the main attraction. I love it!

So that's how I want my make-up done. Just like that!

PS: I found this while waiting for Bruno to get his hair cut. I didn't know if I'd be able to find the same photo again, so I ripped/stole it from their magazine! I felt so reckless (hehe).

Sew Many Machines!

2011-06-21T21:12:00.002-04:00

I wish I had taken a picture today. The back of my car was FULL of sewing machines. And I mean full. Nine machines in all.

And I am tickled pink.

Many, many months ago, my co-worker (buddy, partner-in-crime, bff), Jackpot, and I decided that because we've both been having so much fun sewing, we wanted to see about starting a sewing club at school for our students. It turns out that our Home Ec teacher didn't have any sewing machines in her department. It's the modern world, baby! And PS: she's not the "Home Ec" teacher anymore... she's the "FACS" teacher. That stands for Family and Consumer Science.

So, despite the minor set-back, we persevered. With the help of our FACS teacher, we got connected with her boss and found out that there would be some old machines being retired at the end of the school year. Yes, our school year is STILL going on. Today, we went and picked up those nine machines. So excited!

Tomorrow is the last day of school -- and that's a good thing -- but with these new machines just arriving, I'm secretly already chomping at the bit! I can't wait to get our club up and running next year. We're hoping the kids will be excited to put their sewing skills to good use! We'll be looking for sewing projects and ways to donate our handiwork...

...and maybe we'll make a few things for ourselves along the way, too.

You Want a "Real" Recommendation?

2011-06-20T20:53:00.001-04:00

Read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Part of the reason why I haven't blogged in 10 days is because I was hooked reading this book! It was a thrilling, timeless story that played on aspects of literature that I've always loved. Like, for instance, good ole Brit Lit. And gothic novels. Yet, it was surprisingly modern and at times, shocking! There was mystery and intrigue. Love. Despair. I couldn't put it down. It was a book that I had heard about years ago and then sorta kinda bumped into accidentally (it was on display in the library at school!)

So please, if you're looking for something fun and quick, consider this story. You won't be sorry you did!

[This book recommendation has been approved by Levar Burton].

Lisbeth Salandar

2011-06-20T18:36:00.002-04:00

Wow... I can't believe it's been 10 days since I last posted! I'll just take half a second here to complain (yet again) how much I hate that my blog is blocked at work. Work is where I'm productive. Hellooo!

But back to the fun stuff. I finally finished reading the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy -- a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law who read and loved them. I had a heck of a time getting into each one of the books. You would think that by the third book either the author would have gotten with the program a little faster, or I'd have at least gotten used to it. But no. Nonetheless, after I made my way through the first 100 pages of each book, it was always worth it! (Commitment, indeed!)

My favorite was definitely the last one. Probably because that's where all of the heroine's secrets finally came out into the light. She had a fascinating back-story, for sure.

If you're hooked by my rave review, but not really up for 1000's of pages of reading, you could always go see the movies. I hear the ones that were already made in Sweden are pretty good, and I'm definitely looking forward to watching them. Hopefully hubby will be interested in keeping me company!

Another Baby (Blanket)

2011-06-11T18:57:00.000-04:00

Another colleague is expecting a baby any day now. Since she doesn't know whether it's a boy or a girl, I decided to get a little creative with my binding colors. This was an excellent way for me to practicing sewing bias tape together (ugh, what a pain) and also a great way to use scraps!

E's Bridal Shower!

2011-06-06T18:55:00.003-04:00

As my little sister's matron of honor, it was my job to plan her bridal shower. Luckily for me, she has chosen six other women as bridesmaids... and they all rock! Between the seven of us (plus help from my mom), the shower was amazing.

According to my grandma, we "carried it off with panache." Wow, what a review!

The trick for me, was that I wanted to have her quilt finished before the shower. As you may recall, I'm not the best with deadlines and was actually still hand-stitching the binding on my grandma's quilt after she opened it on Christmas.

So, classic me, I was pressed for time. But with a little perseverance, and one all-nighter, I finished! And she loved her quilt. Hooray! (I'll write more about the quilt in a later blog).

Joyous Juror

2011-06-01T12:25:00.001-04:00

Ha! Hardly...

Today I woke up at my normal, crack-of-dawn time (5:30). I showered, make-uped, and even breakfasted. Wow! By 7:30 I had parked my car and walked to the Circuit Courthouse. Where I sat and waited. Then they called all of us to the registration counter. After which point, I sat and waited. And waited. Luckily I had been forewarned about said "waiting" and had brought my laptop with me. I actually got a lot done on the digital scrapbook I'm currently working on.

But back to the verbena.

I chose a seat in the very last row near a wall outlet. I plugged in my computer and got to work. I couldn't help but notice that NO ONE sat near me. There was obviously a buffer of empty seats around me, most likely because of all my coughing and sniffling. We all sat miserably for several hours. Then the bailiff came and started summoning people. I realized he was reading down the list in alphabetical order. So I held my breath and crossed my fingers. He called McCorey. Then Taylor. PHEW! I was free. So at 11:15 I marched back to my car and drove back to my house. Of course I'm still on-call for the next week, but I'll just have to take this one day at a time.

...and right now, it's nap time!

Bad Karma

2011-05-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what I did to deserve this, but I'm sick. Stupid summer cold. So I decided to take the day off tomorrow to rest and feel better. To make matters worse, I had a voice mail waiting for me when I left work today. Telling me that I MUST report to jury duty tomorrow. At 8 AM. UGH! The timing just seems horribly unfair.

Sew Mama Sew - Giveaway Day (Part 3: The Winner)

2011-05-26T16:57:00.002-04:00

So excited to show you my finished clutch, and even more excited to share it! (I think it's my cutest one yet!).

The winner is Stephanie, who said:
Thank you for the great giveaway. My name is Steph, and I've been crafting since I can remember. I started by learning how to embroider from my grandmother, but now I also do a lot of sewing, cross stitch, and painting.

I hope you all had as much fun "playing" as I did. Don't wait until the next SMS giveaway to come back and say 'hi'!

The End of an Era

2011-05-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

I never really watched Oprah's show, yet nonetheless, I felt compelled to watch her final episode today. And I was touched. It made me regret not watching her show sooner! I came away with two quotes that I wanted to post here, so that I can come back to them again and again for reflection. I hope maybe you'll be able to find some meaning in these words as well...

"Please take responsibility for the energy you bring to this space." - Remember that we impact those around us with our words, our actions, and even our thoughts.

"Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does what I say mean anything to you?" - Everybody wants to be heard and to know that they matter. Everyone wants to be validated.

Giveaway - Day 2

2011-05-24T06:44:00.002-04:00

Confession: I stayed up WAY past my bedtime last night just exploring everyone's blogs. I barely entered any of the giveaway contests because I would get so caught up reading! I hope you're having as much fun with Sew, Mama, Sew!'s giveaway day as I am.

To see my own giveaway post, read below (or go here: http://beepsnrays.blogspot.com/2011/05/sew-mama-sew-giveaway-day.html)

Sew Mama Sew - Giveaway Day

2011-05-20T11:32:00.002-04:00

Welcome fellow bloggers! When I heard about Sew, Mama, Sew!'s Giveaway Day, I thought it might be fun to participate and meet new people. So here I am, giving away my very first thing!

I first started sewing as a little girl. My mom taught me counted-cross stitch and signed me up for a sewing machine class. At the time, it didn't really stick. But here I am--more than 20 years later--loving it! I reconnected with sewing because of my dear friend Cobble. About a year ago, we decided to take a quilting class together and the rest, as they say, is history. I've found that my absolute favorite part is choosing fabrics and playing with color combinations. Browse through my blog to see.

Up for the winning is one gathered clutch (made following the tutorial from Noodlehead). I'm working on my giveaway clutch right now, so I don't have a picture to share, but here is a picture of one that I made for my sister:

*Update: I've selected and cut the fabrics for this clutch. I can't wait to see the finished product... it should be cute when it's done!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment introducing yourself and sharing a little bit about your own crafting history. I will choose a winner after 3PM EST on May 26th (make sure that your email address is on your blog/profile so that I can contact you).

Yes, I'll ship internationally!

Read my lips.

2011-05-19T15:39:00.001-04:00

No diet.
No bedtime.
No exercising.
No expectations.
No responsibilities.

(at least not for tonight!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T18:44:00.001-04:00

Color All Around

2011-05-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

Look at the vibrant color in those blossoms! This is why I love geraniums so much.

Putting the Pieces Together (Post #4)

2011-05-14T21:33:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd update everyone on the progress I'm making with my Skipping Stones Quilt. Although I'm making relatively good time, the pieces would be going together even faster if it weren't for my perfectionist streak. With each piece I'm thinking ahead to how the finished block will look, taking into account its orientation, and making careful choices about which pieces I sew together. To give you some examples...

In this block, I decided that I wanted the one, "whole" cat to be upright. That meant that I had to pay attention in order to sew the shorter side pieces on what would eventually become the side of the block. Had I not been thinking about this, the kitty might have ended up side-ways.

Here, I decided it looked best if the bright yellow color was evenly distributed throughout the block, so I turned the blue strips to make three concentrated areas of bright yellow.

Finally, in this one, I spent some time considering how to assemble the three pieces. I finally decided on the combination you see below, because I thought it looked nice with the light blue shapes "flowing" in a curve from left to right. It's very Feng Shui, don't you think?

So there you have it! A little insight into my quilting process.

Floral Photography Fun

2011-05-14T21:23:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share this, cause I thought it turned out kinda pretty!

Take a picture, it’ll last longer!

2011-05-13T20:45:00.001-04:00

I stole the following blog post from my sister, so when you read "I," think "E." (Thanks, E!)

- - -

Last July there was a Groupon for an hour photo shoot anywhere within a 25 mile radius of D.C. from Tomerlin Photography, so I proposed to my siblings that we purchase said Groupon and have a group photo taken (a la the awesome picture below) as a Christmas present for our parents.

: Left to right: My parents, my Aunt Sandy (Mom’s step-sister) and her husband Uncle Roger, my Aunt Cheri (Mom’s step-sister) and my Uncle John (Mom’s brother)

One of the pictures from this photo session always hung in my grandmother’s house when we were growing up and we’d always look at it and kind of giggle at how different they all used to look (by the time I was born my mother had chopped all her hair off… and so had my Uncle John, lol). So I thought it’d be fun to have a picture taken of the six of us so that maybe in another ten years or so our kids can look at us and giggle.

So we purchased the Groupon in July and come September attempted to book a date with the photographer to have our picture in time for Christmas. Plenty of time, right? Ha! Nope! Turns out the photographer sold some 1,200 of these deals and was booked on the weekends straight through to December! So our plan was a little thrown off, but we adapted and decided our “Christmas” present, could be a Mother’s Day present and we planned our photo shoot for one morning in April (over six months out at that point). Well, of course it was freezing that morning! So while we ran from place to place at the University of Maryland (5 of the 6 of us graduated from Maryland with the 6th one of us graduating from UMBC, so we figured it’d be a fun background for our photo shoot), we were taking our winter coats off, smiling for pictures and quickly putting our winter coats back on! Fortunately, it didn’t rain on us, and all of the pictures turned out great!

So here’s my favorites, and if you want to check out the rest of our pictures from the photo shoot, just go here!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T18:04:00.000-04:00

Skipping Squares Quilt (Post #3)

2011-05-09T21:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished cutting today, which meant that I got to start my favorite (FAVORITE) part: mixing and matching colors. In terms of the process -- I tried not to have the same combinations of fabric from one block to the next. This was a little tricky to keep track of since there are different kinds of blocks, so I took pictures along the way, so that I could refer to them. Repeatedly. Enjoy!

(This block is my favorite!)

Skipping Squares Quilt (Post #2)

2011-05-08T21:06:00.000-04:00

I'm committed to the process pledge! So here goes...

I've started working on my "Skipping Squares" quilt (pattern from Cluck-Cluck-Sew). BTW: Allison from Cluck-Cluck was so wonderful and sent me a bonus, free pattern along with the one that I actually requested. How cool is that?!

Look at all that yardage, yet to be dealt with...

I'm sure you read (and have since forgotten) about my post from several months ago. You know, the post where I showed off my new collection of prints that I gathered while shopping with Cobble?

Well anyway, this weekend I started cutting. Man do I hate this part! Especially when I have so many little pieces to cut out. Ten fat quarters plus a yard and a half of white fabric had to be turned into over 300 little itty bitty strips and squares. Yuck!

At least the fabric is pretty. That makes is less irritating to work with.

The good thing is that this is guaranteed to look good when it's done.

10 Reasons I Loved this Weekend

2011-05-08T20:51:00.001-04:00

1. I spent Mother's Day with both my mom and my hubby's

2. I (finally) started working on my next project. Of course, I spent this weekend cutting, which is my least favorite part. But the sooner I finish, the sooner I get to start sewing!

3. Roast beef. Carne asado. Whatever you wanna call it -- it's delicious and I got to eat it. It didn't hurt that I also completed my "in-house tutorials" and am now ready to make it on my own.

4. Got the new Radiohead album. Cool!

5. Made Bruno's favorite cake (in cupcakes!): Tres Leches cake.

6. Confession... I fussy cut this piece! Love it.

7. Yuuuuuuuum! Had a burger with my in-laws at Red Robin. It was their first time and they loved it. Who wouldn't? A tower of onion rings, unlimited fries, and a burger with a fried egg on top!

8. Saturday yardsales ready and waiting to be explored.

9. My cute hubby.

10. Time to put my feet up!

Steal of a Deal

2011-05-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

This morning I snuck away from the family long enough to find a great deal at our community yard sale: the pax-eco tote from The Sak. (And what a beautiful morning, too.) I hope you have a great weekend and a happy Mother's Day!

What I Saw Today

2011-05-05T17:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Florzinhas

2011-05-04T17:59:00.001-04:00

I planted these little guys last Friday, just before J&G came over for dinner. However, I've been so busy I didn't get a chance to take pictures. I can't believe how much they've already grown! To give some context, there are three separate plants in the white container (2 cilantro and 1 flower) -- none of which were big enough to touch when I first planted them. Not even a week later and they're getting all friendly! Love it!

Stomp, stomp!

2011-05-01T20:31:00.001-04:00

This adorable flannel with elephants stomping all over was just begging to be made into a receiving blanket. I'm sending it to a friend from work. Congrats on your new, baby boy, K!

The Gang's All Here!

2011-04-27T18:42:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my friends who helped me out today, I was able to pick up my in-laws at the airport just as they were claiming their luggage. Perfect timing! And look how happy they are to see their son...

A Birthday Wish

2011-04-13T22:48:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl with a little house...

...but at night, when the wind would blow, she'd have to curl up to keep warm. So, on her first birthday, she wished with all her might for something pink and purple and cuddly (or at least that's what I'm sure she would have said if she could talk that well).

Ta-da! Do you think she'll like them? Her very own monogrammed pillow and matching blanket, just right for her new house.

Living Art

2011-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

On my way to work this week, I've felt like I was driving through a painting. The lighting has been just soft enough, and the blooming trees have been just pretty enough, that I felt like I was surrounded by strokes of a paintbrush. Maybe an impressionist piece? Something like this...

Too bad we only get to enjoy this once a year!

Back in the Saddle

2011-03-31T20:35:00.001-04:00

...or rather, "Back at the Pedal"??

It feels good! If only it weren't for the tediousness of cutting, I would always be sewing! This time, I was working on a receiving blanket for a co-worker's baby shower. Which is tomorrow. Just call me the Queen of Procrastination!

Zucchini Bread Cookies (I Like)

2011-03-26T20:45:00.002-04:00

Thanks, Eizzil for a delicious party! My absolute favorite was the Zucchini Nut Bread Sandwich Cookies. I didn't even wait for her to send me the recipe... I've already looked it up online and printed it out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same.

Yum!

Pinterest!

2011-03-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

I read about Pinterest from a fellow blogger. It's like "My LiveBinder Shelf" only WAY. BETTER. So good, in fact, that there was a waiting list to get in. But I'm in! And I have a couple invites to Pinterest that I can share with a friend. Is anyone interested?

Dinosaurs... hear them roar!

2011-03-24T17:20:00.001-04:00

There's a *new* Bon Jovi song out there (and I'm using the term loosely... it probably came out a year ago!) that has a line that caught my ear today:

Saving dimes, spending too much time on the telephone
Who says you can't go home?

I thought to myself, "HA! They are dating themselves by referring to phone calls that cost a dime... phone calls were a quarter when I was growing up!" And then it hit me -- kids today don't even know about pay phones! I mean, look at this strip from Pearls Before Swine (which, coincidentally ran yesterday!):

So THEN I went on to think about that ever-so-clever insult (that I'm sure we've all heard): "Here's a quarter, go call someone who cares." Yeah, it's out-dated. Meaningless. Lost on all of my students.

Like the dinosaurs, that phrase might as well be extinct!

So I have a task for you: Find some more "dinosaurs". I want to make a list! I'll add them here as you send them to me. Don't let me down!

Here's a quarter, go call someone who cares.
Roll down the window.
Be kind, rewind.
You sound like a broken record.

Winning Wednesday?

2011-03-23T18:17:00.002-04:00

Well, I can't help it. I'm dying to win one of these online competitions, so here I am... entering my pillow in the hopes of winning some absolutely adorable fabric! Check out the competition here:

And here, for the sake of the competition, is a recap of the pillow I made for my sister:

E and I went shopping together one day, which is when she found the perfect chair for her bedroom (from Pier 1). She also found an adorable stuffed owl, which she splurged on. The only thing missing was a pillow to provide some lumbar support. The pillows in Pier 1 were interesting, but not what she was looking for. So I offered to make it for her! We left the store and headed straight for my favorite fabric store. She selected the prints, and I put it together for her. It turned out pretty good and was a hit with both my sister and her kitty!

March Morning

2011-03-21T21:43:00.001-04:00

The alarm jars me awake.

Another Monday morning.

Yet not.

Was that thunder?

This early in the day,

in the year?

Rain drops

spl

ter ing

onto the windows.

I peek through the blinds, and

prepare for rain.

Pants.

Heels.

Anything to keep me from getting wet.

Step outside.

Déjà vu.

Snow on the ground?

My eyes must be deceiving me.

Small, round pellets.

Hail?

Hail!

On the ground.

Spewed out of the down-spout.

Piled up.

White.

Unexpected.

Water trickling down from the roof is the only sound I still hear.

Calming.

The asphalt is wet.

The rain has passed.

But I drive back into it.

A streak of light darts left to right.

The dark, morning sky flashes

an eerie shade of purple.

Rumbles growl overhead.

The rain drops get bigger

and smack against my windshield.

Silencing like crackling fireworks in the sky.

My favorite.

Even on this March morning,

nothing is routine.