happy birthday mom!

happy happy happy birthday mom! enjoy your cupcakes

today... and tomorrow (on your real birthday!) and the next

day and the next day!

start the celebrating now... and we will continue

at the end of march!!!

happy happy happy!!!

BYOB

Something I love about Philadelphia... BYOB's.


What a fun concept! You bring a favorite bottle of wine with you to enjoy a wonderful evening with a favorite bunch of friends. It really is just a wonderful wonderful thing! We enjoyed a wonderful night out last weekend with some great friends, wonderful food, and favorite bottles of wine... from home! We enjoyed one another's company at a great little place in Manayunk called, Derek's. http://www.dereksrestaurant.com/ Boat Shoes enjoyed a flat iron steak served over a bed of garlic mashed potatoes & I enjoyed a roasted chicken served atop homemade gnocchi with sauteed spinach and roasted tomatoes with a light cream sauce. Both were amazing and followed by a funnel cake! Yes, you heard me right, a fancy little funnel cake with powdered sugar, strawberries and vanilla icecream. It was divine. So a flip flop and boat shoes review of Derek's on Main Street...divine and highly recommended.

a quiet day

It's been a quiet day for me and everyone I have tried to speak to. I whisper to them, so they whisper back.

It's official, I have laryngitis. I have to whisper or type to communicate so text messages are perfect these days. Also, these cough drops are fabulous! I am not typically one to advertise... but these deserve a blog post. They aren't too sweet, they are not funny smelling, they taste good, they soothe your throat, and they have organic honey in the middle! What could be better for a hurting throat?!

'Boat Shoes' from 34,000 feet

It's not often that the 'Boat Shoes' half of "Flip Flops n' Boat Shoes" shares a story and I hope that this meets the editor's approval. I couldn't pass up sharing about a first time experience. 30 years into life, it's not everyday that something new and cool comes along that you want to immediately share, but today is unique like that.

Enroute to the TargetX Conference in Atlanta, I am blogging at our cruising altitude of 34,000 feet on Airtran Flight 345, and this is so cool!

First facebook, then gmail, now blogging, and the beverage cart just delivered a diet coke... I could get used to this!

There are a few things I feel like I should mention:
1. Yes, frequent flier friends wrote posts about this months ago, but it's my first time and it's awesome.
2. It might be cooler because I just expensed the $4.95 charge to work, and
3. I haven't decided if I'll actually do any work.

It's not everyday that something new and cool comes along... what was the last thing that really impressed you? Was it a new simple pleasure? A new gadget? In-flight wi-fi?

somtimes your body wins.

today my body won.

i set out to go for a long run... 12.5 miles to be exact.

however, the sun was deceiving, the wind chill was unbearable, my knee was hurting, my nose was stuffy, my belly was hungry, i couldnt get ino a groove and i simply wasnt having fun. it was just not my day for a long run!

So, 12.5 miles became 4.5 miles and some weights & stretching at the gym. back to it tomorrow...


apparently this is "to be expected" when training for a marathon... I just didn't think it would happen to me. It did make me feel a bit better to know that my running buddy went out for a running jaunt and 5 minutes later walked in her house. It wasn't her day either. So 771 miles apart and we experience running "funks" on the same day.

now that is a running partner dedication...

agility puppy = lilly bean.

I have been thinking for quite some time, Lilly has talent. she is quick on her toes and pounces quite well on small tennis balls. now, it is a fact, she truly does have talent.

yesterday, we were babysitting for the day/ evening so while we were out and about we brought the kiddos to meet Lilly, or as the littlest calls her, "woof woof." Lilly loved them. She wanted to lick their hands and was so gentle.

After a little play time (and picking up a Wii game from our collection for the kiddos to play) it was time to head back to their house. Derek was going to come home a bit later to take Lilly out and feed her. So we thought, lets try her in the kitchen with her crate and the baby gate. Now, we have never tried this but thought, its only 2 hours, really what trouble can she get into?



Well friends, let me tell you. When Derek arrived at our house he was warmly welcomed at the FRONT DOOR by our precious little Lilly Bean, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.


I asked, "Oh no, do you think she was hurt when the baby gate toppled over? I hope she didnt get caught in it. I hope the loud noise didnt scare her"

Derek responded perplexed, "The gate is still up. she JUMPED OVER the baby gate."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! There is not alot of running room in our kitchen. The stone floor is slippery. The baby gate is high. How in the world did she JUMP the baby gate? and that my friends is how we know, we have an agility puppy on our hands!



ps. no potty accidents in the house, nothing out of order, only one couch pillow on the ground. we have a fabulous little agility puppy.

at the end of a long day...

...I thought... the gym. I need the gym. So I went to the gym to do some cross training (apparently you are supposed to do that when training, even though I would really rather just run...) so I tried out this new machine at the gym that is kind of "jumpy" like a stairmaster eliptical mix. It was fun to bounce all around and just be care free. Then I moved onto the bike. Read Self magazine while getting some mindless exercise in...perfect! Well that was interrupted when... that darn bike BIT my leg! Stupid thing... I brought my leg up and slice the stupid little box you plug your earphones in went across my shin and the skin peeled off (I didnt take a picture, but probably should). So I was done..I think it might be time for bed.

BUT... tomorrow will be a great day!!! We are continuing our room re-decorating mission and selected a beautiful new bed from Raymour & Flanigan (pictured here) and a fabulous new Stearnes & Foster pillowtop mattress. They are being delivered TOMORROW!!!! I will send some before and after photos after we get it situated~ I simply can't wait. Now for paint...and some other fabulous touches for a "cottage" and somewhat "beachy" feel. I love referencing A Beach Cottage for fun tips and ideas. Those of you that know me well know that I would love nothing more than living in a fun "Beach Cottage" so why not make our room like a beach cottage?

lovely.

 


we had a lovely valentines day.

i happen to love valentines day and everything that is a day of love & pink. we celebrated valentine's day in a few different ways...

1. i went for my long run while derek went to church ~ while running 11.5 miles (in the same place, might I add... UGH to treadmills for 2 hours) i had lots of time to think, people watch, play counting games with people and machines, make up stories about the 6 different people that ran next to me in the time i was on the treadmill, deisgn our running t-shirt in my brain for the race and imagine the finish line at the marathon. all in all a great run. side note: I feel like I am 85 years old today, but with some stretching and a good run tomorrow, i should be back to myself!

2. we continued our home make-over adventures and purchased some fabulous lemon accents from Crate and Barrell for our kitchen. we jumped on mattresses and did the "sleep test" at Raymour & Flannigan (which I would highly recommend) and came up with some new wonderful ideas... (photos and stories to come...)

3. we opened thoughtful little gifts from one another... i will be a happy little runner with lovely painted toes and relaxed feet / legs after my 2 pedicures derek gave me! i heart my valentine.

4. we made a fabulous dinner and served it on our fine china and our beautiful Kate Spade flatware. it was not only beautiful, it was yummy too!

menu:

lemon butter dill salmon

sweet potato mash

fresh steamed brocolli

fresh french baguette dipped in olive oil & balsamic with parmesan

wine chilled by the snow

for dessert~ we attempted to get a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory but we had warm chocolate chip cookies and saved the cheesecake for today! why not continue the valentines day celebration?! the peanut butter fudge ripple cheesecake is divine.


i hope you enjoyed your valentines day too!!!

a day in a volvo SUV with 3 kids...

 


as many of you know ... I loved my nannying days during graduate school! I am so glad to have some little buddies now in "grown up life" to hang out with and remember all of the fun a day with kiddos can bring! Yesterday, Derek and I spent the day bopping between play dates, swimming lessons, art time and the Please Touch Museum.

a few lessons learned...

-dont name your child a common name, it is likely you will lose them in a children's museum.
-give up on hand sanitizer at a PLEASE TOUCH museum... just wait untill the end... it isn't worth it!
-enjoy the pizza just like the 7 year olds... it makes for a happy meal time
-let them EXPLORE! it was created for kids, so let them see it all!
-finger paint is fabulous for a child under 2 years old... let her smoosh it around... and when she puts her hand in her mouth, be thankful for Crayola (a non toxic company)

12 girls...

... a snowy mountain... and lots of excitement = Ski Trip Fun times at Jack Frost / Big Boulder!!!

It was a weekend in a super fun loft... with fun friends... snow... yummy food...a fabulous hot tub...catch phrase...taboo...air mattresses... lots of laughter... a little bit of sleep... and lots of fun memories. some are more hard core than others... the puppies made it like home... and the snow storms made it an adventure. we stored the fun drinks outside, it was cold enough to make blue moon slushies, and enjoyed every second. we missed some of our favorite buddies but already looking forward to ski trip 2011...

snow walk...

listening to the peaceful snow fall... watching the snow fall...puppy time... blue moon... re-arranging furniture... bananagrams... baking... animal crackers... and fun times with my husband...these are a few of my favorite snowy things!

snow project 2 prior to winter walk and blue moon...

walking through our house deciding what we want to do for some re-decorating...

1. strip the bathroom of the drab wallpaper and freshen with some lovely paint

2. bedroom make - over... thank you to virginiavines for some lovely ideas. garnett hill and ballard designs are two favorites... look at the cute covered headboards!!!

snowed in and loving it...

project # 1:

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

5 or 6 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper (optional)**I didn't use**
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (more or less, to taste)

Peel potatoes and cut into quarters. Simmer in a large 3-4 quart pot of water with 2 tsp. salt added to water.

After 20 minutes or so, test potatoes with a fork to see if they are fully tender.

When cooked, drain water and return sweet potatoes to pan over still-warm burner (leave burner off or on very low heat).

Add butter to bottom of pan and stir until melted. Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes with the butter, adding salt and pepper, to taste. Add honey to sweeten, stirring thoroughly.

Do not over sweeten the potatoes; the honey should be barely perceptible but it should enhance the natural sweetness of the potatoes.

Serve mounded with a pat of butter, if desired.

About 4 servings.


**one suggestion... add less honey and add a touch of cinnamon! yummmm!!!! serve with a warm cup of tea...yum.


more to come....

on a snowy evening...

these make me very happy!!!

we are going to begin the process of re-decorating our room... ideas welcome!

Black Tie Gala

fancy cars...fancy dresses... fancy date...fancy friends.

fancy.