Fab Friday: March 19

One of my favorite aspects of living in Portland was the fabulous food. Huge Farmer's Market, lots of seafood, a love of the artisanal, and a diversity of restaurants all converged to keep me fat and happy.

For a time, I was in love with Caffe Mingo. Small, crowded, understaffed - despite it's flaws it was my preferred destination for an early dinner or late night repast. Caffe Mingo gave me my first taste of Caprese Salad. A basic mix of tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil, Caprese makes my taste buds sing and makes me feel like Spring is truly here.

There's no single recipe for Caprese. I make it with thick slices of cheese, or chop them into bits - but it's always best if the moz is fresh. My preferred tomatoes run the gamut of Roma, homegrown, or grape. Chiffonade some basil, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Enjoy this delicate repast while bathed in the light of the setting sun reflected off the lapping waves of Lake Como. Or dig into a bowlful while being serenaded by SpongeBob and the chortles of a slightly manic two year old. Both are delightful.

No Doubt

Whilst enjoying my morning beverage and perusing the interwebs, I glanced about my living space, delighting in the golden rays of sunshine bathing my winter-weary walls. Then my wandering eye happened upon this:

At which point my brain suffered a mild explosion which resulted in the following:

"ohwhattheheckisthatyouhavegottobekiddingmeamIlivingincastledraculabahahahahahha.....".

That last bit is my frontal cortex being drained of all coherent thought for 10-20 seconds while I waited for one of Aragog's offspring to crawl out and hunt down my children for a tasty snack. When I revived myself I decided that mayhaps the delightful Spring weather is signaling me that now is the time to do a little deep cleaning.

Who is 2??

2!

The first thing he spotted was his giant dumptruck.

How he felt about opening presents.

Birthday Banner.

So happy.

Wheels? Check.

Passenger? Check.

Snack? Check.

Checking out Buzz on his new hoodie.

Thanks G & G Engle!

Mom's handiwork.

Cars cake.

I think this was the lowest-stress, best-tasting cake I have made in a LONG, long time.

Bottom layer: Dark Chocolate Cake.

Top layer (curve): Martha's Basic Yellow Cake (Seriously the best homemade cake I've made. Moist & dense.).

Frosting: Chocolate Buttercream (with a twist - 2 oz. of cream cheese!!).

Cookies: Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies.

Decoration: Crushed graham crackers, cocoa powder, Cars.

Big J at 2......

• Shows off his bellybutton.
• Loves his trucks, enjoys lining them up & running them over any surface within his reach.
• Screeches with glee when he sees/ hears Elmo, Daddy & Sister.
• Favorite food is pasta with alfredo sauce. Also enjoys smoothies, yogurt, ice cream, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, oranges, grapes, bananas, granola bars, fruit leather, graham crackers, pretzels.
• At nap & bedtime, will snuggle with his Curious George. Also insists I give George a kiss and tuck him in, too.
• Adores his sister, loves to run after her, hit her, and generally bother her.
• Enjoys dancing, wrestling with Daddy.
• Likes to lick his hands.
• Gets excited when he sees dogs of any kind, either on TV or in person.
• Favorite answer to any question is 'No'.

Fab Friday: March 12

7 straight days of sunshine have helped me to shake off the grey-day blues and kick start my craftiness once again. With a birthday looming, Easter steadily advancing, and school days beginning to wane, there has been much to do.

One tool that recently joined my crafting arsenal is the Fiskars Ultra ShapeXpress.

I've had my eye on this beauty for a while, and with the help of a Joann coupon (keep 'em coming Joann!), I brought it home last month. Clearly made for scrapbookers (which I am most definitely not), this gem has been invaluable in helping me make birthday banners, activity posters, and thank you cards. Paired with their shape templates, the Ultra ShapeXpress makes quick work of those ovals, squares, circles or other shapes so vital to papercraft-creating.

Pick one up today!

Fab Friday: March 5th

Yet another birthday rolls around next weekend, and I am trying, trying, trying to be prepared. No last minute cake making, no frantic gift buying the day before, no late night wrapping parties (for one).

As such, I have been trolling for unique gifts for my boy's boy, spending much time hopping between eBay and etsy. My search for trains, planes, and automobiles in many shapes & forms led me to Happy Family and their FAB tshirts.

First sign of awesomeness: Sheldon from Big Bang Theory has worn their dino t shirt several times. Second sign: their selection! Extensive, varied, creative. Third sign: A high rating with many, many happy customers.

(Images taken from Happy Family shop page. Sorry, but you're awesome!)

I jumped right in and ordered a Robot t, which will go perfectly with his robot moves (he stands still and holds his arms rail straight, then moves them up and down in front of him). And, in a nod to my sweet Hub, I also ordered a Skeleton Diagram t. PLUS - I got a free pirate ship tote bag! What little boy wouldn't want Mama to tote his library books in a bag with a pirate ship on it??

I had a little hiccup in the ordering process, but the owner was responsive, all was smoothed out & my package arrived yesterday. I can't wait for Big J to open these up on his birthday. I hope he's as excited as I am!

Happy Friday!

Fab Friday: February 26

Despite no longer being a home owner, nor home ownership being on the near horizon, I still love to think I am a DIY-er.

I have painted, sanded, stained, plastered, screwed, hammered, wired, dug, planted, demolished, and otherwise made any number of projects my own. But I'm always on the look out for suggestions, success stories, and other drool-worthy projects that others have taken on.

Now that I have been subjugated to the class of renter (and am sans HGTV), I have channeled my DIY impulses into Home & Garden style blogs. I found Young House Love about a year ago, and have faithfully followed them ever since. I like their style, their can-do spirit, and I like that they show the process - flaws & all.

And today? Well, today, I love them even more.

Our lovely little rental house has a myriad of problems, one of which is faulty plumbing.

Although the bathroom was "new" when we moved in, the plumbing was poorly done. EX: Big Daddy had to reinstall the shower fixture so that we actually had access to hot water when we wanted to bathe.

I know. Way to go landlord, way to go.

Along with the new plumbing, we received the world's slowest draining bathtub. Removing the drain stop and flushing the pipes helped a bit, but we resigned ourselves to a painfully slow drain. At least it was draining.

Until yesterday. The drain had slowed to a drip, so I jaunted over to the local market and picked up a bottle of our go-to chemical drain unclogger. I let it glug down the drain & then waited the hour (ok, maybe I waited 2) to flush it through with hot water.

But wait, there's more!

Sadly, my go-to failed me & there was no flushing to be found.

No draining = no flushing.

No draining = no flushing + a bathtub of standing water, now filled with flesh eating chemicals.

(not)Awesome.

We plunged and waited. Plunged and waited. After 2 hours we were left with a damp bathtub ringed with dark hair & pink fuzz.

Sick.

(And no, I'm not sure where the fuzz came from, and I'm not interested in dwelling too long on its origin).

Big Daddy had to shower before heading in at 6:30 this morning, and it took 3 HOURS for the tub to near empty.

So Mama rolled up her sleeves and showed that drain who's Boss around here.

I vaguely remembered that Young House Love had done a post about a clogged drain, and a quick search found me what I was looking for.

I followed Sherry's suggestions, and unscrewed the overflow valve, stuck a damp towel in the opening, and plunged like it was my job. It's a good thing it's not my 9-5, as I was not successful in loosening whatever horrific gunk is embedded in those 60 year old pipes.

So then, I moved to step 2: vinegar, baking soda, & hot water. I poured, it bubbled, and I backed away. I let it work, then plunged again.

No go.

I waited, I plunged.

SUCCESS!

I plunged a bit more, then ran hot water. I swear, it works better than ever now.

So, Sherry, John - THANK YOU. And readers - all 4 of you - please hightail it over to Young House Love & enjoy a little DIY on this Fab Friday.

And now, I must disinfect the bathroom with bleach.

Mmmm... SODA

The walls on my glass house are feeling particularly thick tonight, so I think I'll dust off my soapbox for a moment.

If I ran the world - or at least the U.S. - I would tax the daylights out of soda. While I don't think that soda is the single source of the increasing obesity and health issues our nation is drowning in, I DO think that it's one of the big culprits. As such, I thoroughly enjoyed Mark Bittman's recent article in the New York Times comparing soda to tobacco.

Look, I enjoy a cold Diet Coke as much as the next sleep-starved mommy, but I think I have my soda consumption under control (and if you're curious, I'd say I consume, on average, 1-2 sodas per week). Unfortunately, there are many, many people who regularly consume hundreds of ounces each week - each one chock full with high-fructose corn syrup and empty calories.

I consider soda to be a luxury. Just as we heavily tax alcohol, tobacco, and gasoline, we should absolutely tax the CRAP out of soda. It's not as though there's no alternative to that 64 oz. of Mountain Dew you're eyeing at the Git-n-Go. We are blessed to live in a country with consistently clean, safe, readily available DRINKING WATER.

Most shocking to me? A few weeks ago I viewed a news story on this idea, and they stated that a recent poll showed that 85% of Americans are AGAINST a soda tax. Really? When we can raise billions and I don't know, FUND PUBLIC HEALTH CARE?

Maybe America will change its mind when the insurance companies start dropping coverage due to the epic rise in diabetes, heart disease, and the plethora of other obesity related health conditions. By that time it'll be too little, too late.