Weekend Therapy: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

- Mel

the week:
It’s finally stopped raining. Yesterday, we were on six straight days of rain. This kind of weather is so depressing — even a pair Wellies wasn’t enough to make me enjoy the puddles. Alas, I’ve been pretty much living in my new sweatshirt and fleece pants for the entire week because everything is all… blah.

And drinking hot chocolate.

Thankfully, our area was free of damage from the storms, but I had buckets at the ready for any leaks. It was sad to see on the news some of the places of my previous vacation locations underwater and experiencing the devastating destruction of Sandy. My heart goes out to the East Coast (and some friends in Cleveland, who seemingly got the midwest brunt of the storm, and are still without power).

weekend:
I was excited when I didn’t see anything on my schedule for the weekend — it would be an opportunity to relax, catch up on housework, put away all the Halloween stuff… wash my gear. But that “freedom” didn’t last long: Halloween was rescheduled to Saturday evening because of this week’s storms; since I was without a car for an entire week those overdue errands need crossed off the to-do list FOR SERIOUS (I’m also sans car for tomorrow when I was hoping to DO all of this stuff *sigh*); my brothers’ band is touring through town; and I have marketing responsibilities to task for derby.

{deep breath}

I need some yoga therapy, but spinning will probably be more my speed for the next three days.

I’ll also try to squeeze in some time to watch roller derby. CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Oh, look, an extra hour!

If you’re around Pittsburgh, check out the Three Rivers Film Festival (runs through November 17) and Saturday’s Ti Kanaval Cocktail Party (um,did somebody say “UNLIMITED DESSERT BAR”?!).

seven things, seven days:
1. Consider making a donation to the Humane Society or the Red Cross to help with relief work for those people and animals affected by Sandy.
2. This post from J’s Everyday Fashion is a great read: the anatomy of a trend. Are you an early adopter?
3. Currently on a Spending Strike for November. More on that later…
4. Seriously, I made three more batches of this Apple Pie dip — first, for our bowling league last weekend (and another separate just for me because, well…) and another for the boyfriend’s work/food party. EVERYBODY LOVES IT!
5. Speaking of bowling, I had my best game last Friday and totally screwed up my average (95) in the process. Hooray, 121!
6. Back to home team practices next week! As much as I enjoyed personal leave and NOTHING TO DO, I’m ready to be back in my skates.
7. Twelve ready-to-style Fall outfits: time to shop my closet.

Post #2 complete.

30 Day Project for this 30-something: A Post Per Day in November

- Mel

I needed a project, a new passion — a new blog. I’ve finally (effectively?) killed my former space on the Web to concentrate on something new (here!). The decision was difficult for sure, as it was a huge part of my identity for so long, but I couldn’t refresh something that it wasn’t anymore — something that I wasn’t anymore (a 20-something single blogger, natch).

So, November ends one chapter of my online life and begins another.

What I hope to accomplish with posting everyday:

  • get back into the habit of regular writing
  • find my voice again
  • adapt this blog to incorporate new areas of interest
  • use as inspiration for future projects
  • develop regular series for this blog

Post #1 complete.

Have you ever started a new blog after posting elsewhere for a long time, or have you ever just stopped blogging? Tell me about your experience!

Happy Anniversary to our Home!

- Mel

Yep, we moved into our new house one year ago today… on Halloween. Barely getting the movers out before the trick-or-treaters started to show.

Sold!

Of COURSE, we had candy ready and pillows on the couch the first night. The real treat for us was grilling out, considering the years we lived downtown and couldn’t have a gas grill.

The place looks a little different and certainly feels lived in and cozy. The cats seemingly love the three stories and all of the stairs. True story: I had sore calf muscles for the first three months getting adjusted to all of the steps. I’m STILL getting used to those damn etched glass doors. It’s been quite the year. I mean, the kitchen took nearly 4 months to finish. [ed note: still not finished]

Even with the small renovations that we were able to accomplish this year, the list of things we still need/want to do seems overwhelming. That bathroom will get a facelift this year if I have to get a third job to do it!

I’ll certainly share more pictures soon.

It’s good to be home.

LoveWithFood: continuing your love of monthly subscription boxes

- Mel

Group Therapy Time: Let’s talk a little about these monthly subscription boxes.
I. Am. Addicted.

Monthly beauty boxes.
Samplers of nail polishes.
A personal stylist who ships me a package of designer clothes so I can “shop” at home.
A box full of healthy, organic snacks from small, independent companies.
A box full of snacks that contributes to a GOOD CAUSE.

That last one? Let’s welcome to the group: Love With Food. I mean, who doesn’t love food, right?!

Love With Food - Discover Great Food for a Great Cause

Every month, Love With Food subscribers receive a curated box of unique tasty bites based on seasonal themes. For your $12/month (or $120/year) membership, you get to sample different products each month, earn points by leaving feedback on your shipped products and enjoy exclusive discounts to full-sized products featured in your monthly box. Points can be used to buy products for FREE, and there’s a wonderful online community to discover great recipes and connect with other food enthusiasts.

My box this month included these samples:
Organic tea from Pu-erh Tea
Honey straws from Nature’s Kick
Cranberry Orange cookies from Natasha’s Health Nut Cookies
Mountain Mambo Mix from Enjoy Life Foods
Cheddar Cheese Baked Fries from Snikiddy
Applesauce from GoGo Squeez
Acai Sesame Strips from Mrs. May’s Naturals

Even better? Love With Food helps more than 16 million children in the U.S. who are at risk of hunger. For every box sold, the organization donates a meal to various food banks, such as the Feeding America Network and Share Our Strength – No Kid Hungry.

Snack time feels good, doesn’t it?

Disclosure: Affiliate link used throughout post. Subscribers receive monetary compensation for referrals, to which I donate back to Love With Food for them to continue the Good Work.

An Apple a Day… for probably the next 8 weeks.

- Mel

A friend and I visited an apple orchard in our area to celebrate her recent engagement. Sunday was just SUCH a beautiful Fall day to be outdoors. And apparently, the perfect day to be at an apple farm (fried food! hayrides! live music! live… CHICKENS!).

Fun outdoor activities like this make me so happy — MY kind of therapy!

There are several apple farms and orchards in the Pittsburgh area; we decided on Simmons Farm, since their website confirmed we could actually PICK the apples off the tree in the orchard. But no climbing. That was Rule #1. Rule #2 was no stealing. If I had my guess for Rule #3, it would be to NOT fill the bag until it’s so heavy you can barely carry it back to the car.

SOME rules are made to be broken. 😉

Not only did I come home with a half bushel of apples (52 made it to the sink to be washed. I lost 2 in the street and 3 to just plain being “bad apples” — but I also gained a wasp and two dead spiders, the horror!), but I also managed a large pumpkin roll, sugar cookies and apple cider (so wonderful heated up in my mini crockpot, served over rum). I will soon be in treatment for a sugar overdose.

GET YOUR APPLES!
Simmons Farm is South of Pittsburgh in McMurray.
In the North Hills, you’ll find crowd-sourcing favorites: Soergel’s and Shenot Farm & Market.
Pittsburgh also has a number of wonderful farmers markets that carry delicious ripe apples this time of year — probably the same for whichever city you’re in too!

Meanwhile, I will be eating apple-this and apple-that for quite some time. And enjoying every minute of it.

Here’s what I plan to do with some of those 52 apples:
Crockpot Applesauce
Apple Crisp (possibly, multiple individual servings throughout the week — so easy to make in little ramekins!)
Apple Chips
My FAVORITE apple-cranberry oatmeal cookies.

And then a twitter friends recommended a Sharlotka — a Russian Apple Cake — so I attempted it. And the dessert came out MARVELOUS! (and is already half eaten.)

Do you have any additional ideas for my Much To Do About Apples board on PINTEREST?

Edited to add: I just found another apple in the front seat of my car. APPLES EVERYWHERE!

Weekend Therapy: whiskey is the only thing that will kill this sickness. And maybe some dessert.

- Mel

the week:
I don’t even know how one person can be sick for this long. What started as the flu — and went away — is now some kind of cold. And it is LINGERING. I suppose that I should be thankful that those dry cough episodes at night have ceased. The little things… but it’s totally throwing me off my game — and my workout schedule.

I usually kill my cold with lots of Vitamin C and Zinc. These new Hall’s Zinc & Echinachea drops have totally helped the sore and dry throat.

And you can’t beat three cuddly cats who want to snuggle in the warm bed all day.
Now pass me a tissue, please.

weekend:
Besides some necessary work to catch up on, this weekend we’re attending an anti-baby-shower baby shower, followed by a dinner of Mexican proportions with friends of ours who recently engaged. So much excitement and celebration happening around us. (Maybe one day we’ll finally have our housewarming.) Naturally, I have no idea what to wear.

I’m the worst kind of procrastinator — I’m procrastinating on my procrastinating!! — and it’s certainly something I need help with. I filed for a tax extension, which expires on the 15th. They’re “done,” they just need to be filed and paid. PROCRASTINATOR: YOU MUST BE STOPPED! So add that to my weekend To Do list.

seven things, seven days:
1. Hot Toddies and apple crisp (with ice cream, natch) for Friday lunch pick-me-up? Best decision EVER this week.
2. Does anyone have a greater tendency to bake or crave sweets when sick? Because I’m making these pumpkin doughnut muffins on Sunday (thanks, Brown Eyed Baker!). Having a mid-week S’mores treat was fun and delicious too.
3. I found a fun Halloween costume… but I’m not sure that we have any party plans this year. Outside of passing out POUNDS of candy at our house! (so. many. kids.)
4. Also trying to plan the boyfriend’s upcoming birthday. I had one idea, but we couldn’t make a mid-week travel schedule work. And he thinks he’s old now and doesn’t need birthdays, which means he needs to celebrate even more, of course. With alcohol.
5. Cursing Netflix for not having “It’s a Funny Kind of Story” on Instant. It’s been on my must-watch list for too long. I’m not much of a movie person, but when you’re sick and recovering, you need things to pass the time.
6. I have no idea why I’m dreaming of a road trip, when I JUST RETURNED from a long weekender to Vermont (and have been sick since). That was a brutal ride in a 12-passenger van, however.
7. IT’S FALL, PEOPLE! And I’m a brunette again. 🙂

A necklace fit for an Olympian… well, his sister.

- Mel

THIS statement necklace, as seen on Michael Phelps’ sister at the Olympics:

I was stupid excited to see it on TV that I shouted “I HAVE THAT!” out loud.

This large, beautiful beaded piece arrived in my last CakeStyle box and I KNEW that I had to own it (mine is the white and gold version).

I’ve seen it attributed to a few different designers, so I can’t figure out Who Made it First, but you can purchase the style in orange, white, blue, emerald and pink at, well, an online boutique called red (funny name for a jewelry boutique, no?).

A Haircut Can Do You Good.

- Mel

Yes, Sheryl Crow. ’tis true.

Confession: It’s been almost a year since I had a haircut. Ew. No wonder my hair only looked (kind of) good in a half-pulled-through ponytail.

This may not look like much of a change, but I needed some serious shaping. I’m intending to grow my hairs out (and in the Fall have it dyed a beautiful rich chocolate color) to fulfill my dreams of having Kate Middleton’s hair. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, RIGHT?!

PS: My hair never looks this good and body-full when I do myself. Le sigh.

For those in my area, Pageboy in Lawrenceville is an amazing place for salon services and shop cute accessories and vintage-wear.

30 Random Things (about me)

- Mel
An honest depiction of “Life in Your 30s” to which we can all relate.

1. I am 35.
2. I live with my boyfriend. We’ve been together for 3.5 years.
3. I live in Pittsburgh.
4. I’m from Ohio.
5. I’ve been blogging (elsewhere) since 2002!
6. I have three cats.
7. I could eat cheese-and-onion enchiladas every day.
8. I do eat a sandwich every day.
9. I’m an “accidental entrepreneur” and own my own Web copywriting company.
10. I also work part-time at a zoo.
11. AND I volunteer at our local humane society shelter.
12. I play roller derby.
13. I’ve always hated my hair.
14. I can never be barefoot — even in my house.
15. The beach is the worst (see above, but also because I hate the heat & I’m not supposed to get any sun exposure).
16. Fall is my favorite season!
17. My personal style statement includes a lot of layering.
18. I love accessorizing. My favorite part of fashion!
19. I struggle with age. A lot of that has to do with how my face has changed in the last few years.
20. But mostly because my “five-year plan” includes the number 40.
21. I deal with #19 by regular facials. It’s made a HUGE difference! (and it’s kind of a nice spoil)
22. My favorite make-up line is LORAC.
23. I cannot leave the house without mascara. Ever.
24. My favorite place in the world is Prague, Czech Republic.
25. My first passport expires next year, and that makes me sad (plus, my photo is a perfect memory).
26. Camping is my favorite outdoor activity (followed by kayaking, at a close second).
27. I quit smoking 4 years ago (08-08 is my anniversary). I’ve never been prouder of an accomplishment.
28. The boyfriend & I have a community garden plot in the city; this season has surely been a lesson in amateur gardening!
29. We are a one-car household.
30. I’m so happy to FINALLY have a new space for a new blog! (WELCOME!)

Phew. 🙂