Mondays are loooong days.

I start at 8am, take a lunch break at noon, work till the end of the school day.
And then.  The dreaded.   After. School. Tutoring.   No one wants to be there. Including me.

So. Miserable.

And today it was raining. Hard.   And the bus home. Was late. And steamy. Which was weird. And gross.

All in all it wasn't a bad day...for a Monday.  =]

Happy Birthday, Freeden!!

Today is a milestone birthday for a great man.

Happy Birthday, Freeden!  We love you and we miss you!!

Freeden went to high school with us, welcomed us to the West Coast, and (drum roll please...) married us!

Strawberry Pot Obsession

So, I want to start an edible garden out on our balcony.  I don't really have any gardening experience, but I have high hopes for a summer full of home grown and pampered tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, herbs, and... strawberries!!  I have become VERY excited about the idea of growing strawberries.  While doing some research on gardening in small spaces, I fortunately - or unfortunately? - came across something I hadn't known to exist before: a strawberry pot.   *New obsession!*    First of all, the name is adorable. And sometimes it's called a strawberry jar - equally pleasing to the ear.  Secondly, the idea that there is a special type of pot just for growing strawberries is very appealing to me for some reason.  Thirdly (is tertiarily a word? because I'd prefer it. ), each strawberry plant gets it's own little cubby and you can grow something else in the top. Fourthly, the pots are really cute:

  








BUT THEN...

earlier today Chris and I were out on the balcony and noticed a neighbor's balcony has a pole with a hook on it for a hanging plant.   AND THEN... I found this while Google imaging "strawberry pot":

Oh no!!  New obsession??  This would work much better for the strawberry plant (that we can all assume will exist with 85% confidence), as we already have some major sunlight issues on the balcony, and proper placement of a hanging basket would ensure at least one more hour of sunshine per day. And it's so cute.

Dilemma to be continued...

wine or coffee with chocolate?

it's hard to say which is better

I heart coffee.

I love having a cup of coffee.  Or a latte.  I love the smell of coffee, the taste of delicious coffee, the little burst of caffeine, and the warmth!  I'm always cold!  I like coffee that is rich and chocolatey, and just needs a little bit of cream and maybe a bit of sugar.  To me, the best coffee is coffee that with a bit of milk tastes even more deeelicious.



I really look forward to a cup of coffee in the morning, which is funny because I resisted the addiction for a long time.  When I was an intern I would only have a cup of coffee if I was so so so tired - and then I felt guilty.  I used to think, "I can't get addicted!  Then I'll have to quit one day when I'm pregnant, and that will be terrible! And I should have enough natural energy to get through the day!"  Ha!  I guess I've gotten over that psychological hump, because here I am:  A coffee loving addict!

And I'm so happy about it. =]

PS:  I rarely have more than one cup a day.  But I need love that one cup.

Katie is in Italy!

My sister, Katie, left yesterday for a 3 month trip to Italy.  How fantastic!

Her first stop is Padua, and she arrived there this morning.  Padua is a city not far from Venice. Padua is on the Bacchiglione River.  It has arcaded streets, communal piazze, and many bridges. It looks beautiful:

   wayfaring.info

PS:  I had to look up arcaded streets.  What I found out made me want to live in a place with arcaded streets! They are covered sidewalks that protect pedestrians from weather. Arcade basically means series of arches. Here's an example:

Awesome!  I'd like to get some of these in Asheville!

Super Salad!

Chris makes something he calls Super Salad.  He chops up some quickly cooked hearty greens (most recently kale and spinach), onion, tomato, and bell pepper.  He adds it all to beans (usually black, but last time he used chick peas) and cooked brown rice, then adds some salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic, and whatever else he feels is necessary.  The result is a cold rice-and-bean salad that is super hearty and packed with good-for-you vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.  And it's delicious!!  I'm one lucky girl.

Bread

On Sunday I made spaghetti sauce and bought a freshly baked loaf of bread at the new nearby bakery, Modesto Bakery.
O Mmmmmm G.
I could not wait until the rest of the meal was ready to cut into that bread.  Fresh bread with room temp butter? To die for!!!  It was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. We ate soooo much bread that night.

And now I'm having left-overs. =]

Mmmmmm!

I'm going here tonight: http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/
Yummmmm!

Tea Cups

About a year ago, I went to the house of one of my at-that-time coworkers.  She had us over for a party, and towards the end of the evening she brought out coffee and an absolutely fabulous tea set.  She told us that every year since she had become married, her mother-in-law had given her a new teacup and saucer.  Now she has a large set up cups and saucers. They are each so beautiful, and all together make the most fun mismatched set. I have been dying to have a mismatched tea set ever since.  The best part is, it doesn't cost a fortune to buy just one gorgeous cup and saucer. 

Beautiful!

Something To Miss About San Francisco

Last night Chris and I were talking about beers we like.  I was saying that there are some beers I love, but only on certain occasions.  For example, once in a while after work I might like to relax with a Guinness, or on a hot day I might like a Hefeweizen with a lemon wedge, but I wouldn't necessarily want either in the opposite situation.  It made me think about San Francisco and the phenomenon of 9 a.m. football games...

Nothing eases you into watching the Hokies play at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time like a Blue Moon with a slice of orange. It's not easy watching football or drinking alcohol at 9 a.m., but sometimes it's necessary.  You have to pick the right beer for the job.  One time in particular I remember stopping by one of my all time favorite places in SF, La Boulange, for a to-go order of their crazy delicious granola with fruit and greek yogurt, getting a cup of coffee, and then heading to the bar. 

 

Eating breakfast in a bar can feel awkward, but the day isn't going to go well if you skip this meal. A Blue Moon with an orange slice beside your breakfast is like completing the meal with orange juice... sort of.

Something To Love About Asheville

A few weekends ago Chris wanted to have biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  He wanted to make the gravy, but neither of us wanted to make the biscuits.  So, I walked down to an awesome restaurant in downtown Asheville called Tupelo Honey.   4 freshly made delicious soft warm biscuits to-go from Tupelo Honey to have with our homemade breakfast cost $2.16 and they included 3 ramekins of house-made blackberry jam!!  Love.

http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/

We believe food should be celebrated and savored with friends and family. We honor local farming and the delicious bounty that comes from our Blue Ridge Mountains. We respect the time-honored traditions of the Southern cook, but we think our town is all about coloring outside the lines when it comes to fun, creativity and imagination. So that's how our fare is prepared and served.

Yummmmmm!

Flowers

The author of one of my favorite blogs to read, {frolic!}, has put together a piece on flowers inspired by watercolors.  I think the bouquets are so, so beautiful.  LOVE.




More can be found here: http://www.frolic-blog.com/frolic/2011/02/watercolor-bouquets.html

Street Art

Street art is really cool.  I think.  Sometimes I wonder how many people it's a problem for, and I really hate meaningless graffiti, but in general I think good street art is awesome.  Here are some photos of street art that I like:

Banksy:

Quel Beast:

Mobster:

Slinkachu:

It would make my day to come across something like this!

I got all of these images from:  http://unurth.com/index

Baby Powder

Lately, I haven't wanted to shower every 24 hours.  Especially when it's dry and cold, I prefer to shower every day and a half or so.  It's better for me and it's better for the environment and it's better for our bills, right?  The problem is, my hair looks dirty too soon after its last wash.  So, I've recently begun sprinkling baby powder into my hair.  It's a miracle worker!  I just put some near my part and bangs, scrub it in as if I were working in shampoo, and voila!  My hair looks fluffier and more alive.  Thank you, baby powder!

Doc Martin

Chris and I have been watching the British show Doc Martin.  It is hilarious!  And because today my students totally wiped me out, I have put on comfy clothes and plan to watch a few episodes in a row on the couch.  We don't have a TV, but we can stream the show from Netflix.  Thank goodness. What else would I do when I feel like such a couch potato?!



Doc Martin is about a doctor who is new to a tiny seaside town where everyone knows everyone.  He clearly has Aspbergers; he is very smart, but painfully tactless and beyond socially awkward.  I find him to be hilarious, and my parents and sister have been watching the show, too, so we can all chat about it.  It's like a book club for lazy people. =]

Valentine's Day, Sister Phil's Day

Sister Philomena Cassidy was born on the fourth of July and died on Valentine's Day.

One year ago this morning, Sister Phil passed away.  She was the nun at the little Catholic school where I worked for 3 years.  She was sweet and funny and wise and wonderful.  She had a quiet way about her that could be kind or disapproving or desperately funny, and always caring.  She had so many quarks, and what I realized when I reflected on what I knew of her was a great lesson:  her actions spoke much louder than her words.  A pat on the arm, a hint of a smile, a raised eyebrow.  They all said enough.  And when she did speak, her words were few and well chosen. She got her point across in a few sentences or even just one.  She often used one of her many Sister Philisms, which we all loved:  "Chocolate is to be eaten in bar form only."  "Boots are for walking dogs."  "Oh, to be wafted away."  "You're the best!"   "Not for eating."  And one of my personal favorites: "A face that could stop a clock!"  One time she told me, "Coats are to worn when your mother is cold."  hehe

Here is a look Sister Phil often gave me.  

I think what it says is: I'm trying very hard to disapprove of what you're doing but also I think it's funny.

PS: Sister Phil had beautiful handwriting.

Love this poster:

A Quote For Teachers

“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
-Winnie the Pooh


I can always rely on Winnie the Pooh for a great quote.  Or should I credit A.A. Milne? Either way, I work with a lot of students with fluff in their ears!

I heart NPR

I love NPR, and I listen to it all the time.  My parents listened to it while I was growing up (and still do), and I pretty much thought it was boring.  But, when I started dating Chris and he listened to it, I realized how interesting the programs are... most of them...  most of the time! We don't have a TV, so we listen to the radio A LOT.  In fact, just this moment I am listening to A Prairie Home Companion!

 This year for Valentine's Day, they have free NPR Valentines on npr.org.  Here's an awesome one:

0% Chance...

And just like that, one day later, there is 0% chance of precipitation.  Amazing.

Banana Pancake Snow Day!

Today is a snow day!  I guess the weather people meant it when they said 100% chance of snow.  So, I'm home all day and Chris has the day off, which makes it twice as nice!  We started off the day getting some groceries and quarters for laundry, and then I made banana pancakes. Mmmmmmmmm!!  They were delicious, if I do say so myself.  I used my pumpkin pancake recipe, but tweaked it a bit.  Here is the recipe, and because I don't have a picture of the pancakes themselves (they were very pretty), I'm including a photo I took a few years ago in San Francisco of a Pancake Miracle!  It's not the face of Jesus or the Blessed Mother, but in my opinion it's equally impressive...
BANANA PANCAKES

Ingredients

·                                 ¾ c milk

·                                 1 mashed banana

·                                 1 egg

·                                 1 tbsp honey

·                                 1 tbsp vegetable oil

·                                 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

·                                 1 c whole wheat pastry flour

·                                 1 ½ tsp baking powder

·                                 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

·                                 ¼ tsp salt

·                                  

Directions

1.                       In a bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Sift and combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into the wet mixture just enough to combine.

2.                       Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle. Turn when the edges start to look a bit dry and a few bubbles show on the top.  

A pancake duck!

PS: Now I have to work on Saturday for the second time this winter!  Crazy North Carolina...