GUACAMOLE de PATRICK

This is a fairly accurate portrayal of myself and how I eat guacamole.  I LOVE IT SO MUCH.  And every time I eat it I think of how many years were wasted NOT eating it because I thought it looked gross.  Now I completely disagree with myself, not only does it taste delicious, it LOOKS delicious too!

We went to the grocery store tonight.  Whenever we get a lot of groceries it means we can have "whatever we want" for dinner and we always want taco salad.  Hence the exquisito guacamole made by my hubby!

Here is his "recipe":

• 
  
  1 avocado, mashed
• 
  
  1/2 sweet onion, chopped fine
• 
  
  2 (or 3!) cloves garlic chopped up in the food processor
• 
  
  1 tomato from the vine chopped up
• 
  
  the juice from 1/2-1 whole lime (go with the whole, it is awesome)
• 
  
  2 tablespoons sour cream
• 
  
  several twists from the sea salt grinder thing

Mix together and say "mmmmmmmmmmmm."

Working weekend

I had to work today (even though it is my usually day off) because that is how life is sometimes. But it's okay, I was able to do some work in the studio yesterday. Including the first page of the scrapbook I'm making for our honeymoon.

Ta-da! Not much, huh? I like the style though-- especially the cut-out cursive letters. I am hoping to get better at paper cutting so I can make cool paper cuts like the ones found on this etsy shop: elisita This woman is an inspiration to me and my goal of having some sort of crafty business.

I also did Pilate's tonight for the first time in probably 5 weeks. I really need to get back to my fitness! Now that the weather is cooling down I have absolutely no excuse. I am looking forward to getting back into running shape and maybe even running a distance run this fall. Go!!

Patrick has me hooked on his latest coffee concoction. It is a quad espresso (4 shots) over ice with a pump of simple syrup topped with a bit of skim milk. This certainly gives me my get-up-and-go each morning. What is your favorite "wake-up" beverage?

Coraline

Tonight Patrick and I watched the movie Coraline. It was pretty good, not at all what I was expecting. Though I'm not really sure what I thought it would be. Watching it felt like watching art in motion-- it is done in stop animation so I guess that would explain it. But I liked the style. It was like not-so-twisted Tim Burton combined with animated Wes Anderson.

I love, love, love going to Anthropologie. They always have the most creative (and often incredibly cute) displays. Whoever has the decorating job at that store definitely has the best job ever.

The Wedding Lens .com

Cool, so this is a widget available from the photo-storing/sharing website I mentioned in my previous post. I am really excited to see our guests post their photos here!

My wedding invites

Patrick and I are enthusiastically counting down the days until our wedding (23!!!!). Although we haven't driven ourselves crazy with some of the more *ambitious* craft projects, Pat and I have really enjoyed putting a little bit of our artistic personalities into this special day. These are the invites:

We bought an invite kit from Target and then dressed it up a little bit. I printed all of them off on my DeskJet printer (still going strong after 7 years!). Patrick designed and cut the wraps for the invites using pretty paper from the art store and some ribbon.

He also drew the illustration for the reception card and I created the map on the back.



Then we had a little assemly line!






We are not having a professional photographer for the wedding because many of our friends take great pictures. Instead we put these little notes in the invites asking guests to upload to our online photo album hosted by http://www.theweddinglens.com Great site and a great way to save $$$$!

I'd love to share some more of our projects with you in future posts. What are some of your favorite wedding craft ideas?

Philly to the Jersey Shore

We love living in Philly, but sometimes we need to get out of the city for the day! Yesterday we spent the day at Brigantine Beach. I haven't been to a lot of beaches in NJ, but this one seems pretty great. If you have a car just mapquest how to get there (it seems like parking is free on the street) but here is how to get there via public transit from Philadelphia:

-Take NJ transit from 30th street station. Check this link on NJ Transit's website, clicking on Philadelphia's 30th street station to Atlantic City station. Trains run pretty frequently.
-Once you get to Atlantic City (about an hour and a half) get yourself to the bus station, it's a really short walk from the train station and you can check out the Atlantic City Outlets on the way-- the bus station is next to the Reebok store.
-Catch the 501 bus to Brigantine and ride it to Brigantine ave and 14th street. Walk about 2 blocks to the beach and enjoy!!

There is a Rita's right on that corner, I had my first Blendini of the season, yum yum!!


**A round trip (train and bus) will set you back about $20 a person-- not too shabby!

Enjoy the sun and surf!!

Second Mile

Today the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed being out and about in the sunshine. Patrick and I slept in VERY late but it was nice because I haven't slept in like that for weeks and weeks. I love sleeping so much, I always feel so fresh and happy when I wake up from a good, long night's sleep.

This afternoon I took a lot of clothes to The Second Mile, a thrift shop in my neighborhood. Of course I found some good stuff there too like a $5 Nine West top with the tags still on (originally $60!!!) Here are some tips I always keep in mind when thrifting:

1. Just because it is cheap does not mean you must buy it.
2. Always inspect for holes, stains, missing buttons or a broken zipper. Chances are you will not be able to get out the stains if someone else could not.
3. Think long and hard about what you'll wear it with-- again, just because it's $2 doesn't mean it won't end up sitting in the closet unworn!
4. You probably won't take the time to shorten/remove the sleeves/add some cute pockets. So spend your $$ on something closer to what you want.

I have found some other really cool stuff at the Second Mile. Such as the dress I wore for my recent bridal shower! Check out the photo above-- I am on the right. The dress was brand new and only $8! Patrick and I got a bamboo table there once that we repainted and sealed and now use as an outdoor table. I also painted a little shelf from there and it looks really cute in my bathroom.

Be sure to check out the Second Mile if you are in the area and treat yourself to an iced coffee at this little cafe on 45th street between Osage and Pine. I don't know if it has a name but it is friendly!

An hour at the museum

Today has been a lovely day! After riding bikes with Patrick to his work I decided to soak in some culture (and some air conditioning) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I got there just in time for a guided tour of a fairly new exhibit called "The Art of Japanese Craft: 1875 to Present." It was a very small exhibit, about 50 pieces, but just perfect for the hour-long tour. We learned about several Japanese traditions shown in the works on view such as an appreciation for empty space, a focus on craftsmanship and connections to the intellect. One piece, a small glazed porcelain pot used in tea ceremonies, really caught my eye. It was made by an artist who lives in the north of Japan on a small island. I could really feel the ocean in the way he shaped the vessel and applied the glaze.

The exhibit made me think about my dad, who is a builder of wooden boats. He has made 2 kayaks so far and is working on another with his friend. I think they are all "stripper" boats, not because naked ladies ride in them, but because they are made of many thin strips of wood glued together. It is a time-consuming process, requiring many steps and a lot of patience. Good craftsmanship is key, since all the pieces have to line up neatly and be sealed perfectly. The tour guide said that one of the wooden screens in the exhibit took 2 1/2 years to complete because after every step the piece had to dry fully. What patience! What perseverance! What passion!

Here is a picture of my dad's friend showing my Grannie the boat they are building. That is the bottom part, I think they have now moved on to the top.