A Taste of Three Cities

Last year, the Gathering held an event called the Taste of Two Cities that included food trucks from Baltimore and DC.  It was a fantastic success!  This year they went one better and had a taste of three cities - Philly included this time around.  And once again it was a phenomenal success!  Somehow these events just keep getting better and better, and it's about the best way I know how to spend a summer Saturday - Delicious food, wonderful friends and gorgeous weather!

Unfortunately the girls and I were a little too busy chowing down to take pictures, but I'm sure you can find pics of loads of yummy dishes on their websites.  We only tried a few of the 50 trucks but given a few more days, I'm sure I would have enjoyed at least something fantastic from every truck!

Deep Fried Cheese Curds from Cow and the Curd: Oh my goodness, where have these been my whole life?! To Die For!

Chicken Arepas from Delicia's: Not like the arepa I made in high school but it had guacamole and Guava salsa that I actually enjoyed so it was still a win!

Lobster Roll from Red Hook Lobster: I now cannot wait until Boston next month to have another of these delicious sandwiches!  I've never been one for cold seafood but this may have converted me.

Pierogies from Busia's Kitchen: I had these last year but they were still yummy.

Black Truffle, Bacon and Cheese fries from Bistro Lunchbox: Yet another meal I could eat every darn day.  Delicious!

Cookies and Cream Dipped Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Truck: Also a repeat, also delicious!  I can never turn down dipped cheesecake.

Cupcakes from Iced Gems: I've never seen a truck with so many choices for flavors yet every darn flavor I've ever tried is scrumptious!

Friday Five

1. Reading Rainbow Kickstarter: So I'm not sure if this is a new thing or I'm way behind the times, but the fact that Levar Burton was able to raise 2 million dollars in 2 days to bring Reading Rainbow to the web restores my faith in humanity!  I'm a big reader and have always been.  I used to LOVE watching Reading Rainbow as a kid.  Kids today (caution, old lady speaking) are so focused on ipads and video games that they aren't getting into books as much as they should.  And having the king of reading back on air to show them how much fun reading can be is just what they need!

2. I'm not sure why this tweet made me laugh as much as it did, but every time I look at it, I giggle : )

3. My current obsession is rubber stamps.  I used to avoid them like the plague mostly because I was worried I'd mess up whatever I was working on and have to start from the beginning again.  Now I can't get enough of them.  The dollar bin at Michael's is like crack.  I can't not buy at least one.  But I've upped my game a bit and started checking out specially made ones on Etsy.  RubberMoonStamps, Melody the Cloud and Mountainside Crafts are my current favorites.  I already bought the Mason Jar and a Tolkien quote from Mountainside Crafts which I use ALL the time.  And I'm currently coveting the Sugar Skull from RubberMoon Stamps and ALL the Doctor Who stamps from Melody the Cloud.  So cute!

4. The Wil Wheaton Project: It's a fairly nerdy version of The Soup for SciFi nerds, hosted by, you can probably guess.  It premiered this week and made me laugh... a LOT.  I'm a fan of his anyway and his particular brand of snarky but never mean humor is perfect for this show.  I'm hoping they get to do lots more mostly because the SciFi scene isn't so big in the summer.  I'm already imagining all the fun they can have when all the new shows and movies come out in the fall.  Go watch!  It's worth it! (And while you're at it, check out Heroes of Cosplay as well - It's fascinating in a weird sort of way and you just can't look away.)

5. While this is a ridiculously lame thing to get excited about, it never the less made me all sorts of happy this week: It's Watermelon season!  Yum!  Usually this early, they're not so hot but my first one was delicious!  I'm currently craving some more right now since I finished it off at lunch.  Bring on summer!

Special Orders Don't Upset Us

In the last week I was lucky enough to have 2 special orders from friends.  One knew exactly what she wanted and the other had no idea.  First up is a father's day gift for a police officer's first father's day.  This was actually a rip off from Etsy but it was a great design.  The other order was for some teacher thank you cards and a retirement card.  I wasn't sure where I was going with those, but they turned out pretty cute - aside from some nitpicks that I always have. All in all it was pretty fun being commissioned and I hope they love them as much as I do!

A Beautiful Mind

I must admit to not knowing much about the poet and writer Maya Angelou even though we shared the same birthday.  I wasn't even a big fan of her works which is not something I'm proud of of course.  But she seemed to be a truly amazing and influential person.  I saw this quote on Twitter earlier and I love it.  It's the God's honest truth and makes perfect sense.  If only others would follow this philosophy.

She was an inspiring woman who I know will be missed.

Daily Dose of Dumb

Whenever you're walking along feeling like you have the world on a string, you're bound to be taken down a notch.  It's just karma, isn't it?  We all have those stupid moments I suppose.  But it doesn't stop them from making you feel like the most ridiculous person on the planet.  I, of course had one of those moments today.  In the grand scheme of my greatest hits in the dumb department, it wasn't even that bad.  But this one stands out for my shear ineptitude at, apparently, walking.

Non-clumsy people can walk down the stairs and look at their cell phone without a great deal of difficulty.  No mishaps or trips at all.  Clumsy people like the group I find myself in, apparently take their eye off the prize for one split second and find themselves on the ground with no idea how they got there.  That's what made today's fall so impressive.  I managed to do it with no one around which is always a plus and managed to find my way back to my feet without anyone being the wiser.  But I still have NO idea how I managed to find myself on the floor in the first place.  One second I was up and the next I was on my knees.  What the heck?  

If I was going to be clumsy, awkward and all together ungainly, I should at least have a good story to explain it, shouldn't I?  At least I had a super cute Minion band-aid to heal my wounds (and in case you were wondering, a scraped knee gets absolutely no sympathy), though I could have used one for my ego as well.

Thank You!

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.” — President John F. Kennedy

Thank you to all that have served and continue to serve the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Naptown Love

It's easy to pick on Maryland for its crime stats or sometimes dreary conditions.  But spending the official first day of summer and having that day be sunny and gorgeous in Annapolis, makes living here worthwhile.  It's easy to see how great this state is when you're surrounded by boats, water and sun.  Happy Summer, Naptown!

A Good Saturday

Some girls go jewelry crazy.  Others have a thing for shoes.  I personally call it a good day with a trip to a Scrapbook store and super cool corner rounder. Successful Saturday indeed!

Friday Five

1. Noodles & Company: For someone who loves noodles as much as I do, it's shocking that I had never tried the darn place until today. The Pesto Cavatappi with Parmesan Crusted Chicken was delicious! Unfortunately the Iced Tea was a bust (yes, I judge restaurants on the quality of Iced Tea...)

2. MLA Designs on Etsy: She just created my business cards for my Etsy shop and I love it!  It's adorable!  I can't wait to get them to VistaPrint.

3. The "Modern Family" season finale: Mitch and Cam's wedding was so sweet I cried.  I don't even cry at real weddings so this was a surprise.  The show has always been top notch but the wedding episode was just fantastic!

4. Netflix: I held out as long as I could but I just couldn't handle all the raves I was hearing.  There's so much to watch on the site that I'm sure I'll never have time to view it all but it definitely has some old favorites that I can't wait to rewatch!

5. Having friends commission me to create something.  I'm so excited to start the project I can hardly contain myself : )

Home Alone

Here's the deal... I have absolutely no where to be this evening.  It doesn't happen very often so you could say I'm pretty happy about it.  Some people I work with are suggesting I call a friend to go out to dinner or do something else equally exciting but I'm pretty against that. Is that wrong?  I actually love nights like these.  I have a list of things I'd like to do like craft, and take pics for the Etsy shop and you know, get some work done but quite honestly, I'll probably eat ice cream on my sofa and watch all the stuff I have on my DVR.  Sounds pretty exciting, don't you think?

Personally, I think we all need nights like this to recharge our batteries.  For some reason, I've been in this funk this week.  No particular reason, and I'm sure by the long weekend, it'll be long gone.  But I just know the fog will lift a bit more after some simple down time.  Quite honestly, my job doesn't really present much heavy lifting so needing down time for me is probably ridiculously petty in the long run, but everyone needs some fun time now and again.  For me ridiculous TV, chocolate and a comfy sofa, are just the remedies I need to get back in the groove.

It might not be productive but it's indulgent and I plan on enjoying every last minute of it : )

Wishful Wednesday

On a dreary May Wednesday while I'm stuck in an unexplained funk, I go to my happy place.  The place I live when I day dream about the future.   It's perfect in almost every way. I love London and it will always have my heart. 

Pinning in the Kitchen

This week's edition was the Korean Beef from Lizzy Writes.  I'm a big fan of Sesame Chicken with the sweet brown sauce.  Based on the picture on her blog I was thinking this would be almost just like that.  It wasn't but it was in fact delicious!  It wasn't too sweet and it was just a little spicy (it probably could have been a bit more spicy had I not been so scared of using Red Pepper Flakes - just a few too many of those things and your tongue's on fire).  And the special homemade secret family recipe rice makes everything better.  Finally a home run for a change! Yum!

Walking in a Colorful Wonderland

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty darn proud of myself after completing my first 5K.  Then I went on Facebook and read about 3 friends who had completed Half Marathons, which needless to say, knocked me off my high horse a bit.  (But Yay for them!  That's awesome!)  Even though, in the grand scheme of things, a 5K is easy peasy stuff, I did learn a few things.

~Races are incredibly fun.  I'm sure it had something to do with the crazy colored corn starch raining over everyone in this case, but there's a real sense of community that I felt.  Everyone is in it together.  Even if you're just walking - which I most certainly was - the runners don't seem to mind passing you.  And the finish line was absolute mayhem.  I've never been a fan of huge crowds but it was fun to be a part of something like that.

~ I walk much too fast for a leisurely stroll and get quite impatient with the people I'm behind if they don't set the same pace I have.  It's probably rude, but I was most definitely passing up some walkers and getting nagged by the people I was with for "jetting off".  I can't even blame my stride for this one, my little legs just like to go quickly.

~ I will never be a runner, but this whole walking thing is really becoming fun.  For the last month or so, I've been averaging about 3 miles a day on my daily walks.  That may be a drop in the bucket for marathoners but it's great for me.  I'm able to pick up my pace much more easily and I feel great after the walk.  I'm not sure what the average is for running a mile but I was super proud of my 3.4 miles in 1.5 hours this morning.  Is that good?  Probably not, but good for me? Yep!

~ While I hold strongly to the "never going to be a runner" ideal I've set, I'm actually starting to come around to the fact that it looks kind of fun.  I probably would pass out if I tried it again (I say again, because I tried once.  After 20 feet I decided it wasn't for me), but people actually look like they're getting some sort of enjoyment out of it.  And after this morning's brisk walk, it may be in my future - but don't hold me to it.

~ Last but not least, while yesterday's was my first, it will most definitely not be my last.  I had so much fun and am looking forward to another one for charity soon!

Colorful Success!

Until today I'd never done a 5K before, or any type of race for that matter.  For some reason, I decided that the Color Run (the Happiest 5K on Earth!) was the perfect first.  And it turns out, I was totally right!  I can't stand being dirty or messy but apparently when it's brightly colored corn starch, I don't seem to mind.  It was fun, and crazy and messy and a total blast and I'm so ready for next year's, as well as any other 5Ks that come my way!

Busy Evening in Etsy Land

Seeing as I'm supposed to be up in less than 6 hours to walk my first 5K. I should not have been up until 11:30 making 25 cards, but here we are...Though, the first set of Cards for Charity is ready for next month so I suppose I should feel a bit accomplished : )

Friday Five

1. Holy Donations, Batman!  I love when people "get" it.  Everyone at work went above and beyond on this week's donations.  Woohoo!

2. Super Cute Selfie: Gotta love a good selfie!  I feel the people in this Hollywood selfie are just a bit cooler than the ones in the Oscar selfie, even though I only know about 2/3 of the people in it.  Is that wrong? (And yes, I am aware I used the word "selfie" an ungodly number of times...)

3. This is a little too scarily accurate.  I secretly (and most of the time not so secretly) judge you based on grammar.  I guess that's what you get for 3 years of editing really bad writing...

4. Finale Week!  I hate endings and summer sucks waiting to see all the loose ends tied up but honestly, I think I secretly love a really good cliffhanger.  Haven't seen one yet this season but even the ones without some perilousness have been awesome!

5.  Heehee! I don't even watch Game of Thrones but this is too cute!

Foodie Failure

A few weeks ago I went to an event at Artifact Coffee, in Hampden.  It was a Biscuit takeover and it was fantastic.  I ate quite a lot of biscuits and enjoyed them all immensely!  Since then, I had heard they were doing another, only this time it was with Bryan Voltaggio.  He's opening yet another restaurant, in Baltimore. But this time around his concept is new for him: Rustic Italian.  I'm a huge fan of his so anything with his name on it, I'll try.  So I made my reservations for this evening, even though there was no menu to speak of, thinking I'm now the adventurous sort.

Seeing as it was a bit pricey for the 4 course meal ($45 a person), I thought I'd see what I could find in the way of a menu this morning online, just in case.  That's being a good customer I told myself. 

Full Menu:
1st Course (choice of):
TUNA pistachio, castelvetrano olive, blood orange sugo, citrus pith, radish
CHIOGGIA BEETS tonnato sauce, charred rosemary, pine nuts, bottarga, arugula
 
2nd Course (choice of):
PRAWNS polenta from buckwheat and yellow corn, sauce fra diavolo
ASPARAGUS fava and pea ragu, wild herbs, smoked pecorino, almond
 
Pasta (choice of, pasta course):
MEATBALLS braised in ragu pomadoro, chittarra, basil, parmesan
KING CRAB spinach tagliatelle, buttered popcorn, our bay
LAMB RAGU whole wheat lumache, oak smoked pecorino, mustard leaf pesto
 
Dolce (choice of):
PISTACHIO IN OLIVES olive oil cake, pistachio cream, cara cara orange sorbet, crispy pomegranate, kumquats
COOKIE PLATE meyer lemon taralli & chocolate almond pistachio biscotti

Well, one could say it was a good thing I did.  As much as I count myself a foodie, the Meatballs and King Crab 3rd courses are the only ones that sound even remotely good to me.  Which quite honestly, ticks me off.  Not because of what Bryan is serving at all.  I know he is a very talented chef and probably everything he puts on a table is delicious.  So why the heck did I just cancel my reservation!?  Because even after all these new things this past year, I'm still a big old chicken!

I've been so good trying new things and new foods and liking a great deal of them. But not being able to go the distance on a Voltaggio menu just makes me feel like a failure now.  I suppose I can at least take solace in the fact that the $45 that I'd be putting out isn't going to go to waste on something I may not like.  But I'd rather make the vow now that I'm going to save the money for when Aggio finally opens and eat everything I decided not to eat this time around.

Take that you finicky taste-buds!

Maryland Love

As much as I rag on Maryland and would very much like to get out and live somewhere more British, I have to say, that MD has some good qualities.  It most definitely is not what you see on television - which is to put it bluntly, an episode of The Wire.  There are some bad parts that do look like that, but it's so small compared to the rest of the state, that it's almost non-existent.  But normal quiet lives aren't what you hear about on the news.  Shootings, drug busts and corrupt politicians are infinitely more "sexy" than feel-good stories.

Which is why, I was so happy to see this story make the national news this week.  At first it was a local story on the cover of the local newspaper (my local newspaper for a change!), then it hit the Maryland papers, then MSN and then CNN and BuzzFeed (because we all know it's not really news until it appears on BuzzFeed...).  The story on the local high school, holding a bed side graduation for a senior whose mother was in hospice, was unbelievably touching to say the least.  The school went out of their way to make the day for the student and her parents and should be commended for helping the whole family through this difficult time. 

I love that acts of kindness and love are finally making the front page.  That's what needs to be there more often than some racist making racist comments or some star's sister attacking the star's husband.  These stories just show the worst of humanity.  If we start to celebrate the best, maybe others will strive to be a bit better!

For a change, I'm a proud Marylander!

TuTu Cute

This is what happens when you sucker a crafter into running a 5K.  She has to do something to make it exciting, otherwise, it's just a lot of exertion for nothing.  Thanks to this little DIY post which may be my new favorite DIY, I was able to make this super cute tutu with NO sewing whatsoever. (Thank god for that!)  You just gotta love sparkles, tulle and neon all in one project!

Bring it on ColorRun!  I may not be fast or overly athletic but at least I'll be fabulous!

Ch-Ch-Changing

Here's the deal, I realize this is slightly ridiculous of me but I'm not such a fan of change.  I hate it actually!  What brought this on?  Well, I found out my office is moving in the next few weeks and I'm ticked about it.  I've basically been thinking of nothing else for the last 2 hours. 

The weird part is that if you'd told me 3 months ago, "well, you may be moving to this new office but we're not sure".  Then 6 weeks later said, "well, we've found space so you and your cohorts are most likely moving." Then today said "hey guess what?  you're moving next week!".  I would have been more than ok with it.  But as it stands, they just throw these things at you and assume you'll be ok.  In the long run, it's about 3 miles down the road from where I am right now and in the same area I spend most of my time.  It's not further from my house or even harder to get to.  There are nice restaurants around for lunch, and I can still frequent the stores I go to now at lunch.  But it's a change, and I'm miffed!

You might think this is odd, coming from a person that wants to change her life so regularly but the truth is change freaks me out.  I'm most definitely a routine type of person, which is a part of my problem.  I get comfortable with the same parking spot, the same walking trail, the same cup of tea at the same time each morning.  And I don't want to give those routines up.  I realize in my head that if I move to England, those routines would go flying out the window.  But I feel that would be my choice.  I know what I'm getting into in that situation.  In this situation, it's just some random person throwing me and my colleagues where-ever there's an empty desk. 

Not to mention the process of moving is just annoying and the fact that I actually like my little desk setup right now, is going to make it more obnoxious.  Down with change!  Why can't things just stay the way they are?  Until of course, I'm ready to change them myself...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there.  But most especially to the most important woman in my life.  She's funny, and kind, and fabulous and mostly the best mother a girl could ever ask for.  I hope I'm half the person she is when I finally "grow up".  Love you bud!