ONEHOPE Wine

Last week we went to Aroma Coffee and Wine Bar in Thornton Park after work. They were hosting a wine tasting for ONEHOPE, a company that donates half their profits from sales of 'cause specific' wines. I bought (and drank) the Chardonnay in honor of my mom (she's a breast cancer survivor), but all the other wines were pretty good too. I love it because it marries two great things: awareness and wine. Everyone wins!

Things That are Awsome

1. Macy-moo
2. Pinot Grigio
3. Shoes
4. The people at Dunkin' Donuts (when they get my coffee order right)

That about sums it up.

The One Plant I've Yet to Kill

About 2 1/2 years ago Dave bought me an orchid for Valentine's Day. My track record with plants is pretty checkered so I decided to keep it work since that's where I spend most of my time anyway. It's been living on my window sill ever since (I'm so lucky to have a window). I only water it when I remember... which isn't very often. (If it were a boyfriend, it so would have broken-up with me by now.)

The thing is, it just looks awesome. It's constantly covered in flawless, white, palm sized blooms. And it makes me happy.

It's like a gym membership...

Even though I don't live the urban life, I've always wanted to be one of those people I see on bikes stopping at Starbucks or peddling down a brick road to the local farmers market. Plus, biking could be a great alternative exercise since it's too hot and muggy to run (or even walk for that matter). Well, a potentially great alternative. Until the novelty wears off.

So last weekend Dave and I went out to look at bikes. Dave was a little more into the process than I was (Me: Ohhh! This one is cute AND it has a basket!) since he used to ride BMX when he was younger.* And of course, this included testing the floor models in the sporting goods section at Target.

No bike is safe.

We'll probably need helmets too.

*Much, much younger.

Twitter

I finally broke down and signed up for a twitter account. Actually, my (super nerdy) impetus was that I wanted to follow all the candidates in FL's governor race.

Farewell, Visa

We paid the final balance on the Visa last week and I feel so free! Like running-naked-through-the-sprinklers-free!!

It's Been a While

Here's the obligatory 'it's been a while since I last posted' line...

I had only just got back from the NYC bachelorette trip with the girls before Dave and I headed to Jen's wedding in Destin, FL the first weekend of May. So busy! It was an out of town wedding near the beach and my friend Melissa found a rental home for our group to share. And in an effort to save some extra cash, Melissa also negotiated the house's rent so low-low-low that it was cheaper than staying at the local Holiday Inn.

So not only were Dave and I excited for the wedding and to see some friends, but now it was totally frugal. At that point, I didn't care what the house looked like as long as we had a clean bed and air conditioning. And maybe cable. But when we pulled up and saw the actual house I literally squealed.

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. And check out the view... holy crap!
We fit 10 people in the 5 bedrooms and as all our friends pulled into the driveway, the squealing (and beer drinking) continued throughout the afternoon. It was such a great weekend as well as a lesson in the art of negotiation by Melissa. We took a sunset cruise the first night and it reminded me of why living in Florida isn't so tough. Here are some other pics from the cruise, near the bride's hometown. It really is a beautiful and peaceful place!

Hello Jack Sparrow!

Sometimes I Amaze Myself

I know I've talked about Dave and I cooking at home a lot more. And this also means trying to find new stuff to eat so that we don't get bored and order a pizza and wings (not that it doesn't happen). But anyway.

So Saturday night I googled 'alfredo sauce recipe' and picked one from allrecipes.com. My kitchen skills are limited and I've never tried to make Alfredo before, so I wasn't expecting much. But, oh my. It was so very delish. Should have known that adding a container of cream cheese was the secret.

And now I'm posting my find for you, in case you are on the search for a super simple & yum sauce. And if you already knew this, shame on you for not sharing. The only change I made was using heavy cream to replace one cup of milk. Healthy? Not very. Tasty? Extremely.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Weekend Blues

This weekend's weather is exceptionally sunny and cheery, yet I can't find the motivation to get beyond my front door. Last week zapped all my energy and enthusiasm.

Blech.

The Sugar Suite

My friend Jennyfer is owner of a very chic, up and coming local bakery called The Sugar Suite. Not only is she super talented and passionate but she sincerely loves brides and everything that has to do with weddings. Take a look at one of her latest! I loved everything about this... from the flowers to the stand. So very pretty!

Back in Town

Turns out all of my crazy anxieties about travel were for nothing. On Sunday I got back safe and sound (= didn't miss my connecting flights) from my friend Jen's bachelorette party in NYC. But I am still so, so freakin' tired. And it doesn't help I have finals next week.

The matching shirts were a hit and we got to visit a ton of vineyards on Long Island. A lot of people are surprised when I say there are vineyards on LI. But you know what? There are! Tons! And a vodka distillery too! And they're fabulous! Well, for the most part they're great except for Vineyard 48 where the people were so rude (an understatement).

I figure that some pictures would be way more exciting than my explanation, so enjoy!

Cheers on Michelle's fire escape!

In our matching 'Jen's Hen Party' t-shirts.

Melissa posing @ one of the vineyards. See? It's completely peaceful on that part of LI! Who would have guessed?

Our last night out. Note to self: ruffled skirt = cute. Black tights = no legs.

Bachelorette Party Update & Thoughts on Travel

They're done! The shirts for the bachelorette party NYC exxxtravaganza are designed and ready for print! Got some great feed back from the girls and Dave helped me put together the final product (and by helped, I mean that he did the work while I leaned over his shoulder and told him what I didn't like). I hope that the girls like them!

In exactly 3 weeks I will be getting on a plane and heading to NYC to meet the girls. So. Freakin'. Excited. Eeee!

It's embarrassing to admit, but this will be the first time I've flown alone since 2005 when I got stranded at the Vegas airport for 17 hours. That was one of the worst travel experience of my life and has me totally paranoid about all air travel. And it's not like I was stranded because of weather or anything. It was because I booked the wrong return flight. For three days later. Moral of the story? Double check your dates. But I did learn some important lessons from that day.

One. Moderate tears at the ticket counter can work to your advantage.

Two. Moderate tears at Starbucks won't get you any free extras.

Three. Don't try to pet the drug sniffing dogs.

Four. There actually are people stranded at the airport because they gambled away all their money... I had no clue this happened in real life until I sat next to a Chatty Kathy who kept gabbing on his cell that he needed cash to get home.

This time around, I'm trying to make this fun and not be too paranoid about missing flights or sitting next to potential underwear bombers.

Akward moment

Setting: today in my kitchen after work.


I had my arms around Dave (standing next to the sliding glass door) when the UPS man snuck up on us to with a crazy loud "HELLO THERE!" But for some reason it creeped me out. I should've checked to see if he was driving the brown UPS truck or just a big, white, windowless rapist van.


I hope UPS does background checks.

Dirty minds

I was home from work today and saw this commercial. I wonder if I can get one in time for Dave's birthday next week?

UPDATE: They've deleted the video, the a link to the shake-it-weight is here. Dirty!

Indulgences

I never thought Friday would come. This has been a week of stress; waking up with headaches, a pup with allergies that can't stop scratching and midterms. But tonight will be great. Because tonight we're out with my friends Krysta and Justin to Mellow Mushroom for pizza and beer. Pizza AND beer!

A few months ago, this really would have been nothing. But Dave and I have been working to save money through spending less (hard) and paying off debt (even harder). We have cooked and crockpotted our way through 98% of our meals. I've even developed a luke warm relationship with coupons... warmed further by the discovery of coupons for champagne (still trying to decide if using coupons for alcohol is frugal or maybe indicating a drinking problem). So I feel like we've earned this. And with Dave's birthday coming up, we have another reason to go out and celebrate. On the list: Hollerbach's Willow Tree Cafe (read: heavy German food smothered in delish cream based sauces). Definitely not glamorous sounding, I know. But having been there is like being part of a secret society. It's that local place that is ALWAYS packed. And when you mention it in public, anyone who's also been will totally jump into the conversation and agree that it's the best place ever and you become insta-friends. Well, maybe not insta-friends, but it does add to your street cred. I guess there's no real point to this post, so long story short - not a fun week. But relaxation on the horizon. And something yummy to look forward to.

UPDATE: Something is going on with the posts... None of the spacing works? Oh well. Too tired to fight it.

Poor Moo

The vet said that Macy's allergies are so bad that her little ears need two kinds of drops to keep them from swelling. And it doesn't help that her ears are thisbig. We already give her shots to help her build an allergy tolerence but I don't think that's happened yet. so Dave got her a cone to keep her from scratching them... it breaks my heart to see her in it. How can I put her cute little head in a cone? (Exhibit A: adorable photo featuring her 'there's someone in the kitchen' expression.)

(Photo courtesy of my friend Chad)

Dear Master Card, I'd Like My Soul Back Now

Dear Master Card,

Tomorrow I am paying off the balance that we have shared for almost 10 years. You lured me into your gingerbread house of credit with warm & fuzzy promises of low interest rates and new shoes. But we were not meant to be.

I know I am fabulous and work hard and my next big promotion is right around the corner (reality check - it's not) so I deserve some perks to save me from going mad. I've said it before, I can justify almost anything. But I am happy to see this end.

I went through college watching Carrie Bradshaw in all of her Manolo glory. Fiscally responsible, she was not. But she was fabulous. And when it came to paying rent or taking a vacation you let me say "why not both?"

Ah, the good times. And here I am, on the brink of 30... and you are still here.

But things have changed. Your interest rates went up. And now you are going to charge me for NOT using you. So just like the crap-tacular college boyfriend I outgrew, it's time to call it quits. At least I know you won't drunk dial me. (I hope.) And there won't be one of those "it's not you... it's me" speeches because this time it IS you.

As of this week, I have moved on. I'm moving you out of my wallet and into a considerably less fashionable filing cabinet. And that's only if I don't decide to have you canceled and shredded. So behave.

Sayonara,

Danielle

PS: Visa, watch out.

Home Brew Update

Wednesday marked the ready date for the beer home brewing project. And it wasn't that bad!(Insert furrowed brow + skeptical sipping here). The taste landed somewhere between beer smelling water and Natty Light. Although, the sediment at the bottom of the glasses was definitely unusual.

The guys are going to put it in the cooler for the Super Bowl tomorrow. So a note to those people coming to the block party: If you're drinking beer out of an unmarked bottle make sure to double up on the TUMS.

Good thing no one else saw that

Today is one of those beautiful, happy to live in Florida days so I opened all the downstairs windows and doors to let in the air. It's so sunny and breezy and cool...

But now all the beautiful breezes are blowing a winter's worth of hair, dust and dog fur tumble weeds out from under my couch. Gross.

Now, where to start...

It's been a while since I've had time to post anything. I know this. I've been super busy at work and school has started up again. So even though there's been a lot happening I haven't been able to talk about it (isn't it ironic... don't you think?).

Don't get me wrong; I would rather be overworked than have nothing to do. My productivity goes way up because I have more things to organize, finish. I thrive at work when there's structure and school helps add to that. So when non-work fun stuff pops up, like my friend Jen's bachelorette party this April in NYC, it sucks because I can't immediately drop what's boring (conference calls, class, spreadsheets) and spend three hours Googling random crap.

Luckily, my friend Michelle lives in NYC and is organizing the festivities so there's really not that much for me to do. I did offer to create some slightly-tasteless-but-fun t-shirts to commemorate the weekend, but I've been spinning out on ideas because I can't find time to think up something that is cool enough to put on a t-shirt. Although I have decided it needs to be pink. Help?

Adding to it all is a little pressure since Michelle's schedule of events is slightly AWESOME. I can't write about it now because some of it is a surprise for Jen. But the events pretty much range from classy to slightly classier to the classiest event I've seen since my Titanic themed junior prom. When I can finally post the itinerary you'll see exactly why these shirts need to be sweet.

Wine thoughts

This?

Is the best wine EVER. I've loved this wine for a while and finally learned that Torrontes is a type of grape from Argentina. If you like dry whites it's worth a whirl. And at about $12 a bottle quite the steal. Not only does it smell yum but it's delish!

Home Brew

For Christmas someone bought my brother-in-law a home brew kit. So last week, with Dave's help (and against my sister-in-law's natural inclination to have the house NOT smell like mildew), he initiated the beer brewing process.

Both enjoy beer but know zip about how to actually make it. Without the kit's directions the guys would be lost and luckily they had them for the first few days. Until their location became unknown...

So needless to say I have my doubts about the quality of the final result. My hypothesis? This will be $80 brew that tastes somewhere between 'palatable' and 'burn-y'.

The Eternal Struggle

I heart these Nine West boots.Although, the circumference of my calves is greater than that of a toothpick. Which means I could only wear them with either leggings or skinny pants. Neither of which I own because a) in my world leggings do not qualify as pants and b) the calf issue.

It's such a vicious cycle.

Dream Jobs

Sometimes when I drive to work I daydream. (The words 'drive' and 'daydream' probably shouldn't be in the same sentence. But my eyes are open. And I'm not eating breakfast or putting on make-up when I do it, so there's that.)

Today on my way in I was thinking about my ideal job. And not the ambitious, CEO of Google type of job, but more so the paycheck/education/ability/qualifications don't matter type of job that your second grade teacher had in mind when she asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up.

When I was in college, I never thought I would work in a government office.* But I really do love my job and I love coming into downtown every morning and experiencing something new. It's unique work and most days I can find humor in it. (What I don't find humor in? People who think they can yell at me because they are a taxpaying citizen. Note: You can't).

On today's drive I came up with another dream job to add to my mental list. Just in case there ever does come a time when paycheck/education/ability/qualifications DON'T matter. Starting the list (and in order of preference):

STARBUCKS BARISTA - although, only for the afternoon/night shift... the morning people are just too needy and demanding.

MUSE - the inspiring artsy kind, not the band kind.

TRAVEL WRITER - I like traveling and I like writing. But have neither the cash/time/skill to do either extensively. Meh.

FOOD NETWORK COOK - have you seen their kitchens? Realistically, my domestic skills are limited (like I mentioned earlier, ability isn't an issue in this list). But how hard could it be to make something when you have a staff to chop and measure for you?

The funny part about all this is that I'm working on a masters degree that (I'm hoping) will help me find a job that's probably not on my list. But that's not what day dreaming is about. And considering I only have a 25 minute commute, a four job reserve isn't too shabby. I would probably have more if I could quit my morning karaoke car session.

UPDATE: If Macy ever gives up full time napping, I think she would excel doing quality control in a peanut butter factory.

*For all of those who say that government employees are lazy or stubborn or what-have-you I'd say that you're probably right about some. But about 75% of my coworkers really love what they do and feel some type of loyalty to making the system work better. How many offices can say that about their employees?

Good reads

I've just finished reading a series of David Sedaris books. The best part being that most are just a collection of essays so if you get bored with one story, it's over quickly and onto the next. Most of his essays are cringe-tastic fun, like seeing someone trip and fall and trying not to laugh (out loud).

As far as storytelling goes, he's superbly wry. My favorite book is Me Talk Pretty One Day which follows a lifetime of language issues, from childhood speech class (for correcting a lisp) to creating acid-induced performance art. Holidays on Ice opens with him working as a Christmas Elf at Macy's and includes a chapter (my fave) titled Dinah the Christmas Whore. Enough said.

Naked and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim were the last two I read, and aptly titled to since it covers a lifetime worth of family related stories.

All are definitely worth a read if you are looking!

Time to Un-Plug

About two weeks ago Dave and I decided to take a vacation. I'm off from school and it seems that everyone at work is taking time off too, so why not? So we decided to go to London to visit friends over New Year's Eve.

And I know what you're thinking. I said that we were going to cut back on spending. But in my defense, London wasn't on the No List and it was all paid for with cash. AND heavily discounted (thanks to a friend). So we put a small ding in our savings and went. Don't judge.

If you've never traveled last minute just for the hell of it, you're missing out. We had a really fantastic time staying with our friends, eating curry, drinking pints and generally enjoying the blistering cold weather London offers in January.

The London Eye nearing midnight. Note the sea of people in front of us. I failed to photo an even larger crowd of people as we exited for fear of be trampled if I stopped.

Lady making delicious, cheesy toastie sandwiches.

Enjoying the cheesy goodness.

(My favorite part of traveling is the food. The cheese toasties were fabulous. So simple too, just cheese (can't figure out what kind) mixed with red and white onion bits. Toast it on a grill and you have melty happiness in your cold hands.)

In the true spirit of last-minute travel I took only carry-on luggage. It made plane and train transfers easier, but also limited my preparedness for the freezing cold weather. I was that girl, waiting at the underground in (what I thought were) sensible, black flats. But by the time we made it to our friend's apartment I couldn't feel any of my toes. NONE. Actually, I was surprised when I looked down and my feet were still there, not just frozen bloody stumps (because that's what it felt like). (Actually, a bigger fear was that lost toes meant a permanent end to my flip-flop wearing days. Vain? Yes.)

Now we are back in Florida and it's back to work! And when I say work, I mean trying to figure out how to recreate my cheesy toastie.