Tickle Me Tuesday

Yesterday and Today are both CRRRRRAZY busy days!  But tonight I do get to ride Segways with my students!  How fun is that?!  Best. Job. Ever.

Today I'm linking up with Sarah over at Yes, Teacher Crafts! for her Tickle Me Tuesday party!

This week I keep thinking about vacation...any kind of vacation.  Dreaming of flip flops, suntan lotion, and some killer Jackie O shades.  But instead I am here in Philadelphia where if it gets up to 60 degrees I'm busting out my open-toe shoes, and trying to guess whether puddles are actually potholes.  I guess the whole "April Showers" thing is really no joke this year.  But, rather than moping about it, I've been thinking about things that would make the dreariness not quite so...dreary.

These rainboots would make you look ever so stylish while keeping things bright and colorful.  Rain be damned!

Oh, Macy's...thank you for having swoonworthy items that don't force me to sell my kidneys on the black market.

And this is better than a garbage bag any day:

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Hoping spring will be here to stay sometime soon!

Weekend Recap

Although Sean was working all weekend, it was one of the best I've had in a long time.  (Don't tell him that!)

Went on a long walk downtown to see the Macy's flower show...who knew Macy's even HAD a flower show?!


Wannamaker Organ



Got a mani/pedi.  I will never get a regular manicure again--gel all the way baby!  Dries immediately, and lasts for two weeks?  Yes please!



Don't judge my feet--just focus on the pretty pink polish!

Ate at DiBruno Bros.  YUMTASTIC to the max.

Pulled pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe mmmmmmm

Decorated!  Check back later this week for my wall decal adventures.

Did some shopping!  Haven't checked off all my spring must haves, but got some great new tops to wear to work.  WINNING!

Had an impromptu visit from a friend--one of Sean's groomsmen.  He told us a story of being caught with no pants..pants are overrated anyway don't you think? 

Anyway, we went to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant on Saturday night and to our new favorite brunch place Sunday morning.

Eggs florentine with sauteed spinach, toasted focaccia, and truffle hollandaise.  It probably took about 6 months off my life but holy amazing, Batman, was it worth it.



It was just what I needed to gear up for a busy busy week at work.  Tell me what your favorite part of your weekend was, it will help us all get over a case of the Mondays. 

Friday Ramblings

What are you all doing this weekend?

I am getting in some girl time with a mani/pedi (I DESPERATELY need one!) and of course some spring wardrobe updating. 

A couple of rambling thoughts to end the week, :

• My work schedule for this term sucks!  And is seriously impeding my gym time. 
• Sean's schedule sucks worse.  Way worse.
• I need to take another knitting class so I can knit pretty things.
• I LOVE Raising Hope.  Have you seen this show?  It is the. funniest. show. ever. 
• I also love Glee and can't wait for a new episode!
• If my demon ball of fur eats one more of my plants I might have to use him as compost. 
• I bought wall decals for our living room.  I will be posting about them next week.  I can't wait to get them up!
• I would rather gnaw my own arm off than iron clothes.  Consequently Sean did 2 hours worth of ironing on his day off.  My domestic diva award will be arriving in the mail next week.
• I am out of wine.  How did this happen, and how soon can I fix it?
• I am redesigning the blog next week and it's going to be epic.  Details to come!

Meet me over at Where We Love is Home for Happy Hour today!



Have a lovely weekend.  Have some adventures for me!

Spring Wardrobe

I am normally not terribly concerned with fashion, but living in a major city has me appreciating other's wardrobes in a new way.  Sean and I both need new spring clothes, and so I've compiled a list of trends I will be adding to my closet this spring.  What are your thoughts...would you wear any of these?  Am I missing something crucial?

1.) Chevron Stripes.  LOVING this trend.  I want to do a whole room in chevron stripes, but that might make me a little dizzy. 

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2.) Statement Jewelry.  This is clearly not everyone's style but it sure is one hell of a conversation piece!


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3.)  Bold Colors and Patterns.  Because if this doesn't scream spring I don't know what does.



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4.) Polka dots.  Now, I have a not so secret love affair with polka dots, but when done well they are classy, classic, and damn fun.


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5.)  Mustard Yellow.  My new favorite color, I love the way it pairs with neutrals and other brights.  Plus, I'm pretty sure it's flattering on everyone, even me and I pretty much look like Casper with freckles this time of year.

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 6.)  Fabric Accessories.  I need to get some necklaces and brooches in some gorgeous fabrics.  Thank God for Etsy!

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Spring?

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself here, but recently it's been incredible outside!  The trees are starting to bloom and I've finally pushed my scarf to the back of the closet.  Here is some of the loveliness that has resulted:



My peas and tomatoes from Greensgrow .  Thanks to their seed starting workshop I'm off and running with my urban garden.  Using an egg carton to start the seeds = brilliance



 I'm hoping to have a good amount of edibles on our patio this year.  Peas, tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce...YUM!


Sean and I went on a long walk this weekend.  Here are some of my favorite shots:




The back of the Art Museum--yes, from Rocky




Bridge near WaterWorks




Zoo Bridge




Skyline view from West Philly



Boat House Row




My Favorite Boat House



Some cuteness for your viewing pleasure

What are you doing to welcome spring?



Living Green-ish in the City: CSA Week 9

This week's CSA was probably my favorite yet.  Being Italian, a pasta themed haul is right up my alley!

Check out those flowers--could spring be here to stay?!



Greensgrow Haul Week 9

Produce: Basil - Herban Farms, Cheyney, PA
Spinach - Rineer Family Farm, Lancaster, PA
Kale Rabe - Greensgrow Farms, Philadelphia,PA
Parsnips - Elm Tree Organcs, Lancaster, PA
Baguette - D'Ambrosio Bakery, Philadelphia, PA
Tomato Sauce OR Arugula Pesto - Greensgrow Farms, Philadelphia, PA
Cheese: Romano Cheese - Mancuso's Cheese, Philadelphia, PA
Dairy: Yogurt - Pequea Valley Yogurt, Pequea PA
Dozen Eggs - Sandy Ridge Farm, Elizabethtown, PA         
Meat shares:
1 lb. Fresh Pasta - Porfirio's Italian Foods, Trenton, NJ

While I knew what to do with most of the haul, I still have no idea how to cook a parsnip--they get a pretty bad rap and so I'm not super psyched to try them.  Anyone out there have good recipes?

Aside from the parsnip dilemma, dinner was easy on Saturday!  I boiled up the pasta, threw together some meatballs, sauteed some spinach and toasted up the bread.  Of course, I grated some of the Pecorino on top.  Yumtastic all around!



I LOVE my Sophie Conran bowls and butter dish!  I got the butter dish for Christmas and was ecstatic.  My 21 year old self would have slapped me for that.



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I've been told I make a pretty mean meatball.  I just use 1lb. of ground beef, add 1 egg, a large handful of seasoned breadcrumbs, 3 cloves minced garlic (we love us some garlic over here), a pinch of parmesean or romano cheese if you have it on hand, pinch of salt and pepper, and last night I used some of the fresh basil as well.  Mix it all together-- you have to use your hands, that's where the love comes from.  Then just roll them and plop 'em on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes depending on how big those bundles of meaty goodness are.  That's it! Easy!



Just like mom used to make



When I sautee spinach this way I always SLICE the garlic and don't mince it.  It doesn't release as much juice and so isn't as strong.  You can eat it as it is without feeling like you're fending off vampires by eating a whole clove. 

Don't forget to leave parsnip recipes below! 

What I'm Drinking

Today's What I'm Drinking is The Little Penguin Pinot Noir.

If you've noticed from my previous What I'm Drinking posts (here, or here) you'll know I love red wine.  And this Pinot is lovely!  A tad sweeter than others but very smooth.  Lots of berry notes here.
This would go great with lamb chops or pork, and if you're into making pan sauce I would recommend swirling  a little of this in to give it some zing.

Little Penguin Pinot Noir

 Sean randomly picked this bottle up (he knows how I love a cute label...)  But, it actually brought back a wonderful memory of my time in Australia.  This particular wine is named for the little penguins in South Eastern Australia who live in large colonies along the beach.  When I studied abroad in Melbourne we took a trip and got to see these adorable little animals.  We sat along the beach at Phillip Island and at sunset these tiny penguins came out of the ocean in droves just running across the sand after a day of fishing.  It was incredible to see!  Here's a video by some tourists...not the greatest quality but you can certainly appreciate the idea.  If that isn't a good reason to head back I don't know what is!!

Head over to Love is Home for other lovely Friday posts.