I am Smitten (Kitchen)

I have to thank my friend Danielle for bringing to my attention one of the cutest little cooking blogs ever! Smitten Kitchen is run by Deb, out of good old NYC (where they probably have the best food, hands down...sorry Baltimore)...but she's not promoting all the fab restaurants or zillions of take-out empires the city has, no no...she's cooking up a storm!

her blog goes back about four years, and in my snow-induced lock down, I've been going through just about all of it...my "recipes" bookmark in Firefox is jam packed of new things to try...once I can hit the store for ingredients :)

the initial recipe that caught my eye, was one for mini soft pretzels...













how cute are these?? here is the direct link...but trust me, you're going to want to bookmark, and read through her entire blog (which is also broken down into categories if you're impatient :) -or not snowed in)

I could easily pick 98057084260707 other recipes to feature as well...so you're just going to have to go read, and see what I mean :)

didn't we do this already??

I love snow as much- no, probably more- then the next person...but I'm starting to get a bit cabin-feverish...I did make it out on Tuesday to work, but by the time I was picked up at 2pm, the snow had begun to fall again...my estimate (since it's hard to tell where the last snow stopped and this snow began) is about 10-12 more inches...they predicted anywhere to over 20, so we can be glad it wasn't quite that bad...we never lost power through all of this, thankfully, and although our arms are sore from shoveling, I have no complaints for our plentiful snow :)















and I don't work again until Monday, so now I just sit back, and enjoy :) and take pictures of the cool icicles that formed outside! oh and rekindle my love with Mr Coffee...I forgot how easy it is to make coffee at home...I get it free at work, so I usually don't bother...what a happy discovery :)

snowpocolypse 2010...

it all started around 11am on Friday...just a few flurries, and nothing had even started to stick to the ground until about 5 or 6 pm...























by Friday night we had a good covering, maybe a couple of inches...

























when we woke up Saturday...snow up to my waist! our plans to head to Whitetail for skiing didn't work out today...but maybe tomorrow? I got a few good photos of the snow...and as of right now 3pm on Saturday...it's still coming down with no signs of stopping anytime soon!

elective class fun

so being an art major has it's advantages...fewer papers, hardly any math equations...not many dates or names to memorize...but even in my fourth year, I still have some '100-level' electives to take...so for the last four weeks, I've been a painting fool!

I briefly used acrylic paints for a class about 2 1/2 years ago...so it's been a while, and I was feeling a bit rusty...but I think I'm starting to get the hang of/starting to enjoy this medium. We are doing mostly still-life paintings, so I thought I'd share a few of the ones I have done so far...

If I were a cat...

this would be my food dish...how cute?!















nom nom nom dish by gabizoidal

might be a little impartial since the photo has a black cat in it...

and....now I'm 28...

sounds weird to say...and this will be the year that our 10 year HS reunion is...it's hard to believe the time has gone so fast!

so to make this a little more fun...28 things about me :)

1. I was born on a Monday, in Summit, New Jersey...in the snow :)

2. snow is my favorite form of precipitation :)

3. as of today I am 10,228 days old or...883,699,200 seconds, or 14,728,320 minutes, or 245,472 hours, or 1461 weeks old (http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html)

4. my favorite kind of shoe? flip flops...hands down...I own more pair then I care to admit :)

5. I really like even numbers, but 5 is okay...since it's in the 'middle'...

6. I will color-code anything I can...calendars, file folders, my closet...

7. I can watch re-runs of Friends over and over...and I usually do

8. Penguins are my favorite animal...although I am partial to black cats :)

9. Fall is my favorite season

10. I love Christmas, and I wish it could be all year long!

11. every Christmas eve, my family watches It's a Wonderful Life...and then I watch A Christmas Story as much as I can during the 24-hour marathon on TBS...basically any holiday movie is okay by me!

12. in the past 5 years, I've been to over 30 weddings...and been in 4 of them...and been Maid of Honor twice

13. growing up, I put a 'puppy' on my Christmas list every year...and now I have 3 cats

14. I have lived in 3 states, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland

15. I'm a Hokie...and proud of it...we bleed maroon and orange!

16. I'm also a crazy person who went back for a second degree in Graphic Design, first one in Marketing...but I'm in the home stretch!

17. making jewelry is one of the few things in my life that relaxes me :)

18. I hope to get a job as an art teacher one day soon...

19. I also want to write children's books :)

20. a hobby I wish I had more time for, is Photography

21. I love to cook...and I think I'm finally getting better at it! I make a mean lasagna though :)

22. my favorite color is purple...but I love all colors, and color combinations...

23. I love to plan parties, especially the details...plates, favors, decorations...

24. my favorite saturday morning activity? kickboxing class...hi-ya!

25. there is nothing in the world I love to eat more, then pizza from Alfonsos, in Hillsborough, NJ...if they could cater my wedding with pizza, I'd do it :p

26. my car has over 134,000 miles on it...and my goal is to get it to 200,000!

27. two things that you'll always find in my purse? my camera, and a sketchbook/pencil

28. 2010...is going to be MY year :)


Happy Birthday to me! :)

L & B's annual joint birthday celebration...year 5!

so it came and went again...even though I love winter and all the holidays that come along with it- my birthday included...I always wish it wouldn't fly by so fast. This year was no different, but we still had just as much fun :)

we had a pretty big group out for dinner at the Burger Abbey...and then were officially the first people at Ropewalk...if getting old means you go out early, but get the only booth in the bar...so be it :)















the adorable newlyweds :) who traveled all the way from NJ for the party!














the guests of honor :p














the girls who make working at Panera fun :)















me and Sarah














and the parents-to-be, Mary and Mikey :)

another good start to the year!

29 years old...

Happy Birthday Brett!!

a brand new year

2010...it's going to be a good one...it's going to be MY year...















cheers to 2010!

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010!

even though 2009 was a good year...looking forward to 2010!

we're heading down to SC to the new house to spend a few days relaxing and celebrating :)














it's a loooooong drive :)

merry christmas 2009!!

we had a white Christmas!

















me and brother by our tree

our little Christmas

before we headed to NJ and FL for the holidays...we had our own little Christmas at the house :)

**let it snow**

friday night into saturday we got 2 feet of snow :) I love winter! I heard there is snow in NJ as well...so hopefully we'll be in for our first white Christmas in a few years!! Bring it on!

Handmade for the Holidays

second annual shopping party :)

Squidfire 2009

Squidfire Holiday Art Mart December 12th 11am-6pm
Du Burns Arena
1301 S Ellwood Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224


come on out to see BEST!

oh, christmas tree!

I love decorating for Christmas...the lights, the ornaments, the star...it might not be a real tree, but it always looks beautiful :) complete with shatter-proof (aka cat-proof) ornaments :)















and of course, our pig ornament in honor of living in Pigtown...

winter stuff to do in Baltimore

ice skating in Patterson Park :)

Greenbelt in the snow :)

even with the inclement weather on Saturday, we had a great turn out at the Greenbelt Craft Show!

Greenbelt Festival of Lights Craft Fair this weekend!!

come out and see BEST at the Greenbelt Festival of Lights craft show!!

Greenbelt Community Center
15 Crescent Road,
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770

It's a Girl!!

Isabella Grace :)
Congrats to Ashley and Shawn!!













our first visit, in December 2009 :)
11.20.09