thanksgiving in 3 pictures

Spinach and artichoke cheese fondue, Melting Pot style courtesy of this recipe

Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot Juice (only the best for holidays) and Breaking Bad marathon

Chocolate fondue

Only a week late. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.
Give myself a pat on the back for THIS.

Currently playing on the record player: nothing, we're rocking out to a household favorite, Michael Telo's "Ai Se Eu Te Pago", while I dream about Zumba. I know, we should be listening to a Christmas album. Maybe tonight while I'm sewing super-hero capes. Yes. You read that right. Super-hero capes.

me, myself and i [november]

Another edition of Me, Myself and I! A little late, but whatever. I do what I want.

1. What are your top 5 favorite movies to watch during the Holidays?

The Grinch

A Christmas Story

Elf

The Holiday

Home Alone...but I like to watch that anytime

2. It’s the month of giving thanks, what are you most thankful for?
I'm such a jerk, but I'm really thankful the month is almost over and I can stop reading what everyone else is thankful for on Facebook. (For reals, I need to be done with facebook. I really mostly hate it these days.) Who started that anyways? Ugh. Pretty sure I don't like them.

BUT, for real now, I'm thankful for the money to have a nice apartment and eat a variety of yummy foods! And to pay for hobbies :)
I'm thankful for my sweet puppy, whom I love so so much. Even if he did unravel lots of work from the baby blanket I've been knitting for months.
I'm thankful for hands that craft and clean. And feet/legs that allow me to walk and ride my bike.
I'm thankful (SO THANKFUL) that I got hooked up with Oliver and his family. He is the best little kid and I'm so grateful I get to be his nanny.
I'm thankful for Skype that makes family and best friends feel a lot closer than they physically are.
I'm thankful for my cameras.

3. If there was a quote or verse to describe your life, what would it be?
"Life isn't about quotes about life"


4. Who in your family are you most alike?
I'm a lot like my Mom. I'm frugal. And I have to keep everything that is remotely tied a memory, or might be useful at any point in the next 20 years. I love to play games, and am super competitive about it.

But I'm also a lot like my Dad. I love to make stuff; I get a sense of accomplishment when I do something productive with my hands. I'm creative. I'm a problem-solver.

5. What is your favorite drink order at Starbucks?
As much as I hate Starbucks, I frequent it often because it's so convenient. I'm a total coffee snob and prefer my espresso to be properly pulled. I don't think I have EVER had a good shot of espresso from Starbucks. EVER. So when I do get something there, I try and cover up the taste of their terrible espresso. I like to get soy mochas. Or pumpkin spice lattes. Or if I'm really needing something sweet I like raspberry white mochas. But whew, those bad boys are SA-WEET! And my diet can basically be boiled down to sugar, sugar and more sugar, so that's sayin' something!

Currently playing on the record player: (Whoops! Been leaving this out lately!) The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys' Christmas Album

join me, will you?

Please join me in mourning the break up of the Biebs and Selena.

the romantic song he wrote for her

 

the not-as-romantic song she wrote about him

No? Nothing? So I am crazy for being so upset about this?
Darn. I really thought that would work.

friday favorites

Guess there was no Friday Faves link-up this week, but I still wrote my post, so I'm posting it anyways. Even if it is 3 days late.

Considering I spent the earlier part of this week throwing up everything I ate in the last 3 months
(too much information? sorry) and the later part of the week laying on the couch being nauseous at even the thought of anything...this week was not so much fun.
Lucky for me, I had 3 moments that brightened this unfortunate span of 7 days for me...

1. Ryan surprised me!!
I always think Ryan is going to surprise me with something. Or more so, I always hope he is surprising me with something.
Walks in with his hand in his pocket?
     "Oh my gosh!! What did you get me?!"
Opens the trunk of the car while I'm sitting in the front seat?
     "Eeeeek!! You must be surprising me with something big this time!!"
Smiles for no reason?
    "A SURPRISE!!! FOR ME!!!"

I don't know why I do this. Because Ryan has probably surprised me like that...maybe five times. In the 10 years we've been together. I've set myself up for disappointment far too many times. You'd think I would learn by now!
But on Tuesday when I got back from watching Oliver, Ryan waited a total of 30 seconds before blurting out, "I got a surprise for you!" He walked out with a pretty pink box filled with delicious treats! Cupcakes from our neighborhood cupcake shop, mmm mmm!
(Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy them though because 'The Great Stomach Bug of 2012' hit shortly after...but it's the thought that counts!)

I didn't take a picture of the cupcakes, so I got this picture from Pamcakes' website

2. Oliver brought me flowers and made me a card.
He is the sweetest.
I asked him (after I was better, of course) what he drew on my card and he said "Cats."
He also told me that he went to GVSU with me and told me he studied "um....cats."

3. You've Got Mail was on TV Friday night!
I loooove You've Got Mail. One of my sisters and I watched it every single day for an entire summer one year. Not even kidding. It is the best movie ever made. I've been wanting to watch it for like 3 years now, but I lost my copy of it somewhere in the all the college moves I did. Haha, probably about time I re-invest in owning my favorite movie of all time. I was so excited when it was on TV. And DOUBLE BONUS, I caught it right at the very beginning! LOVE when that happens.

Wanna know what was NOT my favorite this week? The Beibs and Selena Gomez breaking up. I am irrationally and illogically upset about it. It's pathetic. I'm so sad for them.
I don't even know them.
NANCY, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THEM!

philly bucket list: valley forge

A couple of weeks ago, our leaves were at their peak fall colors. Well at least, outside of the city. Not sure what it is about the city, but our leaves really don't change colors here. They go from green to brown and falling off. But not too far outside the city, the trees are bright in oranges and yellows! Still nothing like a Michigan fall, but it'll have to do.

We both had the same day off that week and decided to make the most of it and head out to Valley Forge, enjoying the last little taste of fall we'll have for the next few years. Plus, I feel like it's something everyone who lives out here should do...it's a big part of our American history, and it's important to know how we got where we are.

friday favorites

I'm funny sometimes.
Like that time I told you all I was basically leaving my blog to rot for the next few months. And then I update the next day.
Silly me.

Ryan worked tonight, so I had the evening after I got home from work to do whatever. I am only a little bit ashamed to tell you I spent hours reading blogs. It seems that I should have a lot of better things to do with my time. Actually, it shouldn't just seem that way...because it is that way. I've got so much stuff to do. But after spending 10 hours with a 2-year-old boy and taking my nutso-of-a-dog for his evening walk...I was ready to just veg.
Sit on the couch and let my brain turn to mush.
Absolute perfection.

Amongst all my blog-hopping, I stumbled up The Bargain Blonde and really like her Friday link-up, "Friday Favorites." So I'm joining in!




My favorites from this week...

1. Favorite "Melt my heart/I'm gonna miss this kid so much when I'm gone" moment
Oliver (the boy I nanny) is just grasping the concept of "I love you" and talking about loving people. He'll randomly say "love Mama" and it's adorable. His mom and dad told me today that the other day he said, "Olwa love Nancy." He doesn't really say Ol-iv-er...more like Ol-wa.

2. Favorite Meal
Whoa. Hello. I made a delicious meal tonight. Inspired by a pin I put on pinterest (a recipe that I've actually made a few times, and it was alright) but I added some stuff to it tonight that made all the difference...so good. Funny what a little garlic and cheese can add.

picture found here

Toasted flat bread with crushed garlic spread on top.
Mash half an avocado and spread on top.
Squeeze some lemon juice on it.
Then add a few thin slices of Parmesan cheese.
Top with a fried egg (yoke HAS to be runny. It is absolutely, positively required.)
Enjoy. And oh, you're welcome.

3. Favorite TV show
Can I pick two? Okay, good.
I'm totally loving Parks and Recs this year. I mean, I've always loved it, but something about this season is particularly hilarious. I can't get enough. I love those shows that make you really laugh out loud.

I couldn't pick a favorite clip.

My other favorite is Breaking Bad. Ryan and I hi-jacked his parents' netflix...and have been going through Breaking Bad on it. FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC. Love that show.

Oh wait, I have three. Project Runway All-stars. Which leads me to my next favorite...

4. Favorite Project Runway Designers
I'm loving Project Runway All-stars right now. I wish Michael Kors could always be replaced with Isaac Mizrahi. And I'm sick of Heidi Klum too, so it's nice having a different host...but darn it, I really miss that Tim Gunn.
Anyways, I'm loving it mostly because of ANTHONY RYAN AULD. He was my favorite on his season, and got the boot much too early. So I was super pumped when I saw he was going to on All-Stars. Like SUPER PUMPED. I think I screamed when I saw the commercial preview. And danced around the room. And then texted my mom, "ANTHONY RYAN AULD" She wasn't as excited about it as me.
And the guy is killin' it so far. Team Anthony Ryan!

 And of course, when mentioning favorite designers, I can't leave out Mondo. I love Mondo. He can do no wrong in my eyes, even if he does wear a large plastic mustache to Fashion Week. (This isn't really from this week, but like I said, I can't mention Project Runway and leave out Mondo!)

from Chloe Dao's blog

What are some are your faves from this week?

heads up

Just a little heads up...for the next few months I'll probably be updating my blog a little less than usual. I've got lots of other things on my plate right now and so the blog is taking a back burner for a little bit. I'll still update, just probably only once a week or every other week.

Think of it as a courtesy to you, since there's really nothing exciting to write about over here.
Unless you want to hear about my anxiety.
And then send me some Xanax. That would be nice.

triple threat

Oooooo yeah. We're going through this Philly bucket list it's our JOB.
Too bad we don't get paid to have fun. That would be awesome. Plus, then we wouldn't be...well...in need of money. [Dang. Moving across the country is expensive.]

We recently knocked out 3 items in 1 day. Oh yeah.

Item numbero uno: The Zoo!!
I got free tickets from one of the families I was nannying for. They got them as a gift, but are members so they get in free already. So they passed them onto me! Ahhh, the perks of being a city nanny :)
Right away I wanted to take a picture of us by the entrance, so I pull my camera out and...nothing. Battery's dead.
Geeeeesh.
So, no pictures from that. But our highlights were:
-Giant Elephant Shrew
-Orangutan sleeping under a sheet
-Baby orangutan swinging and climbing
-Sloth, who was a hoss and ate all the lettuce and left none for his partner in crime. And was actually pretty speedy despite the deceptive name
-Zebras, and deciding which one had the best design
-Giraffe who liked to lick bark, but the tree bark was fenced off so he really had to streeeeetch that tongue to get a little taste

Not mine, stole this photo from wikipedia

Number TWO: Dinner at The Cambridge
Most of what is left on our list now are restaurants to eat at. Most of which were added by Ryan. Haha. We have slightly different priorities.
Anyways, so we were planning to go to a different restaurant (Supper) but last minute Ryan changed his mind and said to take that off the list and add The Cambridge so that we could go there instead and still check something off our list.

It was really loud. Like REALLY loud. Every sentence was followed by a, "WHAT?!" in response. Or a defeated, "I can't hear you." Practically no conversation whatsoever over dinner. And it was kind of pricey for what we got. We won't be going back.
But it was really cool inside. So...there's a plus for 'em.

Number 3: DESSERT AT PARC!
Parc is a super fancy restaurant in our neighborhood. It's modeled after several restaurants in Paris. So it's all French and romantic. Ever since we moved here I've wanted to eat dessert in their al fresco seating, overlooking the park. Our parents took us here after Ryan's white-coat ceremony and it was DELICIOUS which only made me want an al fresco dessert date even more!

I got chocolate pot de creme (which I totally pronounced correctly thanks to Pioneer Woman, despite my hardship with haricot verts) and Ryan got an apple fruit tart. Both were so good. Ooo, OOOO! So good.
I love dessert.

Only a few more items to complete on our bucket list. Which I'm so excited for, because our time here in Philly is coming to an end, so this means we'll be able to leave the city and NEVER LOOK BACK knowing we did everything we wanted to here! Here's to hoping we get everything checked off in the next few months.

dance party courtesy of me

Whew. My mind is all things San Diego lately. Our big move is still months away, but still. We have so many decisions to make. It's consuming me. I'm already ready to just be there.
But to be fair, I was pretty much ready to be anywhere but here in December of 2010...so....that's not really saying much.

Anyways.
Ryan and I like to have little dance parties. Sometimes I have dance parties alone. Sometimes Ryan has dance parties alone. Like the other day when I was sitting by the open window and just watched him bust a move for the longest time. I think he was asking me to come dance with him, but I couldn't hear anything. I mean, we live in center city right by a hospital, sitting by an open window is not exactly a "let's have a conversation right now!" kind of activity.

During my latest, solo-dance party, I realized I pretty much always rock out to J.Lo during my dance parties. Jennifer Freaking Lopez. Here's the thing. I don't even like Jennifer Lopez. Like at all. She's kind of a sleeze and she's been married like a ka-jallion times. But somehow, she's my go-to dance party music artist. What the heck?

But I gotta admit, the girl knows a good beat. Even if she's had more wedding rings than I've had brownies this week.
Oh. I practically ate an entire pan of brownies by myself this week. But in my defense, Ryan had 1 and a half. And it's only a 7x7 pan...so...I'm not a super super fatty.

Moral of the story: next time you feel like dancing, just put on a little J.Lo and you'll be booty shakin' in no time.

Take my "she's kind of a sleeze" statement as a warning before watching these. I only include them for the music. Not the videos.

the wait is over. my polaroids.

I know you all have been sitting on the edge of your seat since I mentioned that I would be posting my Polaroid pictures when I finished my pack. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long. How inconsiderate of me. But good news!! Not only did I finish my pack of film, but I also added another Polaroid camera to my collection (cue Hallelujah chorus for the mention of the SX-70) so now I've really gotta start sharing these photos as I take 'em!

Uh. Clearly, making necklaces. December 2011.
I was going to write on all of them, but then I didn't.
Good story.

Yeah. Christmas Cookies. 2011.
Forgot to use the up-close-lens-slider-thingy
so it's blurry. Whoops.

 

The boys.

Drake. At his happiest: playing fetch at the dog park.

Honest Tom's Tacos.
(The brown at the top is an "undeveloped spot", it happens when
the chemicals aren't spread out evenly or all the way. A total
bummer, but what you get when using "experimental film")

Ryan and Drake in the Delaware during our camping trip.
My favey-fave from my color pack from my sister.

My first photo with my SX-70.
Oh my heavens. I was SO IN LOVE with my camera
when I saw this. PURE MAGIC.

My sister and nephew :)

The Bubs.

Ahhhh....I love my Polaroid cameras. I really really really do.
They are going to be my only friends in San Diego. But that's just how I want it, so no worries.

Currently playing on the record player: Well, nothing is currently playing but tonight we played both the "Footloose" and "Flashdance" soundtracks.  I bet our neighbors really love us.

my michigan is showing. but that really has nothing to do with this post.

I knew I was onto something with that whole, "I refuse to eat Chinese food."
Click here to read probably the most disturbing (albeit humorous) article ever.

Bet you all wish you would have listened to me sooner, eh?
(Just practicing my "eh" for the day when Ryan and I move to the U.P. "Say yah to da U.P. eh!")

a quick facebook lesson

People really bug me sometimes. Seriously. I have moments where I just can't stand everyone.
I know I'm a jerk. Or at the very least, a "glass is half empty" kind of gal.

Pretty much everytime I'm on facebook, I'm annoyed by like 85% of the things people post. So if you want to remain my friend on facebook (or anyone's friend for that matter, I can't be the only one bothered by this crap) steer clear of everything on this list:

1. Asking me to vote for a baby in some competition numerous times.
Namely the Gerber baby competition. Your kid's cute. But so is everyone else's.
I'm all for free stuff and I'll gladly help a friend out, it's just that I don't care to read you begging for votes every 20 minutes because you think your baby is the cutest thing ever (have you seen those little baby bun-buns...you clearly don't know what you're talking about.)

2. Incorrect Grammar/Spelling/Punctuation.
Listen, it happens. I know. I don't have perfect grammar either. But I really hate when people use "your" instead of "you're". Or use the wrong its/it's. Or to/too. The rules for those are simple, it's really not that hard to do it right. And I REALLY hate when people mix up women and woman. "She is such an amazing women." Ugghhhhh. C'mon guys!
(Em, I totally wrote this before you had your "your/you're" mix up on facebook. It made me laugh, and I was glad you caught it yourself)

3. Political Posts of any kind.
I'm voting for who I want and you probably aren't going to change my mind by posting a dumb article by some idiot who has no credibility anyways. Plus also, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Republicans. Democrats. Green Party...ists. Conservatives. Liberals. All of us stuck somewhere in the middle. So stop dissing everyone. We can all think whatever the heck we want. No one is really 100% right or 100% wrong. So seriously. Get over it. The election will happen. The world will still go on. However, I will no longer be your friend.

4. Status' written to someone, especially to Jesus. 
Like "Happy Birthday to the most incredible so-and-so. You are so talented and good-looking and everything else that is good to say about someone."
Or "Jesus, thanks for loving me no matter what."

Here's a novel idea, just tell that person what you want to tell them. GASP. I know. It's mind-boggling.

Plus, Jesus doesn't have facebook.

This doesn't count.

5. Pretty much everything else.
I'm starting to think maybe I should just be done with facebook. Haha.


In other news, check out this super cute dress I made the other day during Project Runway!

Not the best photo, I know. I just really didn't feel like getting pretty to be the model for one picture. I didn't want to iron either. So...please disregard the wrinkles. Haha.

I originally had made a yellow skirt with that fabric, and although it was super cute every time I put it on...I just wasn't 100% happy with it. So I knew I was never going to wear it. So I took it apart and re-made it into this dress. I love it. I wore it to the flea market on Saturday. With tights. I love tights weather too.

Currently playing on the record player: Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, "Johnny Cash and His Woman"