Creative Energy

Every once in a while I just get that need to make sumething.  Usually this means that I bake but lately I have been wanting some changes in our little love nest.  We have this old couch that what left for our use by our landlord.  This couch is quite ugly and I would love to throw the thing to the curb but it is not mine to toss.  Our landlord did put a loose fit slipcover on it but it was driving me crazy.  I felt like I always had to tuck it and obessess about it.  I decided I needed to find another solution.  Enter the crazy idea of sewing one myself.  I am not a "sewer".  I mean, sure, I know how to sew some straight lines but this was really out of my comfort zone.  I read a few blogs and found out that I could make a cover out of cotton clothdrops.  So after bleaching, bleaching, and more bleaching I was ready to start the pinning and sewing. Trent did not see me much for the next four or five days.  Sure it is not perfect but it so much better than I thought it would be.  Plus, no more tucking! 

I also wanted to sew some curtains and it took me forever to decide on some fabric.  I think I went to the fabric store about 7 times to look at the options.  I was able to finally find a fabric that I liked and lucky got it for a steal.  I love how bright and friendly the room looks with the curtains.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend - the start of the 2011 summer season.  If this weekend was a predictor for the upcoming season, Trent and I are in for an absolutely wonderful summer.  We started are weekend at an outdoor music venue called Wolftrap.  Wolftrap is a wonderful place to hear music under the stars while eating a picnic.  Well.....that is how it supposed to be.  As soon as we finished our picnic, the rain rolled in and we were scrunched in under one umbrella.  Luck had it that it stopped raining (after about 25 minutes of solid rain) right in time for the show to start.  What were we watching?  Prairie Home Companion.  What is that?  You should listen to NPR and/or be old.

Garrison Keillor

The next morning we made our way to the city.  NYC.  The Big Apple.  Our mission: A Throwdown of Bobby Flay.  Have you seen that show on the Food Network?  The gist of the show is that he, Bobby Flay, will practice making a speciality dish that another chef is known for and then he shows up unannounced and challenges them to a cook off.  His line is "I may win, I might even lose."  A little arrogant.  So we decided to eat at some of the places in NYC that have beaten him.  We started at the Waffles and Dinges food truck.  Yum!!!  Seriously amazing waffles that were crunchy but chewy and oh so sweet.    We also ate at the most yummy place ever, Caracas Arepas Bar.  Arepas are Venezuelan in origin and take two pancake like breads and place yummy meat and beans in between.  It was well worth the 1 hour wait time to get into the place.  Go!  We also got dessert from the Dessert Truck.  The dessert was quite good: a chocolate bread pudding with a bacon vanilla sauce.  I had some reservations at first about the bacon but it was quite good.  We planned on also going to the donut plant but they were closed for Memorial Day.  It was a great food vacation!

Other than eating great food we did not have too much planned.   Which is a shock if you have ever travelled with us.  I mean...we did have a list of things and places but not a very strict schedule.  This allowed us to just take a slower pace which was much needed.  We got to go to Lego Land and FAO Schwartz.  At Lego Land there was a giant dragon made out of all legos.  Remarkable.

We made our way up to the West Side to see Grant's Tomb and Columbia University.  From there we spent some time in the Conservatory Gardens of Central Park.  Took a nap in Central Park and then visited the Natural History Museum.  Somewhere in all this we picked up some Grom gelato. 

Grant's Tomb

Columbia University

Central Park

Trent was calling forth the waters.

Conservatory Gardens

Natural History Museum

Memorial Day itself was quite relaxing...but at the same time frustrating.  Plans did not seem to come together.  The donut plant was closed and things took longer than expected.  We still got to enjoy seeing the sites.  We also visited the new Italian Mega Market Eatalia.  It is a food lovers mecca.  We were able to snag some yummy focaccia bread for the ride back home.

Calexico - Vendy food award winner- yummy burritos