Don't you want to make a stamp out of this? It's so cool that interesting shapes like this occur naturally so often.
via rodin museum
via rodin museum
How's this for a bountiful harvest? Along with three tiny strawberries, this mini jalepeno has been our entire yield from our mini-garden this year. I suppose I am not mentioning that we got all the fresh herbs we needed all summer, so that should count. I'm hoping to be a little more ambitious and fruitful (literally!) next year, so we will have to recruit advice from Andrew .
viarlslog
pizza
warm sweaters (via anthropologie)
an old fashioned hot water bottle (design*sponge inspired me and all of the sudden it seems really necessary) via needapresent
a big hug (alicia and phil)
On Labor Day we went to a barbeque at my uncle Pete's house. It was great to see everyone and spend time together. Patty made lots of good food and maybe now Josh and Alexa will remember my name for the next time they see me! The manly men played horseshoes. Here's a photo of my twin uncles, Steve and Pete.
Joe and I went to the beach for a week with his family. It was a relaxing and indulgent week spent eating, shopping, and lounging around. We spent hours one night eating crabs, got up to see the sunrise (and all the funny old men with metal detectors that remind me of Pop-pop), and scoured all the outlets for good deals. We visited the original Dogfishhead brewery in Rehobeth Beach and tried several interesting beers and spirits. 
We spent an afternoon making the next batch of Andrew and Joe's very own beer- a (hopefully) delicious basic IPA. I played the necessary role of nagging quality control expert so no crazy drunkies could mess up the results this time around. We're bottling that beer tonight so it will be ready to test out soon!
Joe and I also went to my parents house for my grandparents 60th anniversary party. My parents and sister made an amazing tiered cake with incredible toppers. They molded and painted sugar paste to look like Grandmom and Grandpop and had speech bubbles with endearing phrases often heard coming from their mouths. 
Grandpop's said "Think it's easy, do ya?" and Grandmom's said "Oh shut the hell up!" It was really clever and well done and everyone got a big kick out of it. 
And as goes with the theme of my life, there was incredible food. Dad built his own smoker out of terra cotta pots and smoked a delicious pork loin. 
That's about all, folks! Have a great day!
It's been a very busy few weeks for me. My cousin Danielle and her new husband John's wedding was this past weekend and it was a wonderful, amazing time.
I am so so glad we were able to go and spend time with family. We missed the people that weren't able to come but a few were able to skype in for the ceremony. Hooray technology! The wedding was a casual barbeque in Dani and John's backyard. The chaplain started the ceremony with a great line from "The Princess Bride"- "Mahhwidge. Mahhwidge is what bwings us togethahh today." Hilarious! 
The little bit of rain didn't deter the party one bit. In fact, it created a gorgeous full rainbow over the yard and all of the guests.
The night before we left for the wedding, I finally finished my gift for the bride and groom- a homemade quilt. I sent fabric squares and fabric markers to all my cousins and aunts and uncles for them to write notes or draw pictures. They sent them back to me and I sewed them all into the quilt. Below are close-ups of all the family squares.
The whole time I was working on it I was really thinking about Dani and John and my whole family. I am hoping this quilt is something they'll have for years and something they can look at from time to time to think of us. Judging by the tears shed, I think they liked the gift. Hopefully no other family members get married soon because I need a break from all the quilting madness!
Stay tuned for some highlights on the other events of the last several weeks! Have a great day!
via philadelphia museum of art
via styleguru
via wikipedia
via metropolitan museum of art
We wondered around, checking out the extensive options while Katy took a bajillion photos. We made conversation with a few strangers sharing our table while we ate, and we helped brainstorm ideas of how they could get out of jury duty. For dessert we all shared a divine Nutella/strawberry/banana crepe, a delightful cup of mocha chip Bassets ice cream, and a delicious Termini Bros chocolate chip cannoli. DECADENCE.
We walked off a few of those calories on South Street, exploring fabric stores, trying on hats, and nearly getting kicked out of a cigar store. When Joe came home from work we went to Umai, a sushi place we had been itching to try. 
All the plates were beautiful and the actual sushi was very eclectic. I enjoyed it but wouldn't recommend this place for someone craving traditional sushi. But if you're looking for something new and different and you want to try a roll with strawberries, macadamia nuts, and honey, this is the place for you. 
After an amazing dinner, Kate headed home and Mom slept over so we could have more fun the next day. It was so fun spending time with them and sharing stories (even ones that might scar me for life). I wish all our family lived closer so we could do stuff like this more often. But I guess being so far apart makes the times we do get to spend together extra special. 
Unfortunately, the result was a little ridiculous. The burnt sugar coating hardened upon contact so there was no chance for it to spread out on the surface. And there was about 1/2 an inch of dessert in each huge bowl. It was completely edible and tasted pretty good, but I was still disappointed with the presentation. Before I make these again, I think I'll get proper cookware. 
Here is my sister torching her badass creme brulee creations at Thanksgiving last year. Apparently I am the baking challenged one. I can live with that, because she's pretty much challenged in every other way. (!!)
Last weekend was great. We went to a great Japanese tapas restaurant in Atlantic City and then played with money I don't have. Gambling is a funny business. The chandelier in the Borgata is amazing, though.
Saturday we went to Sea Isle. It was a perfect, beautiful day for the beach. I almost got laughed off the beach for applying SPF 70 four times in five hours, but I care not. I didn't get burnt! 
Now all I need is a flat stomach and a lot of money... 
I don't know how we lived without it until now! Most produce at the grocery store is overpriced, flavorless, full of chemicals, and from Chile or somewhere really far away. I had grown to expect tomatoes and strawberries that were more white than red inside and I had never seen an onion with the stem still attached. The food we get from the CSA spoils faster since there are no chemicals, but it tastes AMAZING. Another delicious benefit of belonging to a CSA is the variety. I think of myself as a relatively adventurous eater, but when shopping for myself I never really thought to buy produce I wasn't familiar with. We have been (happily) forced to create meals out of beets and parsnips and more. 
This week's bounty included bok choy, corn, beets, cantaloupe, basil and sun dried tomato chicken sausage, garlic and chive cheese spread, 1 dozen eggs, and 5 "Greensgrow bucks", with which we purchased a pint of chocolate cherry goat milk gelato sweetened with agave syrup. Yum Yum. 
Saturday was Fairmount's annual Bastille Day celebration, and since this is our first year living in the area, we were quite excited to experience the festivities first hand. I spent Saturday morning stitching us up some revolutionary hats, and then we headed out for some lunch and, of course, French beer. 
We ate lunch and people-watched at a local restaurant for awhile before the real action began. There were some people milling about in French Aristocracy costumes, along with a cardinal and some fellow revolutionaries. I'm not sure if these people were the event organizers or just really into Bastille Day, but they were REAL costumes. 
As compared to our costumes, which did boast home-made hats but were lacking in most other aspects. However, Joe and I were really the only other people we saw dressed up.
Several local businesses had booths set up along the street with dunk tanks, cheese and wine pairing lessons, food, and face painting. I loved the intricate airbrushing and rhinestone details of the face painting. What an amazing way to transform silly cartoon characters on a child's cheek to a work of art!
We decided to enter a costume contest and pushed ourselves to the front of the crowd, only then realizing that the other participants consisted of professionally costumed aristocrats, a General Lafayette, and a little kid dressed like a pirate. Those of you who know me can attest that standing in costume in front of a huge crowd on a public street with a cup full of beer is not something I do often. Apparently Saturday was exception, because there we stood. The announcer yelled out descriptions to the crowd and voting was cheer-based. Here we have an aristocrat with a heart shaped mole, General Lafayette, etc, etc, and two drunk Parisians! 
The crowd went wild and we ended up winning two bottles of wine and some Philly t-shirts! 
With all the class of revolting French peasants, Joe used his keys to open the bottle of wine. He may have sprayed a few white shirts with red vino, but I think after a few sips from the bottle no one really cared.
So for the main event, a local restaurant owner dresses up as Marie Antoinette and gets on top of the "Bastille" aka Eastern State Penitentiary and banters back and forth with the executioner, who is the owner of another neighborhood restaurant. Eventually Marie yells "Let them eat cake!" and her army throw 2000 Twinkies over the wall of the Penitentiary. What a hilarious sight. 
The army surrendered and Marie was brought out to the guillotine. 
The crowd was surveyed. I believe "off with her head" was the chosen option, but instead they cut the head off a watermelon wearing a wig. It was such a crazy fun day!
P.S. Several people have asked me why this event exists. Duh, for fun!
