second set of baby steps: food and drink

Showing posts with label food and drink. Show all posts

Sunday, May 25, 2014

all good things: the final countdown

4. Taking time to talk with neighbors. Now that we've moved (same neighborhood, closer to Lake Harriet) we have some nice neighbors that like to chat. I was annoyed at first because "I have things to do!" (See above). But now that I've stopped to take the time to chat with them I've realized how awesome people can be. There's Gloria who knows what's going on in everyone's lives, Larry who knows everyone by their pet's name, and Ethan the 3-year-old that likes to randomly knock on our door to say hello. - Cassie

5. Brew at the Zoo. Every Memorial Day weekend the Baltimore Zoo hosts a big beer festival, with unlimited samples from craft breweries, lots of food, and great summer music. And of course the Zoo is open so you can go see the animals. We tasted lots of awesome beers (some highlights: the jalapeno IPA from Jailbreak, Dirty Little Freak stout from DuClaw, awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, and everything from The Brewer's Art). J's friend Dae came up and met us there, and it's been awhile since we saw him so that was nice too. And the weather was perfect! - Clara

6. Fresh mint infusion. I took a sprig of mint from our plant this week and put it in a jar with a little bit of honey to make sun tea. When I took it from the fridge later in the week it was the most refreshing thing to drink, cool and fresh and almost tingly. Plus the mint sprigs looked so beautiful in the jar! - Clara

7. Sodastream. I get bored drinking plain water all the time, but we spend an extraneous amount of money on sparkling water. So when I was clearing out my email inbox this week, I noticed an awesome sale on Sodastream machines at Bed Bath & Beyond and we went out and got one. Now we can carbonate our own water, and we are excited to make homemade ginger ale and strawberry basil soda. Next on my list is to make my own tonic syrup! - Clara

8. Scrumptious. On Wednesday night as a reward for figuring out how to stream audio in a blog post, I decided I wanted froyo. So we went to a new place in Trolley Square that is super cute and had some nice frozen yogurt.

Other worthwhile eating happened this weekend at Golden West and the Red Canoe, both in Baltimore, and...

9. Grilling out. After Brew at the Zoo we went back to Lisa's to grill brats and pineapple with the gang. I totally forgot to take a picture of it, unfortunately, but it was DELICIOUS (thanks Dae and J for getting the grill going). And of course, even if it wasn't delicious, everything tastes better when you're sharing it with good friends on a holiday weekend. It was such a harmonious food prep situation too, which made it even better. - Clara

10. Bonus song of the week: Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root. I'm pretty sure this was our last song on KSTO, too. It's just such a perfect fit, and a hands-down classic feel-good jam.

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THANK YOU, readers, for being with us tonight and every Sunday for the past few years. Thank you for your support and your positive energy. It has meant the world to both of us to be able to keep this up, and to have a wonderful community to share it with.

A note from Cassie: "I've been so happy to be able to add my AGTs to this blog. This list has become so important to me. I take a good half hour on Sundays picking things to write about. Some weeks it's really hard: like the week my aunt passed away. Some weeks it's easy: marrying Luke was pretty nice :) But knowing I can always find good things for the list reminds me that I can always find good things out of every situation. I'm so glad this is continuing in another form!"

The Good Things will keep rolling on Twitter @AllGoodThings, so be sure to join us there and share your happy moments and favorite songs with us there!

Also, don't forget to be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile every day :)

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, May 18, 2014

all good things: let's get together

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

Cassie and I are talking about how to keep the good things rolling after the blog ends. So far we've thought about using a Facebook page or group, but we're definitely open to other ideas! If you think of anything (or any good things!), share it with us in the comments.

But for now, sit back and enjoy this week's top 10!

1. Song of the week: Sleeping With A Friend by Neon Trees. Is this the most catchy song on the airwaves right now or what?

2. My brother got married this weekend. It was at Gustavus as that's where he met his wife. The ceremony was really pretty and everyone had a great time. I'm pretty tired after the long weekend, but I'm glad their weekend went so well. - Cassie

3. Grandmas. I'm bringing back an old AGT from the radio days! Grandmas are the best. I stayed in a room with my grandparents this week and before I went to bed she tucked me in and kissed my forehead. It was adorable :) - Cassie

4. The new Beck album. It's really calming, and I've enjoyed listening to it while I work. His music is always best when he's been sad and this isn't different. So don't listen to it to cheer up! - Cassie

5. The new Gmail tabs. I changed my Gmail settings to automatically categorize my emails as they come in, so I don't have to weed through everything to find important emails from friends and family. I might actually start checking my email again now that I can ignore mass emails trying to sell me something... - Clara

6. Snapchats of cheesy singing and dancing. This week I sent a snapchat of myself singing Prince's Kiss and in response I got one of my favorite snapchats ever from a teacher friend dancing in her classroom to some wild dance music. So I've decided to send more of them and see what I get back! - Clara

7. We surprised one of J's old friends with a birthday dinner at Red Robin last night. It's been over a year since we've seen him, and in that time he got engaged and we hadn't met his fiancee yet! So she got in contact with J's brother and they set up a surprise dinner for him. We could tell by his face that he was really surprised and really happy to see the guys. And his fiancee was super sweet. We were all glad to meet her. - Clara

8. Hearing stories from a new perspective. On Monday night, at my Grampa's request, my family had J's family over for dinner, and I overheard Grampa and J's dad exchanging versions of the "how the kids met" story. Specifically, there was one time before J and I ever went out that I stopped into the coffeeshop when his parents happened to have also stopped by... And while J and I have told the story tons of times to different people, I haven't heard anyone else tell the story before. It was a new perspective and it was really funny to hear it from a different angle.

Plus plenty of other stories, becauses both of our families have more than enough stories to fill the time. They're all great :)- Clara

9. Woodside Creamery. It's ice cream season again! Today we went to the local creamery, said "hey" to the cows, and got a couple scoops in pretzel cones. Yum. Very possibly the most delicious ice cream ever. - Clara

10. Yesterday was J's niece's first birthday, so I pulled out all my stuffed animals and we put party hats on them, and made them sing happy birthday (badly). So funny. - Clara

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, May 11, 2014

all good things: the art of living

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

Cassie and I are talking about how to keep the good things rolling after the blog ends. So far we've thought about using a Facebook page or group, but we're definitely open to other ideas! If you think of anything (or any good things!), share it with us in the comments.

But for now, sit back and enjoy this week's top 10!

1. Song of the week: Sing by Ed Sheeran. J has been suggesting this song for weeks now and I haven't really heard it 'til now. But it's definitely a feel-good jam for the ages!

2. Monday morning yoga. I always feel looser and more centered when I start the week with yoga class. Plus the group is really congenial, and there is a surprising number of men in the class. And not your typical yoga men: many of them are retired or close to it, and many of them only started doing yoga a year or two ago. They are doing yoga because it's good for them, and they are acutely aware of how important it is to do things that are good for them, mind and body. It really puts things in perspective for me, and it makes the class fun because nobody takes themselves too seriously!

3. African food. Last week when my mom was away, my parents' houseguest/roommate Smyle (who is from Ghana) made a traditional African meal for my dad and me. It consisted of seasoned rice pilaf, a spicy meat stew, greens, and fried sweet plantains. She made an enormous amount of food and forced me to take a lot of it home, so I finished the last of the leftovers this week and it has been a very savory time for my weekday lunches!

4. Open mic night at the Newark Arts Alliance. I've been meaning to go to this for easily over a year now, and finally Marina and I made it - late, of course (my fault), but we made it! The sign-up sheet landed in my hands and I spontaneously decided to read a couple of poems. I was in great company with some other very talented artists, and it reminded me how refreshing and important it is to be in community with people who create things. We will be going back.

5. Yard work. J has been doing a lot of work getting our backyard into presentable shape, and it's starting to show. He even got me out the other day and I must admit that gardening is a really rewarding activity.

6. Rhubarb cake. We got a big bunch of fresh rhubarb and some beautiful asparagus in our CSA this week - a combination that reminded me of Sunny V. So in honor of that first summer I got the Sunny V Rhubarb Cake recipe from Ann's grandmother, and it was just as delicious as it was the first time...with the added seasoning of nostalgia. I know it was good, though, because when I left for the weekend on Friday there was half a pan left, and when I got back it was gone.

7. The beach. So where did I go this weekend? We rented a little house in Ocean City, Maryland, for my friend Kristy's bachelorette party. The house was adorable, the weather was perfect, and the weekend was exactly what it should have been. On Saturday we spent a few hours lying on the beach, and even though I didn't bring my bathing suit I decided I needed to go in the water. Really, swimming in the ocean is one of the most cleansing experiences I can think of.

8. The Applebee's in OC. Our first stop on Saturday night was Applebee's for drinks and apps, because the Bride loves Applebee's. It was sort of a joke, but it really couldn't have turned out better. It was the biggest and nicest Applebee's most of us had ever seen, and you would have thought we hired our waitress specially for the event. As soon as we sat down she started cracking jokes and providing a running commentary on everything, like a personal stand-up comedy routine. Plus, the drink I got there won for the night. I forget what it's called, but it's new on the menu. It has Absolut Citron, fresh basil and strawberries, lime juice, and club soda. Super refreshing and delicious.

We also got a photo with the cardboard cutout of the Most Interesting Man. Win.

9. Families. Since it's Mothers' Day, I'll narrow it down to mothers. But I specifically mean the way families come together. This week's Sunday dinner was cooked by the kids in honor of the mothers, and of course the baby was there, and her mom and both of her grandmothers. It's a great group.

And tomorrow, we're having dinner at my parents' house, and J's family is coming over to meet my Grampa, so we will get to doubly celebrate so many moms and it's always good company!

10. Postcards. I came home to an awesome postcard from a friend I haven't heard from in awhile, and it reminded me that I have a bunch of blank postcards waiting to be sent. I love postcards because they are so simple and elegant: a picture, a short note that is not as big of a commitment to sit down and write, and a lovely way to drop a line to say "I'm thinking about you!"

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, May 4, 2014

all good things: the men and women (and dogs) in our lives

3. Impromptu friend gatherings. Last night was one of those nights when you plan to do something, that falls through, and something else more fun crops up. Randomly had 3 good friends over for appetizers, wine, and card games. We had the best time. It also combined college and high school friends which is such a fun experience. - Cassie

4. New phone! I'm not much of a technology whiz (read: I depend totally on Luke for techie things). So when I got an iPhone 2 years ago it was a huge upgrade! I was pretty sure I'd always appreciate how wonderful it was. Fast forward 2 years: my phone is slow to access the internet, send texts, and make calls. I'm frustrated :) So my contract expired and Luke surprised me with a brand new phone this week! I'm using it to write this and loving every minute. - Cassie

5. Rooftop deck. My new apartment building had a rooftop deck. For some reason it's always vacant! On Friday evening I spent a few hours enjoying a brisk wind, warm tea, and Middlemarch up there. It's so rare to find an unoccupied, peaceful area in the middle of Minneapolis so I was soaking it up. - Cassie

6. New furniture! When we moved into the new house in November, and couldn't get the queen-sized box springs up the stairs, I asked my dad and brother to adapt the homemade wooden frame that was left by the previous tenants to fit on the headboard that I had. Instead, they designed a whole new modular bedframe/box spring that comes apart and can be carried piece by piece through narrow hallways to be assembled on-site. This weekend it was finished and they came over to put it together and it is beautiful and way more awesome than the old utilitarian frame we had before!

Plus, my grandpa built me a dresser as a graduation present, but it's been sitting in his shop for three years waiting to be carted out here. When J and I got engaged, he built another matching one, so he drove out here last week with the two dressers in tow, and they have now also found their way to our home. They are also beautiful and all the drawers work great! (I'm not used to that anymore!) - Clara

7. The men in my family. So you pretty much got the gist of this one, but my dad, brother, and grandpa are pretty cool dudes. They all thrive on having projects and they all like helping me and other people out with stuff, and coming up with really creative solutions to everyday problems. Plus they are all very smart and interesting and it's really a treat to watch them work and talk to them about stuff. (Sometimes I try to help, but usually they are just running circles around me so I'm not sure how much of a help I really am!)

Also, it's cool to throw J into the mix and they all seem to get along and get things done together. - Clara

8. There's another Ole in the family! My baby sister (who is now 18) sent her enrollment deposit to St. Olaf this week! I do really want her to choose the place she wants to go, and not feel like she has to go to the same place as both of her sisters, but it has been so cool talking to Maria about St. Olaf and I'm excited to be able to talk to Asha about it too. I think college will be a good change for her. - Clara

9. The women in my family. I have to say, it's not just the men that are great. The women are also smart and interesting and good at a lot of things, so I'm glad to have my mom and Asha back from India safely. Plus now we can hang out!

I also think I'm allowed to count J's mom in this category now. She's also really smart and interesting and we went over to help in the garden yesterday, which was a cool experience. She was just telling us what to do and I actually learned a lot in just an afternoon. And then she bought us pizza!- Clara

10. Brunch, and meeting new friends over brunch! One of my friends recently won teacher of the month from one of the local radio stations, and the prize is a brunch for four at one of the country clubs. Now, this brunch is famous, and when you go in you see why. There are almost too many stations to count, and everything is delicious. The bloody marys and mimosas are excellent, and even the coffee is above par. And I met someone new, a friend of my teacher friend, who is smart and interesting and actually has a lot of shared interests with me. Great brunch, great company. Can't beat that! - Clara

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, April 27, 2014

all good things: two hands, one beating heart

4. Sunday morning breakfast. Luke and I had a lot of moving left to do from our old place today so we decided to get up early and head out to breakfast. We went to Turtle Bread, our favorite neighborhood spot. I had some amazing french toast, and Luke had salmon scramble. It was such a relaxing way to start a day of moving. Also, I'm still full 5 hours later so that's never bad either. - Cassie

5. Rainy afternoons. Now that I have a dog, I'm not such a huge fan of rainy days. It involves lots of wet dog problems that are sort of annoying. BUT, there really is something about a rainy afternoon where the smell of the falling rain wafts in through the window while a Harry Potter marathon plays on ABC family and I sip a homemade latte. Hard to have negative feelings during those moments! - Cassie

6. Hosting family. Luke and I had his parents over to stay for Easter weekend. I was pretty stressed going into it. We have a one-bedroom apartment, Luke's mom doesn't like dogs, and we were also having everyone in his family over for dinner on Friday night. Despite all my anxiety, things went really well! Everyone had a great time, and I really enjoyed having them stay here. - Cassie

7. Having my books with me in the new apartment. During the move we decided books didn't need to be moved right away so we left them behind for the time being. We finally moved them to our new place, and I didn't realize how much I missed them! They add so much color and life to our apartment. - Cassie

8. NOT being on reality TV. My friend Marina and I discovered a terrible reality show this week called BridalPlasty, which gathers 10 women into a house and makes them vote each other out, one by one. That's bad enough, but what they're competing for is a full-body plastic surgery makeover and a celebrity dream wedding completely paid for. Along the way they get to have minor procedures done, and have Botox parties. The one episode we watched was full of lines like, "Who doesn't want to have a few nips and tucks?" Me. I don't. I'm good, thanks. And I'm super thankful that I'm happy with my body just the way it is. - Clara

9. Divergent by Veronica Roth. This is our latest book club selection (which I would have tried to read even if we hadn't chosen it for discussion) and I just finished it this afternoon! So good. Can't wait to get my hands on the second book... - Clara

10. Friends you can work with and play with. Last night we had a bunch of people over, people we met at different places and do different things with. Some we work with and/or work out with and/or hang out with. It was cool getting everybody together in the same place with some shared interests (food, drinks, and games) and when I went to church the next morning I saw some of the people that were there and we got to exchange knowing glances the whole time. Lots of good people in my life. - Clara

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, April 20, 2014

all good things: i'm no superman

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Cassie is celebrating Easter with her family this week, but will rejoin us next Sunday night.

So set yourself up outside and enjoy this week's good things in the sun!

1. Song of the week: Superman by Lazlo Bane. The Scrubs theme song: I've been listening to it all day, and I also think the words are a good reminder to me. I can't do this all on my own, / no, I'm no superman...

2. Chard sauteed in bacon grease. I made rainbow chard from our CSA twice this week, chopped up and sauteed with bacon grease and just a little bit of pepper. It is unbelievably good, and super quick and easy!

3. New toilet seat! The hinge holding our toilet seat onto the toilet was cracked when we moved in, and it finally snapped all the way off last week... Which means the seat would randomly fall off when you were sitting on it. Not cool. So like adults we went out, bought a new one, and put it on. Seriously one of the most worthwhile things I have done in awhile. It only took about 5 minutes to switch and it makes all the difference.

4. Union Jack's. A pub in Manayunk (Philadelphia) that I've been hearing about for years. It's got a great ambience, great beer, great service, and great company. Apparently the wings are so good no other wings can live up to them, but I'm not a big fan or expert in chicken wings so I'll just pass on the recommendation on that one.

Plus, you can control the jukebox using an app on your phone. Our group definitely took advantage of that.

5. Safe travels. This is something I try not to take for granted ever, but especially now when there have been so many big transportation disasters lately. My mom and sister are in India for spring break right now, and they arrived safely at their destination.

6. Projects. My dad texted me on Saturday morning to ask for help putting together a presentation for the Easter Vigil that evening. I made a version of a Creation story PowerPoint for him sometime in high school, but since then it's deteriorated and the slides got out of order. So I spent a few hours on Saturday putting it back together, and while it wasn't all fun and games, it did feel really good to help my dad in one of the biggest weeks of the church year, and to do something creative like that.

7. Being taken care of. I have felt awful all day today, with a persistent headache and stomachache that laid me out on the couch for most of it. J kindly, and without complaining, gave up his Easter Sunday to camp out in the living room with me, make sure I didn't pass out from dehydration, and keep me company.

8. Lemon honey ginger. This is my drink of choice this week, with the big changes in temperature and feeling sick for most of today. I shred some ginger into a pot, boil it in water, stir in a teaspoon or so of honey, and then at the last minute add a splash of lemon juice. It's so delicious and it has cured many an ill.

9. Scrubs. This is one of the shows J likes to watch in his spare moments throughout the week, and this morning when I set up shop in the living room that's what he had on. So we watched it for most of the day. It's just so good. There are some dumb parts, but the show actually touches on some real human issues, emotional vulnerabilities and the nuances of relationships that keep us all on our toes, even in the real world. And it's pretty funny too.

10. Spending time just focusing on people, and being flexible. This week I spent a little while hanging out with my sister and talking about college; spent time talking with my friend Jess about a whole range of different big-deal kind of things in both of our lives; worked on a project with my dad (that's our quality time); had two date nights with J, one of them spontaneous; went out for dinner spontaneously on Friday night; and I forgot my phone at home when we went out last night, so I couldn't pull it out to distract myself even if I wanted to. I feel like my time was well-spent.

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, April 13, 2014

all good things: enjoying the baby steps

5. Finding out that you can get take out from a favorite restaurant. This weekend I wanted a Reuben super bad. A restaurant we frequent (Tavern on France) has a great one, but I didn't want to go out. I bet you see where this is going! Anyway, I was pretty happy to be eating a Reuben in the comfort of my own home. - Cassie

6. Melvie is learning so fast! She learned to sit, sleep through the night, and she finally will go for walks. For a while I was pretty sure we owned the only dog ever who refused to go for a walk. I think we're through that stage now! - Cassie

7. Packing books. Luke and I are finally almost moved out of the old place but have books and shelves left. We started packing them today. I really enjoy going through our book collection. There's so many I have yet to read, and I get excited. - Cassie

8. Engagements and pregnancies! Many of my friends are going through the next stage in their lives. I'm really enjoying chatting with all of them and hearing what their thoughts are and how excited they are. Happy times for good people! - Cassie

9. Tengo Ganas De Ti. My friend Marina has been talking about this movie for weeks, and we finally got together this week to watch it. It's a Spanish romantic drama, and we watched it with wine and without subtitles... I know I missed some of the dialogue, but it was still a great movie and I'm reminded that even with a language barrier, there are plenty of human experiences that are shared no matter where we come from. - Clara

10. Warm weather! After the winter we've had, I can't take sunshine and warmth for granted. Today it's forecast to be 82 degrees and sunny, so J and I took our porch chairs out back and spent most of the morning in the sun. I am the happiest girl right now, and I'm looking forward to sprucing up our backyard so we can have a rip-roaring summer! - Clara

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, April 6, 2014

all good things: when the world is new

7. New puppy! Luke and I got a new puppy a week ago. Her name is Melville, and she's a Bernese Mountain Dog. She's a little scamp right now and likes to munch on everything. But I love her already and wish I could quit my job to spend all my time with her. This also leads into my next good thing:

8. Puppies bringing people together. I have met so many people this past week that I would have never met if I didn't have Melvie. People love coming up to me to ask about her, pet her, and get a puppy fix. I can't blame them since she's adorable! It's nice to meet so many people with smiling faces all due to my little Melvie. - Cassie

9. New apartment. As if getting a puppy wasn't enough to do this week I also moved! I live in the same neighborhood as before, but live in a way nicer place (example: we have full size appliances in this place. Our old place had an oven that could barely fit a sheet pan the long way). Moving was stressful, but now that we're settling in I can tell we'll be way happier here. - Cassie

10. April snow storms that melt the next day. This past week Minneapolis had a large snow storm. Everyone was crabby about it, but I enjoyed it! It was really warm the next day and melted right away. There's nothing like a late winter snow storm to make me enjoy springtime even more :) - Cassie

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, February 16, 2014

all good things: luck, love, and lava cake

4. Car sing-a-longs. Luke and I were driving home from the mall this weekend, and I was in charge of the music. We ended up singing aloud to Teenage Dream, Shakira's Wherever Whenever, and Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton. There's nothing like singing "Without you I just can't go on!" at the top of your lungs! - Cassie

5. Brussel Sprouts. Ok, so I know some people hate them. But there are great ways to eat them! I had a salad with roasted brussel sprouts, yams, sweet potatoes, and greens this weekend at Common Roots. So good! - Cassie

6. Galentine's Day! On Parks and Recreation (awesome TV show that should probably be a AGT itself!) the main character, Leslie, has a lady's version of Valentine's Day on February 13th. My gal, Emily, had a get together and it was so fun. We listened to music, danced, decorated cookies, dressed up for funny photos, and had sparkling apple juice. Lady times are the best times :) - Cassie

7. Finishing a long, classic book. I just finished a book I've always been meaning to read and a long one to boot: Moby Dick. It was challenging but really lived up to my expectations. I'm also just proud of myself for reading Moby Dick. It feels like a small sort of accomplishment. - Cassie

8. Getting the push you need. On Friday I couldn't get out of my parking space because my wheels were spinning on a sheet of ice... So J came out and gave an extra shove to get the car on pavement, and I got on the road! - Clara

9. Having something to look forward to. Cabin fever is starting to eat me and I haven't had an actual day off from work where I wasn't doing something else... So I'm taking a long weekend at the end of this month and just the thought of having a few days to chill out is getting me through the weeks. - Clara

10. Lava cake. Seriously the best thing ever. 'Nuff said. - Clara

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, February 9, 2014

all good things: make love, stuff, food, and friends... not war

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So get cozy and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Let It Go/Let Her Go (Frozen/Passenger Mashup) by Sam Tsui. Is it cheating if these two songs have been the song of the week within the past 2 months? Well, if so, I'm sorry, because I'm still obsessed with them. And this is an exceptional mashup.

2. Last Vegas. J wouldn't watch this with me, but I knew my mom would when I told her who's in it (Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman). We laughed SO hard. - Clara

3. Iron Hill's two-pizzas-and-a-growler takeout deal. On Friday night I really had a craving to try this out (it's been on my radar for months but we've never done it). It's a great deal, great pizza, great beer, and we didn't have to wait for a table like everyone else. - Clara

4. My office-mate came back from vacation on Friday after being gone for a week. I know she is less happy about leaving Florida's 80-degree weather, but I am a lot less lonely at work now. - Clara

5. At dinner on Monday my family talked about the Super Bowl while eating spaghetti and meatballs. This is funny because it is so atypical: we normally have curry or stew or rice and beans while telling stories about strange experiences and quoting bad movies. - Clara

6. Plans that turn into other plans. I went to church with my friend Abby this morning, and afterward she came over for lunch and we spent awhile looking through my baby names from around the world book (which I probably haven't looked at since high school), and then she took me up to Charming Charlie's in PA to go shopping. It's nice being flexible, and great things usually come of it when you are with good friends! - Clara

7. Getting in touch with your creativity. A couple friends, our moms, and I went to a painting studio a week ago. We had the best time letting our creativity flow! It was also fun to see how much our paintings matched our personalities. - Cassie

8. Settlers of Catan. I got this board game for Christmas and recently started playing it. The game reminds me of a combo of Risk/Oregon Trail/Monopoly. I'm a bit behind the times (it came out a while ago) but I'm really into it! - Cassie

9. Learning something new. Luke and I started learning French via Rosetta Stone. I can say simple things like "The girl reads" or "the man cooks." My accent needs some work, but I'm enjoying the challenge! - Cassie

10. Looking back through old photos. I found one of us (Clara and me) in the KSTO studio and a few from our AGT fall photo shoot. The memories came flooding back and definitely made me wish we were still on the radio! - Cassie

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, February 2, 2014

all good things: food for the good life

1. Song of the week: The Cave by Mumford and Sons. Last weekend at the Roadtrip talent show one of the guys sang this song and his voice was indistinguishable from the actual singer. Amazing. And then I randomly heard it again later in the week. It's a feel-good jam.

2. Spending time with family during tough times. It reminds us we are loved and not alone. - Cassie

3. Luke. Since my aunt passed away he's been so amazingly supportive and helpful. I'm a lucky lady. - Cassie

4. Good conversations. Last night we went to a co-ed baby shower and I got into a conversation with a cousin's girlfriend about Wilmington's social conditions and about making a difference and about how we end up in the places we end up. It was a really solid conversation with substance, and I always like meeting smart, interesting people with something to say. Plus, big family gatherings are not exactly my element; the one-on-ones are what I'm really into. - Clara

5. Book club. On Thursday my mom and I went to the first meeting of a new book club with some really great women. I think this is going to be a lot of fun. - Clara

6. Watching wedding movies, looking at bridal mags, and drinking girly drinks. Now that I'm engaged, even though I'm not actively planning anything, I'm enjoying at least being able to talk about planning. I had a girlfriend over on Friday night who is also taking a slow engagement, and we just got to be typical together and it was fun. - Clara

7. Once Upon A Time. Now that we have Netflix we have been getting into this show. I've always liked fantasy-reality fusion and this is no exception. - Clara

8. Puns. I just love them. Buzzfeed put out a list of puns this week that definitely made me laugh out loud, and that was just one example of punny hilarity this week. - Clara

9. Getting back in the pool. I got out of my swimming routine back in October when I got a perforated eardrum, and went back for the first time this week. I'm definitely out of practice, but it still feels good... And the regulars remembered me and asked where I'd been. It was like old times :) - Clara

10. Puppy Bowl. I love this. So cute. I just left a house full of dog-lovers who were all over this show, which just makes it better. The kitty halftime show leaves something to be desired, but it has potential too.

Mainly I love even these commercialized holidays because they bring people together to laugh and eat and drink and be merry. I got a lot of hugs today, and ate so much good food. Talk about all good things!

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Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, January 19, 2014

all good things: keys to happiness

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week.

Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Let Her Go by Passenger. This is the song that has been stuck in my head all week long... probably because it's playing on the radio almost every time I turn it on. After song of the week, I officially name it overplayed.

2. The Princess Bride. My local Regal Cinema is playing classic movies on Sundays and Wednesdays this winter, and last night it was Princess Bride which is one of my all-time favorite movies and the first thing J and I really connected on when he was still just Coffeeshopcrush. So of course we went to see it for date night and it was really cool to see it on the big screen, surrounded by middle-aged couples who were quoting the movie and laughing hysterically the whole time.

3. New shoes. I signed up for the Spartan Sprint again this year, and I thought a new pair of running shoes would be a good way to kick off six months of training. I got some New Balance trail running shoes and took them for a spin around the neighborhood this afternoon. They are awesome.

4. Opus No. 1 by Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel. I turned on NPR this afternoon on the way back from DSW, and This American Life was on with a story about tracking down a song somebody had stuck in his head endlessly. The song ended up being some obscure hold music from Cisco, and it's super 80s and kind of haunting. I put it on repeat while I ran this afternoon and it has a nice feet-on-the-pavement beat to it... With plenty of synth over top.

5. This article from Slate about the "Do What You Love; Love What You Do" mantra. I rarely read an article and find myself or my perspectives immediately changed. But this article made me think, and while I'm not making any rash decisions about my professional life I suspect I will find myself approaching work, and the way I talk about it, differently.

6. Getting back on the horse. My workout routine came this close to extinction through the end of last year, but this week I went to three classes and ran a couple of times. It feels good to get moving again.

7. We got WiFi! Our friends and family have been very concerned about our lack of internet and cable, particularly since we moved. To be honest, I have really enjoyed not having it; but it does make a lot of things hard, and it makes our house less of a draw for friends to come and hang out. So now we have it, and it's been awesome. Now I just have to work on not letting it take over my life...

8. Cleaning. We're mostly moved in to the new place, but there are of course a few things still out of place. So today I did a bunch of actual cleaning, to make way for organizing and nesting that needed to be done. It's not quite finished yet, but I'm really satisfied with the progress I've made.

9. The New Castle Farmers' Market. This place is a local legend in New Castle County where I live, but I have only ever been there on Sundays 'til now, which means the Amish section has always been closed. This time we went on Saturday, and got some great stuff. This includes a couple of delicious New York strip steaks that J then cooked on the charcoal grill that came with our new house. Yummm.

10. Surprising conversations. I went to church this morning, and had a few surprising and really fulfilling conversations with people. I laughed with two people I haven't laughed with before, and talked about happiness and shared perspectives I never expected to share.

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, January 12, 2014

all good things: the secret life

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion...

Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Lake Michigan by Rogue Wave. This song was the musical accompaniment to a gorgeous international travel montage in Walter Mitty. Breathtakingly glorious.

2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. J and I watched this movie (#8 in the box office as of Wednesday afternoon) for date night this week, and it was beautiful and inspiring and funny. Definitely recommend. -Clara

3. La Fia. A famous Philly restaurateur opened up this little French bakery in Wilmington this summer, and we've been hearing about the gourmet cheeses for months now. Friday night we went there for dinner with J's siblings and the food and drinks were also delicious. It's fine dining, so not cheap, and small portions - but they really take their flavors and ambiance seriously. -Clara

4. Columbus Inn. Another place I've been wanting to visit for months (if not years). Last night a friend stopped by and she was craving Columbus Inn pizza, so we decided to go out with her. This place also takes mixed drinks seriously; the bartender was an artist and made a pretty killer Old Fashioned. We each ordered a pizza: one Kennett Square with mushrooms and caramelized onions, a tomato basil mozzarella, and a roasted pear and prosciutto with balsamic glaze. All amazing. And the inside was beautiful, with comfortable chairs and soft music, so we could actually hold a conversation. -Clara

5. Massages. J's mom gave me a gift certificate for a Swedish massage for my birthday, and I've been saving it for after the holidays. Yesterday morning I finally got up and went in, and it was amazing. I felt like all the bad stuff was flushed out of my body and I was so dazed for the rest of the day (in a good way). Plus it was a great excuse to take some Me-time. -Clara

6. Luke and I rearranged our living room this week, and I'm loving it. It's great how a little change can be so refreshing. -Cassie

7. Changing a hairstyle. A few weeks ago I chopped quite a few inches off of my hair. It's been tough getting used to it, but I'm definitely glad I did it! -Cassie

8. Fitbit. I've been using a Fitbit for the last few weeks (it's a pedometer that also tracks sleep, etc). Using it has made me realize that I sit way too much everyday so I've started taking short breaks to walk around at work. I feel healthier already! -Cassie

9. Finding old cards people have sent you. I was cleaning out a drawer today and found some really great old cards from friends and family. I paused my cleaning to read through them, and they really brightened my day. -Cassie

10. Red lipstick. I bought some this week which is a big deal for me since I've never owned lipstick before! I've only used it once so far, but I feel like I rocked it. -Cassie

BONUS! This is the official blog announcement: Coffeeshopcrush and I are now engaged! I definitely think that counts... but maybe I'm biased ;)

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Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunday, November 10, 2013

all good things: i wanna dance with somebody who loves me

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston. Last night we went to a Korean karaoke place in Alexandria, and had an all-out a cappella jam session to this song in the way there to ramp ourselves up for karaoke. Unfortunately, we had pretty well lost our voices by the time we got there. Plus the video is awesome.

2. Cleaning the closet! Luke and I cleaned our closet today and gave tons of stuff to Goodwill. Not only is it great to have less material things that I don't use, it's great to know someone else will now get to use them!

3. Mom/Daughter dates. My mom came over to have dinner with me, and we hung out for a few hours just talking. A good gab sesh with my mom is really nice sometimes!

4. I picked up Luke from the airport this week and was reminded of the movie Love Actually. People are so genuinely happy to see their loved ones again, and I was no exception :)

5. Woodwick candles are my favorite new household item. I got one for my wedding and am in love with the awesome sound they make!

6. Amy Grant Christmas music!! I never do anything Christmas-y until December. BUT, I always start listening to AG Christmas albums after the first snowfall. Lucky for me that happened this week. Yes!!

7. Conversation starters. I took my Bluetooth keyboard to the Y on Thursday to crank out a few hundred words before class, and two separate people asked me about it. Apparently my typing issues are not unique, and provide plenty of fodder for conversation.

8. Quiddler. My parents had houseguests this week, friends and former coworkers from Woodstock. After our customary rounds of Bananagrams, they brought out a new game we hadn't played before, called Quiddler, which involves spelling but a little less focus. We all enjoyed doing something new, and it was a great new thing to do too!

9. Wilmington Beer Week. Beer week is great, because all these great craft breweries get featured at all these great local restaurants, with featured menus, and I happen to love food, beer, and local restaurants. The only problem with beer week is it's not cheap. So we chose one for the week and went with it. On Wednesday J. and I went to Dead Presidents and got their featured five course meal with 4-ounce beer pairings from Goose Island. De-li-cious.

10. Tea parties. This weekend was Mary's bridal shower in Alexandria, so I drove down on Saturday and picked up Lisa in Baltimore on my way. I always forget how great it is being around people you've been friends with for a long time, even though I know I miss it constantly. The shower was great, with elegant tea cups and saucers from Salvation Army and a great spread of cookies and tarts, put together by Ellen. And then the tea party evolved into dinner, with lots of good people and lots of wine, and a makeshift version of Loaded Questions, and karaoke in a private room at a Korean bar, which is actually not that different from our normal lives together, which involves a lot of constant singing. One of the great things about Oles. And in general, SO good to be with good friends.

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Thanks for joining us this Sunday night! Stick with the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for updates on new posts and other stuff about new adulthood. Come back next Sunday night for a reminder of 10 good things that haven't happened yet, and on Wednesday night for a more in-depth reflection on post-grad life. Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile.

posted from Bloggeroid

Friday, September 6, 2013

all good things: arts and culture and local pride!

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and her radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Glad You're Here by Macy Gray. This song has been on the BodyFlow playlist the past two weeks, and it makes me smile every time. I always feel like closing my eyes and swaying.

2. The Brandywine Festival of the Arts. This is an annual local arts festival with all manner of crafts: clothes, jewelry, home decor, gifts, yard embellishments, ceramics... Beautiful things and great culture. I went yesterday with a friend and the weather was perfect. We also discovered local duo Nalani & Sarina. Twins, my age, with voices like Joss Stone and a vibe like Andy Grammer.

3. Fresh mojitos and soul food. When J. got home in the afternoon I started cranking out mojitos with fresh mint from the backyard. So refreshing! And then we made cornbread, fried chicken and roasted okra from the CSA last week, and corn on the cob my mom got us from a local farmers' market. Yummm!

4. Triple chocolate hill. We rescheduled date night for Friday this week, and made a reservation (which we never do) at Iron Hill Brewery on the Riverfront. The food and the beer are always good there. I had a really rich, delicious triple and J. had a toasty dunkel. But then we splurged on dessert: chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and peanut butter-caramel sauce. Plus, 75 cents of it goes to NCCF and 75 cents to each location's local charity of choice: in this case, the Be Positive Foundation. Feel good dessert all around.

5. The library. They have free internet, AND books, AND movies, AND full seasons of awesome TV shows I wouldn't otherwise get to watch. For example...

6. Parks and Rec. I caught an episode of this at someone's house, and found the first season at the library, and powered through five episodes on Wednesday night while vegging out HARD. Something I never let myself do... And it's so funny! (Plus, Aubrey Plaza, who plays April, is a native Delawarean!)

7. Figuring out football...bit by bit. It was on at J.'s parents' house today and I was miraculously able to stay focused on it, and it made some sense! It's still not something I would choose to watch, but I like sort of knowing what's going on at least.

8. Going the Distance. A chick flick that J. actually likes, but I hadn't seen in full until this week. Also very funny and feel-good. And Justin Long and Drew Barrymore are a lovely unlikely pairing.

9. Cleaning up the road. My dad's church has adopted the highway in their neighborhood, and we go out once a month or once every other month, and then we have church and breakfast and it's a really nice community event. And today, I got J. up and out and all the church ladies were telling me how handsome he is and how glad they were to see him at church. Which also made me happy.

10. Cassie's bridal festivities! Sadly I missed the parties yesterday but it sounded like there was a good time in store for that girl. And she definitely deserves it!

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Like second set of baby steps on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theBabyStepsSaga! New posts show up there first, plus other articles about post-grad life, plus teasers and other important information. Thanks for reading! Tune in next Sunday for more All Good Things, and come back Wednesday for my latest reflections on being a "new adult."

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

the summer of 2013

Labor Day has come and gone, and, with it, summer. The weather is still nice -- in fact, out here in Delaware it's a lot more pleasant so far this week than it has been for most of the "actual" summer. And I have heard that in Minnesota summer is having a late hurrah with temperatures so high that Minneapolis closed 27 schools at the end of last week. Crazy.

But school is back in session, and off-season traffic patterns are starting to kick in: more school buses, later rush on Friday afternoons, less beach traffic. I already mentioned that the fall beers are starting to replace the last of the summer brews on liquor store shelves, and late-season produce is starting to dominate the in-season selection.

The summer has gone so fast. I feel like I only just got into the swing of summer and now it's over and I didn't get to do all the things I spent last winter dreaming about. And when I mentioned this to an old friend on the phone on Friday, he said he remembered last summer being the same way for him. (He was a year ahead of me in school, so maybe it's a second-summer thing?

...A girl can dream!)

The girls at work and I have been planning our summer collage since May, and since I have virtually nothing on my mind today (for once) I'll throw it together in list form for you guys. Add to it! What else defines the summer of 2013?

1. Blurred Lines. Ain't no denying this one! No matter which side of the fence you fall on, you probably couldn't get away from this song this summer. (I was toying with the idea of also writing a post entitled The Top 5 Versions of Robin Thicke's Hit Song, but I don't think it quite fits the vibe here. I will tell you that one of the chart-toppers is definitely Bill Clinton.)

2. Boardwalk salt and vinegar kettle chips. We practically lived off these in the office this summer.

3. Those, and Hoagiefest classic hoagies. We went halfsies on them, we ate them for lunch two days in a row, we housed them whole. So cheap, so delicious, so summer. Also Wawa bagels and Sizzlis kicked off many a road trip over the past three or four months. And salted caramel mocha frozen cappuccinos.

4. Caprese salads with fresh basil and, when we could get them, tomatoes! Summer is mostly about food, right?

5. Cutco knives. This comprised probably 50% of all the conversations I had with my sister the Cutco saleswoman this summer, and a good chunk of the jokes I had with anyone and everyone who spoke to her at all this summer.

6. These $1 tiger shades I found at Goodwill for the Spartan race in July.

7. Rain. Almost weekly. Flood warnings galore.

8. Homemade iced tea and coffee. Bring the ice from home, make it in the office.

9. Playing Bananagrams at the bar. This is what my roommate and I did for fun this summer. I don't see that ending anytime soon.

10. Maxi dresses.

11. Eating, drinking, and just sitting on the porch. Everybody on our block does it.

12. Raspberries. Mostly in drinks. But really I ate raspberries in pretty much every way I could get my mouth around them.

13. Babies! Suddenly about twelve hundred people I know are having babies, and baby showers, and taking pictures of their babies, and letting me hold their babies, and I love it and they are so cute. Again, not like the baby thing will stop necessarily when fall comes, but since this is the first time I'm noticing this, it will be associated at least for awhile with this summer.

Fall 2013, here we come...

Update: Oh no! I forgot something very important! Hell or High Watermelon should have been on this list. Since shandy spiked in popularity and price I took the hipster road and pretty much lived off of this light and delicious beverage. Plus the can is classic.