City of Brotherly Love

Actually we didn't feel any love while we were in Philly. We got to our hotel Friday evening, relaxed a bit then decided to check out South St. For some reason it wasn't as great as I remembered it. Maybe we just didn't go to the right part of South St., but we weren't impressed. Saturday we walked around the city--saw City Hall, Reading Terminal Market, the LOVE statue, and of course the Rocky steps. Which I fell UP--no surprise there. Funny story--Saturday morning we go to Dunkin Donuts to get some quick breakfast, and this I assume homeless man runs in before us and orders a coffee. When the cashier tells him how much, he points at ME and says "Oh, she payin for it." Oh really? Well obviously I just paid even though I was mad. Sunday morning we stopped at Tony Luke's before our drive home. Kev's words were "This tastes exactly like a Steak-umm." So yeah, won't be going back to Philly soon.

Mumford & Sons Concert

A couple weeks ago I had the awesome privilege of seeing Mumford & Sons live. For those of you who love Mumford--you know how hard it is to actually see these guys in person. Well, my boyfriend somehow pulled off getting us tickets to their show in Camden, NJ. Not only did I get to catch them live, but the only things separating me with the stage, were a girl, a security guard, and a camera. That's it. We were up close and personal to Marcus and the band. And it was ah-maz-ing. Of course with general admission we had to get there super early, it was snowing and freezing. Once you got your spot there was really no going to the bathroom or to get a drink. Trust me, I went to get a drink and almost didn't make it back to my spot. But in the end it was worth it. The two openers were Haim -- three sisters from California, and Ben Howard -- he's from England and was so talented. Since seeing them I've become huge fans of both acts. I think my favorite part of the night was the last encore. Mumford came back out and played The Cave, then brought every performer back on the stage for a grand finale of Bruce Springsteen's Atlantic City--also performed by The Band and one of my favorite songs ever! I couldn't have asked for a better show.

Haim

Ben Howard

Marcus Mumford

(Pictures all taken with my iPhone)

The Chew

I had a pretty great couple of days this past weekend. Saw my friend Kate in Lancaster, went to NYC for the day to attend the Oscar taping of The Chew, saw Strawberry Fields in Central Park for the first time, visited one of my favorite places, Woodstock, NY and saw Mumford & Sons in New Jersey. LOTS of driving, but it was well worth it. The Chew was fun. MUCH better than Rachael Ray. The hosts were so personable, funny, and interacted well with the audience. It was their Oscar special so we had to get all dressed up--long dresses, heels, suits--just to sit in the audience. We were kind of hoping we'd get some cool swag for dressing the part, but we didn't. Kate did get her grocery receipt drawn and was handed $150 cash from Mario Batali! The studio was colorful and nicely decorated. Overall, it was a good trip! I'd definitely recommend going to The Chew if you get tickets!

Valentine's Day.

Ok, I know Valentines Day was six days ago, but hey, every day deserves a little love. I made some homemade Valentines this year. You know that dollar bin at Michaels? Well every time I'm there I snoop through it and end up spending way more than a dollar. That's where these cards and stamps are from. The rest of the supplies I found around my house. There's something relaxing to me about getting all this together and taking some time to make some homemade love.

Valentine's gift from my BFF, Kate at Newlywed Kitchen!

Mid-Week Inspiration.

Image from Pen and Paint on Etsy.

Last week is going so. dang. slow. I had sorority recruitment at Duquesne over the weekend (I’m their General Advisor) so I was busy, busy, busy. From Thursday to Sunday my days were filled with preparing, rearranging, counting, and not much sleeping. And I loved every second of it. People think I’m crazy, but you have to remember this was my job for an entire year! Preparing for recruitment, recruitment, post-recruitment, etc. Plus it’s so enjoyable seeing the chapter come together to recruit new amazing members.

I did have a little break on Saturday, I went to see Les Miserables at the Benedum Center. It was my first time seeing it and definitely not my last. I knew the story, which definitely helped while watching, but was still so inspired and moved. I’ve been singing the songs for the past three days.

So since my past weekend was jam-packed, I so looked forward to a weekend with no serious plans. I went to Ikea, updated my bedroom, had an engagement party Saturday night, and relaxed and watched the Super Bowl on Sunday. It was just what I needed.

Chalkboard Crazy

Okay, so I know that chalkboard paint isn’t a new thing, but I just recently felt the need to buy it for some new crafty projects. I bought the actual paint and the spray paint, and I think I like the spray paint better. I went to Michael’s and bought a picture frame—I love how the the frame looks like old wood.

The process is super easy. Take out the glass, sand it, clean it, and then spray away. I did four coats, alternating between horizontal and vertical sprays, with about 15 minute drying time in between. It’s hard to do, but let the paint dry for close to 24 hours. Once it’s completely dry, prime the board by rubbing chalk all over it, then erasing it off. Viola, your new chalkboard is ready to use!

I’m tea crazy and was getting sick of buying the ugly Teavana tea containers, so I went to Marshalls and bought some cute glass canisters and painted the tops so I can label my tea! I thought this was a better idea than actual labels, because sometimes I go through a tea pretty quick so this way I don’t have to peel off and reprint labels.

My best friend’s birthday is the end of this month, and she is one of the greatest cooks I know. I wanted to do something different so I made her a little cooking basket. I found these cute glass canisters at Marshalls, painted the front, and filled them each with a different spice—curry powder, Hawaiian sea salt, and apple wood smoked sea salt. This way when she uses them all up, she can easily reuse the containers!

This isn’t chalkboard paint related, but it is a chalkboard. I was cleaning and found this old chalkboard that I bought years ago when I was in Williamsburg, VA. I brought it in to work with me and each month I change the phrase—something fun to add to my office!

So, after all that, I think I owe a big thank you to whoever the wise guy was who invented chalkboard paint. You’re the best.