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Painting at OriJENals

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:40:30 -0600

This weekend my friend Allyson and I finally tried out a canvas painting class at OriJENals in Nashville. I was a little worried about keeping up with the instructor, but it was actually a very relaxing evening of painting.

For $30 (or $15 if you have a Groupon), you get a 2-hour lesson with step-by-step instructions on how to paint a particular piece of art with all supplies included. It may look hard, but anyone can do it. By the end, I felt like a real artist…

And now for the finished product. Not bad huh?

Thanks to this fun night out with Allyson, I am officially halfway through my 101 List (just finished #53 - paint a large canvass). 584 days to go, and still ahead of schedule!

Til next time,

Illinois, apples and ice cream

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:51:22 -0500

This weekend I decided to drive up to Illinois to see the family. My little cousin was having his birthday party on Saturday night, and everyone always gets together to celebrate. We spent the night eating hotdogs, taking hayrides through the farm and hanging out around the bonfire. It was perfect.

The next morning I woke up to the smell of my mom’s home cooking. She knows I love her french toast, so she whipped me up a batch for breakfast. The trick to her french toast is the bread. She buys it homemade from the local Mennonite store where they make the world’s most amazing bread. This way the slices are extra thick and chewy…

Doesn’t it look delicious?

After breakfast we packed up and headed to Flamm Orchards, the apple orchard in town. Nothing like getting apples straight from the tree!

I definitely had my eye on the caramel apples there. I’ve never seen them dipped in chocolate before. Now why didn’t I think of that?

Mom ended up getting a bag of each color and let me steal a few to take back to Nashville. I can’t wait to eat them.

After stocking up on fruit, the parents and I settled down at the orchard’s patio and got ourselves some ice cream. I had the most amazing ice cream sandwich, mom had an ice cream cone and dad had some homemade apple pie. Mmm…

What a perfect way to start the fall season. Can’t wait to see what else it has in store.

Happy fall!

- Lu

A day in the Bay

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:12:39 -0500

I recently took a trip to San Francisco to celebrate my best friend’s wedding. After spending days in the kitchen making her wedding cake (pictures and blog here) and fulfilling my duties as a bridesmaid, I had one full day to enjoy the city before heading home. My friend was nice enough to loan me her car, so I set out on my own to explore.

First stop on my list - Sausalito. I’d been here before on past visits, but it’s just too pretty not to see again.

The center of Sausalito is at the bottom of a very steep incline, making for a spectacular view as you head into town…

The downtown area itself is so adorable. I spent half the day here walking around, taking pictures and reading. It was so peaceful.

I even caught a farmers’ market in the park while I was there!

For lunch, I stopped at one of the cute little sidewalk cafes and had myself a grilled cheese sandwich and the most amazing peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Mmmm….

After lunch, I headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge, where I spent the next 4 1/2 hours walking all the way across the bridge and back (click here for blog and pictures). It was such a pretty walk!

Then I headed up into the Marin Headlands to do some more exploring. I came across a short trail that led to this amazing rock out in the bay, so I set out on a hike!

The view along the way was pretty spectacular too…

After the hike, I drove a bit further and found a beach - Rodeo Beach. Here I spent the last part of my day reading and watching the sunset.

All in all, it was the perfect last day in the city, and I definitely made the most of my one day of site-seeing. Now I can’t wait to go back and do some more exploring!

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:32:03 -0500

After my friend’s wedding in San Francisco this weekend, I had a day to go site seeing before heading home. First item on my agenda: walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Looking back, it was quite an undertaking for a pansie such as myself. I’m not much for physical activity - although I did just join a gym, which even shocked my own mother - but for some reason I thought it would be cool to say I walked across the whole thing.

So Sunday afternoon I set out by myself, snapping pictures along the way.

They definitely weren’t lying when they said it was crowded. There were people everywhere! I thought for sure I’d get run over by a biker or two. And just a word of warning - be sure and stay on the “walking” side of the sidewalk. Some bikers scream at you if you stray over to their side (which I learned from experience).

One of my favorite things about walking the bridge was getting to see all the details you miss when you’re driving. Plus you can stop and watch dolphins, seals and people out wind surfing below. It was quite an entertaining walk.

(Bikers watching dolphins below…)

At the halfway mark, I debated turning around. Not only was it still quite a ways to the other side, but once I got there I knew I’d have to walk all the way back. (Picture at halfway mark.)

Fortunately I decided not to give up, and I’m so glad I didn’t because the view from the other side was amazing!

So now I can say I’ve walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Even though it took me four hours to do it (probably because I stopped to take so many pictures), and I ended up with blisters on my feet and really awkward half-arm sunburns, I loved the whole experience.

If you’re ever in San Francisco, make sure you take the time to walk the bridge too. You won’t be sorry!

Cake, cake and more cake

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:29:42 -0500

The past week has been quite an adventure, to say the least. Last Tuesday I flew out to San Francisco for my best friend Nang’s wedding. In addition to fulfilling my bridesmaid duties, I was also in charge of making the cake.

I’ve never done a cake for a wedding before, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All she wanted though was 150 iced cupcakes and a small 6 inch fondant-covered cake for the top. Simple enough, right?

Just to be safe, I started baking as soon as I got to town on Tuesday. The wedding was on Friday but we had a whole day of bridesmaid stuff scheduled for Thursday, so that gave me two days beforehand to worry about cake.

By Tuesday evening, I was completely finished baking. It went by a lot faster than I had thought, making me very optimistic about the whole undertaking.

The next morning I got an early start on making my buttercream icing, assuming it would be another fast job. Boy was I wrong. It took me 6 hours to make 22 batches of icing - enough to fill an entire pot - and an extra hour to color it blue. By the end, my feet ached, my arms were killing me, and I was completely covered in powdered sugar.

Once the icing was made, I had to ice all the cupcakes. Another hour spent…

Then I added tiny little paper butterflies to each cupcake that Nang had made beforehand. She used a butterfly cutout, scrapbook paper and glued them to the tips of toothpicks. They looked awesome.

I finally finished the cupcakes around 7pm, and at this point all I had left was the top cake, which I was sure would only take an hour or so. Yeah, that didn’t happen either. I didn’t finish with the top til around midnight. At least the finished product was rewarding.

All in all, I spent 13 hours in the kitchen Wednesday and 7 the day before. I’ve never done so much baking in my life.

The next day, the groom graciously volunteered to taste-test, and thankfully they passed inspection.

It might’ve taken me 20 hours to make the wedding cake, but it was all worth it. Nang and Chris are worth it. And on the day of the wedding, it was quite a hit. I can’t say I’d do it again any time soon, but I’m glad I could help out my best friend on her special day.

World's largest treehouse

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:32:25 -0500

Did you know the world’s largest treehouse happens to be in Tennessee, just two hours outside of Nashville? That’s right. This massive 10-story, 97-foot treehouse is located just off I-40 and is open to the public free of charge.

And since the boyfriend and I were passing right through Crossville last weekend, it was the perfect opportunity to stop by and check it out for ourselves.

I have to say, it’s quite an impressive treehouse. I’ve definitely never seen anything like it before.

We spent some time climbing to the top and exploring each level. I have no idea how one man built this all by himself.

In the center of the treehouse is a multi-story chapel, where I believe they even hold church services.

Not a bad pitstop on our quick roadtrip out to Gatlinburg. I’m not sure I’d make a special trip to go here, but if you’re already passing by, you may want to take a detour.

If you’d like to check it out yourself, the “Minister’s Treehouse” is located at the end of Beehive Lane in Crossvile, Tennessee.

Happy climbing!

Finally, my first CMAFest

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:12:08 -0500

Every June, Nashville is invaded by country fans decked out in their cowboy hats and cowboy boots, and they’re all here for one reason - CMAFest. I’ve watched them trek past my office on their way to concerts, parades and meet and greets for five years now, wishing I could follow them. And this year, I finally did.

Since my parents’ birthdays are both in June, I ended up buying the three of us tickets to Friday night’s show at LP Field. Not a bad birthday present if you ask me.

The lineup that night was amazing: Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Reba. Of course my personal favorite was Sugarland - they did some hilarious country covers of Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” Cee Lo’s “Forget You” and Destiny’s Childs’ “Bootylicious.” And to make the night even more exciting, Shania Twain made a quick guest appearance on stage. Kind of hard to beat a concert like that for $30!

After the show, we got to enjoy fireworks on our walk back to the car…a perfect way to end the night.

And now I can mark a couple more things off my 101 List - #49: Go to the CMAFest in Nashville and #83: See someone new in concert (Reba & Lady A).

Of course, that won’t keep me from going back again next year. I can’t let them have all that fun without me, now can I?

The Elkmont Synchronous Fireflies

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:11:35 -0500

This weekend I finally made it to the Elkmont Synchronous Firefly Show. In case you aren’t familiar, every June a rare species of fireflies synchronize their blinking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg, filling the sky with millions of tiny lights.

Since the light show didn’t start til sundown, we spent the day enjoying Gatlinburg. What a cute little town!

We started out at the famous Pankcake Pantry, and boy was it delicious!

After breakfast, we took a ride on the Gatlinburg Skylift. It was such a relaxing way to enjoy the gorgeous view of the city.

The view from the top was pretty amazing too…

While the boyfriennd and I were reading and enjoying the view, we were surprised by a little visitor…a ground hog. He darted under our table, and I jumped up on the bench and started screaming, not sure what to expect.

Turns out there was no need for alarm though. Apparently he was a local “pet” of sorts named Crackers who visits each day to beg visitors for food. He kept us all entertained for quite some time.

And in case you were wondering, ground hogs DO eat ice cream cones.

After the skylift, the boyfriend and I headed into the Great Smoky Mountain National park to do some hiking up to Laurel Falls. So pretty.

And again, more beautiful views from here as well…

Finally after a long day of exploring, it was time to see the fireflies. I have to say it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Sitting in the pitch black forest, we were surrounded by millions of blinking lights. It was spectacular. And now I can finally mark it off my 101 List (#11 - See the Elkmont Synchronous Fireflies).

Photo from “Inside Gatlinburg.”

If you ever get a chance to see it yourself, I highly recommend going. This year it runs through June 12, so there’s still time! And since finding info about it online is almost impossible, I’ll leave you with a few tips:

In order to go to the firefly viewing area, you must be parked in the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Once the lot is full, you’ll be turned away. Be sure and get there early. I’d say by 3pm at the latest.
To be on the safe side, you could park here in the morning and take the tan line trolley into Gatlinburg to kill time til evening. It runs every 1 1/2 hours. (Click here for schedule.)
The trolleys for the firefly show will start leaving from the parking lot around 7pm.
Be sure to bring a flashlight. They’ll give you red cellophane to cover it with at the firefly viewing area.
Bring a jacket or a blanket. It gets cold after sunset.
I’d recommend sitting just off the main pathway inside the woods. It’ll be darkest inside the tree line allowing you to see the fireflies better.
Be aware that it’s going to take awhile to catch a trolley back down to your car. We packed up to leave at 10pm and stood in line for a trolley until 11:45pm.
To find out when the firefly festival will take place each year, start googling “Smoky Mountain Synchronous Fireflies” in May for the announced dates.

Niagara Falls

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:26:33 -0500

One of the great things about driving on vacations is having the flexibility to stop and enjoy places along the way. On our recent trip to Maine, we decided to spend a night in Niagara Falls, which was about half way between Portland and Nashville.

We got there just in time to see the nightly light show. In case you aren’t familiar, each night around 9:00 pm the Canadian side shines lights on the falls, illuminating them with gorgeous colors. In my opinion, it’s prettiest at night. Photos can’t even do it justice…

The next morning before heading out of town, we went back to the falls for a couple hours to take the Maid of the Mist boat tour beneath the falls (another thing I can mark off my 101 List: #69 - ride on a boat). Boy was it spectacular from below. It’s so much bigger than I imagined!

I would’ve loved to take my nice camera out there, but I couldn’t bear to risk getting it wet. So here are a few mediocre shots of our voyage from my point-and-shoot…

And a few more from my even more high-tech disposable water camera…

All in all it was a great pit stop, even though we only stayed a few hours. My only regret is not having time to get a passport before going so I could see it from the Canada side, which I’m told has an even more amazing view of the falls. I guess that just gives me a good reason to go back someday.

To see other posts from our trip, visit…

Inn on Carleton: Portland, ME

Food finds in Portland, ME

Portland Head Light

Portland, Maine

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:00:00 -0500

The boyfriend and I recently spent a week in Portland, Maine, and we both quickly fell in in love with its historic charm. It’s such a cute, quaint town full of old brick buildings and stone streets. I just love cities like this!

Of course the scenery is just as beautiful as the town. To get a better glimpse, the boyfriend and I took a 3-hour ferry ride from Portland to all the surrounding islands. It was breathtaking!

One thing we found from the ferry was another lighthouse to explore - Spring Point Ledge Light. Much to my surprise, you could actually walk all the way out to the lighthouse on the rocky pathway. It was awesome.

Similar to Portland Head Light, this lighthouse was also surrounded by old forts from past wars, which kept Tanner entertained for hours.

Since we had a car, we also did a lot of exploring in nearby towns. We stopped at Old Orchard Beach to see this unique pier…

Our next stop was Ogunquit to explore the Perkins Cove area. Here we discovered this long canopy full of white wooden beach chairs - what a find! We spent quite a long time sitting here reading and enjoying the view of the ocean.

Our last pit stop was in Cape Neddick to see Nubble Lighthouse. Sadly the lighthouse sits out on an island, so you can’t actually get to the grounds. It was still beautiful to see from across the way though.

If it wasn’t for their arctic winter, I’d move to Portland in a heartbeat. Guess I’ll just settle for visiting in the summer.

Til next time,

The Nashville Rollergirls

Tue, 24 May 2011 08:08:47 -0500

This weekend the boyfriend and I went to see the Nashville Rollergirls in action, our very first roller derby. Definitely not our typical weekend affair, but it’s always good to step out of the box and try something new.

After we figured out the game, it was quite an intense experience. The girls were so hardcore - running into each other, shoving each other, pushing each other down - it was awesome. With names like “Hildabest,” “Olive TurmOyl,” “Killah B. Killed,” “Nix and Bruises” (my favorite player) and “Lady Fury,” what do you expect?

If you’re really brave, you can even sit by the track in what they call the “Suicide Lane” where you’re pretty much guaranteed to end up with a skater on your lap. Tanner and I weren’t quite ready for that. Maybe next time…

We still enjoyed the game from our safe seats in the stands though. The first game was the most intense. We were trailing til the very end when we came back and won the game. The crowd went crazy! We won the second game by a landslide - less intense, but still exciting.

All in all, it was an amazing night. It definitely put me in touch with my inner-punk side. Now all I need is a hardcore name. Maybe “Lu Cifer” or “The Ha Lu Cinator.” I’m still working through my options…

For tickets and more information on the Rollergirls, visit their website.

Portland Head Light

Tue, 17 May 2011 08:49:46 -0500

Located in Fort Williams Park, this place was our first - and favorite - stop during our vacation in Portland, Maine. The entire park is gorgeous, from the beautiful lighthouse to the breathtaking view of the ocean.

I loved how nothing was roped off or restricted in the park, so you could go anywhere you wanted. Tanner and I spent hours exploring the shoreline around the lighthouse. And the second day we came here, I spent much of it sitting on the cliffs gazing at the ocean. There’s just something I love about a rocky coast.

Of course, Tanner’s favorite part about the park was the history. There were tons of old forts lining the park, most of which were remnants of World War I & II. It was fascinating to learn how these were used so long ago.

Before we headed out on our last day, I begged to come back one last time. Of course, it didn’t take much begging since Tanner wanted to do some more exploring. We ended up spending another half day here before driving on to Niagara Falls (more on that later).

In just two short days, this park and lighthouse has become my new favorite place. And I can now mark another thing off my 101 List (# 7 - visit a lighthouse). If you get a chance to visit Portland, don’t leave without seeing it. You won’t be sorry!

Food finds in Portland, ME

Fri, 13 May 2011 08:55:52 -0500

One of the things I enjoyed most during our trip to Portland last week was trying out their local restaurants. Below is a run-down of some of our best finds…

1) Miss Portland Diner - One of the items on my 101 List is to eat at an old-fashioned diner (#8). So when I discovered this adorable diner was in town, I begged the boyfriend to eat there with me.

Walking into the diner car, it was just how I imagined an old-school diner looking. How perfect!

And of course, you have to order a burger and shake at a diner, right? I even got a side of sweet potato fries (one of my new favorites). It was delicious.

2) The Crooked Mile - Probably my favorite find on the trip. This little sandwich shop served the most amazing grilled cheese, which seemed to be their specialty. They also had a wide variety of unique sandwiches, a few soups (including tomato) and delicious homemade cookies for dessert. We ended up spending a few rainy afternoons here reading and enjoying the food.

3) Flatbread Pizza Co. (site) - We tried out three pizza places in Portland, and this was by far the best. It was my very first time eating at a stone oven pizza place and definitely won’t be my last.

What makes this place so unique (besides the stone oven) was their wide variety of crazy toppings and combinations. We ordered half spicy pepperoni for me (which was VERY spicy and very good) and half of their special - mashed potatos, corn, beef and cheese - for the boyfriend. Yes, I realize this seems disgusting, but I did end up trying it and it was surprisingly very good. It must be common in New England too because every pizza place we went to served it. If you’re not scared, it’s definitely worth trying!

(My apologies for the horrible picture - it was really dark inside.)

4) Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream -A cute little ice cream parlor that serves a ton of different flavors and even makes their own frozen yogurt. I ordered a heathbar hot fudge brownie sundae (delicious) and Tanner got the biggest ice cream cone I’ve ever seen…

5) Flo’s Hot Dogs - Locals tell me this little hot dog hut is an institution in the Portland area. Located along Route 1 in Cape Neddick, Maine, Flo’s Hot Dogs is a famous family-owned steamed hot dog restaurant. Just be warned, they ONLY serve hot dogs and they only have a few toppings to choose from, one of which is their famous relish. We were a little disappointed they didn’t have cheese or chili, but it was still a good basic hot dog.

Inn on Carleton: Portland, ME

Wed, 11 May 2011 08:43:08 -0500

Last week the boyfriend and I headed out on an eight-day road trip. Two days and thirteen states later, we ended up here - the Inn on Carleton - where we spent four nights and five days exploring the city.

Normally on a trip this long, I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed again, but not this time. I fell in love with this Inn and almost cried the day we checked out. I could’ve stayed forever.

The home is an amazing three-story historic building built in the 1800s, a gem in and of itself.

The front door opens to this gorgeous entryway leading up to the rooms.

Of course, I got the best room in the house. Since we came just before peak season started, we actually got to pick. Below is the one I chose, fully equipped with an electric fireplace and a massive bathroom with an old-school claw tub and a double-headed shower.

Each morning, we couldn’t wait to head down to the kitchen where the Inn Keeper Buddy served us the most amazing breakfast.

Being the extreme picky eater that I am, I’m not one to normally care much about food, but he was quite the cook. For the most part, we got to choose what we wanted, and Buddy would whip up a homemade breakfast made to order. Below are several of his picture-perfect dishes…

Side of strawberries with homemade whip cream.

One of our daily pastry appetizers.

Scrambled eggs and my latest addiction - English muffins. That’s right, I’d never had an English muffin before (I’m picky remember).

Homemade Belgian waffles.

And for our final day - stuffed blueberry french toast.

What I enjoyed just as much as the Inn and the food though was the Inn Keeper Buddy and his assistant Sonya. They were so friendly and fun to talk to that the boyfriend and I couldn’t wait to come down for breakfast and visit with them each morning. I’d actually revisit the Inn just so I could see them again.

All that said, if you’re ever planning a trip to the Portland area, be sure and check out the Inn on Carleton. I’m pretty sure you won’t want to go home either.

Check back soon for more on our trip, including our Portland food adventures, lighthouse explorations, and our days in Philly and Niagara Falls.

Til next time,

Road trip!

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:51:15 -0500

In two days the boyfriend and I are headed out on our most ambitious road trip yet - an 8-day tour of the upper East Coast. I’ve never planned a trip quite this intense. It’s definitely going to be an adventure!

Our first pit-stop is in Philadelphia where we’ll check out the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Then we’re spending a day in in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and a day in Boston. And our final destination - Portland, Maine!

Ever since my photography class last fall, I’ve been obsessed with going to Maine. Now that I know how to take good pictures, it seems like a beautiful place to practice. I’ve also developed a thing for lighthouses, and I’ve mapped out about six I’d like to visit (another thing on my 101 List). Here’s hoping the boyfriend doesn’t get tired of lighthouses next week.

After exploring Maine for three days, we’re driving home a different route to stop in Niagara Falls. I’m so excited to see the falls - definitely something on my bucket list. And I’ve heard it’s even more impressive at night!

So all in all, it should be an amazing week. We may spend a small fortune on gas and tolls and I’m sure we’ll come back completely exhausted, but it’ll all be worth it. I’ll tell you all about it as soon as I get back!

Til next time,

Baby shower tree cake

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:06:17 -0500

I haven’t had time to decorate cakes lately, but this past week I ended up having two cake orders for baby showers. The first was easy - an order of cupcakes (pictures of those another day). But the second was a little more challenging for me - a 10 inch iced cake.

Sure it seems easy enough, but the truth is I’ve only been making fondant cakes lately, so it had been over a year since I’ve done an iced cake. Perhaps I should’ve practiced a little before volunteering.

It also didn’t help that I had the world’s busiest week and absolutely no time to make the cake in the first place. My only option was Saturday night, the night before the baby shower.

I didn’t get home until 10pm and started quickly baking. I stayed up til 1am getting my cake dirty iced, and it wasn’t going well. The cake was uneven, icing was oozing out of the sides, one side even had a huge hole in it. Frustrated, I took a break to sleep, having lost all hope for this cake.

The next morning I got up early. The shower wasn’t until 2pm, so that gave me several hours to salvage the cake. I put another layer of icing on it, and things started looking up. I have to say though, after working with fondant, I really don’t like iced cakes. I can never get them to look smooth, no matter how much I spread out the icing. It’s definitely not ideal for a perfectionist like me.

In the end, I feel like it came together nicely. I used chocolate fudge icing to pipe a tree and made leaves out of fondant to match the colors of the baby shower. I then cut out fondant letters to spell “baby” since I was too scared I’d mess it up piping it out of icing.

So, after all that hard work and stress, here’s what it looked like. It’s not perfect by any means, but it worked…

I’m glad I pulled it off, but I’m thinking this might be my last iced cake for awhile. I’d hate to give myself a heart attack in my 20s.

Chocolate brownie muffins

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 08:26:57 -0500

Yesterday I spent the day in the kitchen with quite an ambitious agenda: my mom’s famous homemade rolls, a lasagna to go with them for dinner and chocolate brownie muffins to eat for breakfast all week. Let’s just say things didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped.

First on the agenda were homemade rolls - something I’d been dying to learn how to make now that I have a KitchenAid Mixer. I waited and waited…and waited, but the rolls never rose. I finally got frustrated and threw them in the oven anyways. It wasn’t pretty. Obviously I messed something up along the way, although I have no idea what.

My second endeavor wasn’t much more successful. I’ve made lasagna a number of times and it’s never gone badly before, but for some reason the bottom layer of noodles turned out tough. At least it was more edible than the rolls though.

At this point I was 0 for 2. Here’s hoping the muffins go better (another recipe I’ve never done before.) Things were going smoothly until I got to the last step - add chocolate chips.

Now let me explain that chocolate chips are my favorite snack. I always have plenty on hand, which is why I failed to check on them before I went grocery shopping. When it came time to add them, I realized I was down to about 10 chips. Great.

So I had to drop what I was doing to run to the store (for the second time that day) and pick up more chocolate chips. Luckily they turned out beautifully after all that trouble. At least I got to end my exhausting day in the kitchen on a high note.

And if I can pull these off without messing them up, it must not be too difficult. Here’s the recipe if you want to give them a try yourself…

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs, add milk, oil and vanilla.
Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.
Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until blended.
Scoop into muffin pan. (They don’t rise much, so fill almost full).
Bake at 350-375 degrees for 16-20 minutes.

And since I mastered the muffin recipe, I’m one step closer to marking another item off my 101 List (#51 - Add 4 new recipes to my “usual meal” rotation). Three down, one to go.

Til next time!

-Lu

My birthday photoshoot

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:09:42 -0500

I’m beginning to see the downside of being a photographer. I’m never in any of the pictures. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve gotten any good shots of me and the boy now that I’m always behind the camera. And that just won’t do.

So to fix this little issue, I asked my good friend Meghan for a couples shoot for my birthday. Of course, she gladly agreed.

And since I just got the batch of images yesterday, I thought I’d share some of my favorites. I may be a little biased, but I’m in love with them.

Sadly my amazing massive red balloon blew away in the middle of the shoot. I’m definitely going to have to invest in another one of those. That thing was awesome!

And with that, I can mark another thing off my 101 List (#9 - Get my picture taken by a photographer). That’s right Meghan - I think we’ve done enough practicing now to be real photographers!

Hope you all enjoyed them!

Roadtrip to nowhere

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:41:55 -0500

I’m not the type of person who plans trips to the middle of nowhere or who travels without a detailed itinerary. I typically go somewhere big and exciting, packing my days full of everything I can think of and heading home completely exhausted. That’s my kind of vacation.

But what do you do when your life gets so hectic that you’re already exhausted before you ever leave home? How about a trip to a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Last week my boyfriend and I packed up with no plans at all and headed to Helen, Georgia, with our friends Brendan and Stacy and their 3-year-old son, Max.

Our cabin was completely amazing. Three floors of wonderfulness with huge rooms, comfy beds, two living rooms, a huge kitchen, a fire pit and best of all, a hot tub out on the deck. Maybe a few days of seclusion wouldn’t be so bad after all.

The first night we had a weenie roast, followed by s’mores of course - another thing I can mark off my 101 List (#73). Then we ended the evening in the hot tub. The next day we went out to the little German-looking village in Helen, Georgia, where we ate lunch at a cafe on the river, took a carriage ride and got some ice cream.

Then we took a quick hike to Anna Ruby Falls. What a gorgeous trail!

The next day Tanner and I headed to Atlanta for a couple days where we saw a performance of Peter Pan, did some shopping and hit up IKEA before heading home. All in all, it was a great trip.

Looks like I can mark another thing off my 101 List (#61 - take a roadtrip to somewhere new).

Time to get back to my hectic life. Luckily I have another vacation planned in the very near future.

Finally, a girlie camera bag

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:50:00 -0500

Is it just me, or are camera bags a little too manly? I’ve done a lot of shopping around, and they’re all typically the same: rugged, bulky and black (or another boring dark color). Half the bags I find weigh too much empty, let alone with equipment in tow. And have you seen the sizes of some of these backpacks? What girl wants to strap on a bag that hangs down to her knees?

Thankfully I recently found a girlie alternative: JoTotes. This company sells the most adorable leather purses made just for camera equipment. Finally, a fashionable camera bag geared toward women.

(Inside contains several movable padded dividers to organize equipment to your liking.)

While they’re not exactly cheap, the price is easily justified if you lug your camera around as much as I do. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to dish out a little money to protect your expensive equipment. Am I right?

So if you’d like to join me and leave those horribly hideous manly bags by the wayside, check out their site. Happy shopping!