Saturday, July 31, 2010

Camp 2010 - Scenes from the week
















I feel pangs in my heart every time I'm up here, like running into your first crush years later. I'm so in love with the quiet here, the friendly neighborhoods, the kind hard working residents, and the quaint homes. Because I have been removed from this type of calm for so long I am able to find just as much excitement in the rushing streams as the city nightlife and just as much pleasure in sugar pea's off of the vine as a fancy restaurant. I know that without living in the big city and the not so big city I would still take it for granted. I am lucky. I have been able to experience so many worlds. The one where my family is will always be my favorite.

p.s. the cute photo of the two little girls is my aunts, we are a family of great photographers ;)

Camp 2010 - Blueberry Patch







There could not have been a better day to pick blueberries. The cool morning air still lingering and the bushes wet from the previous days rain. My mom and dad raced to fill their buckets while Sara and I took our time enjoying this rare activity for city dwellers. At the end of an hour we bought the 36lbs we picked and began the car ride blueberry feast.

Camp 2010 - Scenes from the road






All together it's a twelve hour drive from Columbus to Upstate New York.

My Aunt's house is about mid way and we stop here for the night. She is a fantastic hostess. It's nearly impossible to not feel at home. We are welcomed with open arms and everything has been arranged for our arrival. Her two young boys sneak out of bed and peak down the stairs waving and giggling with excitement. In the morning I chase the farm cats trying to convince them that are lap cats (unsuccessfully). And after everything is loaded back into the car we take the scenic route along Lake Ontario towards camp.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I'm an aunt!!

I'm still waiting for my camera from New York but I wanted to drop a quick line to let everyone know that I am officially an Aunt now. My sister is awesome! This morning she gave birth to Kyle, 8lbs, 4 oz, and 21 inches long. I'm so proud of her and can not wait to see the little sweet pea :D

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Forgetful me

Every time I come home from camp I realize that I forgot something. One year I went straight from camp to band camp and realized once there that my flute was still in New York. I have always been forgetful. I lose the most important things and forget to take the most necessary. So this year I forgot my camera. ughhh. How am I suppose to blog without a camera? Well hopefully it will be back soon but in the mean time my blog will be slow going and/or filled with other peoples pictures.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

07.08.10


11:46 a.m. - packing for the annual New York trip. I will be gone for a week and may not blog until I get back.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Fresh bread and honey butter


My uncle Merlin's Hawaiian bread recipe has been sitting in my in box for months. It's hasn't been that I don't want to make it, it's that bread scares me. It seems so fussy and easy to mess up. Yet I made it, and it worked, and it was delicious. So was the honey butter I made to go on top. Dinner club was delicious as always.

(Makes 6 loaves)
12 cups plain flour
6 eggs
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP yeast
1 cup butter

Beat eggs; add pineapple juice, water, sugar, ginger, vanilla, and melted margarine. Put 3 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Add egg mixture & stir & stir until well mixed. Sprinkle in yeast 1 TBSP at a time, mixing well. Gradually add another 3 cups of flour. Batter will be hard to mix with a spoon. (I did not find this to be true, it was still very liquidy compared to what I thought it would be like). Leave batter in bowl, cover with a cloth & place in warm place. Let rise one hour. Remove cover & knead in remaining 6 cups of flour. Knead about 10 times. Divide into rolls or loaves and place in well greased pans. Cover & place in warm place to rise for 1 hour. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

Honey Butter recipe: melt butter and honey together and bring to slight boil. Let harden in freezer or fridge. Whip before serving.

Cat tested, owner approved.




More pictures to come.

Where music is king


Mark has been M.I.A., spending his days at a new recording studio where he is interning. Tin Armor is unofficially living there as they record their new c.d. Today I crossed the trenches and brought rations in the form of waffles to all the guys. Everyone was waking up as I got there, slowly congregating in the kitchen for breakfast and preparing themselves for a long day of recording. Except Dexter, he's the dog, he's just preparing himself for another awesome day surrounded by cool dudes.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Goodbye couch slide


CURRENT SOFA





OPTION 1 - obviously need reupholstered





OPTION 2





OPTION 3 - my favorite





OPTION 4


Our house is officially broke in and I am feeling the tug to redecorate. A new couch is obviously the first priority as we are lovingly referring to our current one as the "couch slide". Above are the Craigslist options I'm leaning towards. Thoughts? It will depend greatly on which ones are still available.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Fireworks and why bikes are better





My friends parents were generous enough to open up there downtown condo to us young things to watch Red White and Boom. I made a wise choice of taking my bicycle and I flew from work, down closed city streets, to the condo. The view is breath taking and it's hard not to feel lucky to see the show from up above rather than in the sea of people. Columbus continues to impress me, the show was amazing with a huge rumbling finale.

And after it was all said and done the four of us jumped on our bicycles and strolled our way home through the stopped traffic.

07.01.10


10:20 pm - Greta being her cute self.

I heart Columbus - Franklin Park Conservatory











It's a magical place. It's easy to pretend for a moment that nothing exists outside of here. But of course that is not true because the Franklin Park Conservatory is inspired by every other place, by every climate, and every landscape. The Chihuly glass mixed into the horticulture is what makes it distinctly Columbus, unlike any other green house. Mark and I went for their annual Blooms & Butterflies exhibition where hundreds of butterflies are released in the Pacific Island water garden. The insects flutter around you and sometimes even land on you. With loads of charm packed into one venue it's easy to see why so many Columubus natives choose this venue for their weddings and special occasions.