How do you know when your hair dryer is dying?

I think my hair dryer is on its last legs. Whenever I use it (which is daily) it makes this very loud crackling sound. It's such an odd and concerning sound that when Jeff hears it he always remarks "that doesn't sound normal". Agreed. However, it still heats up and still dries my hair, so it's still serving its sole purpose. It does smell a little funky when I use it and I swear it's going to burst into flames one of these days without warning.

I'm not even sure what the shelf-life is for a hair dryer these days. I think this one is about 2-3 years old. It's not a high quality hair dryer but it gets the job done. I hate to break down and buy a new one since this one seems to be working perfectly pretty well. I also don't want to get out of the shower one day with a wet head and find that my hair dryer has decided to quit working. Or worse, start drying my hair only to witness flames coming out of the dryer and towards my head! It would be comical to witness though. :)

Today's sewing project: kitchen apron

Just wanted to share today's sewing project:

(Please ignore the model who was still her in pj's and had been sewing for the last 2 hours)

My mother-in-law had picked up a ton of fabric for me at her local thrift store, and included in that pile of fabric were these two prints. It was really pretty simple. I cut my pattern to fit my body based on where I wanted the top and bottom of the apron to hit. I measured my mid-section so I knew how wide to make it. My mom had picked up a huge bag of bias tape at a garage sale last summer and in it was the perfect shade of green to match this fabric. I sewed the bias tape on the edges, hemmed my top and bottom, sewed on the ties, and then added 3 pockets with buttons (for decoration) and VOILA! it's done.

I have to do a bit of baking this week and I can't wait to try it out. The only thing I'm nervous about is how it will wash. It's cotton fabric so it should be fine. Guess I'll find out soon enough. I hate to say it, but this is only the 3rd thing I've ever made for myself. I need to start doing more sewing for me. All in good time.

No Cupcake Camp for 2011

I am sad to report that I found out today there will not be a Cupcake Camp Columbus in 2011. The amazing organizers for Cupcake Camp have decided to take a hiatus this year but hope to hold it again in 2012. Needless to say, I'm very sad.

I was prepared to actually bake this year with the KitchenAid Stand Mixer that Jeff had given me for Christmas. My sister-in-law even bought me 2 cupcake cookbooks and a cupcake decorating kit. Now that there isn't going to be a Cupcake Camp, what is a girl to do?

A couple friends have suggested that I host my own little Cupcake Camp at my house and invite friends to bake cupcakes, everyone eats them and we vote on our favorites. This suggestion has definitely peaked my interest. I was already plotting how I could do this only 5 minutes after the suggestion was made. I plan to take a look at my calendar, talk with a few friends, and decide if this is something I could really do. It certainly sounds fun!

So while the official Cupcake Camp Columbus will not be happening this year, Cupcake Camp Lombardi may be making it's official debut. More to come...hopefully!

I got an award!

It's my first blogging award and it was given to me by my amazing friend Jill over at Happy Hopefuls. If you're looking for an inspiring story of a woman who has more perseverance and strength than anyone you'll ever meet, check out her blog and her journey of becoming a mother. Thanks, Jill, for giving me my first ever blogging award!

For those that are nominated below, the rules for each of these awards are that you tell us 7 things about yourself and nominate 15 bloggers (and notify them). Since I don't even know 15 other bloggers, I'm going to stick with 8. Call me lazy. Maybe I need to expand my blog-reading horizons :)

First, here are 7 things about me!

1. I'm a Michigan fan with a degree from Ohio State.

2. I'm an only child.

3. I despise brussel sprouts.

4. I may be the only person I know not watching Glee.

5. I can only grow my fingernails out when I'm on a diet (weird, I know).

6. I've had grey hair since I was 16 years old.

7. I consider myself a morning person.

And the nominees are....

Allison at Bouncing Buckeye Baby

Tricia at Crockpot Tuesdays

Rumi at Lucky Frog

Tbonegrl at The Adventures of Taderbaby

Manday at Life Without Dragons

Em at Em and Dave's Excellent Adventure

Lori at Adventures in Grownupness

Alyson at Our Wonderful Life

I hope you ladies feel as special getting this award as I did! Each of you have awesome blogs and each of are most-deserving of this award. I can't wait to read some little-known-facts about each of you.

Just some ramblings

No real "title" for this post. Just some things I wanted to get off my chest, both good and bad.

I went home this past weekend to see my dad, who had back surgery. Not major surgery, but major enough. He's doing fine. A little too well. He's already trying to do too much. When I asked him if he read the instructions on post-surgery activities he, of course, did not. The other part of this situation is that my parents do NOT get along. They've been married for almost 30 years and honesty, I'm surprised they've been married this long. My Saturday morning started with me waking up to screaming and yelling in my house. That lasted for well over an hour and ended with my mom storming out of the house, me in tears and thinking about driving back to Columbus, and my dad sitting silently in the living room. I didn't leave because I would have felt guilty leaving him after having surgery just 2 days earlier. I stuck it out, my mom came home that afternoon, and everything seemed to work itself out. I'm pretty sick of this whole routine though. How bad is it that I think things would be so much better if they were divorced? Ugh.

On the upside, Jeff and I had a nice Valentine's Day. We went to dinner at a great Indian place near downtown called Indian Oven and then had dessert at my favorite place in Columbus, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (their new Bakeshop flavors are amazing). Jeff gave me a box of 6 truffles from our favorite chocolatier/bakery called Ganache and I got him a bottle of Scotch. It's safe to say we know each other's tastes very well. :)

I stepped on the scale this morning to find that my weight has finally dropped back into the 130's! Woohoo! I've been dying to see those numbers again. It actually makes me feel like I can reach my goal weight again. I'd like to get a little below my goal weight, just to give myself some wiggle room, but I'll be happy just to hit my goal weight again. Now to just keep it there...

I'm taking the next 2 days off work and we have Monday off as well due to President's Day. Essentially I have a 5-day weekend! Jeff and I plan to go to Jeffersonville Outlets on Friday and I want to dye my hair on Thursday. I plan to do a little sewing as well. But mostly I plan to relax and not think about work for 5 days.

Whenever NaBloPoMo comes up again, I plan to participate. I'd like to challenge myself to post every single day for a month. I think I could do it but I may have to write myself notes to remind myself to post. There would definitely be some one-sentence posts in the month, but I'm always up for a challenge!

Don't you just love it!

And by that I mean, don't you just love when you've been trying to lose weight and you're able to fit back into a pair of pants that have been sitting in your drawer, lonely, just waiting for you to put them back on (if only you didn't feel like a bloated cow when you wore them).

Well pants, I hope you feel like a day out on the town, because I can fit into you again!

:)

Figlio: My review

It was so much more than I expected! First of all, the atmosphere is so intimate and low-key. The lights are dim, there's just enough noise to keep things interesting but not so much that you feel like you have to yell just to have a conversation. The wait staff were all very nice and the service was prompt.

We went for Restaurant Week because we could try the restaurant and the food for a bit less money than if you just eat off the standard menu. For $20 per person, this is what we had:

Jeff

Crab and Corn Chowder

Pesto Chicken with Feta Pizza

Warm Apple Walnut Cake

Amy

Chop Chop Salad - a little too drenched in dressing for my liking

Teriyaki Chicken Pizza - great crust! Love the fresh pineapple. Could have had more teriyaki flavoring

Chocolate Silk Pie - I've never dissed chocolate in my life and I'm not about to start now. :)

They had a decent wine list, but with a wine place right next door that is owned by the same people, I would have expected a bigger "by the glass" selection.

I would definitely go back again when it isn't Restaurant Week. They have a Goat Cheese Pizza that I would love to get my hands on! It's a restaurant worth trying, at least once.

A Year of Dining Out in Columbus

For 2011, Jeff and I had the idea that we would try one new restaurant each month that we have never been to before. Better yet, why not do it with another great couple we are friends with. Jeff and I picked 6 restaurants and our friends are picking the other 6 restaurants. Tonight we are going to the first one on our list: Figlio. It's a restaurant we've been wanting to try for awhile now. But like everyone, we get into the same food rut and end up going to the same restaurants when we decide to eat out. This little "project" will hopefully expand our food horizons and push us one step closer to that "Columbus Foodie" category (but in a good way).

Here is our list of 6 restaurants:

1. Figlio

2. Aab India Restaurant

3. Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace

4. Barcelona

5. Knead

6. Si Senor

I plan to be back after going to each restaurant to give you a little food review, hopefully with pictures, and let you know about our experience. Figlio is all about their wood-fired pizzas. Jeff is a huge pizza fanatic so he'll undoubtedly enjoy it. I also enjoy pizza, but I enjoy it best with different and unique ingredients and flavor combinations. I'm hoping that Figlio will give me that opportunity. I'll keep you posted!

Weight Watchers: Back on the Wagon

So I'm not sure anyone is even reading my blog anymore, but thought I better write a post if I'm going to keep this blog at all. I'm back on Weight Watchers (WW) again. Started last week and trying to adjust to this new Points Plus program.

I was hesitant and skeptical at first, being as though I lost 30 lbs on the old program. However, after week 1, I have to admit, it's pretty good. I hate having to re-learn all the point values for my favorite foods but I like that I get to eat as many fruits and veggies as I want and not have to worry about the point total. I think the higher daily point total is a little fraudulent though because, although you get more points per day, everything you eat is a little higher in points like it used to be. It gives a sense of false hope that you get to eat more per day, when in all actuality, you're really not. I'm pretty sure I'm eating about the same amount of foods as I did on the old program. My food staples really haven't changed.

I need to lose 14 lbs to get back to my goal weight. I'm proud to say that I lost 3 lbs in the first week. Just 11 more to go! If losing this last 11 lbs is anything like it was last time, this may be a long couple of months. However, if I can convince myself that exercise is good and I should like exercise, maybe it'll be a bit easier.

I'll keep this updated each week with how the journey is going. I'm hoping that my blog can become my motivation tool to keep myself honest in this journey. That being said, I had City BBQ tonight as our one meal out per week and it was awesome! Back to being super strict tomorrow.

Until next time...
Amy

Trick or Treat!

I was so excited for our first Halloween in our new house. I was looking forward to actual trick-or-treaters coming to our door, ringing our doorbell, wearing awesome costumes, and me giving them candy. While we didn't have as many as I had hoped, we did have about 30 and they were all adorable.

And what's Halloween without a costume....

(Jackie dressed up too!)

Of course I was a cat. Like you didn't see that one coming.

We also carved some amazing pumpkins. Jeff and I went to a pumpkin patch near our home and carefully chose our pumpkins. The night of my birthday we carved them. Again, the amazing Jackie was with us and participated.

(Jeff's pumpkin is on the left, mine is in the middle and Jackie's is on the right)

Mine was carved using a stencil but Jackie's is free-hand. Doesn't she have awesome skills? Jeff's is free-hand as well and equally impressive. And of course the best thing about carving pumpkins is roasting and eating the seeds. Nothing better than roasted pumpkin seeds.

Hope everyone's Halloweens were equally as fun and exciting as ours!

Until next time...

Amy

Do you ever just feel "old"?

I'll be 27 in about 2 weeks. I know that by no means does that make me "old", but if you're only as old as you feel, does that also work in reverse? Some nights I feel like I'm about 75! Complaining about kids in our yard, falling asleep by 8:30 on the couch, griping that my knee or hip is hurting. Geez. Sounds like I could be a regular on the Golden Girls.

This weekend I was in Bowling Green for Homecoming. Nothing makes me feel older than watching a ton of college girls drinking, including people my age who are still able to drink at 2:00 in the afternoon and it never phases them. One glass of wine and I'm searching for the nearest place to take a nap! Plus, it was hard to tell friends that I couldn't party with them all night because "I have to get home to my husband and my cats".

It's official, I'm in my late twenties. And before you go asking "when are you having a baby", I can save everyone a breath and let you know that the new age for baby-making is 32. So I still have 5 more years before kids hit closer on the radar. Until then, I'm reveling and adoring all of my friends' babies. And since Jeff and I will probably never be an aunt and uncle, I'll have fun spoiling all babies of close friends.

So with the big 2-7 approaching, I'm left feeling somewhat old and somewhat not ready to grow up. Should be an interesting year.

Until next time...

Amy

A whirlwind month!

Wow! It's been over a month since I've posted, but at least I've got a good excuse. We're all moved in to our new house! The boxes are all mostly unpacked. The furniture is in, including our brand new couch and loveseat that my mom and dad purchased for us. We actually have a guest room with a full size bed (thanks Alyson!) so that guests can sleep on a bed instead of a 10+ year old futon. It's starting to feel more like home every day.

My new job is going really well. I'm very happy with the change and I feel like I'm doing pretty well at it. I really enjoy working from home although I get pretty restless in the evenings when I haven't gone anywhere all day. I know this will become less and less of a problem as my caseload continues to grow.

Jeff was offered the HS English teaching position at Premier Academy of Ohio for the 2010-2011 school year. We are both excited and relieved. He's teaching 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English.

Finally, Jeff and I have a mini-vaca planned for mid-August. We're spending 2 nights on Kelley's Island at Sunrise Point. Jeff and I purchased/won the trip last summer during a silent auction for a Batten Disease fundraiser. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting away, even if it's just for 3 days! We haven't really had a real vacation since our honeymoon. We've taken small trips here and there but this is the first trip where we can do nothing but relax.

Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon. I spent yesterday making valances for the kitchen. They turned out really well. I'm planning to make some placements that coordinate for the kitchen table. I also need to get working on my Etsy shop! As soon as it's up and running I'll let everyone know.

Until next time...

Amy

Officially Home Owners!

As of 12:00pm yesterday, Jeff and I are officially home owners.

Yes friends, you heard right! After almost 6 months of this home-buying process we have reached the finish line. Jeff and I figured out we probably looked at over 30 houses, put an offer on two and have finally claimed one as our own.

We'll be moving in next week and let me tell you, it's not soon enough! We gave the seller 7 days to move out and she's taking all 7 days. Jeff plans to pick up the keys from the seller's realtor on Tuesday morning at 7:30am. My dad is driving down with his truck to help us move as well.

Right now we're living among boxes. We're probably 80% packed. Jeff's parents came down this past weekend to help us organize and pack. It was a HUGE help! We'll be very glad when these boxes can officially make it over to the new home.

My biggest worry now is hoping the cats adjust well. I think they'll be fine and I'm sure after awhile they'll really enjoy all the space!

I'll post pictures of the move-in once it happens. Thank you to everyone who sent good thoughts or said small prayers for us during the entire process. We needed it and it finally paid off!

Restaurant rave!

I wanted to give a restaurant rave to a great place that we tried for the first time this weekend. Jeff and I always enjoy trying new places (either brand new or new to us) and we are rarely disappointed. One thing I can say about Columbus is that we are never at a loss for great restaurants that serve fabulous food!

My shout out goes to The Burgundy Room in the Short North. Jeff and I were in the Short North for ZombieWalk Columbus (an entirely different post) and after having a few drinks with friends at MoJoe Lounge, said goodbye to our friends and grabbed dinner at The Burgundy Room.

The atmosphere seems 2-fold. The front of the restaurant is bright and friendly. Definitely where you'd want to sit if you were there with friends. The back of the restaurant is dark and romantic. A great spot for a romantic night out on the town. If you're a wine love, this is your restaurant! They have tons of great selections for both white and red wine lovers. Jeff claims that he had the best glass of wine he's had in his entire life. My glass of white was amazing as well.

The Burgundy Room is a tapas bar meaning that they serve small plates (tapas) meant for sharing and passing. You're meant to order 2-3 different dishes. Jeff and I got the french fries with garlic aioli dipping sauce, shrimp and grits with bacon and pork belly in a marinara jus and pulled confit of duck leg with cheese tortellini in duck jus. One word describes them all = OHMYGOD! They were each amazing and very rich which is why the small plates are so great. You get just enough of each plate with stuffing yourself.

Price-wise, this place is a little more expensive. For two glasses of wine and three tapas we spent $49. I would consider this a special occasion restaurant.

So if you're looking for a great place or something new to try, check out The Burgundy Room in the Short North.

So much to catch up on!

I've been a neglectful blogger lately. Luckily I have a TON to report!

First and foremost, WE GOT THE HOUSE! Yay! We found out last Tuesday that the bank finally accepted our offer. We had our home inspection on Friday and we head to the mortgage broker today. We're hoping to close by the middle of June and be in to the new house by the third or fourth week of June. This next month is going to be a whirlwind!

I've been sewing like crazy for the Nesting Bazaar on June 19th. You'll see plenty of goodies from me! I'm in the process of setting up an Etsy Shop as well (SeamsEasy). So far I have burp cloths, taggie blankets, plastic bag holders, and coasters. I'd still like to work on a few coffee cozies and maybe some checkbook covers. So much to sew, so little time!

I started my new job last Monday. I've had one week of orientation and I'm feeling overwhelmed pretty good. I start week two today. There are a ton of forms, databases, and terms to learn. Luckily I have a lot of medical social work background and I know it will be extremely helpful! I have another 2 weeks of orientation and then a 6-month probationary period while I continue to get my feet wet. So far, so good.

On a food note, have you ever been to Northstar Cafe in Clintonville? OMG! If you have not, you need to drop all your plans and get down there IMMEDIATELY! Jeff and I had breakfast there with my parents on Sunday morning. I have four words for you - scrambled eggs with chevre. Maybe one of the best things I've ever eaten. Jeff had a poached egg with prosciutto on a delicious Parmesan herb focaccia. Whoa. That dish was life-changing! Moral of the story, go to Northstar Cafe soon!

So that's the update around here! Hope all of you have been doing well. Have a great week!

Until next time...

Amy

Well, it's Monday...

....And we still haven't heard anything about the house.

Correction: We haven't heard anything we'd like to hear about the house. On Friday night we heard that they were STILL reviewing the file and found that a page was missing! Missing! The seller's agent was working to get them the page they needed.

We've been in contact with our realtor and she's optimistic that we'll hear something by Friday, if not by mid-week.

Again, not holding my breath.

Jeff and I did have a good weekend. We saw Iron Man 2 on Friday night (if you see it, be sure to stay all the way through the credits), went to North Market on Saturday and had a friend over for dinner on Sunday. Just the right mix of busy and relaxing.

We also found out that our good friends, Josh and Deanna, are having a baby! Josh is one of Jeff's best friends and was his college roommate at BG. With all these baby announcements lately, I'm beginning to think we're the only ones left on the No-Baby Boat. However, I'm perfectly happy on the No-Baby Boat so I don't think we'll be getting off the ship for quite awhile. In the meantime, I'll just keep making adorable taggie blankets, burp cloths, and bibs for all my new mommy friends.

Frustrating house news

Today was supposed to be the day we were going to hear about our house. The seller's bank was going to let us know whether or not they accepted our offer.

Our realtor told us she would call the seller's agent at 10:00.

The seller's agent didn't know anything yet.

Fast forward to 2:30 and we've just heard that the seller's bank needs AT LEAST another 48 hours before making a decision.

Seriously?! ANOTHER 48 hours??????

So now you need 10 weeks AND another 48 hours?!

However, the seller's agent told our realtor that the bank does see this as a priority.

You can understand, then, why I'm having a hard time believing that they're seeing this as a priority.

Ugh. Just ugh.

This weekend's sewing projects

I had two projects I wanted to do this weekend. Both turned out super cute and were fairly easy to do.

First up? Quilted coasters from a cute blog called "a pretty cool life."

My mom let me have some awesome floral and goldenrod fabric that complimented each other so well. It was just a matter of cutting out some squares, sewing inside out and then adding the finishing touches by sewing straight lines in a square around the coaster. They make a fun and simple gift for someone, which is exactly why I made them.

The next project was for my friend A and her beautiful daughter E. A had asked me to make a "taggie blanket" for E. It seemed fairly simple and VERY cute! This project only took me about 1 hour from start to finish. I have quite a few friends with babies due this summer so I can see me knocking these things out for quick and cute gifts.

And the best part is that it's only Saturday! I have an entire day tomorrow to dedicate to a fun and new project. Not sure what it will be yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something I can work on.

Until next time...

Amy

10 Good Things in my Life....GO!

I'm having a down day after some sour news from Jeff and general anxiety around our house, starting a new job, leaving my current job, etc.

In an effort to pull myself out of this funk, I'm going to list 10 positive things happening in my life right NOW!

1. I am married to a wonderful man who loves me and respects me for the crazy cat lady I am.
2. I am in good health with no major health problems.
3. I have a family that loves me and supports me.
4. I have a good car that runs and gets me to where I need to go.
5. I'm able to afford things I need AND things I want.
6. I've started writing down my food and tracking my points in an effort to get back on track with WW.
7. I love to sew and am really doing well with developing my skills.
8. I have the most amazing friends. Even if I don't talk to them as often as I'd like, I know they're always there with a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen with.
9. I am excited about my new job and the idea of more financial stability.
10. My career makes a difference in people's lives and I love that.

Phew. That made me feel better already. It's so easy to get bogged down by all the negative stuff. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even though we don't understand it at the time. I just need to remember to keep breathing (in, out, in, out) and put one foot in front of the other. Eventually this will all work itself out.

Help! I've fallen....

...but luckily I can still get up. Just not easily.

Not sure what is going on with my back, but it hurts so bad!

I'm pretty sure it's the same pain (just worse) that started in my hip about 2 months ago. Over the last several weeks it's managed to move it's way into my lower back and throughout my hip socket.

Not sure if it's just the stress of my job or if I've really managed to screw up my hip/lower back.

Jeff tried his "masseuse magic" a couple nights ago but the pain was only subsided temporarily. I think a trip to either a professional masseuse or the chiropractor may be in order.

Lord knows I don't want to end up with a hump back or something worse!

Until next time...

Amy