Packed + Shipped

My Etsy Shop has been open since October 1st and I've had the good fortune to sell five of my color study paintings! I've always loved wrapping presents, and it's been such a pleasure to wrap these packages nicely and ship them off across the country. I will say that my first and second sale were to a friend in Philly, so those were delivered by hand with two hugs.

The painting inspired by Rainier Cherries at the Headhouse Row Farmer's Market in Philadelphia was sent to Baltimore to celebrate someone's birthday.

Inspired by a hot pink and orange sunset, this painting was sent to a sweet friend in Louisville, Kentucky.

Two of my favorite colors, pink from fruit juice and purple from a cloth napkin, were done in ink, and shipped to Chicago.

The sales are going straight to my Rhineback Sheep and Wool trip fund this weekend! I'm traveling to upstate New York with four girlfriends to check out livestock, enjoy the Fall leaves, drink cider and meet up with some pals. I'm looking forward to it, and have fingers and legs crossed for no rain! I don't really need any yarn, but if I see a sheepskin I love, I may have to buy it...you know, for the baby, right? It would be rude not to!

Pink, Purple + Wutang

I always thought I'd be one of those people who wait to find out the gender of their child, but Mike and I both decided we wanted to find out. Last week, we had the opportunity to see ultrasound shots showing a very active, healthy, and animated little boy! He was yawning, and it was caught on the scan looking like Edvard Munch's famous painting, "The Scream". If you know me, I have a reputation for making crazy faces in photographs, so it's only fitting that my future son will be as ridiculous with his facial expressions as me. One of the perks about finding out the gender from a designer / crafter standpoint is getting to go crazy with colors. Though I'm not a stickler when it comes to gender specific colors (us artists love all colors), I knew if it was a boy that I'd have to contain my magpie tendencies regarding hot-pink, purple, sparkles, sequins, and shiny things. (It's ironic that I'm also a tomboy, right?)

Perhaps my sub-conscious knew it was a boy, since I held off after drooling over these pinks, corals, and peach skeins of Koigu at knitting circle.

After rethinking my girly color palette, I was inspired by my friend Kate Gagnon Osborne, who I think has amazing taste, and an adorable little girl to boot.  She recently knit this adorable unisex Tiny Rocky Coast cardigan for her daughter, and I thought I would cast-on as well in another color.

It's only fitting that I cast-on with Fibre Company Canopy yarn that Kate (and Courtney Kelley) distribute. If you haven't used Fibre Company yarn, you may not want to start. Anything else will feel like scratchy plastic yarn next to the luxuriousness.

I would usually not make a baby sweater with such pretty yarn, but I figure the cute little Skeletor deserves a few nice things to start with. We can always wash it. Right?!

But just to even out the clothing wardrobe, we are loving the Wutang Clan onesie given to us from my cousin, Ryan. I think it will be a ton of fun to use a small baby as a billboard. (Insert a crazy Marissa facial expression of pure glee.)

Barnes Foundation + Lights

The Barnes Foundation is a museum in Philadelphia with a controversial history and an amazing personal collection of post-impressionism and early modern art. Think Cezanne, Matisse, Gauguin, Manet, Modigliani, etc. Part of the controversy is that it just moved from a residential location in the suburbs of Philadelphia, to the Ben Franklin Parkway where it's adjacent to our other museums. Albert C. Barnes, the owner of this private collection did not want it to be moved. However, 100 years later, I felt that the intention of keeping it in the residential neighborhood hindered many people from being able to see the collection. Advance reservations months ahead were needed, parking reservations, and hoops to jump through based on zoning regulations for this residential area. Last week I attended the LEED Platinum Award Ceremony for the newly constructed Barnes Foundation through the Delaware Valley Green Building Council. It was a great excuse to mingle with volunteer colleagues, say goodbye as I'm stepping down this month, and see the new space.

Riding my bike past it for the past couple of years on my way to work, it didn't seem like construction would ever be done. But here we are, and the museum is beautiful. It's pretty modern, but the collection inside was laid out exactly like the original museum which was a good compromise to Barnes' wishes.

The part that irks me about the layout though, is that it's hung gallery style, which although looks great, can be overwhelming when there are tons of things you want to look at. My favorites are some of his Vouillard and Matisse paintings. However, there are seriously 3 of my favorite paintings there that are literally hung 8 feet in the air above the doorway. You can barely see them. I guess I'll have to purchase the museum collection book someday. Or continue to wish that they'd switch it back and forth from gallery style to museum style semi-annually! No dice...

Also on the Parkway, recently Mike and I attended the inaugural event of the Open Air, which is an interactive light installation that allows users to change the light patterns with their voice. There is an app people can download and the lights will move to the tone of your message, poem, vent, etc. I did not download the app, but some sweet older ladies asked for my help when I was waiting for the bus. I thought they needed help with the bus schedule, and they assumed I was a pro with the fancy app. We laughed and parted ways after I wished them luck.

It's funny that on opening night, the results were downright disappointing due to clouds. I'm glad that it's much more impressive now due to some crappy weather! People are enjoying it and participating, which is what matters.

Crossing #10 Off the Life List

Intentions are a tricky thing. You have them in your mind, and you completely mean to do something, but you find excuses or other things take priority. Then it becomes so huge, you keep putting it off. Or perhaps that is just me! Maybe it's the impending arrival of another human being to give me the proverbial kick in the rear to put my intentions to action. Without further ado, I have finally crossed #10 off my Life List and have opened an Etsy Shop to sell paintings and drawings! If I sell something, great, but if not, I'm  happy that I actually put myself out there.

You can find my Etsy shop at MarissaHuber! I'm starting by selling my original color study paintings, and will be putting up smaller series in the future.

I tried to get the best photos I can, and I'm sure there will be a learning curve as I progress. At this point though, I'm sick of waiting for unreachable perfection and never getting anywhere.

Cheers to new beginnings!

Making Friends in Adulthood

Many of my friends have expressed how hard it is to make good friends in their twenties and thirties. I agree that it can feel as awkward as dating at first! Unless, there is  an activity. Honestly, I think that activities are the secret to making friends at any time in your life. You all have the excuse of being there to mingle, whether it's a volunteer group, kickball league, pub trivia teams or my favorites: book club and knitting group. I've definitely mentioned my lifelong friends made over the years thanks to Wednesday night knitting circle at Rosie's Yarn Cellar.

Weekly pub quiz (or Quizzo) in Philly for years introduced us to a wonderful group of men and women, and where I met my delightful Arch-Nemesis.

As a volunteer co-chair for the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, I made great professional connections, but realized that no matter what age, people usually bond post-meeting by eating, drinking beer and cracking jokes.  They can hold their liquor and  still speak quite intelligently on sustainability, energy grids, local government and policy.

So what does this have to do with crabs? Particularly Maryland Bay Seasoned Blue Crabs?

Last year, through friends of a friend, I added another wonderful group to my Philadelphia network, the Book-It Girls. A friend started a book club, and even though all of them don't enjoy reading as much as others of us, it has become a long-lasting and tight-knit group. What a welcome surprise as I entered my 33rd year. I'm actually one of the older ladies in this group, so it's nice to have younger group of friends, especially as many of my friends are having babies, moving away, etc. (I realize the irony of this now that I am having a baby...)

The members of our book club attended a Bridal Shower / Bachelorette Weekend in Annapolis, Maryland this weekend to celebrate our founder's upcoming wedding. We attended a laid back shower in an open barn with gorgeous weather. One of the girls even brought along her 2 month old twins and husband.

After the shower, we went to an All-You-Can-Eat Crab dinner, then dancing and drinking (excluding me!) past midnight. It was a blast, and my baby bump and I enjoyed breaking it down on the dance floor while I'm still feeling good!

It may sound sappy, but it makes me so happy to have amazing friends in my life, and still be meeting new ones unexpectedly over the years. Not being from Philadelphia, we had to create a new network almost from scratch. After 8 years, we're still meeting new people, and seeing how intertwined all of our groups of friends are. Knitting overlaps with Sustainability and Book Club, etc.. until they're all just friends.

The Book Club girls have become the kind that you feel comfortable to talk about anything with, to have slumber parties in hotels, and to go buck wild on an epic breakfast on the road trip home after your abs hurt from laughing 24 hours straight.

Lesson learned: when moving or looking for new friends, join a club! Good times.

Treat Yo' Self...Necklaces, Salads, Fine Leather Goods

Tonight is the revealing of Open Air, a 3-D Light Installation art project on Philly's Ben Franklin Parkway. There will be live music, food trucks, and a light show visible from 10 miles away. It should be fun! I'm even skipping the première f my favorite show, Parks and Recreation! However, I have a firm rule that TV should never take precedent over real life! I got into Parks and Rec a couple of seasons ago, and it is in my opinion, the funniest show on TV currently. The writing is hysterical, the entire cast so strong, and the humor is quirky but also broad-reaching. The "Treat Yo Self" clip below is one of my favorites.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsABTmT1_M0]

Speaking of treating yo' self, I did last month! When one of my favorite internet friends, Suzy, posted some beautiful new necklaces in her shop, I jumped to get this lapis one below. I've been wanting some longer necklaces to wear, and this one is perfect for me.

I also treated myself to what I consider the best Fall Salad in pretty much the history of the world (without exaggerating too much).

It's the Grove salad from Andrew Swallow's lovely book, Mixt. It has greens, honeycrisp apples, Asian pears, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese (I like that better than blue cheese), spiced candied walnuts and a champagne vinaigrette. I find that whenever I make and eat this salad, I stop every 3 bites to exclaim, "My God, this is the most amazing salad E-V-E-R!". My converts who I hoist this salad on agree wholeheartedly, or perhaps know that I'll un-friend them if they disagree!

Julia Child's Mushroom Quiché with the salad is pretty extraordinary as well. Quiché has become my soup of the warmer months. It also makes an amazing leftover or work lunch.

P.S. Thank you so much for your sweet comments about our news! It means so much to me.

Space Planning, Pretzels + Mocassins

While I was helping my friend with furniture layouts for her new retail store, I decided to rethink my own apartment. We live in the second floor of a converted row home, and while roomy and very sunlit, the back studio / reading room doesn’t have much (any?) insulation and the room we use a bedroom is in the middle of the house without doors. We’ve done this to take advantage of our brightly lit huge front room which receives gorgeous Northern daylight from morning until evening. Another benefit is being shielded from the noises on our very busy street, including but not limited to trolley traffic every quarter of an hour, and thankfully less frequent vocal altercations.

This has worked fine for us for the past few years, but we’re thinking it’s time to make some changes. The main reason for the change is because I'm expecting a baby in February!

I am naively hoping not to uproot my entire life because of this impending arrival, but I'm sure some things will change, at least for a bit. I'm hoping to follow in the footsteps of the rational and wonderful moms I know, such as my own dear Mom, my MIL, sisters-in-law, and best friends.

We're attempting to go minimal and just get what we need (I'll tell you how that goes!). We're also very lucky to have lots of friends who are done having babies, and already sending things our way.  I am also very grateful that I've felt really well, and besides getting super seasick going deep-sea fishing in my first trimester, have not even been too nauseous.

In the meantime, my goal during pregnancy is to be very selfish and enjoy as much free-time and me-time as possible! I'm sleeping in on weekends if I want, reading tons of books, not pushing myself to be productive all the time, and knitting things for myself!

I'll probably do a little crafting soon, especially now that I'm at the halfway mark and it's going very quickly! I'd like to make a quilt, and maybe a couple of knitted goods as well. I started knitting the yellow blanket, and did make the onesies above for my parents to reveal the news. (Lola and Lolo are Grandma and Grandpa in Tagalog, the Filipino language. It's also sassy and fun, which my parents are!)

I've also made things for other people's babies! The cutest baby moccasins from Purl Soho, and a pretzel themed "Philly Baby" onesie at a recent baby shower.

Thanks for letting me share my news with you! Feel free to send along suggestions of what I should be doing in my "selfish" time!

Space Planning + Hot Pink Ceilings

  One of my good friends is realizing a lifelong dream. She'll be opening a retail store next month in Manayunk! She's had a tough few years, and it is so heart-bursting to see how many people are rallying around to help her if this was their own project. She has done all of the legwork to make sure everything is covered, and we just know that she's going to be a huge success. It's like watching a story unfold that you know will have a rewarding ending.

I was happy to help her with some space planning for the store. It's a bright space with fabulous hot pink ceilings and a little bit of gold trim. The chandeliers have come down (I was the only one sad about that), and a team of us worked to paint, put together furniture and spruce the place up.

I can't wait to see the final result! I loved the opportunity to exercise my design skills, it has been way too long.

Good luck, LKJ!

Charlotte's Web Shawl

Every few months, my knitting friends "The Degenerate Knitters", have a brunch. This past month, I hosted it at my house. In typical Degenerate Knitter fashion, our "brunch" started around 11AM and ended at 5:30PM. We talked (loudly), ate and drank (a lot), and even had a round 2 dessert platter filled with donuts and baklava. I love that group of ladies so much.

With all the knitting going on, I was finally inspired to start a project with Koigu Mill Ends I bought in 2008.

The yarn is currently being knit up into a Charlotte's Web Shawl, which I've always hesitated to start due to a confusing chart. With my friends nearby and a few repeat attempts, I finally am getting the hang of it.

The pattern isn't really that hard, but every time I think I have it down, I screw it up.

Bring it on, Fall! I'm enjoying my knitting this year.

More Yellow

I'm using the hot days of summer as an excuse to sit inside, watching the Olympics, reading and knitting without feeling bad about not being outside too much. I left myself 4 days to read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, which was my book club's pick for this month. Just as my friends had told me, it's an edge of your seat psychological thriller. I'm glad I waited so long to read it, just so that I don't have to wait long to talk about how crazy the plot twists were with my girlfriends. Quick read, entertaining, suspenseful, and I'm still not sure if I like many of the characters. That may be a good thing though!

I've had 5 skeins of this lofty, beautiful butter yellow Twinkle Soft Chunky yarn in my stash for a couple of years. It was gifted to me, and I'm using it to make Wenlan Chia's Lacy Chunky Throw. It's knit on huge needles and goes a long way, but I'm thinking that I may need to buy 2 additional skeins to get it to the right size. My yarn budget may call for some heavy blocking instead! Isn't it pretty though? Yellow has become my own personal color of the year.

See what I mean? I can't get enough of it. I can't help myself from hoping fluorescents stay as long as possible! Fingers crossed...

Indiana Art Show

Exactly ten years ago, I drove back to Indiana University to finish college after a summer interior design internship in Las Vegas. When I returned to my college job as a salesperson at Pygmalion's, (which is the most wonderful independent art store), I had no idea that I'd meet the guy I'd end up sharing my life with. Mike thought I was a customer, and me being a typical smart alec, quickly put him in his place. We became good friends, but he was not my type. You know how ridiculous 23 year old girls can be with who they think they like. I very quickly realized that cute, intelligent and sweet guys should really become my type, and before he knew it, he was stuck with me! (I kid).

We have kept in close touch with the art store owners, and our fellow coworkers, nicknamed "Pygs" who are scattered all over the country. This art store had the most creative, friendly, knowledgeable, and cool people as employees and customers. We knew our technical information, and loved learning about new techniques and supplies. We ranged from sculptors to painters to designers to paper artists. It was a gold starred time in my life. I learned to garden from the owner, Jane, by tending to the plants out front of the store when it was too nice to be cooped up inside. We learned to make books completely by hand from Sandra, another beloved employee. I became serious about my lifelong love with artist grade watercolors. We got to make robot costumes out of old boxes, handmade signs (see one of Mike's below), and play with the store cats, Matisse and Cassatt.

Well, this year, with a lot of hard work from present and former owners and employees, and sponsorship from the John Waldron Arts Center, Pygmalion's is having a 40 year anniversary art show featuring the works of their talented employees. The opening is tomorrow, August 3rd. I'm so disappointed that Mike and I were not able to be there for the opening and reunion barbeque, but instead we both sent a piece to be included in the show.

The beautiful still life on the left is one of my favorite's of Mike's paintings. I sent a cut paper and gouache collage I made during my color study project.

This piece makes me happy, and makes me remember smiling while riding my bike home on a gray day and seeing pops of this cheerful hue everywhere.

Perfect piece to represent a gold starred time in my life for sure.

Hawaiian Hand Quilting

I was invited to a Craft Lab event as part of a new exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  It was one of those days that was about 107 degrees in Philly, so the lure of museum quality air conditioning and crafting was quite inviting. After sorting through options, I found a vintage Hawaiian pillow quilt kit that my mom gave me. I assumed it came from her University of Hawaii days in the 60's, but she said most likely it was from a garage sale in the last 20 years. Either way, I broke that bad boy out and started stitching. Hawaiian quilting is quite addicting, and is very easy to freehand. I like that it is symmetrical and geometric,  half modern and half old school.

I worked on it for 2 days straight, but have a lot more to do. I'm giving it to my mom as a belated birthday present. You can even stitch while watching your new favorite TV show, "The Newsroom" in bed. I hope to finish it soon, and am even taking it to knitting circle tonight.

Good thing I got my mom's vintage Singer sewing machine tuned up last week, so I can learn how to sew a zipper on and finish this before her next birthday...in July.

Ice Cream Friday

During one particularly uncertain summer at work, I made membership cards for an Ice Cream Social Club to lighten things up. Anyone could join the club, as long as you vowed to eat one type of frozen treat each Friday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We called it Ice Cream Friday: A Summer Social Event for all 50 States. A super obvious moniker combined with a ridiculously long and slightly Southern inspired tagline.

Without further ado, I invite you all to partake in as much ice cream or any other frozen treat this summer. Unfortunately, the membership cards are long gone (and they were laminated too!), but I drew up the instructions below.

Rules: Eat something cold once per week, preferably on Friday. That's it. Anything counts!

This year's inaugural cone was a decadent peach scoop in a sugar cone at Philly's Franklin Fountain. It was so delicious, I urged a few people in line to follow my lead on that selection.

Maybe I'll even try out my ice cream attachment to my stand mixer this year. I'll add that to my summer to-do list.

Killer Plants

Until I can have an outdoor space for a small garden, my window herb garden is making me happy. This past April, I attended a free window box session at City Planter with Olivia. If you're in the market for a wide variety of window boxes, definitely check them out. Since I rent, I didn't want to invest in anything permanent, so instead purchased a Wooly Pocket. It can be hung inside or outside, and I secured it to a railing with zip ties. It couldn't be easier. For once, my basil is thriving! I'm usually so talented at killing herbs.

I also planted a few bulbs that I treated myself to at the Philadelphia Flower Show this year. The "beanstalk" is growing at an alarming rate. As in, 6 inches if you turn your head. 12 inches overnight. Every morning I take a peek, and it's even bigger now!

It may turn evil and kill me. Or I may be able to climb it to escape giants. I'm hoping for an option three, that it will turn into one of the pretty blooms as shown below at the flower show!

West Coast Roses + Fragrance Inspiration

I used to wear perfume daily. Okay, I used to wear men's cologne daily as I preferred it, and the occasional perfume. After college, I went on a fragrance hiatus for a few years. I also didn't have cable television. It was most likely budget related. I'll credit my cousins with getting me enamored again with perfume.

My cousin, Cara, spent a summer in Paris and has a rather enviable perfume collection. When I visit her in D.C., I spritz something new, permitting it's not the same fragrance as she's wearing! (Her rule, she kiddingly scolded me, but I love her). My good friend, E, contributed as well. She's a full-blown fragrance-a-phile.

I went to San Francisco a few years ago with my cousins from the Philippines. While in the San Francisco Rose Garden, I fell in love with the American Beauty Rose. One day I want to find that exact scent.

Perfume is fun, and adds a bit of depth to your day and outfit. Certain moods and seasons call for different scents. And you can pretend you're a bit Frenchy.

My favorite scent is Gucci 2. It was my scent of choice when I lived in Las Vegas in 2002. It's hard to find, but so lovely and unique. The bottle is also hot pink. Case closed.

Mike bought me Vicktor Rolf Flowerbomb for my birthday. It's a sweet, floral scent held in a bottle that looks like a sparkly hand grenade.

Here are my current Top Five Wish-list fragrance purchases. I don't buy new things frequently, but the great thing about perfume is that it lasts for a while. I am not obsessed enough to know all about the base notes and all that, but usually like spicy, floral and kind of manly (or uber girly).

1. Narcisco Rodgriguez for Her: I couldn't tell if I liked this one at first, but I love smelling my wrists whenever I wear it. It grows on you.

2. Juicy Couture: I bought a small bottle of Viva La Juicy instead, which is also nice, but this was the one I really want.

3. Hanae Mori Butterfly: It's soft and slightly baby powdery. Enchanting.

4. Kenzo Amore: It reminds me of the Hanae Mori, but a bit different.

5. Dior Addict for Life: Clean, floral, a new favorite. Dare I say...addicting?!

That's it for now. I have a sampler that I bought at Sephora, which includes a coupon for a full size bottle once you pick your favorite. Right now, Kenzo Amore is the top contender of the choices.

Perfume? Love it? Hate it? Anything I should check out?

P.S. I would still wear some Love's Baby Soft any day of the week! Shout out to seventh grade!

Ninjas + Green Drinks

Though I didn't get around to making official new year's resolutions, I did make a promise to myself to eat more fruits and veggies this year. Okay, mainly veggies. I need next to no help in the fruit department.

When I was home in Florida for Christmas, I got it in my head that I needed to start drinking morning smoothies. After obsessively researching the pros and cons of juicers versus blenders, I was ready to get a blender.

I bought a Ninja blender on sale. It was a great deal, is easy to clean, quite powerful, and is 1/4 of the price of the holy grail of blenders, The Vitamix. I was so excited about my purchase, I dropped the box (still fine), and convinced my best friend's hubby to buy one too. Coincidentally, he dropped his Ninja box while making fun of my snafu (his blender is also still fine).

I also like that "The Ninja" is  the roller coaster in St. Louis that Uncle Steve finally convinced me to ride, and became the start of my lifelong roller coaster career.

I've used it 5 times a week since January 1st and cannot complain. It's loud, but for less than a hundred bucks, I don't mind. (Thankfully, my neighbor doesn't mind either).

Dr. Oz's Green Drink is my new favorite breakfast. I like to add a lot of ginger for an energizing and refreshing kick. It takes some getting used to, but by the end of the first glass, you're weirdly craving it. If you try it and it's too intense at first, mix some honey in there, or a bit of orange juice until you get used to it.

I also started putting spinach in all my other smoothies as well. It's a great way to get vitamins into your drink with a mild taste. I also like using non-sweetened almond milk, plain yogurt, frozen berries, bananas and whatever else is in my fridge that is looking a bit peaked.

One tip I found for frozen bananas is to slice them before you freeze them. What a revelation! I've been accused of keeping rotten black bananas (the best for baking!) in my freezer by Mike for years.

Wheat germ is also good if you want some folic acid and substance. Chia seeds are something everyone swears by, but it makes your smoothie a bit gelatin-y if you let it sit for too long. But I hear it makes a great pudding!

Since I've been drinking my morning smoothies, I think I've felt more alert in the mornings (still love my morning cup of coffee too). If you're looking to eat more healthfully, it also sets the tone for the day. You've already eaten about 5 servings of vegetables and fruit before lunch. Not too shabby, and low on calories if you're watching your weight. I found my clothes fitting much better after a few months of this, and believe me, I was eating plenty otherwise.

I've found that smoothie and juicing fans love to share their favorite recipes. Feel free to point me in the direction of yours!

The Long Haul is Over

The events have been planned, the trips are done, my to-do list has been trashed. As you can see, my self induced stress levels have reached an all time low! Summer is here in Philadelphia, disregarding the flannel needed for the work picnic last week.

My twice weekly Spanish classes ended, which I'll miss greatly. However, I'm looking forward to practicing a lot, in order to improve my conversational fluency, reading and listening skills. I ordered some Spanish workbooks, and will watch a lot of Javier Bardem and Gael Garcia Bernal movies for pure educational purposes!

I was able to visit Ohio and Indiana for an impromptu trip to see my brother-in-law defend his thesis on Jazz in the 1910s and 1020s in relation to migration and social activism. Pretty fascinating and I was so very proud of him. This trip coincided with one of my best friend's birthdays, so it was a reunion of all types!

Besides work, my committee, and the upcoming fiasco of having to either rent a U-haul or walk Mike's eight feet by six feet painting 0.8 miles home from a show, I feel like I'm on vacation!

So what's on the list for this summer? I'm thinking ice cream. I'm thinking kayaking. Finally walking over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Painting. Helping my dad with his new blogging endeavor! Street festivals with friends. Holding new babies belonging to my friends. Fancy cocktails with elderflower liquor. Farmers marketeering. A return to Quizzo. And lots of bike riding!

What about you? Summer activities I need to add to my list?

P.S. I got to cross off #23 Participate in some type of race, triathlon, soapbox derby, or Tough Mudder once. Participated in the 4 mile Out and Back Party Run April 2012!

Mimosa Bar + Cannoli Cream

I try to learn, every time. I don't have too much going on, so I start volunteering for little things. The conceptual part of me that loves brainstorming, connecting people, ideas and details goes crazy. Then the part of me that gets shiz done steps in to do just that. Before I know it, I realize that I'm happily signed up to co-host a baby shower, champion an event for a green building conference, co-chairing my programming committee, taking Spanish classes, planning an employee picnic, doing my job, and feeling bad about not finishing a baby sweater.

That is when the realistic part of me kicks in to make my lists, and I can decide to cater instead of cooking a damn thing. I'm getting better the older I get, and aim to only do the things that I truly want to do these days. Plus, I've definitely learned to embrace funny mistakes (including a dropped carrot cake) and to take food breaks to decompress (cheeseburgers from Five Guys).

I really enjoyed getting to bond more with Michelle, my co-host for the baby shower. We also enjoyed making the baby shower a day that would be meaningful to our dear and generous friend. The mom-to-be loves Peter Rabbit books, non-pink colors, and gardening. We delivered.

I personally loved the Mimosa Bar idea I've seen around the web, and wanted an excuse to purchase these bottles from Ikea for my juice! People loved serving themselves and mixing the juices. We tied bows of different colored ribbon around the champagne glasses to differentiate a bit to keep track. (Isn't my friend's house beautiful with her gray walls and cute Anthropologie plates?)

I potted mini herb pots for favors. One mint plant needed a bit of coaxing not to die, but I used some sunlight, a fan and some positive thinking to resuscitate him. I'm a big fan of useful gifts and favors instead of cutesy stuff that you feel guilty for purging on your next Goodwill donation trip. They were a hit!

Poor Michelle accidentally dropped the carrot cake and felt terribly about it. My job was to talk her off the ledge and explain why it did not matter one bit. I said, nobody cares what it looks like if it has cream cheese frosting. (Am I right?) She had a great idea for me to create a bunting and I carved some lines into the cake to fix it. I labeled it, "Slightly Squashed Carrot Cake" and we called it a day.

Michelle made pizelle cups filled with the best cannoli cream in our region and berries. What a hit. We ensured quality by visiting the charming 43 years married couple who make award winning cannolis and asking them their secrets while taste testing chocolate and traditional creams. I can attest that Cipolli Cannolis are truly the best I've ever had.

I did buckle down and make a 5 ingredient salad. You can't live on sugar and flour entirely, afterall.

Lastly, we hung decorations, plated everything nicely and kicked back with some mimosas to get us in the party mood and provide a laid back atmosphere for guests. I think that is truly the secret to a fun party. No stress!

Though I did try to cut myself off the night before, I couldn't stop myself from making the cutest pins in the entire history of the world for the Mom-to-be and her family members. I did allow one pink pin to pass for the Paternal Grandma-to-be who just loves pink. But she also knows how to use a chop saw, so that deserves its' own award and a pass!

Citrus + Avocado

I should blame my unanticipated absence my new role at work, my volunteer position, an event I helped plan, the twice weekly Spanish lessons I'm taking, and a baby shower I'm throwing.  But it mainly comes down to one thing. Feeding the pantry and food storage obsession.

Most of my recent daydreams have been dedicated to what whole grains and bulk bin items I can scoop out and store in the carefully cleaned out jars I've been saving over the years. I dream about having matching jars found on sale somewhere that I know the contents of by sight, or with handwritten labels since I'm not a label-maker type of girl (excluding one workday frenzy with name labels and the P-Touch).

I'm using my new reference book, Rebecca Wood's The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, to get ideas of how to incorporate new foods and grains into my diet.

Last week I brought home beautiful poppy seeds that I just wanted to put my hands in. They're blue, purple, black and oh so tiny and susceptible to static cling.

Citrus is in season, so I snagged some tangerines for an avocado, grapefruit, radish, arugula and citrus salad. I was inspired by this delicious and refreshing version by Martha Stewart. It reminds me of home, when I used to have a ruby-red grapefruit and orange tree in our backyard until the citrus canker hit Florida. Our neighbors traded us for mangoes, avocados and tangerines. That was the life!

Big ruby reds were always my favorite. Fresh picked while warm, eaten first and then juiced for the finale. Always with a teeny bit of sugar, though it barely needed it.

I tried out a red lentil and carrot soup for lunch this week. It was healthy, tasty, filling and easy to make. Fits the bill for my busy week! Avocados have had constant rotation in my morning smoothies of late as well.

Lastly, the beautiful blood orange. They're so pretty on the inside, but aren't my favorite tasting citrus. However, I keep buying them to add dimension to other colors and flavors, and you know I'm a sucker for pretty colors!

¡Qué alimentos bonitos! (What pretty food! I told you I was taking Spanish!)

Life List (102 Things)

After seeing Erin Loechner's Life List on Design for Mankind last year, I decided to officially do mine. As in, scheme up new ideas and collect the tidbits in random journals over the years into one spot. It really got me thinking of all the things I'd love to do throughout my life. Even if I don't do all of them, just putting those thoughts and fun hopes out into the universe is something in itself. (This excludes owning a headdress though one day! I'm totally going  to make that and Viking helmut ownership happen.) It's like playing the lottery, most of the fun is talking about what you'll do with the earnings with your coworkers.

Life can be short. You never know what will happen, good or bad. Your loved ones may be gone tomorrow. My philosophy (at this moment in my life) is to be genuine, have fun, make sure that I'm a good to my loved ones and strangers, and to take chances! (I'm talking to you, my new favorite hot pink MAC lipstick).

Without further ado, here is my own 100 things, now 102 Things because I kept dreaming.

1. Drive cross-country with Mike round trip.
2. Skydive. Skydive a second time if Mom and Mike let me!
3. Have children.
4. Become fluent enough in Spanish enough to understand and hold a conversation with someone.
5. Do an immersion program in a Spanish-speaking country.
6. Attend a surf camp in Costa Rica.
7. Make a soufflé.
8. Buy a house. Refurbish a house. Own a washer and dryer!
9. Illustrate a cookbook.
10. Sell illustration prints and originals in an online shop.
11. Rock climb outdoors.
12. Shoot a shotgun. Shoot a Glock. Shoot an arrow.
13. Read Don Quixote, one of my brother’s favorite books.
14. Paint a self-portrait.
15. Catch a fish and eat it.
16. Go on a hot air balloon ride with a loved one.
17. Walk across the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge while I live on the East Coast.
18. Live abroad for a season, a summer or a year.
19. Bake an exquisite French baguette!
20. Leave an unexpected $100 tip for a well deserving waiter or waitress one day.
21. Be one of those people who reads the newspaper daily.
22. Mentor a young person. Be a mentee!
23. Participate in some type of race, triathlon, soapbox derby, or Tough Mudder once.
24. Make meditation a part of my life.
25. Eat breakfast at my house before work, and stop rushing every day.
26. Ice skating in Central Park.
27. Learn to finally ollie on a skateboard.
28. Teach my future kid to walk on stilts and go on a pogo stick.
29. Rent a convertible and drive up the PCH from LA to Seattle.
30. Have a garden and grow vegetables.
31. Live near my parents again for some time. Live near Mike’s family.
32. Fulfill my promise to my cousin Cara to take her on a trip when she turned 21. Key West, 2009.
33. Be in a skit, preferably for a ridiculous fake commercial for an “As Seen On TV” type of product.
34. Have a monthly advice column à la Dear Prudence.
35. Visit Yosemite National Park and the Redwood Forest.
36. Visit the Badlands / Black Hills in South Dakota.
37. Visit Niagara Falls.
38. Go into a zero gravity chamber.
39. Visit Singapore and my family in the Philippines again.
40. Visit Watkins Glen State Park, NY.
41. Ride horses in Wyoming.
42. Kayak at sunrise.
43. Camp out in Pennyslvania’s own dark sky park Cherry Springs State Park.
44. Go white water rafting and tubing.
45. Build a giant, larger than life, two room indoor fort with some of my favorite kids.
46. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef.
47. Re-upholster a sofa by hand, and then have to leave it in Indiana since it wouldn’t fit in the moving truck. Build a day bed from scratch with Mike. Build a headboard. Take an upholstery class.
48. Write a book (besides the “chapter book” in your pink Lisa Frank notebook you write in fifth grade). Children’s book or otherwise.
49. Attend a lantern festival and release one.
50. Take a tap dancing and / or a ballet class.
51. Own an in ground trampoline one day to relive my youth.
52. Visit the Gadds in Sweden for at least 3 weeks, and Copenhagen to see the Hansens.
53. Go whale watching.
54. Find a reason to own a Native American headdress.
55. Be in a parade and wear an amazingly tacky outfit.
56. Continue my love of hats and start an official collection.
57. Try out for a TV show. Try out again and compete in The Amazing Race with Helena and try not to cry too much or get dysentery on national television.
58. Travel to Hawaii with my mom and see where she, Aunt Marty and Larry went to college.
59. Road trip with my mom in California. Road trip with mom from Vegas to Indiana. 2002 complete with speeding ticket!
60. Win $1000 and walk away on Roulette with my brother-in-law Todd and Amaretto Sours.
61. Be a fun and crazy aunt for my nephews and nieces.
62. Go on trips with my best friends.
63. Have a Huber side family reunion vacation in a huge rental house where nobody will get arrested.
64. Ride the Trans-Siberian Rail Journey: Beijing to Moscow (thanks, Bonnie!)
65. Bungee jumping.
66. Helicopter ride.
67. Visit Old Holland Paint Factory.
68. See the Northern Lights or the Southern Lights.
69. Visit the Grand Canyon.
70. Start Ice Cream Friday for 2012, create punch cards and make a Flickr group for posting pictures.
71. Meet some of my blog friends in person, Susan and Shona especially!
72. Read the biographies of Julia Childs, Benjamin Franklin, Ghandi and John Adams.
73. Create fabric patterns and sell them. Silkscreen and print on fabric!
74. Start a scholarship. Mom and Dad started a memorial fund for Andrew in 2005 through Broward Education Foundation.  Donate money to Andrew’s Scholarship fund regularly when I am able to.
75. Finish knitting my Demi Sweater!
76. Host a Thanksgiving and learn to make Aunt Marty’s famous rolls.
77. Interview my parents. Get their life stories. Type it out and bind it.
78. Track down the family trees on my American and Filipino sides. Work with my cousins and relatives on this.
79. Make sure my mom and dad know exactly how much I love them. Without one ounce of doubt.
80. Pull my future kids out of school one day for a personal holiday. Establish a personal holiday for myself – an annual day where I can do whatever I damn well please! Encourage Mike to have his own too.
81. Convince Daniel and Sandra to send Norah to live with us one summer in America! Send mine to live with them in Sweden.
82. Host an exchange student.
83. Foster a child.
84. Have five dogs in my lifetime.
85. Wake up in the middle of the night to watch a lunar eclipse like my mom did when we were kids.
86. Watch a meteor shower and have a night picnic.
87. Ride on the top of an elevator à la John McLain in Die Hard.
88. Rapell off the side of a building or something else really high.
89. Volunteer for an organization and make a tangible difference in the daily lives of others. (Heifer, Kiva, mentoring, etc).
90. Embroider a portrait of Ron Effing Swanson.
91. Buy myself a pretty topaz ring, my November birthstone.
92. Create a signature cocktail.
93. Have a wood-shop and make sure I can use every tool we own.
94. Take Mike back to Italy for a summer in his beloved Florence.
95. Invest in a restaurant or business that I believe in. Work the front counter.
96. Purchase a real wood croquet set and use it often in my backyard. Re-initiate the college rules of drink in one hand and personal calls of triumph when one scores.
97. Finally use the beautiful panel Mike made for me to paint a still life.
98. Take some culinary classes or pastry / bread baking classes.
99. Take a dip in natural springs.
100. Work as a residential interior designer one day.
101. Try to do something every week (let’s be realistic here) that scares me, that makes me a better person, and that is just plain ridiculous or fun.
102. Have a pomegranate and fig tree one day. And grapefruit tree. You know, since all of those places surely grow in the same climate…

P.S. I'm reminding three people who commented before to get their own lists together now! Jenny, Julie and Jamie!