Front Porch Friday

A while back I blogged about wanting to explore my domestic goddess side. Well- I kinda did! In February, I took a the Wilton Cake Decorating Class at Michael's. I surprised myself with the outcome of my cake in the final class this past week! It's not the best picture b/c it's from my phone. And I know it's a little cluttered- as my mom so tactfully pointed out. But I was practicing all the different things we had learned- writing, shell border on the bottom, drop flowers on the sides, roses (which are HARD), sweet peas, stems and leaves.

(Not the best picture- it's from my phone.)

I'm planning to go ahead and start the second course in March. I lucked out because Michael's offered half off of the class price in February and March! Next stop: Ace of Cakes!!!

Ash Wednesday

If you're observing Lent, I thought I'd share a couple of neat sites I found:

Busted Halo

Carbon Fast

Blog Background

I've heard from a few people that my cute yellow and flowery blog background isn't showing up! I have no clue what the problem could be. If you have any clues/suggestions, let me know! It works fine from the computers I use, so I'm not sure what the error could be.

Movie Bug

Did you watch the Oscars? I watched as long as I could...but fell asleep before it ended. There has been so much buzz about all of the great movies this year, and I definitely caught the movie bug last night. I told you a few weeks ago how much I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire and am happy it won! I hope I can catch some of the other Oscar favorites in the next few weeks. Maybe it's the cold weather, or all the reruns on TV lately, but I'm in the mood to watch some movies!

I recently saw a piece highlighting actress Amy Adams on CBS Sunday Morning (a weekly must for me.) Love Her!

I've only seen her in two movies, Enchanted and Charlie Wilson's War. She was nominated for Oscars for her supporting roles in Doubt this year, and in Junebug in 2006. Junebug is now on my Netflix list. (Yes, after a 6 months hiatus, I broke down and rejoined Netflix. Just too many movies I want to see!) Adams is starring in two movies I'm looking forward to this year:

Sunshine Cleaning- This movie was presented at this year's Sundance Festival and is brought to us from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine. It's a story of a single mom trying to make some money to pay for her son's tuition. She joins her sister for a business venture and ends up with a lesson in following their dreams. (I know...sounds sappy, but right up my ally!) It's coming out in March.

Julie and Julia- Based on the book by Julie Powell, a twenty-something decides to spice up her life by cooking one of Julia Child's recipes from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 everyday for a year. Powell blogged about it, turned that into a book, and now a movie! Amy Adams and Meryl Streep reunite and hopefully their chemistry from Doubt will carry over. I've also been wanting to read this book...I have until August to do so before the movie comes out.

Weekend in SC

Last weekend, I took my DC friend, Shira, home with me from SC. This was her first trip to SC- now she knows why I tell her that Florida, where she's from, is most definitely NOT the real south!


One note of clarification- Shira reports the population of the City of Anderson. The county is much larger- approaching 180,000 people. Which hopefully pushes us up from the "podunk" category.

A Path Less Travelled – At Least by this Floridian

Guest Blog by Shira Gitomer

For those of you who don’t know, Becky is from Anderson, South Carolina home to a yearly chili cook off and the jockey lot (a well known local mecca of sorts). While some of you may know of it, my guess is most don’t, which would be of no surprise since the population of Anderson is only 25,500 – smaller than most cities I have ever been to yet still larger than the country of Monaco. While I consider myself a cultured individual, travelling around the world since I was five, spending months abroad in China, Australia, and Kenya and even a small Navajo village in Arizona nothing would have truly prepared me for Anderson, South Carolina.

After a mere six hours of highway hell, Becky and I finally arrived in South Carolina. I immediately perked up trying to take in everything I could. Within 5 minutes I was inundated with “Jesus Saves” signs, cigarette smoke, and huge billboards advertising foods I had never heard of. Becky laughed as she explained what boiled peanuts were, sweet potato pie, and the 1,001 things one can do with a peach. Next, we drove by what looked like a enormous butt, fortunately I was mistaken it was a water tower made to look like a huge peach – yeah I know it was a bit odd and reminded me of the world’s largest frying pan in Long Beach, Washington. Apparently I am not the only one that has thought this thing looked like a butt check this website out http://www.pickyourown.org/SCgiantpeach.htm.

After about two hours of observing and commenting on everything we passed, we finally turned off the highway. I was not really sure what to expect at this point, thus far South Carolina had lived up to every stereotype and expectation I had. As we drove down what ended up being one of the main roads in Anderson I saw strip mall after strip mall – which I can’t really comment on considering my home city of Tampa is littered with them. Finally, we pulled off the main road onto the side streets leading to Becky’s mom and step dad’s house. The side streets were a bit rugged at least pavement wise but the houses were cute, all with their own character and what seemed small but as I soon learned were deceptively large.

We finally pulled into Becky’s parents’ driveway and I was ready for a nap. When I woke from my nap we sat down for what I was told was a typical southern meal. I mean, I love food but this was out of control – there was more food on the table then some countries consume in a month. In an effort to grasp the full experience, I held nothing back and dove right in. I started with a pasta chicken dish, cheese biscuits (made from scratch), salad, and ham. Feeling as if my top button was about to burst I took one for the team and re-filled my plate. If I was going to drive all the way to South Carolina I was determined to experience the stereotypical southern cuisine.

The next morning I woke up to a Valentine’s Day gift courtesy of Becky’s mom and a cup of oatmeal at my seat – I was starting to get use to this southern hospitality. The oatmeal had been stewing all night and was topped with sugar, apples, and walnuts. I ate it all and then finished off what Becky had left – this became a pretty common theme throughout the weekend. After breakfast I figured it was time for me to get outside and try and burn off the excessive amount of calories that had entered my body.

As soon as I returned we headed out on the town. Of course our first stop was food – I think South Carolina should rewrite their motto from “while I breathe, I hope” to “while I breathe, I hope to eat as much as I possibly can.” We had lunch at a hometown favorite, Skin’s Hotdogs. After lunch, we visited a number of different local shops each of which Becky’s mom knew and talked to at least one person – oh the joys of insanely small towns. In each of the stores we were greeted the same way “hey y’all, how’re you doin’, let me know if I can help you” – kind of weird to have such friendly people surrounding you with such funny accents. After our outing we returned home to relax a bit before our next eating frenzy.

But just when I thought I would have time to make room for the next meal Becky’s step dad brought home the infamous boiled peanuts. As they were plopped on the table - I observed how others around me were eating them – finally it was my turn. I sucked out the juice before cracking it open and shoveled out the peanuts with my fingers (that was actual my little idea) – Becky made fun of me. They basically taste like wet red beans with salt – I know, I know sounds nasty but actually not that bad.

After a 30 minute rest from the wet beans we sat down for another amazing meal consisting of pork tenderloin, sweet potatoes, mac n cheese (basically just cheese), cabbage, and cheesy/bacon cornbread. The meal was topped off with a delicious homemade upside-down apple pie baked by Becky's mom's friend. Umm do I need to say more?!!

Later that night we ventured into “downtown,” I say this timidly only because it consisted of two blocks of soon to be revitalized buildings and really when I say buildings I mean townhouse looking things – others may describe this as cute or quaint.

We meet up with some of Becky’s friends and ended up at a jazz club in “downtown”. Now this was a pleasant surprise, although I was shocked by the $10 cover – I thought things were cheap in South Carolina but I guess since the club seemed like a transplant they didn’t know better either. We had a good night and were even serenaded by a ridiculous drunk guy that I am pretty sure was missing a tooth or two.

The next morning I rolled out of bed (pretty literally now since I had consumed more food than a person should really eat in a month) and started to get ready for church. That is right – this Jew took the Anderson Methodist church by storm and best yet I pulled of the Christian look pretty well – no one called me out – even though it was obvious I had no idea what was going on. While the service was in English (as opposed to Hebrew like I was used to) I had no idea how to read the hymns and the pastor keep making us stand up and down – rather annoying. The only saving grace was the amazing choir and Becky’s mom sang a duet. Sadly enough this newly inducted southerner couldn’t stop thinking about lunch.

Luckily for me Becky’s mom had lunch ready when we returned home. Just a light meal this time – roast beef, carrots & green beans with bacon, potatoes, brown rice, squash casserole, and rolls. Gosh was I going to miss eating like a queen. I wondered exactly how it was going to be to go back to my life of lean cuisines and McDonald's. Just as I started to get worried Becky’s mom start divvying up the food for us to take home. Yay! Left over for a week – at least.

Just when I thought our adventure was coming to a close, Becky and I got in the car and drove about 30mins to her dad’s. I thought I was already in a remote rural country area but apparently I was mistaken. Only now was I experiencing the rural countryside of Anderson. We drove by tiny houses on huge plots of land, some well kept and others left to be desired. We even passed a house with at least 15 broken down cars in the front yard. Oh and a grocery store called the Piggly-Wiggly – now seriously how could you ever shop there. I could only picture that one day this rural countryside would be “hip” welcoming bars, restaurants, and cafes – but for now this vast rural landscape was only speckled with trash, bad roads, nice people, and what seemed like a simple life whose residents were a bit suspicious of strangers.

You would not even guess what was waiting when we returned home – nothing else but dinner! In an effort to wane me off the exorbitant amount of food I was so accustomed to consuming, Becky’s mom prepared a smaller but just as fulfilling meal of chicken salad sandwiches and potato soup. After dinner we packed up and got ready for our early morning departure.

Anderson, South Carolina was great, Becky’s family and friends showed me what real southern hospitality was and hopefully my Yankee ways didn’t cause any issues. If they did they were too polite to let me know – I guess we will see if I am ever invited back! Most importantly I want to thank everyone (especially Becky) who drove me around, answered all my stupid questions, laughed at the ridiculous nature of my comments, and joined me in having a great time.

A Time for Everything

Lest you think I'm a shallow and selfish twenty-something with my recent posts- I've been wanting to share something slightly deeper and more inspirational on here. Times are tough for a lot of people right now. People are loosing jobs or their savings and retirement funds. The housing, financial, and automobile market is a mess. Budget cuts to important education and health programs are unfortunate and challenging. And there is no indication that things will immediately get better. The headlines are anything but hopeful and optimistic.

I recently heard from my mom that one of her co-worker's house caught on fire and they lost everything. I may rant and rave somewhat dramatically about dating woes, recent movies, and a magazine ending. But I am well aware that these things don't compare to what a lot of people are facing and going through right now. Maybe that's why I try to make my blog as lighthearted as possible. Life is stressful and complicated enough, I don't think people want to read a blog that highlights these facts.

Lately, I've had a bible verse on my mind. It's one that I find a lot of truth in and am trying to take comfort in right now. It's an important reminder in my quest to live a more balanced and fulfilled life.

I wanted to find a cutesy and fun way to present the passage on here. I thought about posting the song Turn, Turn, Turn by Pete Seeger. But somehow, none of that seems to matter. The words speak for themselves.


Ecclesiastes 3:1

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

Domino Is No More

I am so sad to hear that Domino Magazine is ending! Stupid economy. First, Blueprint and now Domino. Are there any cool design magazine's left? I wonder what will happen to my subscription....

R.I.P.

He's Just Not That Into You....

The book was a chick-lit hit, and the movie probably will be too. Great cast. Truthful sentiment. Some funny parts.

I admit that I was SUCKER for all the hype. For some of us, this book/movie/story is what we're living and dealing (aka- struggling) with in real life.

A major theme of the movie was learning the lesson of being the exception vs. being the rule. This was played out in several love triangles and situations where girls like to hold on to any small bit of hope that because they heard that a certain situation ended in happily ever after for a friend of a friend's cousin's coworker, and therefore, could work out for us too. But in most cases, this is not so much the case. We are the rule, not the exception.

I generally like movies that inspire, make me think about situations differently, teach me something new, or make me laugh my head off. Maybe it's just me, but this movie, left me feeling like I'll never be the exception...only the rule.

I made the mistake of building this movie up in my head...like it would reveal the secrets of dating and magically solve all my problems. Not so much the case. I've gotten to the point that I don't mind being single- I see the benefits for me personally and why it's probably a good thing right now. But I've also realize I truly stink at the dating game. So a movie about the frustrations of dating did not hit the spot.

To this movie I say, Thanks for taking my $10.50 and 2 hours and 9 minutes of my life to show me what I already knew: Dating (and the male gender) Sucks, and He's apparently not that into me. Thanks for the newsflash, but I'd rather escape to the movies to get AWAY from the challenges of everyday life.

I'm sure if you've already become an EXCEPTION, you'll love the movie. But if you're like me and seem to always be the RULE, you're better off seeing something else. I'm very surprisingly going to give this movie a 2 on the Sweet Tea Scale.

I'm going to go watch The Notebook, Sweet Home Alabama, and any other happy romantic comedy I can find to help me forget that he's just not that into me. I'd rather believe in fictional happy endings right now.

About Me

I'm caving. There's a "tag" thing going around Facebook to list 25 random things about yourself. So here it is....all you ever wanted to know about me, plus a few things you probably don't care about!


1. I LOVED Mr. Rogers as a child and believe I'm a better neighbor for it!
2. I Google everything.
3. I could be okay with wearing pearls everyday.
4. My favorite food is definitely fresh tomatoes.
5. The smell of dry erase markers makes me think of Kindergarten.
6. I attended an all-women's college for 4 years and survived.
7. I have never traveled outside the US, and really hope to someday.
8. I think I've seen every episode of the Cosby Show.
9. I had no pain after having all 4 wisdom teeth removed and functioned normally the next day.
10. I worked at a peach orchard for 3 summers and used to know the names of about 30 types of peaches.
11. Because I worked at a peach orchard, I refuse to eat store bought peaches. They're just gross.
12. I don't really like those mass holiday text messages.
13. I dream of having my own personal masseuse.
14. I really, really, really want a puppy.
15. I miss the south in a bad way.
16. I'm actually having fun being single.
17. I am a registered lobbyist.
18. I HATE hearing people chew or eat. It drives me nuts for some reason. I used to get up earlier than my sister so I didn't have to listen to her crunch on her cereal in the mornings.
19. I am still friends with my freshman year college roommate and have learned that this is very rare!
20. I won my fantasy football league this past year!
21. The Braves are my favorite team ever.
22. I have one sister, 2 stepsisters, and 3 stepbrothers.
23. You can find me on facebook, twitter, gchat, aim, goodreads, linkedin, and blogger!!!
24. I heart my TiVo.
25. I've (unfortunately) had to wear glasses since 1st grade.

Make a Wish!

January was all about Change, Hope, History, Inspiration, and New Beginnings. February is all about ME! Just kidding...well, sort of. Despite the fact that February means it's still winter, (which you should know by now just isn't my favorite season), it's a good month. It's the month of my birth, Valentine's Day, and the start of Spring Training (10 days until pitchers and catchers report.)

So my official New Year is off to a good start. I finally caught up on all the errands, organizing, and cleaning I wanted to do before the start of the 2009. My friends and family are the best and helped me celebrate a fun Birthday over the weekend! By the third rendition of Happy Birthday, I made a comment that I had the chance to make several birthday candle wishes. My very tactful friend, Shira, said something to the effect of, "I'm trying to give you lots of chances so your wishes will come true and you'll have a better year than last!" She even had one of those candles that keeps relighting itself so I had to keep blowing it out.

So here's to a great 27th year!