Family and Quilts

It’s almost the end of another year, I can hardly believe it. I have moved from WA to LA to ME and have enjoyed every stop along the way. Moving to Maine was by far the best move I have made. Not that I didn’t enjoy and learn from other places I have lived but because I realized how important family really is. I feel blessed really. I have a wonderful family that loves each other and gets along great. Having the ability to move to Maine to get to know my niece Hannah has really been the cherry on top. The smile I get when I walk in the door from her is priceless. I want her to always know me.

It’s getting colder and that means more inside time. I’ve already started venturing into the crock-pot world and think I might try out some more difficult recipes soon. I’ve also decided to set a goal for myself. By the end of 2011 I’ve decided I want to make a quilt. It may not be the best quilt but I’m feeling pretty confident that I can create something…well functional 🙂 I’ve started researching, ordered a couple of books and have found loads of blogs and informational tutorials that are a great start for inspiration. If any of you know websites, books, or videos that might be useful or if you have any tips of your own please feel free to send the information my way!! I know my sister-in-law Sarah is a craft master and I’m hoping I can steal some of her knowledge. Maybe trade babysitting for lessons? I’ll keep you in the loop and if it goes well I am hoping to set a goal for 2012, one new project/activity a month. I will take all your suggestions! Until next post…

Color Me Maine

Do you ever have those days when you wake up and just want to be somewhere else in your life? A new job, a new location, a new house, have a family, or maybe just a new shirt? I think I am having a week of the “wants”. There are lots of things I can not change, lots of things I don’t want to change, but this weekend calls for a small change…a new wall color.

I have been in Maine a little over 4 months now (I know! Time is flying) and I have yet to make the apartment feel like home. Maybe it was a lack of motivation or money(moving from WA to ME is expensive!) but I think I always tread carefully on new locations because I never know how long I am going to stay. I ordered a couch last week. To some people that is just part of a new place, for me it was a small (but potentially large) commitment to Portland, well at least the East coast. Not only did I order a couch but an area rug as well. I know, I know, HUGE! The goal is to paint the living room this weekend so when the couch and rug arrive we’ll be ready. We (my sister and I) are thinking a blueish/greenish/grey type color. Specific, right? Something on the lighter than the darker side, most likely muted or understated. I’m sorry Pat and Sarah we are stealing your wall color, or close to it. After that all we need to get is a coffee table, tv, and entertainment stand (a few minor things). Art for the walls is also a must. I have some ideas on making custom wall art but will need to get my hands on some pictures from my sister-in-law. One thing at a time I guess…

Side note: Utilizing the crock-pot again today. Pulled pork goodness tonight!

Let’s Do This!…Again

I’ve decided it’s time to get back into my blogging world but not the long and lengthy posts I’ve done in the past. Short and sweet, maybe even a couple a day.

Here it goes… In September I went to the beach with my whole family, I turned 29, and I bought a boogie board. In October my Aunt Christine came to visit, I made my first trip to the Portland Children’s Museum(my cash was stolen), and I bought a couch.

I’ve decided bars are probably not the best place to meet Mr. Maybe and that time is really all you need to get over things.

Irish Pubs and Rain Boots

So I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve been on here…

Life has been moving ahead as usual. Since we last spoke I have attended Hannah’s first birthday party, seen some great local bands, and met some wicked fun people (haha).  Needless to say I am exhausted and in need of a serious recharge! Lucky for me I can do that next week when my family flies over and we all head up to the beach house for a week. I can not wait for some relaxing on the beach, boogie boarding and family game nights. Oh and it’s my birthday on the 8th. The big two nine. One more year of 20’s. Looking forward to my 30’s. Pretty sure it will be my most formative decade yet. Either way I’m so excited to spend it with the whole family in Maine, if only Penny could have come…

Found another spot we love to go to called Ri Ra. It’s a chain Irish pub, but since there are only like 5 in the U.S. it doesn’t really seem super chainy to me. Great food. Seriously the Guinness beef stew is heaven on a cold day and of all the times we have been there (I think 5 times in the last two weeks) the spinach and artichoke dip has been a high priority. And I love everything potatoes so this place is the best.It totally helps that all the bartenders are friendly and hot. It’s just not right. And hell, half of them have our names down and know that I want a Smithwick’s and Em wants a Guinness… hmmm I’m starting to think a pint tonight sounds great! Although we should probably take care of some business before this storm rolls through.

Ahhh the storm. It seems people are going to extremes with Ms. Irene. Not that being prepared and safe are a bad thing, I just don’t think it will be that bad when it finally hits Maine. Might as well keep that between us or the poor news reporters here will have to go back to talking about lobster catches and airport grants. We’ll see I guess. Should buy a flashlight and some bottled water just in case. Probably should have already had those…

Maine has definitely been growing on me and is feeling more like my home than a vacation. I’m excited for the trees to change color and for me to splash around in my new rain boots. Damn I love Fall. This will be my first in New England and I can only imagine how great it will be. Looking forward to apple cider and pumpkin scented candles. Oh snap, I think a trip to the Yankee Candle store is in order! Maybe I’ll wait til Seany gets here…

Lighthouses and Lobstah

I’m back!! I know it’s been awhile since I posted last so here’s the quick and short of the last week. Worked a lot, drank a lot, burned a lot, played  a lot. Ok now the stories. Most of you know that I work for ACS and a few of you know that I write policy and procedure manuals for them. Well over the last two months or so there have been some changes so the work we have done is somewhat on hold and headed a different direction. Not a bad thing and actually I really like the people I am working with. Just a learning time for me. SIPOC? What is that?! Spreadsheets oh boy. I enjoy the challenge and will be writing again soon I hope.

Crystal came down from NY this weekend which was a ton of fun. It has been 10 years in September since the first time I met her at Western. Blue hair no more but still the same up for anything personality I loved back then. Friday was a night of drinking at, where else, Rosie’s. I guess we did manage to find our way to RiRa’s and somehow ended up alongside a bachelor party. Oh Russell! (Facebook me, poke me, whatever haha)

Saturday we stocked up on water, beach towels, and a beach umbrella (thank you Walgreens) and headed out to the beach. Emily, Crystal and I all enjoyed playing in the water, collecting shells and sparkle rocks and getting a little burnt.

Ok, some (me) a lot burnt but well worth it! Took my first real dip into the Atlantic Ocean and let me tell you, no it was not warm!

After all the sun we were starving a little dinner and dessert was enough to knock us out.

Today was another great day. We decided to take an hour and a half day lighthouse cruise around Casco bay. Lots of fun, even our local Mainard friend Tyler joined us. 

After the cruise us girls decided to grab a bite at J’s Oysters. Now this was fun for a couple of reasons. The first, one of my favorite shows (Anthony Bourdaine’s No Reservation’s) filmed here when they visited Maine, second I love seafood, third it was Emily’s first real seafood adventure, and fourth…did I say I LOVE seafood?? It may not be the nicest place in town but the food was delish! The placemats even tell you how to eat a lobster…or lobstah as me and Emily so lovingly refer to it now!

I had a platter of fresh scallops, shrimp, crab, lobster and oysters. Can you say yum!? Emily was very brave and gave them a try. I was pretty proud considering a newbie was eating it raw with me and she didn’t gag once 🙂 Ya Em, we’ll get you some cooked scallops I’m sure you’ll like them better.

I’m loving the lobstah but I think king crab is still my favorite. One day Alaska I will be back! Or maybe I just need to eat more of it….I’ll try the later and let you know. Next week is Hannah’s first birthday party and I can’t wait for that! More posts and pics to come. Until then. XOXO

Special K and Blueberry Jams

Every morning I wake up to the smell of breakfast being prepared somewhere below me on the streets of Commercial or Fore. Now this wouldn’t be a bad way to wake up except that it’s not for me! Sadly my Special K with Red Berries does not come close to whatever is out there. Why do you tease me Maine?

Another beautiful day out there, and as soon as I am done working I plan on stealing myself a piece of it. I love living so close to the ocean. When the breeze hits it’s the smell of salt water and seafood filling my apartment. If I could only hear the ocean from my little room it would be my own sound machine.

Since I can’t hear the ocean from my room and I am stuck in here at my computer for 8 hours a day working I have found that music is a constant companion. I was introduced recently to Turntable.fm and love it! Up to 5 people can play music from a list they create. If you like a song you can click the “Awesome” button. When this happens the person gets points. Score enough points and you can change your avatar. Sorry you can’t “Awesome” yourself. I have just recently reached bear status. Join a room already created or create your own. Blueberry Jams is where it’s at…just sayin.

If you have a facebook account you can try it out. It’s a pretty great way to hear music you love and to introduce you to music you don’t know already.

Looking forward to the next couple weeks. Lots of exciting stuff coming up…

Ice Cream and Grape Graveyards

What a wonderful weekend! Like most weekends I try to do something with family or friends and hopefully that also involves some nice outdoor weather. I was lucky enough to have both. On Saturday Emily and I made our way out to Pat and Sarah’s to spend the day playing with Hannah, chatting about plans, and making some homemade ice cream. I love watching Hannah play in her little pool.  She could care less that at times there may be a few leaves in her water or that she plans on getting you as wet as she is. All she cares about is having a good time. Fill it up with a couple of toys and off she goes.

The final event to our evening was making some homemade ice cream. After some deliberation about what ingredients are in the house we decided on a simple vanilla with Heath bar mixed in. It was anything but simple! The whole family enjoyed watching Pat make his first batch of homemade ice cream. I’m sure, no, I know there will be much more to come. But what was even better is the whole family enjoyed eating some of Pat’s ice cream!

Sunday was another beautiful day and another trip out to Gorham. We got there early and walked over to Sebago Brewing for brunch. The food was great, unfortunately it was their last brunch ever. Not sure why. Maybe not enough business. Who wouldn’t want to go to a brewpub at 9 AM?! Wake up Maine!

After a big breakfast and a power nap for Hannah we made our way over to Crescent Beach State Park down in Cape Elizabeth. It seems everyone had the same idea we did. The beach was flooded with people but it seems everyone was having a good time. We popped our beach hut and sat out in chairs. Chatting over grapes and popcorn, enjoying the view. Dipped our feet in the cold Atlantic Ocean and scooped up a couple cool rocks to take home. After a few hours it was time to go and say goodbye to the beach and Hannah’s grape graveyard. You know, the half-eaten grapes covered in sand… probably only edible to Hannah and the seagulls.

Loaded up, and headed out. Another successful weekend. A little burnt but well worth the fun.

21 Runs, Hotdogs, and Knives

Much of last night was spent exploring downtown Portland’s bar scene. We started at Rosie’s(duh) and then headed over to RiRa’s off Commercial St. Love RiRa’s. Great little Irish pub/restaurant an easy walk from Fore Street. Met a cute older (75) man named John who was originally from England. Had lots to say but maybe that was his Smithwick’s talking. Everyone seems friendly enough when we go in and the selection is nice because it is different then the regular bars around downtown. After saying our goodbyes with John we headed over to Dewey’s to see what the big deal was. I had heard about this place from a few people and websites. The beer selection was good, being the only girls at the bar…bad. I think of myself as pretty friendly. Maybe that’s the reason we ended up on a 21 run even though we had no idea who these guys were. A little adventure? Why not. The rest of the night was spent at Brian Boru’s, Oasis ($1 Redbull Vodkas and the best live music of the night), and Amigo’s. Overall an insanely random night. I rate it a 7 out of 10.

Pat dropped in for lunch today. Took a little stroll to get some air and ended up with hotdogs and sodas from a cart. Paleo? No. Good? Yes. Note to self: $2.50 corner all beef dog not bad, revisit to try the red one.

It’s been pretty hot around here and today was finally cool enough that I felt like using the stove. Had a quick and fresh basil, tomato, and mozzarella pasta tossed in some olive oil. Final verdict: ok. In serious need of more garlic. I will say that I bought this Wusthof knife set  http://t.co/Kc9tJ5j and LOVE it.  I get excited to cook because I know I get to use these.  I swear a good knife can make or break my day. They’re on the more expensive side but SO worth it. Pat introduced me to them and I am glad he did. Next purchase… garlic roaster. Birthday present? Perhaps.

Looking forward to spending the day with my Gorham Allens tomorrow. But tonight I’m going to enjoy this glass of wine.

A Little Bit of Rosie’s and the Fourth

Well it’s been too long. It feels like so much has happened  already!

Emily and Misu arrived on Saturday evening. I was so excited to see them and I could tell Emily was so excited to meet Hannah for the first time. Misu was an angel on the flight, like I knew she would be. We headed back to the apartment dropped off our stuff and went for a walk around town. Checking out the area and decided on Rosie’s for our first dinner. SO glad we picked Rosie’s. Who knew that 2 floors below us would be some of the best pizza! Walked up the stairs full and happy to a little kitty waiting for us.

The weekend was filled with shopping, lots of shopping. Target, Home Goods, Lowe’s, Mardens and Hannafrds. Get the basics, get some food, get a new burner to replace the one we accidentally melted plastic on…check. Get the wrong size?…of course.

We spent the fourth out in Gorham at Pat and Sarah’s. Pat grilled up some awesome burgers and we enjoyed fresh fruit, chips and beers over Allen schemes. Sarah has the best recipes. Note to self, flip through her book’o recipes. Played with Hannah a bit and watched Sarah whip up a Misu poop curtain in no time! Ok, ok a curtain to hide the liter box. Sarah makes it look effortless. Hoping to learn her trades while I’m out here. A quilt, now that is something I’ve been wanting to do…hmmm.

Said our goodbyes to to Hannah and Sarah and took off to do some grocery shopping. Got the basics and headed home to unpack and unwind. We had planned on going to watch the fireworks but by the time we had gotten everything unpacked we were pretty beat. Hung up the curtain and climbed in bed to watch a movie. A little Pocahontas anyone?

The next day Sarah and I obtained our Maine drivers licenses. The wait was not as bad as Louisiana but the pictures were worse! Sarah and I agreed…worst pictures ever. So for the time being I am ok with a paper temp license with no picture on it. Dear Maine DMV, Back it up!! Nobody needs a photo that close up.

Tuesday night Em and I did a little late night exploring. Stopped at Rosie’s for a few drinks, then walked down the street to a little wine bar, followed by drinks at RiRa an Irish place. All fun, all good, all drunk. Made interesting conversation with people all night then finally made our way back home.

The rest of the week has been filled with work and emails from old friends. Not to mention an insane amount of words and hanging with friends. My poor phone hasn’t held a charge for a full day since I got here.

Well back to the grind. Until next time!

New Apartment and the Beach

Busy girl in a busy world. I have finally found an apartment! Woo hoo!! Sarah and Hannah took me into town to look at an apartment downtown last week. The location…AMAZING. Luckily I was able to take it right then! Right in the middle of it all food, shopping, bars, and the pier. Cute little 2 bedroom apartment on the top floor over Rosie’s an old dive restaurant/bar. Great reviews so I’m looking forward to giving it a try. Brand new hardwood floors, a funky brick wall in the kitchen, lot’s of built-in shelving and just close enough to the ocean to hear the seagulls.

I’ll post some  pics once I get all settled and have stuff actually in the space. I think it’s going to be a great spot to start out in Maine.

Next it was a little shopping for the new place. Saturday the four of us packed up and went down to Kittery outlets. Found some pots and pans at the Calphalon outlet. Quite the steal at 120 bucks for a set!! Griddle pan included. Also found a couple of cute tops. No surprise there.

I forgot how expensive moving is. And moving across the country bringing nothing is REALLY expensive. I’m having to buy everything from a bed, to a hamper, to a tv. I did get a pretty sweet new flat screen though. I am also looking forward to receiving my new bed! Queen size, 12 inch memory foam mattress. Can’t wait to sleep on it!! I’m anxious to be all settled in. It might take a couple of pay checks before I am happy with it, but patience is something I am working on. Next task: Maine license and buying a car.

Sunday we all piled in the car and drove out to the beach. It was Hannah’s first time walking on the beach and I was excited that I got to share it with them. Hannah ate so much sand you could probably have used her like an hourglass. I’m not sure what tasted so good to her, maybe the salt?   I can’t wait for more beach days. Seriously considering buying a boogie board. Can’t believe I get to live so close to this! I LOVE the ocean.

Emily and Misu arrive on Saturday and we can’t wait! Well Pat could probably wait on Misu, but he is excited for the extra babysitter ;p I’m excited to have a partner in crime downtown and my fat kitty. Can’t believe she will turn 9 this September!

Well back to workin and dreamin about new adventures to come.