Thank You, Margaret!!

I think blogging about the awesome housewarming gifts my Aunt Margaret got me during her recent visit to PA is a great way to say THANK YOU!!  And also to show these great gifts in their new setting.  Seriously, these two items are truly appreciated as I've been needing a spoon holder forever and the avocado dish will be used frequently since my love for guacamole is probably greater than average.  THANK YOU Margaret!!

Welcome Back, Winter!

It feels nice to have a real winter once again after years of very mild seasons with hardly any snow.  The storm on Saturday left us with inches of powdery snow on the ground to play in and shovel.  Tom and I celebrated by sledding down the hills outside our home again and again and again!

Where are My Christmas Cards?!!?!!

My Christmas cards are lost in-transit.  I ordered them over two weeks ago and they still have not arrived.  I've been on the phone with both UPS and USPS for the last week trying to get an idea of where they are and when they are expected to arrive.  Apparently both services don't communicate with the other even though they share the responsibility to deliver orders.  At this point, I'm ready to give up and send out generic xmas cards...

I'm Thrilled to Have a...

...PANTRY!!

I have a proper pantry for the first time in my life!  This feature of our new apartment absolutely excites me beyond comprehension.  It's one of those things that I never really gave thought to until I started living on my own.  After living in a few places where I had makeshift pantries or none at all, I can fully appreciate the one I have now.  It was the first area of the apartment to be organized, by subject of course!  The librarian in me couldn't allow it to be organized any other way.  So, my subject specific shelves are as follows from top to bottom: cooking appliances/storage, pasta/dip and salad dressing packets, everyday items, baking/cooking staples, paper supplies, and finally reusable grocery bags on the very bottom.

Adventures in Cooking: Crepes

I'm sure everyone knows this, but crepes are super easy to make.  I had Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread and wanted to have some for breakfast, so I found a good crepe recipe online and got to it!  The result:

Happy Belated Birthday to Carter!

Carter turned 9 years old last week and from what I heard, he had a pretty good time celebrating with friends. I can't believe he's 9 years old!! Where did the time go?? We had a dual celebration - one for Carter's birthday and a "welcome to our new apartment" dinner with my family, Bema, Grandma, and Val.

Snow and Nicklaous Day

Snow!  Our first snowfall of the year came and went last Saturday.  The snow on the ground was really pretty and it lasted into Sunday and Monday.  When we toured apartments in October, we noted the hills next to our current apartment would be fun to sled down when it snows... and they are fun!  We watched children sled down the snowy hills all day Sunday.  Can't wait to get more snow!!

Nicklaous Day is a German tradition that happens every year on December 6th.  Children put their boots outside in the evening of December 5th and depending on whether they were good or bad that year, Nicklaous gives or doesn't give them sweets.  Tom and I continue this tradition for fun... and it looks like were were good this year...

Thanksgiving Recap

We spent Thanksgiving morning packing up our apartment before going over to Grandma Sherry's house for dinner.  Over at Grandma Sherry's house we enjoyed seeing family and ate a delicious turkey dinner.  Gavin and Vivian, my younger cousins on my mother's side, are always a pleasure to see.  Gavin is a riot and Vivian is a sweetheart.  My aunt Allisson made place tags with her children's help for the table using hand cutout turkeys.  Everyone's turkey represented their personality and interests.  They were fabulous!

Turkey Place Tag

Melissa's Turkey Hand

Ivy's Turkey Hand

We Moved!

We've officially moved into our new place!  Ben, Carter, Tom, and I moved our belongings from Philadelphia to Pottstown.  It took hours of hard work to get the job done, but we did it!  We wouldn't have been able to do it without Ben; without his help, Tom and I would still be moving.  Carter was also a huge help - he was still buzzing with energy at 8pm when the rest of us could barely move.

Our new place is a modern townhome style apartment.  It's larger than our old apartment and it has a washer and dryer in unit (something our old place didn't have).  Doing laundry isn't a task I typically look forward to, but it is now fun and something I don't mind doing because I can do it in my own home!  NO MORE washing card, hauling loads of laundry down the hall, sliding detergent down the hall with my foot while carrying baskets of laundry under both arms...  no more!

We are continuing to settle in and make our new place feel homey and comfortable.  The plan is to paint one or two walls and hang pictures this weekend.  More updates to come...

Here are two pictures: one of us in the living room at our old place and one of our new kitchen the morning after our move (it doesn't look like this any more).

Maternity Shoot

My first maternity shoot went well!  Below are pictures of Chrisandra and her daughter at their home.  I had a lot of fun photographing them and learned a lot about photographing on-site.  I am pleased with the results and can't wait to do more maternity shoots!

Go Figure!!

Our dishwasher broke about 2-3 weeks ago. Apparently, a vital part failed and needed to be replaced. I'm not exactly sure what the whole story was because Tom communicated with the complex about the issue. Me? I'm fine living without a dishwasher. I've done it for years and know how to wash dishes by hand let them dry on a rack - the normal way. Tom, on the other hand, can't comprehend life without a dishwasher. It's is his stubborn modernist side that makes him this way.

Anyway, the part was supposed to be replaced today. This made Tom happy, which made me happy because there would soon be an end to Tom's dishwashing unhappiness. I don't know what happened with the new part, but we arrived home this evening to a brand new dishwasher!! And it's our last month in our current apartment. I can live without a dishwasher, but I have to say, the new one is very nice! And quiet!

Go figure!

If It Had Teeth, It Would Bite You

That is the phrase I grew up hearing from my mother whenever I couldn't find something that was apparently right in front of me. I would like to say that 9 times out of 10 I really couldn't find whatever I was looking for because it had been moved, eaten, or magically disappeared, but I'm sure my mother was right most of the time.

I made a sauce with meet and vegetables to go over spaghetti noodles the other night. When it came time to make the noodles, I couldn't find them anywhere! At least not in all the places I looked for them. "I know I picked up spaghetti noodles not too long ago," I told Tom. Tom helped me look for them, and he couldn't find them either. I selected another type of noodle from the cupboard and carried on making the dish.

Three days later I found the noodles I was looking for. Right in front of me, in plain sight, on the countertop next to the stove. Duhhhhh Melissa!

Way To Go PHILLIES!!!

YEAH BABY! Yankees got served on their own turf!!

That's all I have to say about Game 1 of the World Series :)

Decorative Initial Cap Test

This is a test post. I'm seeing how this decorative initial cap looks in a post. So what do you think? I like initial caps at the beginning of novels, but not in the beginning of each chapter.

If you are interested in using them in your blog, check this site out.

Rugby Movie

If you know Tom, you know that he LOVES rugby. Numerous Saturdays throughout the year begin with watching live rugby as early as 8 in the morning! It's hard not to notice Tom's loud cheering, so I've stopped trying to sleep or find quiet areas in the apartment. Instead, I join him in watching/cheering for his favorite teams. I've learned a lot about the sport and even give the players major kudos for going out on the field without protective gear. Ouch!

Anyway, I saw this trailer being advertised on tv. It's based on a true story and, needless to say, we know where we'll be on December 11th - in the theater!

Sadly, I haven't been able to take as many pictures as I would like to. I've been using my phone to snap some on-the-go shots. Here's one of NYC from the corner of 53rd & Lexington.

Brother-Sister Weekend #5

This is the only picture I have from Brother-Sister Weekend #5. Carter spent Saturday night with us in Philadelphia. The horrible weather kept us inside for most of his visit, so we entertained ourselves with games and other random fun. Every time Carter visits us, I end of compiling a list of "kid-friendly items" to pick up for future stays. We made the best of our time together and even saw Astro Boy at the movie theater.

Carter

There's no "I" in Team

I helped my parents out the other weekend by taking Carter to his flag football game. That particular Saturday morning was rainy and gloomy. I thought there would be a good chance of the game being cancelled, but nope, the game must go on! So, I patiently waited through the picture-taking, the practice, and then the game. I loved watching Carter play and enjoy himself on the field. I didn't like the "soccer parents" and their constant verbal reminders from the sidelines directed at their children to: "stay focused!, watch the guy on your left!, grab his flag!" I think directing 8 year olds in a GAME of flag football is a little over the top, don't you think? Just for some sociological fun, I cheered when the other team scored, playfully shouted things like, "yeah baby!, good teamwork!" I think this irritated one mother who seemed to overally agitated about the little mistakes, but I didn't care. Somehow during the last 3 years that her son has been playing football (which she pointed out to me), she forgot that it is a team sport. Oh well, some people don't get it. And never will. At least Carter had fun on a rainy morning playing on a field with kids his age and hopefully learning that there's no "I" in TEAM.

This Month's Top Story is...

Tom got a Job!

This is great news that he and I are absolutely thrilled about. It all happened so quickly, from the interviews to being hired, that it feels like a blur. We are trying to figure out the logistical matters now, like our living situation, purchasing another vehicle, and all the fun things that go along with those tasks. Once we have made some more concrete decisions and know a little more about our next step, I will update all the news here!

Now back to figuring things out...

My Baby Takes the Morning Train...

... She works from 9 to 5... then comes home again...

I've had this song in my head all week long mostly because I've spent half of the week on a train or in a car. Our New York City office has been added to my weekly agenda. I went there for the first time this week and experienced a day in the life of a working New Yorker. It wasn't a grand experience as I spent most of it on the train, subway, and in the office, but I felt the energy of the city in the office and observed New York in its natural state - busy. I didn't get a chance to step out of the office during the day, but I'm sure I'll get a chance to do so and take pictures in the weeks to come.

Remembering Bailey

Our family dog of 15 years passed away on September 28, 2009. Although her elderly age and death wasn't a shock to us, it has been hard to adjust to life without her. This weekend was my first time home since her passing, and the whole time I was there, I felt as if she was on the porch or laying under the tree as she usually did. I know my parents miss her tremendously. Bailey was my mother's dog in many ways as much as she was a family dog.

In celebration of Bailey's life, we gathered today to remember and talk about her. Ben made a lovely slideshow, Bema made "Bailey Cookies," and Tom, Ben, and Carter set up a wonderful display where she was buried. Carter wanted to remember her love of going on "walkies" by walking down the driveway and back as a group while carrying the flag. It was a sweet memorial with a lot of love. Bailey's bond with her family will never die.

Weyerbacher Brewery Tour

Tom and I toured Weyerbacher Brewery - a local microbrewery in Easton, Pennsylvania. I discovered the brewery after I was introduced to one of its flagship beers called Blithering Idiot. As you can imagine, the name becomes self-explanatory after consuming one or two. Tom and I decided we should try to tour local breweries to gain knowledge about the history of some of our favorite beers since Pennsylvania has some of the oldest breweries in the country. So, Weyerbacher was our first stop on the tour.

What we learned: Weyerbacher has altered their facility to enable greener beer-making practices. They also recycle what they call "oatmeal," a post fermentation product. The oatmeal is given to a local farmer who uses it to feed his animals. Additionally, their distribution range has grown within the last decade, spanning Maine to Florida. A few of their flagship beers are Blithering Idiot, Autumn Fest, and Winter Ale.

Touring America (well, not all of it)

Some pictures from our adventures during Michael and Julie's first visit to America!

Battery Park Squirrel Show

Here's a video of trained squirrels eating nuts from a pedestrian's hands in Battery Park, NYC.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Today we took a tour of an Amish estate in Lancaster, Pa. We learned a lot about their practices and how they have adapted to a progressive society over the years. One of the things I learned is that in an Amish family, it is tradition for a father to make a wooden chest for his daughter when she is 16 years of age. This chest is meant for her to collect and place items in it in preparation for her future home and family. I like the concept and think I may do the same thing one day - maybe with a twist.

Miracles Do Happen

My desk at work is somewhat clean! This is a true miracle as I have been trying to unearth books and papers from it for a few months now.