Holy moly it’s November

Holy moly…it’s November. I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. I feel like it should still be August. Honestly, I don’t really know where August went … I guess having a baby makes time fly even faster?

It was a really good weekend for us in Cleveland. We even started out Friday with semi-matching outfits for FW and me. Okay, I know we’re not matching, but we’re both wearing grey so I was pretty excited. So was he apparently!

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And then Friday at work we had a dog in the office! I love puppy therapy days … seriously, I needed it since work has been kinda stressful and busy lately. But puppies make it all better!

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Friday night B and I spent some time out by ourselves. We went out for drinks and dinner at the Plum Cafe & Kitchen. 

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Check out all that deliciousness in a bowl! img_20161104_205907

Saturday morning started off with a walk outside. It was in the 40s so we bundled up!

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But it was GORGEOUS out.

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We then decided to go out for brunch. This fruit and granola bowl at Phuel is my favorite.20161105_104301

And then it was time for a trip to the West Side Market. I love wearing FW and this was the first time I’ve worn him facing out! I think he liked it.20161105_124316

That afternoon it was time for Ladies Craft Beer Society! This month we made decorative towels and had some tasty bubbly AND fall beers. I finally had my favorite – Warlock!

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FW was there too as was Reanna’s baby.

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And at night B and I decided to have a movie night. We finally popped the bag of popcorn we brought back from Mexico City. Que deliciosa!

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Sunday morning was another gorgeous morning so I opted to go out for a run while FW slept a little. I got in 5 miles at under 9 min/mile pace which is the fastest I’ve run since FW was born. Yay!

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And this little guy greeted me when I got home. I can’t get enough of his smiles. 20161106_102649

Sunday night, after spending some time doing meal prep, watching the NY Marathon and a little work, we had plans to get dinner with friends. Is there ever a better way to end the weekend?

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And that was it!

Per usual, I’m linking up with ErinKatie and the weekly wraps.

Questions for you:

  • Have you gotten to enjoy some fall weather?
  • What’s a fun type of popcorn you’ve had?

October Weekends=One Sentence Per Photo

Welcome to my weekend update, one sentence per photo style. I’m coming down with a cold and feeling not-so-hot, so this is the best way to share everything from the past two days, without using too much of my brain. Here’s a quick summary of my weekend.

Started Saturday morning off with a 4 mile run.

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We did shopping for the week at the West Side Market (here is what we are eating this week!).

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We enjoyed good food (and beer) at Ladies Craft Beer Society, October edition.20161022_160121

The craft included mason jars. 20161022_162002

Finished product= mason jar candle holders!20161022_174509

B made me dinner – braised veal breast with artichoke hearts and onions. 20161022_204734

FW turned four months old and we somehow managed to snap a photo.20161023_083127-copy

And did lots of Nose Frida-ing – he’s got his first cold.

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A Sunday morning walk because I wasn’t feeling well enough for a run 😦

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At least it was a gorgeous morning!

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After some afternoon relaxing, some afternoon baking.

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And B and I made pasta for dinner.

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So B could make this deliciousness.

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And that’s a wrap! I’m linking up with ErinKatie and the weekly wraps.

Weekends with a Two Month Old

I can’t believe that FW is two months old now.  Time really does fly! And we’ve been having fun.  He’s still small enough for us to take places,  but he’s getting more interactive,  smiley and fun- it’s great!
So naturally,  this weekend involved a lot of time out and about with FW.

Friday started with lunch with some lady friends at a new Chipotle-ordering type Mediterranean place, Raving Med. I got a turkey shawarma bowl with tons of toppings that sooo good. I love anything with good pita and baba!

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Friday night was gorgeous so we took a walk and grabbed a drink on Public Square.

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And then ordered pizza takeout.  While we waited,  we hung out outside on the patio of Platform.

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Saturday morning started with a run.  It was hot,  but the three of us went to the park to try out the running stroller on a smooth path.  5k later …we were sweaty! The park is next to the water and beach- should’ve brought bathing suits!

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That afternoon was my Ladies Craft Beer Society.  Our craft was felt stuff- I ended up making a crinkly felt carrot for FW.

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Saturday night,  we had dinner plans with friends in the Flats. FW of course was excited to meet them 🙂

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Sunday morning started somewhat early with a 5k downtown.  It was my first race after FW was born and I decided just to run for fun with my friend Cuoghi. And her dog, Fred. Fred di great and it was fun having a furry running buddy for Sunday morning’s event!

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After the race, we brunched. We ended up eating at Urban Farmer and split the French Toast,

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The afternoon was spent looking at houses and then dinner with B’s family. An unexpected perk of dinner? Getting big cousins to help rock FW to sleep 🙂

And that was about it! A great great weekend here – I hope you had a great weekend! And today, I’m linking up with ErinKatie and the weekly wraps.

Some questions for you:

  • Did you spend time outside this weekend? We finally got a break in the heat and it was great!
  • Did you watch the Olympics? What are your favorite events?

 

Friday Five: Ask A Mom! (Part Two)

This is the second post in a series of posts where I ask Reanna from The Last Mommy Blog a series of questions about being a mom. She came up with most of the questions but I get to have her advice. So it’s a win-win for me — and now you, too!

If you missed last week – you can read it here. Or go here to read how I answer her questions on her blog, too. Today, it’s all about newborn life. Because newborns are the sh*t in my opinion (I may be biased).

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1. First, let’s get to know Reanna a little more with a development/growing check-in: How old is The Baby right now, and what’s he up to?

The Baby is 7.5 months old right now. He is crawling, pulling up to stand, busting out teeth like crazy (we’re up to six), sitting at the table for three meals a day (though still getting the majority of his nourishment from me, judging by how much of his food ends up smooshed on his thighs or eaten by the dog) and doing a lot of babbling. He’s SO. MUCH. FUN. right now. He tries to get us to chase him around the house and loves peekaboo. But he’s also super stubborn and I think he’s going to be a holy terror of a toddler!

2. Like me, Reanna also did not find out your baby’s sex before birth. Describe what it felt like when you heard, “It’s a boy!”

My first thought was, “What? That can’t be right!” I had convinced myself I was carrying a girl, if only because The Husband was so adamant it was a boy. (He later told me he was pretty sure he’d seen a scrotum on the ultrasound.) I’ll admit, I was disappointed for a second, if only at being wrong, but I love my little guy so much.

3. Newborns are amazing, but scary! What was hardest for you to get the hang of: Diapers, clothes changes, baths, breastfeeding…?

Breastfeeding was definitely the hardest for me. But also pulling onesies over my baby’s head was scary. That and driving him anywhere, because he always seemed to have terrible meltdowns and I was stuck driving and couldn’t comfort him. Newborns are just hard, man.

4. What would you recommend to someone about making the most of maternity leave?

Get out of the house once a day if you can, even if it’s just taking a walk. Even if you have leaky boobs and your house is a mess, if someone you like wants to come over to see the baby, say yes! It will make you feel better to talk to a human whose poop you’re not responsible for, and it will help you exercise your “not giving a sh*t” muscles about imperfections… something that has gotten considerably stronger for me in the past several months!

5. What is one thing you’re super proud of about your approach to parenthood so far?  

I’m really proud of myself for sticking with breastfeeding through a really, really tough beginning. [Please don’t read into that more than it says, anyone who did not stick with breastfeeding, for ANY reason! I definitely don’t care!!! Fed is best! *Hug!*] For me, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and once it got better it was so easy and affordable, not to mention such an amazing bonding experience, that I’m infinitely grateful it worked out that way. And the rough road at first gave me so much more compassion and perspective for all moms than I would have had otherwise.

Side note: If you’re still reading… B and I are taking our first road trip with the baby soon! And I’m so excited. And nervous. 8+ hours in the car with a 2 month old? Eep. BUT I’m also so grateful for Reanna’s tips to traveling with a baby – I’m definitely using these!

Questions for you:

  • Parents – anything else to add to Reanna’s answers, above?
  • What’s the last road trip you took?

i know there’s a typo in there… i didn’t make the image, but you get the gist of it. it’s so true!

Friday Five: Ask a Mom! 5 Questions for The Last Mommy Blog

My friend Reanna is a super mom.

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She is one of the first of my friends to have a baby, and she has been a source of so much inspiration and information as I’ve started this journey toward motherhood. She’s a great resource – she is going through all that I’m going through 6 months before I do and doing it and all with a smile and a great sense of humor (she’s super hilarious – check out her blog, The Last Mommy Blog). So when she asked if she could interview me for her blog, I was like – wait, why can’t I interview YOU? So, I’m partnering with her and sharing some advice, info, tips, etc. for moms. She has so much info to share that this will likely be a series of posts for the next few weeks.

Before we get started, here are 3 fun facts about Reanna:

  1. She used to live in Cleveland but now lives on a farm south of the city. She moved into her grandparents’ house when her baby was just a few months old and is cleaning it out, renovating it and basically living in nature. This is so crazy and amazing to me – I’m scared/in awe of anything nature related and don’t know how to even fix a broken drawer.
  2. She was the Lady who started Ladies’ Craft Beer Society. In case you haven’t read my posts about it, we meet once a month and drink a craft beer and do a craft. It’s been a great way for me to meet new friends with similar interests (drinking is an interest, right?) in CLE.
  3. She wears many hats these days. She’s adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom AND is a part-time freelancer. And she also is a semi-successful gardener and may soon be a goat owner. That’s more hats than I own in real life! (which is why she froze her eggs…more on that [clickbait! but you know you wanna know!] here)

Okay, onto the pregnancy and parenting stuff. Here are 5 Q&A’s with Reanna – and check out her blog, where I answer some of these questions as well! This week, we’ll celebrate Friday and talk pregnancy and becoming a mom.

FRIDAY FIVE; PREGNANCY AND BECOMING A MOM

1. Has motherhood changed your perspective on the world in any way?

I feel so hard for all mothers and babies now. I have always thought our maternity leave policies (or lack thereof) in this country were unfair, but now I feel they’re downright cruel. I took The Baby to a restaurant when he was a few months old and our waitress told me she had a two-week old at home and I wanted to stuff piles of money in both her hands, scoop her up, drive her home and tuck her and her baby into bed. It is appalling to me that we are failing families in this way.

2. What was the worst advice you got while you were pregnant?

I have to also say, “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” I caught a few naps while The Husband was home from work, but as an anxious person it was almost always next to impossible for me to fall asleep on demand. It’s the advice equivalent of telling someone, “Don’t be scared,” or “Win the lottery.” You just don’t have as much control as that advice implies.

3. What was the hardest part of pregnancy for you?

Agonizing heartburn. It was so bad by the end of the second trimester I could barely eat until I started taking prescription heartburn medication, which I felt nervous about every time I took it because it was a Class B drug or something. That and my regrettable inability to quickly think of a good retort at 37 weeks when a male coworker asked me if I was dilated.

4. What surprised you about pregnancy?

I thought I would be really excited to tell people I was pregnant after I was far enough along I felt comfortable to. But I had a lot of anxiety around it. I’m not sure if it’s because I’d had a miscarriage the first time around, or because I was explaining my participation in human reproduction, or because it opened the doors for people to pay me lots of attention and ask me a lot of questions, but it didn’t feel as good to let people in on our secret as I thought it would. Except with my friends, I just wanted to carry on with life as usual.

5. Are you happy with your childbirth experience? Is there anything you wish would have gone differently?

I am so very grateful for my childbirth experience. The only major bummer was that it happened on Christmas Day. Not because it ruined that particular Christmas (not by any means!) but I know it’s going to make The Baby’s birthday rough for him, for his entire life.

There you have it – until next Friday, when there will likely be 5 more questions for The Last Mommy Blog.

Some questions for you:

  • What questions do you have for new moms?
  • Moms, how would you answer any of these questions?
  • YAY for Fridays!! What are you looking forward to this weekend?

JUNE is here.

You guys. June is here. JUNE IS HERE. I know you know that – but this is a BIG DEAL in our household this year because it means that the BABY MONTH arrives is here. Baby C is due in June! Guess we’d better get our act together, huh?

Anyway, this weekend flew by. Guess when you are used to three-day weekends they’ll do that, huh? I really enjoyed it though – it was a great mix of hanging out with B (it’s only a few more days/weeks/who knows that it’s just the two of us!), seeing friends and getting baby ready.

Friday night we started with a date night – dinner at the Flying Fig. Started with their special toast and it was GREAT – cheese, mushrooms, onions and pea shoots.

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And I got the soft-shelled crab for dinner. We(surprisingly) didn’t get dessert – both of us were too full! We took a walk after dinner and enjoyed the warm evening.20160603_191947

And we stumbled across the new Forest City Brewery! We of course had to stop in for a beer (not for me..soon!!). It was a cool place – they had a huge outdoor patio/beer garden area and it wasn’t that crowded (at last yet).

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Saturday morning B and I took a walk around downtown again because it was another nice morning and not too hot. We always seem to end up in the Flats – its so nice to be able to walk around downtown and enjoy the sunny weather!20160604_113125

And then we got breakfast at Restore. It had been too long since I’d been there and I got an amazing dragonfruit bowl!

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Then we headed to the east side. I had plans to take a walk with Nicole (my former downtown running buddy) and I can’t believe I didn’t snap a photo of us on our walk. Oh well. Instead, here is part of Nicole’s garden.

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Then it was time for our Ladies Craft Beer Society! As usual, a great spread:20160604_154315

And here are some of the ladies crafting.

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We made monograms with succulents. My C came out pretty good, huh?

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That night, B and I had plans to go on another date night but ended up unexpectedly having to babysit our niece and nephew last minutes. So plans then included takeout pizza ..20160604_195844

Drawing and some  board games. I ended up winning this one – beginners’ luck I guess? The game was called the African Star (my sister-in-law is Finnish, thus the Finnish game board).20160604_203337

Sunday brought a day of errands and a little bit of work catchup. So not that many exciting pictures – BUT I did manage to find an “expectant mother” parking spot for the first time in my pregnancy! I was pretty pumped to park here, especially since it started down pouring right when I got to the store.

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And of course, Sunday dinner with B’s family to round up the weekend. A nice summery meal of chicken, burgers, dogs, fruit salad, corn salad, beans, salad .. yum!

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And of course ended with ice cream sundaes 🙂 No pic but imagine the goodness.

Some questions for you:

  • What’s your go-to babysitting food? What did you have growing up with a babysitter AND/OR what do you get when you babysit people? almost always pizza! or when i was growing up i could choose a fast food item.
  • What are you most looking forward to for the month of June?

I’m linking up today with ErinKatie and the weekly wraps.

 

December FLEW by

Whew. I don’t know about you, but the past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Between holiday parties, cookie exchanges, dinners with friends, baking, and more – the past month has flown by. And I’ve loved every minute! We’ve had such a great December – here are some of the highlights from this past weekend, week and month:

lights in playhouse square

Running with Nicole! Me and my running bff finally got back outside and enjoyed a few runs the past few weeks. Some were incredibly warm and I wore shorts! Others were more seasonable. But it was great to get out there again after a few too many indoor treadmill runs and enjoy the morning and sunrise. And stop and take pictures of the Terminal Tower all lit up for the holidays!

running-tower city

Going to a Browns game for Monday Night Football! On one of the seasonably warm days, B and I snagged suite seats to a Browns game thanks to his work. The game wasn’t that great – we ended up losing at the last second and it ended after midnight. BUT, it was still fun to enjoy live Monday Night Football and inside the warmth of a suite.

browns suite

Going to the Cavs game. And having suite seats (yes, again). Through B’s work, we were able to enjoy a Cavs game. I prefer basketball to football (inside, faster paced, better fans, shorter games…) and had a great time. Even the food was good! Seriously – look at that grilled cheese. At a game!

cavs game

cavs game food

Celebrating the holidays with coworkers. Our office holiday party was at a fun restaurant/bar this year, Happy Dog, that features hot dogs and tater tots with tons of toppings. And arcade games. t was fun to celebrate the season (and a great year!) with my coworkers. Their hot dogs are really good – especially their vegan dog, which tastes more like an Italian sausage. I had a really good vegan dog with a garlic sauce, mozzarella, bacon, onions and mushrooms. Plus some tots!

office holiday party

happydog

Ringing in the holiday season with other BC grads. B and I are in charge of our alumni association and planned this year’s holiday party. We were excited to go to a new place – Bold Food & Drink on the East Bank of the Flats – and had a great turnout. I love meeting new BC grads living in Cleveland – they’re here, but not so easy to find!

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Enjoying the final Ladies Craft Beer Society of 2015. This year, we opted to do a holiday dinner to celebrate a great Ladies Craft Beer Society and wish good luck to the three ladies in our group who are pregnant. One of them – Reanna – is due any week (!!) so it was great to see her and the other girls and enjoy a night out. And do a final craft for the year 🙂

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Dining out with the Carney ladies. Each year, my sisters-in-law and I opt to celebrate the holidays with an experience as opposed to gifts – this year the holidays snuck up on us and we only had time to plan a dinner. Still, it was a great night for wine and pizza and fries (dinner of champions!) at Bar Cento and to catch up before the craziness of the holidays sits in.

girls night dinner

We did quite a few other things this month – going to see the Cleveland Orchestra, out to dinner in Uptown, grabbing drinks with friends, seeing the From Monet to Matisse exhibit at the Cleveland Art Museum and more .. it has really been a great month! I can’t believe December is nearly over and we’re already talking about 2016. Which undoubtedly will be a great year 🙂

holiday flowers

Some questions for you:

  • What are you most looking forward to about the rest of December?
  • Have you ever been to a Monday Night Football game?

Linking up today with Erin for my weekend snapshot post, Katie for MIMM and of course, the weekly wraps.

Boxing, Baking and Relaxing – Another Weekend in CLE

Well, we finally had a weekend back in CLE. And it was great. Don’t get me wrong – I love traveling and loved spending time in Dallas and New Orleans, but but it was great to have some time to hang out and enjoy the gorgeous fall Cleveland weather, be somewhat productive and also chill with friends.

Friday night, B and I attended the Cleveland Boxing Invitational. B’s on the Associate Board of the Cleveland Sports Commission and this is one of their big fundraisers of the year. I’m not a huge boxing fan, but it’s a cool event and really fun to see Tower City all decked out with a boxing ring, tables, etc.

B and I at the event

B and I at the event

Check it out - it's usually a mall but they decked it out with a boxing ring

Check it out – it’s usually a mall but they decked it out with a boxing ring

Saturday, Nicole and I had a lady date planned. We didn’t get nearly as much done as we had wanted to, but we did end up meeting for a run. I got in 6 slow miles – it was chilly out!

Running selfie

Running selfie

And then we spent the afternoon baking some pumpkin cookies and bars. Yup, still not over pumpkin baking!

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Then it was time for Ladies Craft Beer Society. This month was pumpkin beers and we made mugs and tea. Pretty much the perfect fall craft!

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Sunday morning I had plans to relax, but with the weather being 63 degrees, I knew I had to get out and at least go for a run / walk. It was too nice not to go out!

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I also got to wear my new running skirt, which I hadn’t gotten to do since it got cool.

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I didn’t do much during the day. I managed to do some meal prep, make some fudge and watch some girly stuff on TV.

a few days of lunches

a few days of lunches

fudge!

fudge!

I watched some episodes of a pretty awesome show – Catastrophe. Have you seen it? I blew threw 5 episodes (they’re only 20ish min) in 2 days.

And that was about it! A pretty good weekend if you ask me.

Some questions for you:

  • I need some good chick flicks/TV shows to watch on Netflix/Amazon. Any recommendations? my bff Jane recommended Catastrophe and it was great. What else?
  • Are you still eating pumpkin flavored things? Or are you over pumpkin yet?
  • Do you like boxing?

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for this weekend update post.

Halloween Craft: How To Make a Cork Pumpkin

I know I don’t typically share crafts on this blog. Or home decorating ideas. Why? I’m not a craft person. I don’t really decorate my apartment. I don’t get too much pleasure out of either of those things. I’m much more into baking, reading and running for fun. But this is the craft that we did when I hosted the Ladies Craft Beer Society and it was a success. And easy!

Got a lot of extra wine corks hanging around? Looking for something easy to do to decorate for fall and Halloween? I have just the idea for you – you can make a wine cork pumpkin!

This is a VERY EASY  – and I repeat … easy – craft. Even the not-so-crafting-inclined (like moi) can feel good about this!

diy wine cork pumpkins

Here’s what you need:

  • Some wine corks. To make a medium pumpkin (the two on the left in the picture above), you’ll need 25 corks.
  • Something to make your leaves. You can buy fake leaves at a craft store, or green felt or green scrapbook paper.
  • Orange acrylic paint. I bought one that was called “pure pumpkin.”
  • Paint sponge
  • Hot glue
  • Twine or raffia
  • Scissors

Here’s what you do:

  • Find 24 wine corks about the same height and width. I liked lining mine up ahead of time and making sure they looked okay before gluing them together.
  • Glue the corks together! I found it easiest to first use the hot glue to glue the corks in rows. Glue rows of 4, 5, 6, 5, 4. And then glue your rows together. You should have a nice hexagon.
  • Once glued together, you can put the leaves on top. I cut leaves out of scrapbook paper. One of my friends used felt.
  • Cut the last cork in half to make the stem. Use the hot glue to glue it on top of the leaves.
  • Tie the twine or raffia around the cork stem. Tie loosely a few times around or in a bow – whichever style you prefer.
  • Paint your corks! I do this last because it takes a while to dry. You could also paint the corks first, but then you have to wait for them to dry. I poured some orange paint out (fittingly named Pure Pumpkin) on some cardboard and dipped a spongy paint brush in and then painted the corks that were facing out.

And that’s it! I told you it was easy. Feel free to play around with different size pumpkins – bigger or smaller. Also, feel free to paint only some of the corks, or leave them natural or even wine stained for a more rustic look.

lining the corks up, getting ready to glue

lining the corks up, getting ready to glue

We made these at my Ladies Craft Beer Society. So fittingly, I was drinking pumpkin beer while making them 🙂

Warlock pumpkin beer and finished cork pumpkins!

Warlock pumpkin beer and finished cork pumpkins!

Ladies Craft Beer Society Takes on Pickling (Weekend Update: How to Make Pickles)

This Saturday was our monthly Ladies Craft Beer Society. For those of you who need to catch up, each month I meet with a few lady friends for a few craft beer drinks, and a new craft. (B calls this my witchcraft society … ’nuff said) This month’s craft was pickling! I don’t know if it counts like a craft or not, but it was definitely something I was pumped for.

For you Portlandia fans, here’s what I was thinking about all week:

We had it at the lovely home of Cuoghi – she has a great kitchen and knows how to entertain. I wish I had taken a photo of all the glorious food she prepared – brown butter nectarine bars, two different quiches, homemade hummus, homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert. So. Good. Oh, and some delicious frozen strawberry lemonades  made with the lemon vodka we’d made at a previous LCBS.

frozen vodka strawberry lemonades

ice cream sandwiches

all the igredientsWanna make some delicious pickles? Here’s what you do. First we all made the pickling spice, which was a combination of 1/2 cinnamon stick (crushed), 2 whole cloves (crushed),   2 dried bay leaves,  2 T mustard seeds, 2 T whole coriander seeds, 2 T black peppercorns, 2 t whole allspice,  2 t dill seeds, 2 t caraway seeds and 2 t chili flakes. Combine everything in a jar – easy peasy!

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Then we made the pickles. She had prepared recipes for both dill and bread & butter, but the dill were more my kind. Here’s what we did:

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Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Here’s what you need:

  • 6-7  kirby or pickling cucumbers
  • 1 c white vinegar
  • 3/4 c water
  • 2 T kosher salt
  • 1 T pickling spices (above)
  • 3-4 fresh dill springs or 2 tsp dried
  • optional: 2-3 chopped garlic cloves, chile flakes, sliced jalapeño, you can add another teaspoon of dill seeds if you like them really dilly

Here’s what you do:

  1. Cut up cucumbers and put in clean jar.
  2. Add optional items. I made one with garlic and sliced jalapeño and one regular.
  3. In a medium sauce pot, put everything else stir, bring to boil so that salt is dissolved, pour over cucumbers, seal jar.
  4. Let sit out for about an hour, then refrigerate.  They’ll be ready in about 24 hours! Enjoy 🙂
pickling

ladies pickling!

The finished product - spice, pickles and pickled jalapeños

The finished product – spice, pickles and pickled jalapeños

And that’s it for my weekend update! Coming up next .. a race recap from the half marathon I ran on Sunday. Guess what – another PR!

Meatless Monday!

Some questions for you:

  • What’s something delicious you made or ate this weekend?
  • Have you ever made pickles?
  • What’s something fun you like that’s pickled?