Irish or not, Happy St. Patrick’s Day from me to you! Cheers!
On that note, I’ll let you all go back to your merry making and celebrating.
But first, indulge me in a little Sugarbowl action? Last time, Twix UNANIMOUSLY beat Whoppers, which made me pretty happy. So Twix will be in the final round to take the title. But as for candies…
What are you doing to celebrate St. Patty’s Day?
Meri
Hi there y’all! Tonight is Travelin’ Thursday, and I’m happy to report on a sweet little town I visited not once but TWICE last week in Arizona.
Glendale! I haven’t even scratched the surface of Glendale yet, but we sure did a lot of fun things already… like spend the afternoon gazing at flowers, succulents, peacocks and more at the Xeriscape Botanical Gardens (for free, I might add). We popped into the Glendale Public Library as well because, well… I can’t resist a library.
In the library and park’s backyard is Saguaro Ranch Park, a good sized city park with a small ranch, a rose garden, murals and art, green space, and orange and fig trees…
After all of that strolling around, you might want to get a bite to eat! You can either stop into the little cafe in the library’s atrium for a snack, or… you can take a drive to quaint little “downtown” Glendale. We went to Al Piazza al Forno, a Guy Fieri approved Neapolitan pizzeria and Italian bistro type restaurant.
Cheers! We strolled around the streets of downtown for a little shopping after dinner, and I found some cute antique and boutique shops to stop into. All in all, I will definitely be making a return to Glendale!
Now, for the local news… The Sugarbowl is really getting down there! We completed the semi-finals with yesterday’s match of jelly beans vs. smarties. Once more, a candy I loathe has beaten out one of my favorites. I’m baffled, but JELLY BEANS move on again!
Now we have just one more round before the finals where we choose candy vs chocolate for the sugarbowl CROWN (or whatever prize I invent before then).
What is your favorite quaint little town?
Meri
Today marks six months since I emerged, kicking and screaming and fighting (or more like drugged and sliced up) from the ICU, surviving an emergency scare and living to tell the horrors of medical bills for years to come..
In times like these, I’m grateful for my full-time, salaried, health benefits grown up job. But I’m not only thankful for this when I have an emergency, but also for those everyday doctor appointments. Thus, today I thought I’d share some of the many many doctors that I consider necessary check-ups as a woman in my twenties.
Beyond this, I don’t see a regular doctor. I have considered finding a GI specialist to discuss the (ahem) digestive related troubles (from before and after surgery). Since graduating high school, though, I’ve mainly used my annual gynelogical exam to double as a doctor visit.
I’m starting to wonder if this is normal. Do you ladies (and gents) out there see a doctor? What about those of you older than your twenties, is there an age you started seeing other specialists? DO TELL!
And now, for a topic the doctor probably wouldn’t like… SUGARBOOOOOWL. Yesterday’s winner is: (drumroll)…
WHOPPERS. Ick, people! You really all like those malted milk balls more than delicious junior mints? I wash my hands of this sugarbowl! Well, until today, anyway. We’re back for another battle. This time its:
Meri
Good evening, and a happy Tasty Tuesday to you all! I’ve got these delicious treats that I’ve been hoarding since I found them in the airport last week, but haven’t thought of a good recipe/ use for them (they seem to have St. Patrick’s Day written all over them). Any ideas?
And while you’re all busy dreaming up minty dessert confections for me to make, I’ll share a super easy, super healthy, super tasty treat I made (twice) this past week. Inspired by the carrot cake my friend Emma made for her daughter’s first birthday, I decided to make some sugar free “cookies,” or muffins, using only the sweetness of dried fruit, the carrots, and vanilla. Here’s round one and round two:
Round One: (Raw version)
-Cook carrots and cool, then place them in food processor (I used a mini, which is why my portions can be so small. If you’re confident you like this, you could make a whole batch). Add dried fruit, blend. Add oats, blend. add seasonings, blend again. Then place in silicon baking cup/ ramekin, parchment/ etc. I then topped with vanilla yogurt and more cinnamon. Delish!
Round Two: (Baked version)
-Process oats until they become oat flour (10-30 seconds). Add cooked carrots and process again. Add dried fruit, process. Season, process. These ones I scooped into four drop “cookies.” I baked them for about 10 minutes at about 325 degrees. This batch I managed to share with man-go-round…
Yesterday was Skittles vs. Gummy Bears. I am very very sad to announce that one of my favorites (gummies) lost to one of my least favorites (Skittles) Boo!
Okay, I”m a big girl. I’ll live. Up tonight is:
Meri
Yep, it was a rainy rainy Monday today. And waking up to semi-darkness due to the time change was a bit rough as well (although truly I think it was rough because I stayed up waaaay into the night finishing History of a Pleasure Seeker. Worth it).
Tonight, let’s do things differently and get into the Sugarbowl right away! Twix fans were so ardent that they beat out the PB cup fans… better luck next time Reese’s!
And as for Make my List Monday, I thought since the day started out a bit gloomy and grumpy, I’d focus on some of the cheery and beautiful things in life and in this day. Here goes!
What things do you look forward to to brighten your day? What was the best part of your day today?
Meri
Driving home this evening, I saw something hot pink fluttering over the freeway bridge, blowing in the breeze.
I looked closer and it was a somewhat deconstructed yarnbomb project. It lifted my already pretty high spirits, and so I when I got home I decided to blog about yarnbombing and similar public art projects tonight! For those of you unfamiliar, yarnbombing is basically semi-permanent or temporary graffiti created using yarn. It might contain the artist’s name, it might cover a public area or item, or it might be an installation in a gallery, store, or home. Locally in the Twin Cities, we have a master yarnbomber and artist named HOTTEA. Some of the following are his work, some are not. Enjoy!
Source: google.com via Meredith on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Meredith on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Meredith on Pinterest
Source: google.com via Meredith on Pinterest
And now, for some Munch Madness- Sugarbowl style! It might just be that Easter is on its way, but Jelly Beans beat Pixie Sticks yesterday. Tonight, we move onto the next round of the Sugarbowl… it’s really getting down there!
First up for this round: Reese’s vs. Twix!Meri
Today was an unbelievably beautiful spring day with temperatures in the upper 60s and sunshine all day long. I went on a little walk around the neighborhood, and although it felt great I was wishing only if there could be some flowers or greens in bloom.
For now, I guess i’ll have to cope with the sunflowers we bought at Trader Joe’s today and my felt flower package bows/ ties.
Just cut out felt circles or shapes, layer them, and sew together with a crochet/ knitting needle. Next time you wrap a gift, you have a ready-made bow! I think they would be cute atop a plain brown paper wrapping or even on a package wrapped in newsprint!
We lose an hour of sleep tonight due to Daylight Saving Time, but maybe we can all just overcaffeinate tomorrow and get ourselves a nice tasty sugar high to get through the day?
How about some sweet inspiration… Sugarbowl style! Yesterday we had Whoppers vs. Nestle’s Crunch, and Whoppers took the lead. In our last match of this round, we’ll have candies take each other on before moving to the Semi-finals. (This is important stuff…)
What are you up to this weekend? Does Daylight Saving time throw off your body clock or do you roll with it?
Meri
I’m so excited that today is Travelin’ Thursday- because it is the first travel post since our trip to Arizona last week, so I’ll share my first installment of AZ love!
Today’s focus will just be on the flora around my parents’ specific neighborhood. Although we also saw fantastic wildlife around Glendale, Phoenix, and Payson this year, I wanted to just show some of the landscaping prowess of my parent’s neighborhood.
Behold!
My favorite is the Bougainvillea! (Bottom left). Which do you like the best?
As for the Sugarbowl, we have ANOTHER tie. There was a tie breaker where Junior Mints beat out Butterfingers (by one vote!), but as of posting time Smarties and Lollipops were tied. Instead of having you guys vote on that one again, I had both man-go-round and I include our “two cents,” and we both prefer Smarties, so Smarties are going to move on! Don’t like it? well then next time vote twice haha!
Tonight:
Cheers!
Meri
Good evening friends and netizens…
Today is Wednesday, which in these parts means “Wordy Wednesday.” I’d like to share with you all my thoughts about a book I read on the flight to Phoenix last week, as I will admit it made tears leak out of my usually dry eyes on one point. (I will add, though, that the majority of the book does not have a sad undertone).
The novel, Vaclav and Lena, by Haley Tanner, revolves around the two title characters through a span of about 10 years. Vaclav and Lena are two unique Russian children living in New York City. They feel alienated by their peers and the community but are drawn together by a love of one thing: magic.
After Lena mysteriously disappears from Vaclav’s life, the two of them live separately for several years before reuniting at age 17. The story unravels through multiple perspectives (most interestingly and heartbreakingly through the eyes of Vaclav’s hardworking and empathetic mother Rasia) to tell us what really happened to Lena and why she left.
I won’t give spoilers about what made me cry or explain why this book stood out to me. I will say that it was a very quick and enjoyable read, and I’ll share my likes and dislikes with you instead.
Me Likey:
Me No Likey:
So there you have it. Check it out from your local library! If you do, let me know what you think of it.
Now, I’ll dry my eyes and get back to the reason we’re all here… it’s Sugarbowl Time!
In the battle of Butterfinger and Junior Mints… is a tie! At time of typing, its deadlocked. Thus, the SECOND rematch of the Sugarbowl.
So tonight, two matches
Meri
Whenever I’m on one of my kicks where I’ve decided its time to “bulk up” a bit, I indulge myself with delicious, dessert worthy candy bars protein bars. What is my favorite kind? It would have to be Clif’s Luna bars, in either regular or mini.
Tonight I saw that they were on sale and I was pondering which kind to buy, and it was hard because there are so many good kinds! I ended up with my old coconut standby, but soon I’m going to try the Peanut Honey Pretzel! When I got home, I decided to celebrate Tasty Tuesday with a date with my bamboo. This is what happened…
As you can see, I’m pretty into the chocolate dipped coconut and the caramel nut brownie varieties. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll ever buy any of the “red” varieties, because they don’t sound like flavor combos I usually like. And there’s really no point in buying more of the yellow light kinds because they didn’t really stand out from other granola/ protein bars to me.
Therefore, go forth and taste them for me!
And as far as Munch Madness/ Sugarbowl news goes… can you believe Gummy Bears comPLETELY shut out Nerds? You can? Yeah, me too… gummy bears are the shiz. They move on! My depression over m&ms elimination is officially over.
Vote it up! What is your favorite flavor of granola or energy bars? Do you like the chocolatey ones or the fruity ones best? Have you tried any of the Lunas I haven’t?
Meri
