Yes, I know… it’s been a long time since I updated y’all on Project 2012. This does not mean we have given up on it, just that I’ve been a slacker on the recaps. Instead of recapping EVERYTHING that the project involved, I’ll just do a few highlights. Obviously we’re all just here for the Sugarbowl anyway…
playing...hosting...celebrating... (my friend's festive cake in a jar)crafting......crafting...caring...
and more! It’s been a great month or so of Project 2012, and I can’t wait to add some more places, culture, tech, service, and spirituality (among the others) into our lives!
Now onto important things like my sugar rush… yesterday Hershey’s Kisses faced off with Butterfingers. Who won? Butterfingers… by one little tiny vote! Butterfingers (another derogatory named candy along with nerds, runts, milk duds) moves on to the next round.
Tonight’s Battle: Lollipops vs. Candy Canes!
Which do you like better? What fun new things have you been up to lately?
Alright, confession time… up until a few weeks ago, I did not know how to do a screencap on my Mac. Lame, I know. For as much as I love to ogle TV fashion, not to have figured this out by now? All this has changed with a quick googling, though, and so on this fabulous February Saturday I bring you…
My favorite fashion moments of the week (not necessarily shows that aired this week, but that I watched this week). First up, some Blair…
I should add that I’m always too lazy to rewind the player to get better shots, so what you see is what I got after I moved towards my screen and found the correct keys. Better late than never, right? Next up: Hart of Dixie and Pan Am. Love these pastels!
Now that I’ve given you pretty dresses to covet, I’ll move onto something even SWEETER… The Sugarbowl!
In the battle of “candy with derogatory names,” Nerds beat Runts. Nerds Rule! Tonight, we’ll do another chocolatey battle.
Hershey’s Kisses vs. Butterfinger
Who is it gonna be? Which chocolatey confection do you prefer? What do you think of the springtime fashions I liked this week?
For those of you lucky bastards who have one in your city, this Travelin’ Thursday post is devoted almost entirely to this delicious vegetarian and falafel fast food franchise. If not for the Sugarbowl, it would be ENTIRELY devoted to my passion and love for this charming chain.
Living in Madrid a few years back, I found myself to be a vegetarian in a strange land. Even though its a large city, the country’s cuisine is based largely upon meat, and so imagine my delight to find a cheap and healthy vegetarian fast food option.
Based mostly upon falafel and veggies, you can get yourself a simple pita with falafel and then fill it with tabouleh, tahini, veggies, special sauces, and more. The best part always was that you could eat half of it and then refill more from the salad bar on top. To go along with this I often got the flamenco fries in a cone (french fries, but everything is better in a cone right?)
I dragged my mom to Maoz when she visited me. I braved crazy swooping birds (among other hazards) in Amsterdam to get my maoz fix. When bussing to Barcelona I knew I’d find something upon arrival as they boasted many in their fair city.
Now back in the states, I have to rely on the lackluster gyro shops and Falafel Kings nearby. Sure, they are delicious, but nothing compares to my veggie heaven that is Maoz.
Some day soon, Maoz- I’ll be back. Be it in Austin, New York, or a reunion meal back in Madrid… I’ll be back.
In the mean time, I guess I’ll drown my sorrows in sugar. The Sugarbowl, that is… in last night’s installment of Munch Madness, we had Twix vs. Kit Kat. Both two bars, both chocolatey goodness. Will wafer or caramel win?
Caramel it is! Twix moves on to the next round… and tonight, we’ll go back to the candies, and you can place your precious votes for one of these rainbowy delights, either:
RUNTS or NERDS?
Who’s it gonna be? Ever been to maoz? What toppings do you pile on top of your falafel and pita?
Okay, this is another one of those occasions where I admit I am late to a bandwagon, but I don’t even CARE because I’m so excited about the newest site I joined. Like facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr before, I’m finding myself addicted to a fantastic website.
I had actually been using pinterest and my local library’s website, along with my hundreds of little notebooks I keep all over the house and my bags (heard of a cat lady? I’m a crazy notebook lady) to keep track of books I wanted to read, authors I liked, books I had read and wanted to recommend, and more.
and this ain't even the half of it, sister
I had actually already heard of goodreads, as I had seen their blurbs on facebook from friends’ profiles. When I FINALLY logged on last week to see what all the fuss was about, I was not let down.
Why? This site lets you track books you’re reading, books you want to read, and books you’ve already read. As if that weren’t enough, if you rate books 1-5 stars or give them a review, they will recommend similar books for you to check out (similar to itunes’ “genius” feature.)
But the best part of the whole website? I no longer have to type keywords or do last, first with authors- the search engine just GETS IT. Worth every penny. Oh wait, goodreads is free.
So go sign up! I don’t work for them, but if they want to give me a job I wouldn’t say no…
And what about Munch Madness, you ask? What is the fate of the Sugarbowl? Well, last night I was in such a holiday valentine spirit that I threw a wildcard vote into the mix. There was love for all five choices, but in the end candy corn pulled into the lead. What does that mean? Well, that at some point I’ll throw candy corn into a special (maybe weekend) match to get a shot at the title and the GLORY.
Tonight, though, we go back to the original sweet 16 (or 32). Back to the wrong side of the tracks (for me, chocolate is fine, but sugar will win my heart any day).
Okay all you chocoholics:
Kit Kat vs. Twix
Vote away! Are you guys on Goodreads? What are you reading these days?
Happy Valentines Day to all of you! It may be late in the day, but it’s better than never, right?
If you’d like my valentine from me to you, type this into google’s search bar: sqrt(cos(x))cos(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.65)(4-x*x)^0.01
Last weekend we had some friends over for happy hour to enjoy some heart inspired treats:
heart shaped water crackerssome red/ pink bubblychocolate hearts, an obvious choice
Today involved treats of a different kind:
man-go-round and my giftsjust one? do they mean box? they must mean box...
and all of this candy and sugar got me thinking about Munch Madness- The Sugarbowl…
Yesterday’s winner was Gummy Bears, and tomorrow we’ll go back to the chocolate side for another regular season match… but in the mean time, why have I forsaken holiday/seasonal candy? why oh why?
Thus, for one day only I’m throwing in a WILD CARD vote- at some point, the winner from this vote will be pitted against a season regular for a CHANCE at the Sugarbowl Cup!
Special Valentine’s Day Sugarbowl: Vote for one!
Candy Corn (Halloween)
Jelly Beans (Easter)
Peeps (Easter)
Candy Canes (Christmas)
Conversation Hearts (Valentine’s Day)
Which candy is it gonna be tonight? Vote away, and BE MINE!
Okay, okay, so perhaps its jumping the gun just a tad to admit to having Spring Fever already… but I can’t HELP it- it’s everywhere!
So for this Make My List Monday, I’m going to share some of the reasons I’m so psyched for springtime to come!
I wore my new polka dot dress from Target today, and I’ve been seeing the most fun polka dots and spring prints all over TV… some of these pictures are hard to see but all of the below prints are either polka dots or hearts! Too cute!
cwtv.comnbc.comcwtv.comnbc.com
cwtv.com
Going to Arizona to check out some natural wonders
Throwing my sister a baby shower and welcoming my first nephew into the world shortly after
New season of America’s Next Top Model- British Invasion…
The slow arrival of wildlife to the area! Neighbors have seen bald eagles, foxes, and other little birdies about!
I’m also excited to continue on with Munch Madness- the Sugarbowl! I’ve been so happy to have such good participation so far with voting- KEEP IT UP! This stupid game wouldn’t be any fun for me if people weren’t humoring me and playing along, so THANK YOU ALL!
Last night M&Ms took on Almond Joy… I had predicted who might win this one, but I hadn’t imagined…the first SHUT OUT! Unless I’m mistaken, not a single soul voted for poor Almond Joy. I can’t say I blame them though, I’m a die-hard M&M lover all the way. M&Ms for the win!
Up tonight: Gummy Bears vs. Sour Patch Kids
Vote away! What are you excited for coming up this spring?
Hello out there on this Sunny Sunday! Who is going to watch the Grammy’s tonight?
Last night we went to a MN Wild game, and thanks to my parents had some killer third row seats. We ultimately lost, but it was a great game and lots of fun!
pre-game at Tom Reid'sready....skirmish!
And what about the skirmish happening right here on Meri-Goes-Round? Last we checked in on Munch Madness- The Sugarbowl, we pitted Twizzlers up against Taffy.
Twizzler’s edged out the competition in the end, but it was close! My vote would have been for Taffy, but I’m an impartial judge…
Up next? I have a suspicious feeling this one might be a slaughter, but I could be wrong…
Almond Joy vs. M&Ms
Who’s it gonna be? Vote away! What is your favorite sport or team to go watch? Who do you want to see on the Grammy’s?
Hello all- It’s Travelin’ Thursday, and BOY am I glad it is! Why? Well, because I have a fun alphabet game that I thought up on the way home from the library tonight.
It’s the ABC’s of fabulous places I love and places I want to go!
(The places I’ve been already are starred, and the ones I want to go to are not)
Charlotte, Copenhagen, Cork, Cairo, Cabo San Lucas, Crete
Dublin
Edinburgh, Easter Island
Florence, Figueres (Spain)
Glasgow
Hong Kong, Hudson (WI), Honolulu
Ixtapa, Interlaken, Istanbul
Johannesburg
Kansas City, Kingston, Killarney
Lima, Las Palmas (Spain), Lagos
Milan, Montreal, Moscow
Nice, New Delhi, Nashville
Ojai, Oslo
Paris, Portland, Phuket
Quebec, Quito
Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Rabat
St. Tropez, Sicily, Santa Barbara, Shanghai, Santiago, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Sydney
Tokyo, Toronto, Tahoe
Upper Peninsula
Venice (Italy)
Washington D.C.
Xirivella (Spain)
Yellowstone
Zanzibar
Hmmm, and I’m sure I’m missing many more. There is nothing like making a list of places you want to go to make you feel like you haven’t been ANYWHERE! Now I have travel lust again…so why don’t we cure it with sugar?
Yep, that’s right. Reese’s virtually SMOTHERED Milky Way this round. Better luck next time my caramelly friend!
Up tonight- back to the candy side:
Twizzlers (including Nibs) vs. Laffy Taffy (or Tangy Taffy or Saltwater Taffy)
Place your votes! What’s in your alphabet wish list of far off places to visit?
Good evening everyone! And thanks for playing along with round one of Munch Madness- Sugarbowl Edition. It was a close one, but in the end the winners were:
Snickers and Skittles!
Sorry 3 Musketeer and Starburst fans… better luck next time!
Okay okay okay- enough of me blabbing about Munch Madness (part 2) and not sharing anything… it’s time to get this party started! Last time we played, I went UBER healthy and pitted fruits against vegetables for an epic battle.
It was all fun and games, and fruit/ strawberries won in the end.
This time, I’m not feeling quite so healthy. I’m feeling kind of naughty… it’s time to raid the candy jar!
So how we’ll play is that one side of the bracket will feature chocolate bars and chocolatey treats, and the other side will include more traditional “candies.” In the end, the best of each world will meet in the middle and will face off for the ULTIMATE confection.
Willy Wonka ain’t got nothin’ on me… So here is the breakdown:
looks like a tough competition! We’re all sure to have a sugar high by the end of this!
Just for today, since this is the inaugural match, we’ll do one battle from EACH side of the bracket:
Hello out there! I'm Meri. This blog has had a few incarnations in its day, but the latest one is my "slap happy" project. Each day I will spend at least 5 minutes focused on something that brings me happiness. A meditation, a reflection, a photo, a poem or a dance. This blog will catalog some of this journey. Please join me if the spirits move you :)
