Frantic February Frenzy

Hear Ye Hear Ye! It’s Make My List Monday again! First off, how freakin’ amazing was Madonna last night? I can’t get enough of Madge. Okay, enough of that, let’s get right into it, what do you say? Here is what I’ve got on the docket for this week:

Meri’s Frenzied February List

  • The return of Revenge. Yesss! Bring on the guilty pleasure!
  • Long overdue Happy Hour with friends at our place. 
  • Turning in my first installation of a new travel column!
  • Going to a MN Wild game. Go Wild!
  • Experimenting with photo collage sites as Picnik is closing soon. I’m open to suggestion?
  • A birthday party with a lovable dinosaur (no, it’s not Barney) 
  • Introducing my new Munch Madness topic tomorrow!
  • Spending more time curled up with The Devil in the White City. Intrigue!
  • Haircut??? Maybe if I’m good all week…
  • Working madly and frantically on valentines! (yes, those are eraser stamps)

Well, it looks like I’m going to be busy busy! I hope I have time for CRAFTS!

Now who is ready for Munch Madness to begin?? What photo collage sites do you use? Do you make valentines for friends and family? What do you all have going on this week?

Meri

 

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Mid-winter Blooms

This morning I woke up (okay, it was after eleven) to see the most beautiful coating of snow on the trees outside. I immediately put on my coat and boots to capture it. I’m glad I did, because it was all melted by noon.

Once inside, I was admiring man-go-round’s gardening prowess and took some photos of our blooming Christmas Cactus. Together, the frosty winter wonderland and blooming indoor garden made quite a pretty composition:

Well, we’re off to a family celebration, so I’ll be back in the next day or two to break the news about the NEW Munch Madness!

What are you doing today or for the Superbowl tomorrow? Do you keep plants indoors to have signs of life during the wintertime?

Meri

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beach combers

The year was 2006, the month was April, and the temperatures in Madrid were beginning to edge towards, “too warm for comfort” (at least for this Minnesota born girl). The good news? One of my best friends was in the city visiting me and we had purchased a pair of bus tickets to the coast to get out of the city for the weekend.

I picked him up at his hostel in the late morning and we threw our backpacks over our shoulders, hurtling through the underground tunnels to the bus station. When we got on our trusty vessel, we settled in for a little nap.

I awoke a few hours later to a surprisingly hilly, woodsy Spain. Previous bus and train trips had either been too short or too dark to see much of the country in-between Madrid and my various destinations, and I was excited to note that the northern country closely resembled some of the land not too far from my home, close to the rolling hills and wood lined roadways of northern Wisconsin.

What we discovered in San Sebastian was unlike any other place I’ve been before. We spent an afternoon camped out on the beach (La Concha), changing into swimsuit tops in the public bathrooms and lazily talking about our lives, which felt like they were stretched out before us like the sparkling aqua waters of the Bay of Biscay.

Later in the evening we sat at a tiny bar and ate tapas of tortilla patata and drank beers standing up and trying to communicate with the bartender. After laughing at our inability to speak the correct dialect (heck, the correct language even), we strolled back to our hotel.

The next day we wound our way by foot around the shore, exploring the river and wandering around finding ice cream shops and unknown cathedrals in the town. We were charmed by the “wind comb,” the city’s sculpture by the sea, and laughed as kids ran and screamed as water sprayed them over the rocks.

As the day would progress, we got caught in the rain on our way back to the bus stop to take  an overnight bus back to Madrid. I got sick as a result of a beer/ gummy candy/ stale bread induced diet. On Monday, my friend flew back to the states and I had to go back to classes and the bustle of the city. But none of it mattered, because for a short time it sure felt like the world was our oyster, like we were two little pearls nestled safely in the “shell” of San Sebastian, and that nothing else in the world mattered.

What is your favorite beach town? When was the last time you were utterly charmed by a quaint little place by the seaside?

Meri

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Radio Dial Tone

 

Hi friends! Tonight is Wordy Wednesday, but for the sake of me going to make dinner before midnight, I’m just going to introduce this list as “What I’m listening to lately” and bring some of this music the attention it deserves.

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She’s Enough- Atmosphere (I gotta love everything this boy does)

Feel it all around- Washed out (It’s the theme song to Portlandia, for those of you watching along on Netflix with us, and its awesome).

Lonely Boy- The Black Keys (this one runs the risk of making you drive way too damn fast)

On the Rebound- Floyd Cramer (It’s in the opening credits to An Education, an instrumental, and its so fun)

Somebody that I used to know- Gotye (This song has an odd rhythm throughout the background, sounds kind of like hot chip or something to me, but its interesting to me)

Pickin’ up the pieces- Fitz and the Tantrums (because I don’t know if this song is retro or just sounds like it)

Cat Scratch Fever- Ted Nugent (Okay, so the Nuge is nothing new to me, but I’ve been listening to this song every day for a week and totally rocking out like a psycho. Go with it).

…and my absolute new favorite: Parted Ways by the Heartless Bastards.

(This song is a freakin’ happy shot of espresso to me for some reason , and I can’t stop listening to it.)

What music have you been listening to lately? Old or new, radio jingles, what’s been stuck in your eardrums?

Meri

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heart shaped box

Happy Tasty Tuesday, friends! I think ever PB and J is better when its shaped like a heart, right?

(I’ll admit the crusts got stuffed into the box as soon as I took this picture, I’m not a waster). I bought this heart shaped cookie cutter a few weeks ago, along with one shaped like the state of MN. Aside from baking cookies, this was the first use that came to mind. What else should I use the cutters for?

Second: My news of the day is that I’m going to be doing another bracket!

Those of you who’ve been around Meri-Goes-Round awhile might remember that last April I celebrated my blog’s “food month” with an epic fruits vs. vegetables showdown entitled, “Munch Madness.”

In the end, strawberries took the prize as most beloved fruit or veg. But I am left wanting more, and so I’m doing it again! It won’t be fruits vs. veggies this time, I’ve got something else in mind!

The new bracket will be revealed soon! So are you all in for another round of Munch Madness?

Meri

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(Pr)incessant list making

I feel like doing something a little different tonight for Make My List Monday. There have been a lot of exciting ideas and changes in my personal life lately, and so tonight, rather than share my to-do list for the upcoming week, I want to pretend it’s still the weekend and live in fantasy land.

Since I just saw a commercial for Disney World (I’m trying to watch the Bachelor although its pretty dreadfully boring again), I wanted to make a list of the top Disney Princesses and female characters(of my heydey, that is. I stopped watching somewhere between Pocahantas and Mulan) and to put my two cents in about which princesses rock, and which I find awfully useless. Feel free to weigh in your OWN thoughts!

little girls who grow up watching Disney end up as... oh no, I'm going to have nightmares about this...

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The best:

  • Belle (Beauty and the Beast). Bookish, feisty, family oriented, but kind and affectionate… um, I think I may have modeled myself after her all of these years?  Be honest, we all want to be Belle. But with Gaston, not Beast.
  • Ariel (The Little Mermaid) Okay, so this little lady sure gets herself into some predicaments. But she’s strong-willed, funny, optimistic, and daring. Plus, who doesn’t want her fiery red hair?
  • Jasmine  (Aladdin) Forget Kelly Clarkson, Jasmine was the original Miss Independent. Forget Aladdin too, she would have been a wise and fair sultaness I think!

The meh:

  • Cinderella. Look, I admire the girl’s work ethic. But for pete’s sake, grow a pair Cindyrelly!
  • Pocahantas. Loyal, loving, spiritual. Those are the pros. Boring, passive, forgettable are the cons.

The worst:

  • Alice (Alice in Wonderland)  She takes her advice from anonymous notes she finds and clinically insane rabbits? and then she continues on taking the advice of drugged up cats and caterpillars? She digs her own grave, or hole, or whatever, in my opinion. Her ONE upside? Killer headband, lady. I covet.
  • Nala (the Lion King) Be honest- does she serve any function besides getting Simba in trouble?
  • Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow White- oh, I’M sorry- did I lump two characters together? Perhaps its because they are so dreadfully stupid, boring, and forgettable that the only thing I can remember about either is something about being asleep until woken up by the Prince with a kiss. Oh, I just fell asleep while thinking about it. oops!

 I focused just on Disney ladies tonight to keep things under a manageable word limit, but there have been some great other chicas in  animation that  bear recognition: Fiona from Shrek, and the heroine from the new movie (I think Pixar) coming out this year called Brave. I probably won’t post about them, though. I’ll focus instead on DISNEY WITCHES AND EVIL FEMALE CHARACTERS…. which are arguably more interesting than the princesses and goody goodies anyway. Ursula anyone?

What do you think of the Disney Princesses/ Lead Females? Have I offended anyone with my distaste for Aurora or Nala? Which characters did you grow up loving?

Meri

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Dip it, Dip it good…

When a problem comes along.. .you must dip it… dip it good!

I won’t flash back to my childhood dance routine to Devo’s “whip it” with my best friend just now, but if you were present for one of the performances, consider yourself very lucky.

I digress. I wanted to share some of the details and outcomes from our retro fondue party for those of you with a love of a good party theme, those who love all things retro, or those who just love to “dip it goooood!”

First up, decor and set up:

crafty decorations
the bathroom mirror needs to be retro too!
buttons for partygoers to wear

and then we move onto the music:

  • You make me feel like dancing (Leo Sayer)
  • Sugar Sugar (the Archies)
  • Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones)
  • Upside Down (Diana Ross)
  • Got to Give it Up (Marvin Gaye)
  • You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate)
  • You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees)
  • Shakin’ All Over (The Guess Who)
  • Everybody’s a Star (The Kinks)

and I suppose I should show you some of the “fondue how-to” (if your idea of fondue is to melt the easiest things possible)

cheese fondue with bread from Cupcake
Reese's PB Chocolate Fondue with strawberries and chocolate marshmallows

…and then we let the good times roll, performing lava lamp science experiments and enjoying the good company!

rise, bubbles!

So party on, people!

What did you do this weekend? What are some of your favorite party themes (so I can start planning the next soiree…)?

Cheers!

Meri

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wax attacks

Happy Friday everyone! I’m so very very happy that the weekend is here. Before the partying gets started, I wanted to share a craft project I just finished that turned out like this:

So what is it? And how did I get there? Well, it all started with a bunch of old broken crayons…

What’s next? Well, you could hang them on the window so light shines through, hang them from string on the wall like me, make a mobile for a baby’s room, or even cut out little hearts for valentines day or make stars and tape them to the ceiling!

The opportunities are endless!

What colors are in your world today? And what do you have planned for the weekend?

Meri

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Lug(gage) Nut

Nope, today’s Travelin’ Thursday post is not about fancy luggage and travel accoutrements,  but rather what to put INTO the luggage!

I saw this on Pinterest today: (yes, the addiction is fierce)…

Source: containerstore.com via Meredith on Pinterest

Sure, this fancy schmancy list is just fine… but I’ve always been a fan of making my OWN list before traveling. It helps keep my anxiety features in check, and everyone knows I love a list… but what exactly is on my list?

MY ABSOLUTE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS:

  • Photo ID, Credit Card, Cash
  • Eyeglasses, Sunglasses
  • Camera, charger, memory card
  • Chapstick
  • Gum
  • Prescription(s)
  • phone and charger

FAVORITE TRAVELING CLOTHES:

  • flats you can wear with both skirts or pants
  • black jeans- dressy or casual
  • knit / casual dresses (I rewear these over and over on urban adventures and just switch my earrings) roll these in your suitcase. They are also good for travel days
  • tights
  • lightweight longsleeves (better for hiking or outdoorsy trips)
  • denim jacket
  • black or brown pashmina wrap/scarf

EXTRAS:

  • snack bars (Luna, Clif, Gnu, sometimes even Snickers) for if the hunger monster strikes
  • notebook (ideas from locals, thoughts while sitting in sidewalk cafes, a place to keep stubs and coatchecks, etc)
  • guidebook from library with maps inside
  • A great mid-size over the shoulder bag for carrying a day’s worth of stuff.

So that’s pretty much the drill. Of course I pack underwear, some socks, more clothes than this, and the requisite shampoo, eyeliner, and moisturizer. When it comes down to it, though, this would be my capsule “best hits” of packing.

A few last notes: I almost never pack an umbrella, because if it rains, what an excuse to duck into the nearest cafe for a hot whiskey?  Its not like you’re in a hurry! Also, I’ve come to love Skechers as my favorite cute-while-keeping-comfy shoes. I wear my tie up boots on almost every vacation, and my mary janes usually come along for the ride as well. Once I’ve gotten through security at the airport, I always stock up on beverages. Why?

My final rule: Always prioritize your most basic needs. For me, I have a constant fear that I will be somewhere without something to drink (the other one is that I won’t have a bathroom… which obviously has something to do with all of the drinking, but I can’t really do anything about that). Thus, I always prioritize knowing where my next beverage might be from and carry an empty water bottle with me sometimes too.

And also, of course, I make sure to have my trusty camera with me at all times…

What is on your “travel essentials” packing list? Do you have any outfits that you know are tried and true traveling and sight-seeing outfits? How much do you carry around with you on an adventure in a new place? Any tips for the rest of us?

Meri

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Its an Oscar! It’s an Emmy! It’s a MERI!

That’s right… award season is just around the corner, and so I thought for this Wordy Wednesday I’d sound off on a particular segment of pop culture, and give away some MERI awards!

What is the category for tonight’s nominations?

Best Supporting TV Character!

Sure, we all get drawn in by magnetic and  enigmatic LEAD television personalities, and even villains… but what about those fabulous supporting roles that round out the show so well, and dare I say even OUTSHINE the main characters from time to time?

Let’s give them some love tonight! Here are my picks (to keep things under control I’m only doing shows currently on the air):

2 Broke Girls: it’s a tie between Oleg (who knew I could laugh and gag at the same time?) and Han, both from the diner. CBS PLEASE PUT THIS SHOW BACK ON YOUR WEBSITE.

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Glee’s Coach Beast.  Sure, we all love us some Sue Sylvester and Brittany, but Beast definitely keeps things interesting…

Up All Night’s Eva. Sure, she’s kind of a main character, but I laugh so hard every time Maya Rudolph does anything. It’s hard to outshine Gob Bluth Will Arnett’s character,  (as well as Christina Applegate and Jason Lee) but she is way funnier.

The New Girl’s Winston. Ever since the bell choir episode, I can’t stop laughing every time I see him on screen. This show really grew on me.

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Hart of Dixie’s Lemon. At first I thought, “oh dread, Jamie King is underserved in her role and does a despicable southern accent.” But then, slowly… something happened. I realized her wardrobe is awesome, and I can’t stop watching this show. Yep, I nominated her for her fabulous southern belle wardrobe.

Are you there Chelsea’s Olivia (the best friend), Dede (the roommate) and Sloan (the real Chelsea Handler). I just started watching this show, and although I love Donna Pinciotti as much as the next girl, the supporting characters absolutely carry this show. Chelsea Handler I could have guessed (she plays “chelsea’s” snooty sister Sloan) but the roommate and petite best friend character are hilarious.

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What supporting or cameo TV characters do you think shine above their main character counterparts? Who would be on your list if it were extended beyond currently airing shows? (Fred Mertz anyone??)

Meri

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