Hello!
I’ll be back tonight for promised giveaway. Just wanted to let you all know I’ve been featured by Christianna on her blog The Girl with the Blue Bow for a Monday Interview! You can read it here:
Meri’s thoughts on life, as of 2/7/11
Clearly I just made up that title.
Thanks Christianna!
Meri
Well, the weekend sure has been a whirlwind of shopping. Two grocery trips, two trips to the library (different branches of course), and a tour of St. Paul vintage, retro, consignment, and boutique shops today!
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| It’s not Diagon Alley, but it’ll help me cope over the loss of Swank and Town Talk Diner… |
While my mom and I spent a lovely afternoon together hitting
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| t-shirt from Everyday People, sweater from Up Six |
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| Man-go-round’s finds for me- cashmere from Second Debut 2! Holla! |
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| Step 1: Gather materials |
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| Step 2: Mix |
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| Step 3: Drop! Bake! Enjoy! |
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| time to bake! |
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| cut em out and eat the scraps! |
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| frost the two remaining cookies… yum! |
Nope, this isn’t a blog post about the time I got carded at the Mall of America about their “no one under 16 after 7:00 on weekends” or something rule (I was 23 or so at the time… nice…)
Hey y’all. As some of you may know, sometimes my favorite part of blogging is coming up with these horribly cheesy titles for you to read! Man-go-round called these titles “double face palm.” Whatever.
Speaking of cheese, I just returned from the co-op and am proud of all my “adventurous” new purchases. Ever since trying and eventually loving the lefsa I bought made somewhere in Wisconsin, I’ve been venturing out a bit more! Today’s purchases included some bulk nutritional yeast flakes (I have been meaning to try this for forever but never tried it before), some mochi (maybe for breakfast tomorrow as an excuse to use the oven?) and a new flavor of Kettle Chips- Sweet Onion. We tried them and decided that they are definitely sweet and definitely oniony! Works for me!
I also am in the midst of baking round two of the cookies I made last night. This time I’m varying a few things, and I’m going to try out these little cookie cutters purchased at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago:
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| I think Babar the Elephant is my favorite! |
So by now you’re probably wondering why I’m blathering on about my grocery list and when I’ll explain the very punny titles…
Good evening you charming people you! I’ve been spending the evening hemming and hawing over my state tax return (after yesterday’s federal return success I was maybe a bit overconfident) and baking hodgepodge cookies (recipe will be posted another day soon, I’m too lazy to upload pics right now…) but the time has come for something else Made by Meri!
Today’s star could be a gift for a special kid in your life, a funky accessory for yourself, or just a way to kill time and practice some simple kitchen chemistry. Piqued your interest yet?
BRACE YOURSELF!
I’m getting to be a tougher gal in my advanced age, but today’s walk to and from work was DANG cold! I don’t like to see negative numbers on temperature as I walk by the bank, and I sure don’t like the ensuing static that emerges in my hair from my fuzzy fur Elmer Fudd style hat I wear for the walk.
Thus, I’m trying to “think Summer.” Brother Ali is blaring out of my stereo (why does he always seem like summertime music to me?), I’ve got a dish of cactus for a snack (the heat in this will sure warm me up!) and I’m reminiscing about the Summer of 2009, Fourth of July weekend at my parents’ cabin.
My parents get ideas for projects they would like done around their house or elsewhere, and often they think I’ll have a magic creative solution for them. Usually I don’t, but I try to play along as though I’m some sort of creative genius. In this case, they were hatin’ on the garage window which showed haphazardly strewn storage items and tools.
Project window art was born.
A few trips to the hobby store to select some colors (totally arbitrary, but again I pretended to have a “vision,”) and some masking tape and a ladder later, I was set up for business.
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| ahhh, to be outside in short sleeves right now… |
With the stereo blasting the Stones (hence today’s title) and Peter Bjorn and John, I set to work. The taped sections obviously represent the geometric pattern I created with no prior planning (sorry mom and dad, if I told you I had a vision… once again, I lied…)
Happy February!
Who else thinks that Punxatawny Phil is going to poke his little head out, and before he even gets the chance to get scared by his stupid shadow or whatever, get served with a mad case of frostbite?
Yep, I think we have a bit more winter to go…
On the Meri-Go-Round, however, a new day (Or should I say new month) is dawning! What is the topic for February?
Made by Meri! (and others, as I see fit)
Those of you who know me in “real life” already know that I enjoy a good craft project, a good DIY, or recipe where I can get it. A relentless dilettante in the game of hobbies and leisure, I love to try things out for better or for worse.
What will be included in this month’s adventures?
-Past craft projects revisited, including step by step instructions
-Current projects I am working on throughout the month
-Random recipes here and there, nothing fancy, just fun in the kitchen!
-Habits/ practices I’ve picked up along the way to make your loved ones feel loved!
-Homemade cards and gifts, and how I make them
-Features on fellow craft nerds as I discover them. Want to share something with me? Just let me know!
-“Other”
Now, for something *not* made by Meri… but made by Mom-go-round, in fact, for her birthday this past weekend:
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| Mucho Gusto, Chocolate Upside-Down Cake! So pleased to make your acquaintance! |
To be fair, I did offer up my most crafty/ handy baking skills and say I would make a boxed cake. I can’t imagine why she wanted to make anything else 😉
I’m a dreamer, a plotter, a planner.
This entire travel month has been a long soak in the tub of my memories, and rather than be pruned and withered by the experience, I’m more inspired than ever to wander the globe.
Enter the title, Atlas Hugged. As much as I enjoy reminiscing over photos and stories of travels past, I so enjoy the excitement and aspiration of the next great adventure. Thus I give you my current list of lusted after locales, my ultimate dream diary… to last us all until the next travel month here on Meri-Goes-Round!
Warm weather or beach destinations
Saint-Tropez/ French Riviera
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| charterworld.com |
Rio de Janeiro, Carnaval, and beyond in Brazil
Samoa
Thailand
Goa
Virginia Beach
City and Cultural experiences
Oxford
Buenos Aires
Tokyo
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| planetperplex.com |
Roma
D.C. in the Springtime
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| joanneleedom-ackerman.com |
Paris
Turkey
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| commons.wikimedia.org |
China (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing)
New Delhi
Wildlife, nature, or country excursions
Costa Rica
South Africa
Montana/ Glacier Natl Park
Irish countrysides
Uruguay
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| worldjerseycattle.com |
Ah, welcome back friends. Where we left off, Bestie Friend and I were in the midst of a whirlwind dream weekend in Prague, filled with Pilsner, Pals, and Panoramas. We had one full day and night left before returning to our respective Madrid and Barcelona homes. What could go wrong?
9:00 (again, times are obviously approximate and made up on the spot)
We stroll out of the Golden Sickle toward Wenceslas square. Today is a bit rainier, and we giggle as we walk by the Astrological Clock again, a FEW hours too early to meet our “friends” from the previous day.
10:00 Wenceslas Square: Crazy woman enlists friend to follow her around square, wordlessly, with video camera. I do not know what language she speaks, as she does not speak, but simply motions and beckons towards different sites, pointing, and then smiling again. Weird…
12:00 Wander the streets looking for Tancici Dum, a.k.a Gehry’s “Dancing House”
21:00 Return to Golden Sickle for some cans of Staropramen in our room, with pitas from a grocery store. Kicking around plans for the evening…
22:00 Back to Rocky O’ Reillys. Meet up with friends from previous evening, and make a few more! Hooray, life is so fun!
23:00 Move on to random bar with Ashley Simpson doppelganger waitress, peanut throwing ensues, and characters such as “Canadian,” and “Soul Patch” create lovely entertainment for the evening by being weird. I think we’ve found some Vodka Red Bulls at this point…
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| Yep, that’s me with the hair as red as the red bull… |
2:00 am (next day) Move on to random club called the Roxy. I’m suffering from extreme tiredness, and sit in the corner with new friend, alternately mumbling about school the next day in another country and the horrible music. We eventually leave…
I’m sitting in Prague’s dreary airport with my dearest friend in the world. We have several hours (7 or 8 I believe) to kill before our rescheduled flight will depart. We have no money to buy diversions or snacks due to recent events, and we have taken to drastic measures to entertain ourselves:
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| my faded denim what was I thinking bum |
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| my friends’ much more stylishly clad and lovely bum |
How on earth did we get here? Why are we taking pictures of each others’ butts for cheap laughs? What on earth has gone wrong?
Rewind, if you will, a mere 48 hours earlier, to our oh so optimistic arrival in the lovely city of Praha (okay, I’m not a local, so I’ll just call it Prague)…
*Editor’s note: All times are approximate, as obviously I was not wearing a watch and/or recording times on my adventures…
20:00 hours- Arrive fresh faced in the airport. Miraculously navigate a metro system in another language and easily find our hostel, the glorious (but I just discovered closed down) Golden Sickle. We throw our crap in our room and head to the
21:00- 3:00 next day- Czechin’ out the labyrinth bar next door, drinking our first Pils of the trip (it was like 5 cents when converted from Koruny for a 20 oz mug or something…)
Next Day:
9:00 Meet our bunkmates as we arise. “YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY” these dumb American Frat d-bags proclaim (I guess they thought we were outrageous for staying out marginally late. We mocked them all day then, but after seeing what would become of the weekend, perhaps we should have paid attention…
10:00- Wenceslas square! The Astrological Clock!
13:00- Walk up giant hill to check out Cathedral. Gaze adoringly at charming red roofed buildings from above. Bask in the land of my Bohemian forefathers…
15:00- Discover hot wine, hot whiskey, hot… everything. Stumble upon random movie set. Stroll good naturedly through family folk festival with dancing and smells of cinnamon roasted nuts
18:00- Mosey on down the Charles Bridge, observing street performers and vendors. Take some dorky photos
22:00 Head to Rocky O’ Reillys, an expat Irish bar where we meet scores of new friends, including some neat ones we plan to meet up with the next day, and some not so neat ones we “forget” to meet at the Astrological Clock as promised…. ooops…
We head home for the night, itching for more adventure the following day, and feelin’ pretty good…
To be continued…
