The Weekend Michael ate 3/4 of a chicken.

As I'm sure you've all gathered from this post and this one too, we fully enjoyed our trip to OBX. This post isn't full of ocean photos though my friends, this post is about food. Yeah, just food. 

Michael and I love trying new restaurants- and we managed to hit 3 new places last weekend. 

#1: Get Fresh Cafe- Norfolk, VA

As you all know, we are huge nerds and love hitting up Guy Fieri's restaurant recommendations from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. We were happy to see that Get Fresh Cafe was on the way down to NC. This place was such a hole in the wall we drove past it about 3 times before we figured out where it was! It ended up being inside of a building that hosts an indoor farmer's market, and as you can see below it was tiny!

 The menu boasts ingredients from local farmers and bakers- so there were plenty of vegetarian items for me to choose from (insert fist pump here). I ended up going with a cheese panini [read: fancy grilled cheese] and sauteed local veggie mix.The bread on the sandwich was deee-lish, and even though the veggies were a little greasy, they were damn fresh.

 Michael went for 1/4 chicken with homestyle mac & cheese and mashed red potatoes. Mmm-mm. That's some down home, Southern cookin' if I've ever seen it!

 Overall, I'd give Get Fresh Cafe a B+. Good, fresh ingredients- just a little underseasoned!

#2 KDH Deli, Inc- Kill Devil Hills, NC

We stopped at KDH Deli for lunch our second day to fuel up for the drive home, and I can honestly say I've never seen such HUGE sandwiches in my life. All the bread is baked fresh from a local bakery, and the meats and cheeses are all actually good quality and recognizable (I'm lookin' at you Subway). The wheat bread was actually wheat- not just white bread tinted brown.

 I couldn't even get a picture to show to scale how freaking huge these subs were- Michael's was big enough to feed a family of 4. Seriously. you can see his amazement below:

 Overall, I'd give KDH Deli an A : Super affordable, delicious, and to top it all off: friendly staff!

#3: Outer Banks Brewing Station - Kill Devil Hills, NC

It was a gloomy evening our first night there so we decided a nice dinner out would make it all better- and OH MAN it did. We went out to Outer Banks Brewing Station which was America's first wind powered brewery. While I normally drink beer or whiskey, being on vacation made me decide a fruity drink would be a good idea. I don't remember what was in it- but it tasted like vodka with a side of fruit juice. Danger!

We started out with Hush Puppies- which are evidently the official food of NC- you can find them on every menu out there! They are basically onion infused friend dough that you slather in butter. You can feel your arteries clogging as you eat them- and it's totally wonderful. 

 Michael felt the need to eat more North Carolina chicken, so he ordered a BBQ half chicken with mashed potatoes, cornbread, and sauteed beans. He claims it was unbelievable. Take his word for it. 

 My dish was stellar. Goat cheese ravioli with butternut squash, dried cherries, greens, caramelized onions, with a balsamic drizzle. My mouth is watering just talking about it. Gahhh. I only brought my bad point and shoot camera to dinner so this picture doesn't do it justice- it was lovely. 

 I'd give OBB Station an A- great food, more than generous portions, and terrifyingly strong drinks! 

Does anyone else out there love hush puppies as much as we do?

xo, lp

OBX take two

Happy Monday you lovely people.

** If you haven't read/seen The Hunger Games and don't want any spoilers, avoid this paragraph**

Hope you all had a great weekend...I worked Fri-Sun but managed to get to see the Hunger Games with Michael. A 14 year old girl sobbed (yes, not cried, SOBBED) for about thirty minutes after Rue died. Finally a guy turned around and shushed her. She then cried AGAIN when Peeta and Katniss reunited. Oh, teenage hormones, how I do not miss thee. At the end about half of the audience applauded. Did the people of Richmond not get the memo that movies aren't real life? I'm confused.

Moving on: My parents are in VA right now. 

You all have no idea how hard it was for me to not put that sentence in all capital letters. Oh hell, this is my blog, and I'm okay with being 24 and acting like a 6 year old excited to see her mommy and daddy.

MY MOM AND DAD ARE IN TOWN!!!!!!!! AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That being said, I won't be around getting back to comments/emails/tweets today or tomorrow too much. 

BECAUSE I'M TOO BUSY HUGGING MY PARENTS!!! WHO ARE IN TOWN!!!!!

Okay, I'm done, I promise. I had you all fooled thinking I was a mature, sophisticated lady, didn't I? Well the jig is up I guess. Hope you all stay loyal readers after all that, but if not- I understand.

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Today I'll leave you with a little glimpse into our trip last weekend to the Outer Banks, NC.

According to the weather man (aka the big fat liar) the whole east coast was supposed to be washed away by horrible thunderstorms and possibly a tornado. Of course, just in time for our vacation. Perrrrfect. Well, we said screw it and went anyway. Other than a little drizzle our first day the total rain time during the weekend was about 20 minutes. Psh, the lies those people tell.

We spent our time walking on the beach, antiquing, salt water taffy eating gorging, lighthouse watching, and checking out the spot the Wright brothers first took flight (!). 

Long story short, we love OBX. Mmm-hmmmm. 

Thanks for putting up with so many capital letters. I promise that won't happen again.

Anyone else love salt water taffy as much as I do? Let's chat.

Help a girl out.

   Hope all of you had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday! Ours was super low key. Just to prove how non- traditional we are- the only gifts we exchanged were the Traditional White Rose, clementines, and a Reese's peanut butter egg. I kid you not. Super sexy, right? Right.

----------------------------------------------

     I follow a lot of blogs. I mean, a lot. DIY, fashion, family, feminist, lifestyle- all different kinds. I love getting a peek into the lives of so many different, interesting, creative, and hilarious people. I go through phases where I follow one type of blog, then get sick of it, follow another, and so on. Lately I've been paying more attention to the fashionable lifestyle blogs, which is hilarious, since I'm not all that fashionable. I think it's because I can live vicariously through these gorgeous ladies livin' large and buying each new blouse or bauble that comes on the market. 

      I've always been pretty frugal when it comes to such things- I blame my parents for teaching me good money saving practices, darn them. Besides that, for most jobs I've held I've had a specific uniform/dress code to follow- thus buying ridiculously expensive shoes/bags/etc that I can't even wear on a daily basis seemed impractical. 

$500 Marc bag? Yes please...but no one is gonna see it while I'm volunteering overnight at the Rape Crisis Center.

$800 Louboutins? Sure...but they sure aren't gonna get worn during my double shift at the restaurant...and I'd like to pay rent this month, please. 

    The only thing I could ever justify would be necklaces- since no matter the dress code I could always add an accessory...and yet I still would rarely get one if it seemed a little too spendy. Well, it's my birthday tomorrow and I recently received a {tiny} bonus from work- so I've decided to buy myself something nice. 

Here are two loves that are NOT in the bonus budget- but a girl can dream, right?

find it here

find 'em here

Darn Tory and Marc, making my dreams so far out of reach. Well, since these won't be coming home with me, I'm looking to you, yes, YOU dear followers for some suggestions. Ideally I'd like a new bold statement necklace- so please- leave a comment and share your favorite pieces or Etsy shops you've seen out there! Thanks in advance for your help finding the perfect birthday gift to me!

(Now, another issue is my indecisiveness. I added 3 necklaces to my Etsy shopping cart the other night, telling myself I'd get one- and today I checked and ALL THREE HAD SOLD. Major bummer. )

Oh, Tradition

As promised, I'm here today to share the little story behind our first Valentine's day.

WAIT! KEEP READING! I promise, this isn't a gooey gross story. It's a little funny actually!

     So, as you all know, I have the pleasure of living with and dating this stud:

Very manly and Minnesotan, right? Right.

    So Valentine's Day came only a month or two after we started dating- which is always a little awkward in a new relationship. Do you get a gift? A card? Nothing? Too soon? Luckily neither of us really care too much about presents and such so we got over that quickly. Now, both of our birthdays are a few days after V-Day (his is 1 day after mine, to be exact. it's how we met- but that's a story for another day), and Michael's parents happened to be coming to town to visit him and take him out for birthday dinner with his aunt & uncle who live right outside the city.
   Now, at this point I hadn't met his parents or any family for that matter...and the next thing I knew he was informing me that I'd be meeting them...at dinner...on Valentine's Day. Nothing like taking a romantic holiday and throwing a mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin into the mix, right? I was actually thrilled and relieved because:
  a.) I was dying to meet the family he always talked about
 and
 b.) it took away any remaining pressure of worrying about what to do/plan for that night.

    I have to say- for those of you reading this: on paper- meeting someone's parents for the first time on Valentine's Day sounds awkward and weird, I know. I mean you don't even know these people and you're sitting at a restaurant surrounded by people making out! It either is a good idea or I was just lucky- but it was actually COMPLETELY perfect. Maybe it's just because Michael's family are some of the sweetest, most welcoming people I know- but there was not a second of tension or awkwardness. Seriously. If anything, all the smoochy couples around gave us something to laugh and talk about. At one point in the evening someone asked Michael if he got me some flowers, which he hadn't. A short while later when the checks were being brought around, the waiter gave each of us ladies a white rose. Now, of course this was something the restaurant did for every guest- but my dearest Michael, smooth as can be quickly said:


  "Um, that's actually from me! See! I got you flowers! And...got one for everyone else in the restaurant so they wouldn't feel left out!"

We all had a good laugh about it - and now each year he gets me a single white rose in honor of that awesome first Valentine's together. The perfect tradition, if you ask me! This year we both work and I volunteer- so it'll be a low key evening for us. Maybe I'll get motivated and make the raspberry blueberry fizz cocktail I talked about last week :)

****Oh, and I forgot to ever make a post about it...but I made V-Day hanging hearts to decorate the windows in the apartment (out of paint chips, of course):

What's your little Valentine's tradition with your love/friends/self? Any good stories to share?

A Brush With Celebrities

You know them, I know them.... 

      Sherry and John from Young House Love. Just in case you live under a DIY blog rock, they are the sweethearts behind the blog I mention all too often around here. You can find them any given day tearing up their house, stenciling a wall, reupholstering chairs, or just being fun and quirky with their adorable daughter Clara and their little dog Burger. Back when we lived in the Midwest, YHL was one of the first blogs I ever started following, and have stuck with them because of their real, honest, and refreshing point of view. They keep it real, and post not only about their amazing DIY projects, but also what it's like in the blogging world for them. Their recent posts about what real life is like for them seen here for Sherry ($herdog) and John (J-Boom) as well as dealing with criticism in the blog world here . 

      I follow a ton of blogs, but often get sick of most of them because of their:

a. constant plugs for sponsors that are somehow ALWAYS positive about EVERY product.

b. "i swear i'm normal and live on a budget but only own $800 purses and have a 10 carat rock on my finger" act.

c. incorrect use of "your" and "you're" (yes, really).

    YHL is one of the blogs that has an even balance of DIY, personal life, adorable baby pictures, and honest, hilarious stories. When John and Sherry posted that they'd be at a Gallery5 in Richmond as special guests for an improv show I knew I had to go. (Gallery5 is conveniently a block away from our apartment!) So Michael, Matthew and I went to check it out. 

Oh. My. Gosh.

HILARIOUS.

Sherry and John would tell a funny story and then the improv cast would take the stage and use bits and pieces from the story to make acts up on the spot.  (Sorry for the bad pictures. Cell phone camera + dark theater = bummer photos)

 In the final act John even got up there to show some improv skills. Let's just say at one point he was "knit cop" wearing a full body hand-knitted outfit...and a few minutes later he was Tyra Banks. Yeah. He went there.

 After the show I wasn't going to join the line to go up and talk to them, but Michael reminded me that if I didn't, I would regret it. (Unlike with the Pin Jang canisters, I listened to him). The blogging world is strange. Some of these people I've never met and probably will never meet, but I feel like I know them! Kind of creepy, but kind of sweet. When it was our turn to go up it was actually like I did know them. After a quick hug from Sherry we got right to talking...as you can see here...full hand movements and everything...

Oh, and when I first saw Sherry I said to Michael "Oh my gosh, she's so pretty! And so tiny!" He reminded me I'm no taller than she is...as evidenced by this picture:

They were ridiculously sweet and were excited to learn we had just moved to Richmond. Sherry thinks I look like her bff Katie from Bower Power.

What do you all think?

Thanks John and Sherry for being such down to earth, fun people!

Valentine's Flowers....and failing.

I love finding great things in Pinterest to try; both crafts and recipes. Normally I see things and think "Hey! I could do that! Psh! Easy!"

Then I try said craft/recipe/project and when I'm finished the end result is not quiiiiite what I was hoping for. Then I try it again and make changes until it's pleasing to me- and that is what you lovely people see here on the blog. Well, today I will share both the fails and the successes...just so you can get a good laugh in for the day (at my expense, of course).

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? I saw this bouquet on Pinterest:

(from MarthaStewart.com)

     Fun idea for Valentine's, right? Fill up your vase with red candies- festive and sweet (literally)! I thought "Heck yeah! This is gonna be great! I can do that!" I ran out to Trader Joe's for some flowers and bought a bunch of Red Hots at Target and sat down with a vase to get cookin'. Then I realized the issue:

1. Flowers need water to survive.

   and

2. If you fill the vase with water and candy, the candy will bleed and become a gooey sticky redish mess.

Huh. Then how the hell did that little scoundrel Martha do it? I swear that woman is magic. I came to two ideas, either:

1. The flowers in the picture are fake, thus not in need of water

  or

2. There is another, smaller vase with water holding the flowers and the candy is surrounding it.

Dang. I didn't think of that when I planned this seemingly easy decoration. This my friends, was Fail #1.

I realized- WAIT!!! If I just go to marthastewart.com I can find out! I did and of course, it's two nesting vases (see it here).Well, I didn't have two vases that nested together, so it was time to problem solve. 

This brings us to Fail #2. I thought,  "Well, I have glitter and a heart punch and ribbon, how about I just throw it all together in a jar and it will be rustic and whimsical and cute at the same time!" Man, never try to mix rustic,whimsical, and cute. Or at least think it through. This is why:

I think the major part of Fail #2 was adding the glitter. It's like a unicorn threw up in my makeshift vase. Bummer.

What did I learn from these 2 fails?

1. Sometimes, it's better to actually read the directions when you see something you like.

     and

2. Red Hots are delicious.

This story doesn't end in a fail my dears. I was too annoyed at this point that I was ruining a perfectly good bouquet of flowers so I grabbed one of my trusty blue Mason jars and got to making it Valentine's worthy. I had punched out a bunch of hearts from some stock paper, so I simply glued them back to back around a little bit of fishing line!

 Here's the before- which looks perfectly lovely without hearts...

 ...but just a little bit better with the simple heart garland, right?

 Here's how it looks a little further back...and with some candles too! (You'll see those in a post to come)

 So there you have it. I guess 3rd time is the charm. Dang Martha and her nesting vases...Trickery I tell ya.

What do you think of the final product? Are you lucky (smart) enough to read the directions before you jump into a project? I need to rename my blog  "The Impatient Crafter". Seriously.


P.S.*On another note---are there any Richmond bloggers that will be going to the Richmond Comedy Coalition "Richmond Famous" Show tomorrow night? Fellow RVA bloggers Sherry and John from Young House Love are featured, and I'm going for a night of great improv comedy! PLEASE leave a comment or email me if you are, I'd love to meet you! You can find more on the event here.

oh, and i totally forgot to link up on monday with brassy apple, so this will just be a "make it thursday"

Tweet?

Evidently I am ridiculously behind the times.
I was told by my 18 year old employee the other day that "no one uses Facebook, everyone is on Twitter".

Sigh. Who knew I was so behind the times? I signed up the other day and actually had trouble figuring it out. Thank goodness I had Carly to teach me the basics. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

That being said, you can follow me on Twitter HERE. You should, too. I currently have 2 followers and feel like the kid being chosen last for kickball!

If you're like me and still rely on the Facebook crutch, you can "like" my new page HERE.

As usual, thanks for all the love and support!

xo
Laura

1 month away!

As a kid, Valentine's day was pretty much my favorite holiday.

      No, not because of flowers or gifts or mushy love letters...although I  do fully appreciate those now.
Instead, it was because we always got to decorate Valentine's Day "mailboxes" and everyone would exchange candy and cute valentines. I'm guessing everyone liked that part of being a kid- I mean, who doesn't like free candy!? Well, the time came where exchanging cards and candy stopped (heartbreaking), and I had to find a new holiday to love...not only because the candy river stopped flowing, but also because it suddenly became uncool to like V-day. If you liked Valentine's Day you were just a lame girl looking for attention on a made up, Hallmark holiday.

Fair? Maybe.

Total bummer? Yes.

    Now that I'm not a 13 year old caring what other people think, I am back to letting my Valentine's Day loving freak flag fly.

I love the hearts.

 I love the red.

I love the flowers.
I love the candy hearts.
I love the cheesy greeting cards.

I love wearing socks with hearts and XOXO on them.

   There. I said it. I even over-shared and admitted to wearing themed socks. Now that I can officially get back to loving V-Day, I'm already deciding what kinds of great crafts I can make for the apartment and what sweet treats I can send off to friends. Naturally I've been searching for great ideas, and here are a few inspirations:

Expect to see some Valentine's inspired DIY crafts, decorations, and recipes coming up in the next month folks, including a few guest posts from my favorite bloggers! 

Are you as excited for Valentine's Day as I am?