24 x 24 update.

So here is an update! And then some notes below....

AND... I am hoping for a BIG weekend of getting some of these crossed off (or on their way to being crossed off).

1. Read Nick Hornby's book, Juliet, Naked
2. Plan/Orchestrate a dinner OR craft party
3. Wardrobe Purge (get rid of a bunch of old stuff)
4. Read the Hunger Games
5. Revamp my blog
6. Find a new fun eye shadow
7. Make a SHORT stop motion picture animation film
8. Go to one new restaurant (this appears four times on the list ) (1/4) West Alabama Ice House
9. Read Catching Fire
10. Scrapbook (specifically get started on Senior Year of College)
11. Read Mocking Jay
12. Explore watercolors
13. Go to one new restaurant (2/4) T'afia
14. Go to Hot Yoga for one week straight!
15. Go to one new restaurant (3/4) Kelly's
16. Run 5 miles
17. Explore Gouache painting
18. Go to one new restaurant (4/4) Paradise Park
 This rest are all for my big goal (#24)
19. Organize Linoleum prints
20. Make ipod hoodies
21. Organize Cake Topper Description
22. Make Wreaths
23. Make Bracelets
24. Open up my own ETSY shop


Ruminations from the cross offs..

-I am obsessed with the Hunger Games series. I cannot wait to finish the last one this weekend
-I went to a Million new restaurants in Nashvile (and some in Houston) but I just put down Paradise Park!
- I love going to craft stores!


So looks like 9 totally done, 6 I've started on... and a few untouched...


Wish me luck this weekend!

greetings from nashvegas.

This past weekend I adventured to Nasvhille, TN! with Analisa Cortez!

There were boots... with beer!

Look how much Ana has changed since college (just kidding)!

And some quality former roommate time!

The Grad Ole Oprey. We loved Mallory Hope!

 Here was my favorite song by Mallory!

she is great.

a summary of the weekend.

We went on the balcony of our hotel!

Please note my Texas shorts!

Creepiest museum I have ever been to..... The dukes of hazards.

Our newest friend!

we are young.

turn up the format... ok well they aren't around any more... BUT the fun. is!

insert pun about their name/the adjective here.

they've got a bunch of hits....

and some fun fans and I got to see them in concert this week.

blurry. but you get it.

And then after the concert we got a few shots of our group outside the venue.... the exciting thing is that in BOTH the pictures people photoboomed. Can you spot our non-friend?

that peppy guy with the red zip up... is actually NOT our friend.

neither this guy with two attacking hands and his tongue out nor the secret guy behind my head are our friends.

fun.

It's the Luck of the Irish...

Lots of fun was had this Saint Patrick's Day.. I'll post more pictures at a later date.

But I did make this neat treat.

It is Irish Whiskey Cake in mason jars.

It comes from a combination of the traditional Quinn family recipe AND this blog.

The best part is making these guys in little Mason Jars!

I also made some Irish Soda Bread that turned out too!

some updates!

Well I thought I would give some information and updates on 24x24! Maybe more so, so I can organize my thoughts and actions!

• Any of the reading things I am holding back until I finish the current book I am reading, South of Broad, and then I am going to get cracking at them!
• Last night I got a lot of supplies for my craft related things including a new set of watercolor and gouache paints! And some supplies for the things in my etsy shop. I got started on a wreath!
• I've even crossed a few things off as I have been to some new restuarancts (West Alabama Ice House, Kelly's, T'afia).
• I've done a lot of brainstorming for a craft party... I know it's gotta be small, and a fun/useful craft... More to come!
• And I have gone to yoga four days in a row... well actually last night since there was an accident I missed the class so Mackenzie and I did "hot" yoga in the Houston sun, outside, with a Yoga App on my computer. I think it counts!

So here is the update!

1. Read Nick Hornby's book, Juliet, Naked

2. Plan/Orchestrate a dinner OR craft party

3. Wardrobe Purge (get rid of a bunch of old stuff)

4. Read the Hunger Games

5. Revamp my blog

6. Find a new fun eye shadow

7. Make a SHORT stop motion picture animation film

8. Go to one new restaurant (this appears four times on the list ) (1/4) West Alabama Ice House

9. Read Catching Fire

10. Scrapbook (specifically get started on Senior Year of College)

11. Read Mocking Jay

12. Explore watercolors

13. Go to one new restaurant (2/4) T'afia

14. Go to Hot Yoga for one week straight!

15.  Go to one new restaurant (3/4) Kelly's


16. Run 5 miles

17. Explore Gouache painting

18.  Go to one new restaurant (4/4)

This rest are all for my big goal (#24)

19. Organize Linoleum prints

20. Make ipod hoodies

21. Organize Cake Topper Description

22. Make Wreaths

23. Make Bracelets

24. Open up my own ETSY shop


So... 3 down, 21 to go!

Twenty four x 24...

If you know me... You probably know that I LOVE to make lists. All day everyday. Lists of lists.

Inspired by many blogs, this one in particular (which was inspired by this one) , I have decided to make a list of 24 things I want to complete before I turn 24. When I told this to my mom her first response was... "there isn't much time" but luckily I have till the last day in May to get these all accomplished.


So here it goes... (and in no particular order).



1. Read Nick Hornby's book, Juliet, Naked

2. Plan/Orchestrate a dinner OR craft party

3. Wardrobe Purge (get rid of a bunch of old stuff)

4. Read the Hunger Games

5. Revamp my blog

6. Find a new fun eye shadow

7. Make a SHORT stop motion picture animation film

8. Go to one new restaurant (this appears four times on the list ) (1/4)

9. Read Catching Fire

10. Scrapbook (specifically get started on Senior Year of College)

11. Read Mocking Jay

12. Explore watercolors

13. Go to one new restaurant (2/4)

14. Go to Hot Yoga for one week straight!

15.  Go to one new restaurant (3/4)

16. Run 5 miles

17. Explore Gouache painting

18.  Go to one new restaurant (4/4)

This rest are all for my big goal (#24)

19. Organize Linoleum prints

20. Make ipod hoodies

21. Organize Cake Topper Description

22. Make Wreaths

23. Make Bracelets

24. Open up my own ETSY shop


Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, encouragement is GREATLY appreciated!

riddle ride

Tomás and I adventured and did something called the "Riddle Ride." It was all around the area that my apartment is in... on Washington Avenue!

We started at Candelari's restaurant where we got a list of 8 clues to solve and then ride to where we then took a photo!

Here are the clues.... and our resulting images (not in the order we completed them).

Go to the west end on your bicycles and find a one story gray brick building on the street named after a famous 90s sitcom. 

TIP: one of the characters in the sitcom loved to say... "whoa" 

Take a picture in front saying "whoa"

whoa!

 The largest one of me in in Hebron, Nebraska. There's a place in Houston that adopted my name and added a P-U-B at the end and mat it the place to be.

Take a picture on me!

At porch swing pub.

 I was invented in 1885, back then no one knew how to drive. Through creativity, craftsmanship and imagination I was turned into a piece of art in 1998. Today people from all over come to see the transformation. There is a special place for me here in the heights. 

Take a picture next to this piece of art.

Good looking couple!

Originally known as "The Christian Mission" my founder was known as "The General" and his followers were known as "The Hallelujah Army" Today we save the homeless, the hungry and the destitute in every corner of the world.

Take a picture saluting the building at attention.

Ja Ja Ja.

 I am a great cafe in Houston if you're French speaking, Belgian beer drinking, mussel eating cyclist. 

Take a picture next to your bike curling your French Mustaches.

The broken spoke cafe.

 Find the Trinity at the corner of two streets named after two dead presidents. 

TIP one of them was a president of THE Republic of Texas

Trinity Church at the corner of Houston and Washington.

What is the most enjoyable way to make your house energy efficient? Drinking 50,000 cans of beer of course. Find the most energy efficient house on the street named after a famous Utah Jazz basketball player.

The beer can house!

I can be found in San Diego as a former Naval Base, but you can also find me in Houston on Washington Ave. The sum of my numerical address is 4.

Take a picture of me playing a game of... you'll see once you get there!

At Liberty Station!

So we made it! And it was the first time I rode my bike!!! Sadly you can't see Ira (my bike) in any of the photos but she is a beauty and rides pretty great too.

In the end we took 24th out of 400 teams which is pretty good considering we showed up late, and people had started biking when we were still checking in! 

Ride on.

shamrock shake

Oh wait, you didn't know... Shamrock shakes are the BEST thing in the whole world.

Yet SO hard to find in Texas?... Shamrockshake.com to the rescue... Had my first delicious one on Saturday.

Saint Patrick's Day Preperation

Ah... one of my favorite days of the year is almost upon us!

Below you will find the details of our newest festive wreath!

whole foods shout out

last week I went to whole foods. and I was doing my normal shopping. did I ever mention how I LOVE whole foods. quite possibly because I love the comfort in that I know where things are in my store! and because I ALWAYS have some conversation with strangers... which I love too!

any hoot.. I was getting coconut milk for a recipe (the recipe attempt failed) and when the cash register friend was ringing me up (oodle of items... I always spend too much money) she asked me about it!

I confessed I had never tried coconut milk and was going to test it out for a new recipe...

And guess what! The woman gave it to me for FREE... she used some "whole-foods-ish-term" and said that since I had never had it, and didn't know it I would like it that she would give me the coconut milk for free!

For free!

Thanks Whole Foods!

toasted.

Would ya look at that!

Go Pack Go!

chain email advice...

Analisa sent me a silly chain email... but I thought I would copy the things I am tempted to try. 

In short the email articulates a list of house hold remedies that you may have not know about...  

Below are some interesting ones! oh and p.s. the text below is exactly how the email was written (not my writing)

To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out. 

Blood stains on clothes?  Not to worry!  Just pour a little hydrogen
peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood.  Works
every time!  (Now, where to put the body?)     

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for  inside  windows.  This way you can tell which side has the streaks.. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean.  Don't wash windows on a sunny day.  They will dry too quickly and will probably streak. 

Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely a light scent in each room when the light is turned on. 

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top. 

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. 


Ants, ants, ants everywhere.  Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line.  So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march.  See for yourself. 

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors.  It does a good job and better still,
leaves a lovely smell to the shine. 

Clean a thermos bottle..  Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka
Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (Or longer, if necessary). 

BBNP (big bend national park)

Ah. After a quick day of work on Wednesday (ash) it was off to the adventures of West Texas. Tomas picked me up from school. We headed to Hobby Airport and we were off. We landed in El Paso and found our long lost friend Ashley (former JV) and now teaches in NYC. 

We picked up our rental car.... DODGE CHARGER. And headed to Fort Davis where we had reserved a campsite. 

There we met a strange man, some of us liked him more than others. Needles to say, he was a talker AND a hoarder. It is hard to say which was more interesting about him. 

After a LONG chat with him, we went to see the Marfa lights... the way he described it was an opportunity to experience something that cannot be explained!!! ALIENS! or not!

I took a picture of the actual lights but it didn't come out well and/or aliens intercepted the image.

Our home for the first night. In the end this place really had NO ONE tent camping, just a bunch of trailers.

Excited... Ready to go!

Friends.

We went to the McDonalad Observatory but the POWER went out!! Because it was SO windy (you can kind of tell from the picture, eh)!

One of my favorite photos from the trip... I loved the windy roads.

We finally made it! And then we climbed up the sign.

The WINDOW trail was just a hop away from us. It was the first hike we did following our long car ride! It was just gorgeous. And HOW NEAT are those stairs?

This is the view from the window trail. This photo doesn't do it justice AT ALL. Just past the rocks is a drop off and the red-ish mountains are way off in the distance.

This was the view from our campsite. I am not kidding. I am working on a painting/variation of this image! I love it when trips generate new art exploration..

This guy is a STUD!

Gotta LOVE these winding roads!

This is at Boquillas canyon which is near where a border crossing will open in April!

All in all it was a BEAUTIFUL trip!