Acquired

I guess I was a little too obvious about my love of the Heath summer appetizer set, because I received two as gifts. It really turned out to be even more fun, because I had an excuse to go visit the store myself.  I exchanged the second set for these two bowls. Normally they would have been pricier, but the larger one had a small imperfection in the glaze and it was marked down. Score.

{heath serving pieces}

I love how they all look together.

I was sorely tempted by the soup server but it's one of their standard pieces and the seasonal collection will only be available this summer, so the bowls won out. I also wasn't wild about any of the glazes that were available at this time.

{soup server - image from Heath}

Isn't the notch for your serving spoon great? And you could definitely use it for rice and grains, not just soup.

The Grande Dame of the Sea

Memorial Day Weekend was a memorable getaway for me.

Good morning, it's Sara Celi.

Once again, I found myself in sunny SoCal, but it will be my last visit there for awhile. So, naturally, Sean and I had to make this one count.

One of the things we did was visit the Queen Mary. She's docked in Long Beach and open daily for public tours. We'd both talked about seeing this historic cruise ship, but wanted to wait until a warm day to make the trip.

Saturday proved the perfect choice. Sean and I spend the afternoon walking the ships grand decks, exploring her art deco beauty, and lunching in the dining room where the famous and rich used to take their meals. If you don't know her history, the Queen Mary launched in 1936, and was considered by may to be "the only way to travel". She sailed the world for more than 40 years before docking in Long Beach. As you walk around the ship, you get the distinct smell of antique wood mixed with salty sea air.

She's a gorgeous ship, and a must see.

Plus, there's a pretty good ghost tour that takes you through the bowls and furnaces on board. It's not for the easily scared, but it's fun.

Cheap Books and Records!

Entertainment for 50 cents sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

Sheila here.

This Sunday the Hamilton County Public Library will kick off its Library Friends' used book sale. It offers amazingly low prices on books, DVDs, CDs, and record albums. There are literally thousands upon thousands of great reads for your home library, just in time for some poolside relaxation. You can also choose from more than 5,000 vinyl records on sale for just $1! There's something for everyone.

Proceeds from the sales provide additional funding needed for library programs, materials, and support. Our library was recently named one of the best in the U.S.A., and these funds will help our friends keep up with the increasing demand for its services.

The Library Friends' Used Book Sale runs from Sunday, June 6 through Friday, June 11. On that last day, you can buy a Friends' shopping bag for just $10 dollars, and fill it up with whatever you want! Just head to the Main Library downtown on Vine Street and grab a deal. You can find out more about the times and what's available at http://friends.cincinnatilibrary.org/

Gratitude

I hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend for those in the states. We went on a little road trip for the weekend and also had a lovely picnic. The day off was also nice to reflect upon service, and sacrifice. What did you do?

Lately I've also been thinking a lot about gratitude. My dad recently got back from a very developing country in Africa and I can't stop thinking about some of the images and stories he shared with me. It fills my heart up to know how much many of us have been given. Do you ever find yourself taking things for granted .... simple things incorporated in a daily routine like hot showers and air conditioning ... the internet? Unfortunately when I am not consciously thinking about it -- I do.

With all these thoughts of people dealing with adversity and gratitude running around in my head, I decided to renew my old habit of writing five things I am grateful for each day before I go to bed each night. Not a new concept for sure, but in the past I've found it to be a very uplifiting practice. I find when I am more aware and present -- more good things come into my life. There is a quote I just revisited by Melody Beattie that I love which states,

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."



Have you paused lately to think of what you are grateful for? What comes to your mind? Do you keep a gratitude journal? I'd love to hear about five things that have made your day today.

(images by my dad)

meredith's apartment makeover

The other day I visited my good friend Meredith at her condo downtown. I was very excited because HGTV had JUST been to her home to give it a makeover. And, I loved what they did! The colours were so nice - very bright and cheerful. I don't have any before pictures (maybe Meredith does!), but they sure did a marvy job. Take a look!

i liked the grey and yellow combo with all the patterns.

similarly coloured arm chair...cute!

on her patio, look at this cozy little nook! may i read there please?!

This was Meredith's Granny's old patio set, and the designer re-furbished it, and put new cushions on it. I loved the cute little pattern on the cushions. It looked so bright and fun on her patio...and so we sat on these fun chairs and ate chocolate truffles ... yum!

This pic doesn't do it justice, and I snapped it quickly (hence the fact my glass of water is in the pic), but this wall looked so nice with the mirror and the cabinets.

The weekend, briefly

We rounded off the end of May with one last family birthday celebration. It was a wee bit windy but we managed to let the birthday girl blow out the candles.

{candles + wind}

I spent some time enjoying our balcony, and the weather cooperated beautifully.

{balcony garden}

D's tomato plants seem very happy (I take care of / neglect the herbs and he is in charge of the tomatoes) and they have that fabulous sharp green tomato leaf smell. You know what I mean. It's truly indescribable, but it's the essence of summer.

{tomato plant, thriving}

I enjoyed a "milkshake". I wouldn't even put it in quotes but I get mercilessly mocked otherwise. It's milk + a frozen banana + one scoop of protein powder, pulsed in a blender until it's nice and creamy. I swear it qualifies as a milkshake, D has (bravely) tried it and assured me that it doesn't fool him for an instant. Regardless, I love it.

{"milkshake" + zucchini muffin}

Not pictured: driving in memorial day weekend traffic (boo), Flight of the Conchords at the Hollywood Bowl (awesome), dinner with friends (delicious), strategic shopping trips (neutral). 

Memorial Day Weekend

Good Morning Everyone, Weatherman Frank Here, I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. Of course, the true purpose of this holiday to honor the men and women who have served us and we will always be thankful. Over the years it has also become a weekend to spend with family and friends and to unofficially kick off summer. Well, Mother Nature with all of her heat and humidity has also welcomed summer a tad early this year. I spent the muggy weekend up North with my family and seeing old friends. It brought back so many memories, in my hometown of Chagrin Falls, Ohio each memorial day weekend we would have our Blossom Time Festival, a parade and a run, all along the wonderful Chagrin River.

As many of you probably did this weekend when hanging with family, we did a lot of eating. What was your favorite dish this weekend? On Sunday my family had a fantastic BBQ, where we spent time with my uncle who served our country and I also got to see my cousins who I have not see in awhile and my aunt who was up from Florida. My dad broke out the BBQ and made the largest chickens I have ever seen, we could of made several meals out of these chickens, in between the Bocce Ball games and interesting family conversation it was a great afternoon. One of those conversations turned to Halloween costumes when we were young kids, I brought up the fact that one year I chose a very interesting Halloween costume. My brothers were Mickey Mouse and Pinocchio and so I wanted to be Geppetto, yeah I know what kid says I want to be Geppetto?? I did I guess, so after the conversation I went down into the basement and searched for the picture for proof, so here ya go.

Even Mr. Benson took part in the fun, he loves my parents backyard because he can run free, and he also got a bit tired so he took sometime to soak in the sunshine. All in all it was the perfect kick off to summer, now I just need to hit the gym heavy this week and really for the rest of the summer, but for some reason I am already thinking of my next meal.