Virginia Renaissance Faire

What better way to spend a hot and humid Sunday than to go to the Virginia Renaissance Faire!  There was a nice breeze Sunday, but it was HOT!  But we were determined to try a scotch egg, so we knew we couldn't bail on the Faire.

Last year when we went to the Fair, we saw scotch egg on the menu of the Friar's Fish and Chips booth, but it looked "funny" so we didn't try it.  But, this year we threw caution to the wind and tried it.  By definition, it is a de-shelled hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, covered in bread crumbs and deep fried.  Sounds healthy right?  Yeah, so we added a side of fries. It was good! 

After we ate, we headed over to the Pub Stage to see a production by the Mad Mechanicals, who, according to their website, "put the shake in Shakespeare."  They boasted that they could perform any Shakespearean play in 3 acts, and asked the crow to shout one out for them to perform.  Meh.

Then we walked around the vendor booths and training areas.  I paid $2 to throw an axe 3 times.  There was a target, and I missed it every time, but the act of winding up and throwing that axe released so much aggression!  Felt good! 

When we got back around to the entrance, it was time for the ship-boarding demonstration!  It was the Spanish against the English, and they used kids to demonstrate the cannons firing between the ships the boats charging each other - it was so cute!  Here are the drunk pirates in charge:

It was fun!  Queen Elizabeth I and her court even showed up!

Sex and the City 2 opinions

Well, Kara, you were right again.  This movie had no identifiable plot.  It was an adventure movie, like "The Hangover" - 4 best friends travel to the Middle East to get away from the stresses of their lives.

The first 20 minutes or so were atrocious.  With a gay wedding as the backdrop, the stars and supporting characters threw around every homosexual stereotype out there, along with some racist ones.  It was awful, but I think they did that to establish that Carrie and Big weren't getting along as well as we hoped, and they fundamentally disagreed on some things.

After the wedding, we see that Charlotte has a nanny who doesn't wear a bra and a 2 year old who never stops crying, Miranda's boss rides her ass, and Samantha is, well, Samantha.  The rest of the movie was less atrocious than the first part, but it didn't reach the bar the first movie set.  I felt like I was watching a National Lampoon's Vacation movie in parts because some of the scenes and jokes were just SO cheesy!    I could have gone with less bashing of Muslim tradition in exchange for more moment between friends.  Also, even though the movie was about 2 1/2 hours long, the ending seemed abrupt, tying up loose ends too quickly to make it seem like all was right with the foursome.  Not sure if they did that to leave room for more story line for a (eek!) 3rd movie?  I sure hope not.

My favorite part of the movie?  Aidan:

I liked it as a continuation of the story of these 4 women we love so much, but as a film, not so much.

Until I can sit down and write a proper review, this will do...

I love cover songs, and this did not disappoint.  Of course, the vocals are horrible, and as I watched I hoped they had an orthopedic surgeon on set just in case, but it's funny! 



I only wish there was video available, so you could see her imitate the dance steps seen at the 0:42 mark in the original video.  Classic!

EDIT:  Here's a rough cut of the performance!  It's awesome!

Bastard squirrels.

Not the Flying Squirrels, they're awesome.  I'm talking about the squirrels who think everything in my yard belongs to them. They have ruined my new, awesome bird feeder.  The birdies loved the new feeder - every morning when I got up, before I walked out the door, I'd sneak into the front room and look at the birdies at the feeder...

But then one day I came home from work and noticed that the plexi-glass on each side of the feeder was cracked!  I know cute little birdies could not ruin such a beautiful birdfeeder, right?  I assumed it was either a huge-beaked bird with an even huger appetite, or a squirrel, since both have a history of annoying me when it comes to birdfeeders and food.

So, I waited.  I filled up the feeder with a little food - couldn't fill it all the way because the food would pour out like a faucet through the new, bigger opening.  Blech.  Finally, Dave caught the damn squirrel in the act and snapped its picture!  Bastard!!!  Don't you know how much that shit costs? 

He sees Dave out of the corner of his eye...he knows he's in the doghouse.

I'm cut off...

Draw a big 'X' on my hand, I'm cut off.  I am not allowed to buy any more dish towels for a while.  I get obsessed with things, accumulate a bunch of said things, and then can't figure out where to store them.  The good news is dish towels don't take up much room, and they're not dust collectors...I actually use them.  But I am starting to have too many.

I just opened up a package from Anthropologie, containing 2 of the most awesome dish towels ever!  It all started when I was reading a random blog that I frequent (can't remember which one), and saw the "Do the Dishes" towel, listed on sale for only $17 in some chick's Etsy shop.  Too bad I made a recent trip to Anthropologie and thought I saw that exact same towel there - I only remember it so well because I wanted to buy it, but not at the ticket prices of $18.  Not that the girl is claiming to have made the towel, but Etsy isn't a yard sale site, it's for handmade items right?  Or craftiness?  I don't get it.

So, to confirm my suspicion, I went to Anthropologie's website to find this towel...I was successful, but I noticed that it was on sale for $7.95!  Score!!!  "Add to Cart?" - yes please!

I hated paying $6.95 shipping for a $7.95 item, so I decided to make my package worth it by adding another item:  the "Coffee & Cake" towel.  I know - I'm obsessed, I need help. 

Can't wait to dry some dishes and wipe down my counters with these! :) Once I find the perfect tea towel with embroidered cupcakes, I'll be done with my collection.

Sex and the City project - SPOILER ALERT

 If you haven't watched the first Sex and the City movie, but plan to watch it, you may want to skip this entry....here be spoilers:


Ashley guessed from my teaser photo this morning that I was working on a Sex and the City project - specifically a bag, which is an awesome idea!  Might make that happen :)  But, I was actually brainstorming ideas for making invitations for a girls' day to see S&TC2, which opens today.  We briefly talked about going next weekend, and even though everyone knows that we're going to see it Sunday, I wanted to whip up some cute invites with the date and time details.

A few months ago, I saw these beautiful keychains, with 'Love' in cursive, and they immediately reminded me of the climax of the first Sex and the City movie, where Carrie is finally ready to figure out if Big has tried to reach her since he left her at the altar, but she can't figure out the password to the email folder where her assistant has been hiding his emails.  She fumbles around and drops a stack of mail while looking for the phone to call said assistant.  When the mail hits the floor, she hears that 'clink' noise that I love (!!) and sees this keychain.  She knows, through the magic of film, that the password has to be Love and it (of course) works, and she sees all the love letters he's sent over the last few months. 

Here's a pic of Jennifer Hudson (who played the assistant) with the keychain:

I knew, even though it was months ago and the movie had even finished shooting yet, that I would use these somehow to celebrate the opening of the sequel!  Of course they only had 2, so I had to go to another Old Navy later to get enough for my invites.

I had to figure out a way to use the keychain in the invite, but still include an invite, so I thought to myself: "Self, how about you make an invite, reinforce it somehow, and hang it from the keychain, or hang the keychain from it, whatevs..."  Wow, that's smart, self.  But how do I reinforce paper so it's strong enough to carry around this keychain?  I don't want it to break as soon as someone pulls it out of the envelope, because that would be a really trashy way to invite someone to go to a movie with you!

Then Dave executed a redux of an old April Fool's joke that works every time in his office.  He made signs with a Coke or Pepsi logo, each with a message that says if you swipe your badge, that gives you access to the building, in front of the cash slot on the vending machine, the cost of the drink will be deducted from your paycheck automagically!  Brilliant.  Of course it worked, but I was more interested in how he made the signs.  He picked up these lamination sheets, and just stuck his home-made signs on the back of the lamination sheet.  Looks pretty good (and real), eh?

He also made his boss' office look like a crime scene.  Meh.

So, I totally copied him.  Except I found laminating pouches that have a front and back, so the sides seal themselves instead of having to fold the edges around to the back, which he didn't like so much.  I knew the thick, rigid lamination sheets would provide the weight I need to hold the keychain.  Score!

Here's how I made them:  I cut my background paper - a pink, polka dot pattern - to a little less than 4x6, which is the size of the laminating sheets.  Then I printed the movie day details on white cardstock and mounted the white piece onto the patterned piece.  The white piece is probably 2x3, but I just eyeballed it. 

Then I put a little piece of tape on the back of each paper invite, and mounted it onto the non-sticky side of the lamination sheet.  I just did this to make sure it wouldn't move while I was sealing it.  The backs of the invites might not be very pretty, but who looks at the back?  Once the paper was mounted, I laid that part flat on the desk, and slowly pulled away the protector on the sticky side.  I used a book to make sure the sticky side was laying flat as I rolled it out. 

Once it's rolled out all the way, I sealed all sides with my finger, and voila!

Then I punched a hole in the top right corner for the keychain.  I slowly threaded the keychain through the hole, being careful not to rip the paper or lamination sheet.

Repeat times 5, and we're done!  Here's the finished product!

Project!

What am I making?

Stay tuned!

How many roman shades are too many?

A while ago, I made a roman shade for my newly painted (blech, muddy) guest bathroom off the kitchen.  Then we painted the kitchen and our existing valences (eek 80's!) seem blah and I want to update them for a crisp, clean look.  Of course, I could achieve the clean by actually cleaning, but this will be more fun! :)

I'd like to duplicate the roman shade I made for the bathroom for the windows on the french doors leading to the deck, the side door that currently has a green roman shade that clashes with the green paint, as well as the window above the kitchen sink.

Question is, will that many roman shades look too frou-frou?  Plus, how do we feel about a white curtain against a white or cream door?

Rumschpringa

Rumspringa, or running around, is an Amish custom in which teenagers are allowed to live, work, and/or socialize in the ‘outside world’ for a time, in order to experience Englisher ways.  Then they use those experiences to decide if they want to be baptized in the Amish church and commit themselves for life to it and their community, or leave the Amish life to join the modern world.  

During their rumpspringa, Amish teens may go to parties, start courting with other members of their district, or live with or work for English families and attend Mennonite or other denominational church services.  Of course, some teens may not need a rumschpringa to help them decide that they are ready to join church and carry on the customs their ancestors have followed.

Along with other Amish customs, this concept seems odd when you’re hearing about it as an outsider, presumably because it is so structured:  it starts when an Amish teenager turns 16.  It varies in length, based on the teen and their desire to explore outside their district.

But is it odd?  Don’t most American teenagers go through similar ‘running around years’ to find themselves or sow their proverbial wild oats before settling down?  I know I did.

Recently, I read excerpts from an Oprah interview with Laura, Barbara, and Jenna Bush.  When describing family nights on their family ranch, Jenna, who is now married and working as a reading coordinator at an elementary school, says “…we sit around and we talk and we laugh and we do puzzles and we get in bed by 9:00.”  Laura quickly interjects that “[the twins] didn’t use to.”  Read full article here.  When I read this snippet I giggled because the Jenna Bush we have seen in the past is the girl who was arrested for alcohol related charges twice within 5 weeks.  This was years ago when she was a college student – she was charged with possession of alcohol under the age 21 and attempting to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol.  

When I was politely told I was no longer welcome as a student at JMU, I started acting out a bit.  I stayed out way later than I ever had, started hanging out with a new group of friends, none of which I would socialize with today, and made some decisions I know I shouldn’t have made.  I was a little reckless and carefree…both of which were fun at the time, but not worth the time I lost being a dumb teenager.  Of course I found my way, and my true inner dork, and I could say it helped make me the person I am today, blah, blah, but I’m not really sure it helped or hurt.  Jury’s still out.

There are a ton of other examples of American teenagers from varying backgrounds and familial situations who go through running around years, just like Amish teens are expected to experience.  We don't have the same decision to make involving baptism and commitment to the church, but our rumspringa helps us decide who we want to be, where we want to live, and how we want to get there.  Maybe the Amish customs aren't so out there...

Lebanese food festival

At work, we've been doing a monthly lunch at local places that serve ethnic food.  We call it "Cuisines of the World" and May's stop on our world tour was supposed to be Greece.  But when someone saw an advertisement for the Lebanese Food Festival that started today, they suggested we visit Lebanon instead...Greece can wait until June.

The festival was at Saint Anthony Maronite Catholic Church on Sadler Rd., in Innsbrook.  We headed over at lunchtime, and I was surprised by the number of people who were there!  Of course, there were Capital One badges all over the place...which is common anywhere at lunchtime on a weekday in Short Pump or Innsbrook, so there were a ton of people we knew and hadn't see for a while.

They had big tents set up with live music, food tables, and a ton of picnic tables for the hungry masses.  I've never had Lebanese food, but have heard good things about it, so I tried a few things.  I got a shrimp kabob with rice, which doesn't sound exotic, but this didn't taste like shrimp and rice, it was fantastic!  They used a middle eastern spice blend (not sure what the blend consists of) on most of the foods, and a lot of dishes had lemon juice, garlic, and onion, but none of them tasted the same.  I also got kibbi, which is a layered concoction of diced beef, onion and pine nuts - yum!

I got spinach and feta pie, which was more of a pastry puff, but wonderful, hummus and pita, and for dessert, I had zalabia, which was fried dough, dipped in a syrup. 

Yum!  It was good to get out of the office and experience food of another culture, all wrapped up in 1 outing!