snippets of the weekend 1.16.2023

Friday was a tough day to get through, gray and my head was extremely congested. I finished Prince Harry's Spare and went to bed. 

Saturday I started a new book, then got my shit together to head to Center City for Jagged Little Pill at the Academy of Music with Amanda & Krissy. Heavy shit, funny too, good use of music. I loved the cast & show and cried a lot in the second half. I felt 18 and 45 and 80 all at once. We had dinner at Alice Pizza after, and then I was back home at 7:30 and out the door again at 8:45. Chickies & Pete's then the old Palace Roller Rink to celebrate Aubrey's birthday. There is still a subculture of amazing roller skaters out there rocking out regularly at adult skate and that makes me really happy. They were so good! Aubrey is a really good skater. It was fun to watch. We were back home around 1 and I was up reading until 2:10.

Sunday I finished a book, went to get a few groceries, made deviled eggs, made veggie and parsley heavy soup with the pork bone I brought back from Stephen & Aubrey's on New Year's Day, watched The Northman and the entire third season of Succession, and went to bed around midnight.

weekending reels on Instagram 

Happily I did not wake up when MFD came back from his Code Blue shift in the middle of the night. 

No day off here today. If you are off, enjoy, and remember Dr. King was not a series of prop quotes: he was a radical who was assassinated for his push for a revolution of values in this country. Leave the quotes in the pile and instead try embodying his fierce love and commitment to justice, equity, and peace along racial and class lines; his rejection of imperialism and materialism; and one a lot of people out there struggle with mightily in full view of others: his value of people over property.

If you've never read it or need a refresher, today is a good day to read Letter from a Birmingham Jail or the full transcript for his I Have a Dream speech.

Snippets of the weekend 1.9.2023

Barefoot Market before work. Family beach walk after work. Delightfully complicated skies. Wolf moon. Books on the couch.

Library holds pickup. Reading weekend: Finished Maame. Read Hide (Detective Harriet Foster #1) by Tracy Clark, The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, The Angel Maker by Alex North, and Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro; and started All That is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay. 

A long beach walk Saturday in the South End, ripe with sea glass where I never find any. Sunday foaming hand soap making, flooring appointment for main house, tried Capo Strada Pizza (not for me), raw beach walk, trip to Sherwin Williams, internal struggle: must paint nails because it's time/they're chipped, must not paint nails because I'm painting a wall today. Some trip planning for the summer. Some thinking about what I want the next part of my life to look and feel like. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

Hygge weekend. Hope yours was good!

Snippets of the weekend 1.2.2023

Friday I was up, showered, and out early to return shit to Kohl's, pick up a few groceries and some fresh flowers to end the year on a pretty note, and back home. I painted my nails quick & sloppy (OPI Verde Nice to Meet You and Zoya Charli). We picked up lunch and visited MFD's Gram who turned 94 Christmas week. Home to have a lie down before heading to Stephen & Aubrey's. 

We met up with Chris & Diana, Stephen's work friends, and Mike at Tired Hands then proceeded across the street to Ardmore Music Hall for the Stop Making Sense show, a Talking Heads cover band. The production was really good and they played long so I was super happy to have done the afternoon lie down LOL. MFD popped in at Uptown and we got home after 1.

Saturday NYE I did some purging and organizing, changed sheets, did a face mask, ran to Marshalls, finished a book and started another, and at night we did appetizers - roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, pigs in a blanket, mac & cheese balls. Dessert was angel food cake with lemon curd and mixed berries. We burned a bayberry candle and others down to the nubs and called it a year. I trusted the year would flip at midnight without me watching and I definitely did not make it until 10 pm

Sunday NYD MFD was gone to mummery early. I did laundry, made pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and ate none of it. 

My brother picked me up and took me to my other brother's house where we did eat that meal. The pork was outstanding. We walked over to see MFD and Uptown come back from the parade and hung out until about 10:30. Follow Evan Leslie Images on FB for more photos of Uptown in costume and of course if you are looking for a photographer for life's big and small moments or for any corporate/product needs.

Monday was a lazy day in observation of the new year and devoted entirely to eating leftovers and watching season two of Succession.

weekending reels on Instagram 

Back to work after 10 days off is what we're doing today aside from wishing my BFF Laura a fantastic birthday.

snippets of the weekend 12.26.2022

Festivus for the Rest of Us Friday, along with my last workday of 2022. My niece was over for a while in the morning. Chicken caesars for dinner, avoiding outside due to deep freeze (ice inside the window panes next to our door above), doing prep work for Mimi's bacon breakfast muffins, and asking the universe for no burst pipes at the shore, and Christmas Vacation. 

Christmas Eve we had Mimi's muffins for breakfast, and I did the prep work for Italian Wedding Soup and fresh bread for Christmas Day - spoiler alert, the fresh bread was glop. I think my flour was old. Try again on New Year's, maybe. Kitchen fails are normal! 

We did our annual rounds to Sandy's, cousin Colleen & John's, Uncle Billy/Aunt Sue's, and added a stop to cousin Jamie & Cindy's this year to see the Caldwells. We also did our annual drive through the well decorated neighborhood cul-de-sac. 

Christmas morning gifts with Dad & Carol. They have continued the tradition of getting me an Eagles item since I am the number one fan in the category of does not like football but likes football food and it is a running joke. My dad also picked this mug out for me, it appears that he knows me LOL. It was a fun morning watching MFD with his survivalist shit. We went to Stephen & Aubrey's to see the kids and have breakfast. We're all already thinking about summer. 

Back at home Dad & Carol left and we couched it all day. We watched both Knives Out movies, and when MFD went to do a shift for Advocates for Homeless & Those in Need I watched Do Revenge and made Italian wedding soup. MFD made separate chocolate and vanilla pudding and that was that for us on Christmas. I love doing nothing the majority of Christmas day.

Today I purged my top two drawers, jewelry, nail polish, and linen closet and made avocado dip. I assembled some goat cheese and prosciutto crostini at Mom's for Christmas Day 3. We had another fun time

weekending reels on Instagram 

Cheers to everyone who is feeling some sort of way about something that is decidedly not holiday-ish, to those missing someone or something, and to all of us out here finding joy amidst the complications of life, growing around our grief when we are grieving anyone/old ways/anything, coexisting as imperfectly perfect humans, and grappling with general societal expectations. I'd send the entire world a hug if I could and encourage us all to keep showing up, talking and laughing, sticking with each other through the hard stuff, and just to keep going.

This week I hope to keep going on purging, sorting, and getting rid of a bunch of shit. Whatever you're doing, enjoy!

snippets of the weekend 12.19.2022

Friday we were supposed to have a festive night in Cape May but MFD got in an accident on the way to an appointment in the morning and best laid plans and all. He's got some neck issues but in the grand scheme of life is fine, no one else involved but a few kind motorists who stopped to help. The car is another story, so we're in one car right now which is interesting for a person who does not share (me). Friday afternoon I took B&B to the beach to check out the surge from the storm that finally left the area, and we took a long walk at night. Saturday I took care of some stuff we were going to be doing at the shore on the weekend - moving furniture and shit around for the final four windows to be installed this week and headed back to Philly Saturday around noon. Everyone pray for no damage from anything frozen this week down there!

I unloaded all stuff and immediately the Philly house looked like a bomb went off. I visited my nephew for his birthday, then we went to Georgine's where we haven't been in years. It was good. We picked up groceries for the zillionth time. 

Sunday was cooking and prepping for MFD's siblings and fams to come over. We had a nice fun day with everyone, only missing Ali who was working. 

Dinner was spiral ham, spinach casserole, Hungarian mushroom soup (need to do a blog post for this recipe), and indulgent mac & cheese by dwardcooks - really happy with this recipe for a gathering. I channeled Gamma and had some candy trays out for dessert and a modified version of a dip Aubrey made for Thanksgiving - need to do a recipe for that too. We cleaned up and hit the couch by 9. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

snippets of the weekend 12.12.2022

This weekend was errands and reading and cooking and organizing and lounging.

I went to HomeGoods twice - different stores - and Nordstrom Rack twice - different stores due to snafus from the first transactions. Drove to pick up a gift card in the rain Sunday as I was directed to when I ordered online to arrive and be told they do not have physical gift cards. Multiple grocery trips because I forgot things. Long lines. I was in a mall! People use the Willow Grove mall like it is 1989 and that is strangely comforting.

I finished a book, read another, started a third. Caught up on White Lotus Saturday night and Sunday morning so we could watch the finale Sunday night. 

I made tacos Friday night, the best part of which is taco salad, obviously. Sunday I made breakfast burritos to freeze and veggie beef barley soup for the week. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

Happy happy birthday to Meem yesterday! 

Remembering Gamma today on her birthday. I shared this on our shore house Instagram last year and wanted to share it here along with her library card that I have on my desk. She was the first person to take me to the library, and we went all the time, sometimes multiple times in a week. 

Happy Monday folks! We're in that holiday slide now.

Snippets of the week(end) 11.28.2022

I was off last week and at the shore from Saturday on. Monday I cleaned and organized and fretted all day about the big ass couch being removed through a very small door in our apartment. Sweat and swears and a quite large tip later, the Got Junk guys were taking off with it. I collapsed on the bed in relief mostly because there was nowhere else in the apartment to sit. Ben was very upset, he hates change. I rallied to go to the Dollar Store and ShopRite late.

My Dad and Carol arrived on Tuesday and we all went on beach walks and arrived home to the delivery of the LoveSac couch. I had no idea it would come when it did and we ended up putting it together instead of waiting for MFD to arrive the next day. We celebrated by sharing Motrin and they put my 

Christmas cards together. It was a good day to be me. Stephen, Aubrey, and my niece and nephew arrived Tuesday night. 

Wednesday Carol and I picked up bakery goods and last minute items at ShopRite. I made compound butter. Loungey afternoon that I spent in my apartment with Little Stephen while I did an air fryer turkey using Casa de Crews recipe - highly recommend. 

We took a family beach walk after MFD arrived, hunting for treasures. I got a phone call from a contractor at 4:15 scheduling work for Monday morning at 8 and am so so relieved the couch shit got done when it did so that was all possible. Taco bar dinner using frozen meat from Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving the kids were not feeling great so it was just adults at the table and me & Aub on a post-dinner walk and a few of us up for Jared's arrival at night. My turkey was too dry for my taste. Some years you win, some years you lose. My Instagram caption says it better - thankful for all of my communities.

Friday started rainy and ended up lovely. We did some creating at Glazed Over Pottery on Asbury followed by a trip to the thrift store then World Cup watching (Stephen & Jared in Philly for that and Dad & Stephen to the arcade) followed by Santa on the roof! This kicks off my holiday season every year.

Saturday was small biz shopping on Asbury, with a check in via bike by the Troll of Asbury Avenue AKA Uncle Mike. Little Stephen did more arcading with his army.

We did some shell painting and marshmallow gun shooting in the afternoon followed by a fam beach walk, ice cream tasting (six flavors from Jeni's) and Surviving Christmas. 

Sunday morning MFD and I cleared the porch and moved stuff around in our apartment getting ready for work happening today. He took off with the animals, and Stephen, Aub, Jared, and the kids were gone by early afternoon. Dad, Carol, and I took the shells down to the North Street Tree before the rain came through. The tree is up this year due to beach replenishment work happening now. Couch day with three Hallmark Christmas movies, reading, Boyar's salads and soup and leftovers, and the Eagles. Hashtag superfan made it to half time. I think? 

I was up until 11 packing up my car and finishing a book.

weekending reels on Instagram 

Another great long fam weekend for Thanksgiving despite illness circling.