see.paper.bag.pop!

One of my favorite memories as a kid consists of my mom, a basket of fluffy clean laundry, coca colas, buttery popcorn and Oprah. My mom and I would enjoy this delicious snack while watching Oprah and since then, snackin' on popcorn always brings back pleasant thoughts.A few years back, I started making popcorn at home. The good ol' fashion way. On the stove, hot oil, pop corn, and melted butter. It is SO tasty that way and you decide how much salt and butter to put on the popcorn! This is a fun way to make popcorn except some nights, you just want to throw a bag into the microwave and 2:00 mins later have hot delicious popcorn ready to be snacked on.
This was my dilemma until: my moment of eavesdropping enlightenment!!
While in Columbus, I visited a craft fair. The Columbus Etsy Craft Fair to be exact. While in line for fresh lemonade I overheard 2 ladies talking about brown bag popcorn (this is what craft fair people gossip about by the way).
"It's so easy" she said "you just put the kernels into a brown paper lunch bag, roll up the top and put it in the microwave!"
My mind was literally blown away!

And so we tried it! 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, salt n' pepper, and a little bit of oil or butter for taste (you can also flavor after it has popped)
I like to jazz it up with crushed garlic too!

Put all the ingredients in the bag, and fold the over a few times (be sure to make a nice firm crease)

Set the timer to about 2:00 mins depending on your microwave or just listen for the popping to slow, and the result...

Delicious, fluffy, slightly salty, buttery popcorn!!

Yum!!

see.n.smell

We headed over to Columbus, Ohio this past weekend for an interview Michael had with DART. Miles and I tagged along for moral support and to get out of Chicago for a little while. When we go anywhere with the dog... the trip soon becomes very dog centered.
Hotel for the dog, day trips planned with the dog. oy.
Luckily, the Columbus Park of Roses, allowed dogs and was quite beautiful.

The Park of Roses was on the list of 'Top things to do in Columbus' and it is easy to see why. The grounds were perfectly cared for and this was the largest Rose Park I had ever seen!

The roses don't officially bloom until mid-June but we still saw and smelled our fair share.

Miles, taking it all in...
actually he is hunting. Miles discovered chip-monks in Columbus... they happen to be smaller and more twitchy then squirrels (the twitchier the better). We had 2 fall from a tree right in front of us, then they started play fighting... I thought Miles would have a heart attack (from the excitement) right then and there.
All the roses are named and many people have donated money for small sweet memorials, here are some of my favorites.

Next to the Rose Garden there is an herb and 'other' flower garden. This is where we ran into a plethora of bumble bees. Humming and buzzing along, working each and every flower.

I chatted with this bee for a little while. I think it took my advice to relax from time to time and enjoy the flowers... it stopped what it was doing, flew closer to me, landed on a leaf, and just sat there.
We both took a moment to just bee, then afterward I was all a buzz with excitement...

sorry honey, i cant help myself.

see.laundry.day

We have a side porch. To get to the side porch... you have to climb through this window that is located in our bedroom.

The porch is perfect for drying laundry, hanging out porch sittin', potted plants and spying on neighbors.

see.spring.ensalada!

It is currently "Spring" here in Chicago.

I am learning that what "Spring" really means is a roller coaster of temperature. Ups and Downs. Highs and Lows. 80's and then 40's.
Skirts then sweaters, or skirts and sweaters...
So in our attempt to coax the weather into a warmer more consistent temp... we made salad.
This is terrible logic but trust me... if you make this, you will be feeling all kinds of warmer temps!
I got this recipe off of foodnetwork.com and jazzed it up a little to make it our own..
Shrimp-Papaya Salad
Ingredients:
1 lbs Shrimp
Arugula (enough for 2), 1 Papaya, 1 Jalapeno, 1 lemon, 2-3 limes, soy sauce, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, 2-3 cloves garlic, 2 green onions, cilantro, peanuts and...
red potatoes on the side
Boil the potatoes until they are cooked, coat with olive oil and some butter, salt n' pepper, and set aside.

Cut Papaya in half, spoon the seeds out and thinly slice.Arrange papaya onto bed of arugula.To prepare shrimp (grill them if you have a grill!): season shrimp with salt and pepper, coat pan with olive oil, turn heat to med-high, and cook until they are done!
I kept the shrimp seasoning to just salt and pepper, I did not want to over power the salad with over seasoned shrimp. They were delicious!To prepare dressing:
Slice the jalapeno into small pieces, add the juice of lemon and 1 to 2 limes, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and minced garlic cloves
Wisk together before serving.
When shrimp are done, add them to the salad followed by the peanuts, cilantro, sliced green onions and drizzle with the dressing. Note: if you are not a huge fan of papaya, slice up some mango instead. Spring will surely follow!
I feel warmer already!

see.he

A few updates in the life of he

The Florida Golf Tournament was a success and he came home to report that Henry (his baby nephew) would not let him out of his sight the entire trip! So cute.
Mike's birthday was a few days ago, May 8th, and he got some pretty impressive gifts...
A mini photo shoot with his bff Miles.
A worm farm
A week ago we welcomed 1 pound of new pets into our place.
OK, it's not a worm farm (he hates it when i call it a 'worm farm' even though that's what it is)... it's actually an in-home food compost. It does not smell and produces lush black soil perfect for plants in and around the house.
These worms are actually pretty amazing! They are a special kind of worm that metabolizes food quickly. Here we are at the worm workshop: First you have to set up the bin:
These worms LOVE paper, cardboard, food scraps from veggies and fruits. They have some dietary limitations (meat, oils, garlic and onions) but not many.
Then you get to open the bag and say hello to your new little friends!Next you ever so carefully pour the worms into the bin to begin their new life!
Feeding the worms is an important job, and the more chopped up the food... the better! They also don't mind if the food is spoiled. For now, the worms are getting adjusted to their new home, in our home. They are eating and eating and making some new worms, then eating and pooping lush black soil. I will update more on the worms at a later date.
Mike ALSO had a really nice birthday party that was hosted by our pals Allen and Paris. What a fun party! We had some delicious drinks, great company and one very impressive cake!!A martini cake for the "Mad Men" inspired martini party. The martini was flavored with coconut and passion fruit and the olives were chocolate and raspberry!! YUM!!
Finally... As an early birthday gift, a few weeks ago, I found a beautiful road bike on Craigslist and once we checked it out... we were sold! It is a really beautiful bike. Since he got the bike we have both been riding together like crazy!!
It is only a 7.5 mile bike ride from here to downtown Chicago!
Unfortunately, on Monday Mike's bike was stolen from campus! It was locked and parked in front of the library and around 1 pm some creep stole his bike. We are both devastated. He really enjoyed that bike and I loved that he enjoyed it so much! So we are mourning the loss of the bike and the limited time we had to enjoy it.
Over all, I think turning 29 was a real success for Mike!
Happy Birthday to the sweet man I'm going to marry some day!!
xoxo

see.mom.love

Happy Mother's Day Moms!!
These are a few of our closest moms, but to all the mom's out there who inspire us, teach us, tie shoelaces, help with homework, cleaned our bums, sing songs, laugh with us, cry with us, and most importantly never stop loving us, thank you.

don't worry... its just a pumpkin.
this is me showing empathy :0)

Double dose of my mom because she cleaned my bum!
thanks mom!!

see.purpose

This weekend, Mike is flying to Florida to play in a very special golf tournament.

Flying to Florida to play golf for a weekend isn't something he does regularly!
He is playing in the:
Tropical Realty's 6th Annual Golf Tournament
And the cause?Miss Lola!
Here she is when she was a sweet little baby!
She looks like Miss Muffet!
Lola and Miles playing, I think he just licked her!
Lola has the sweetest smile, an adorable laugh and a HUGE amount of character!
I don't think I have ever seen a picture where she wasn't smiling!
When she knows Uncle Mike is coming, she runs to the door and yells:
"UNCLE MIKE, UNCLE MIKE!!"
It is probably the cutest thing ever!!
So why is there an entire golf tournament for Lola?
Well, this is from Lola's Gigi (Mike's mom):
"Lola was born with a rare disease called Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS). SWS is a congenital neurological disorder of unknown etiology. It is an enigmatic syndrome, seldom hard to recognize but often difficult to predict or treat effectively. As a parent/grandparent you try to protect your child/grandchild from whatever comes their way and when you can’t it’s the most horrible thing in the world. We wish she wasn’t born with SWS and we wish we could go inside her brain and take it all away, but we can’t."
"Lola and Sturge-Weber Syndrome have taught us to cherish every single day and not take one moment for granted. We know that this syndrome is highly unpredictable and not well understood and that her future with SWS may be hard. So we view every day that is full of her laughter and song, as a true blessing to our family and anyone who knows her."

The love and compassion of Lola's family, friends, doctors, nurses, and community is remarkable! And the money they have raised in this tournament has helped fund SWS research.
And that helps Lola and all the other people affected with SWS! What a beautiful thing!!

Check out www.lolasgift.com

Have fun at the tournament everyone!!!

Love, Aunt Mel

see.oops!

Every 2 weeks we make a trip downtown to our nearest Trader Joe's.
We buy 2 weeks of groceries and head home.
Trader Joe's is usually really busy and the isles are tight so we split the shopping list and shop separately. (This unfortantly leads to more impulse buys on both of our accounts because we aren't actively supervising each other... I'm snacking on 'rocky road chocolate' right now!)
Today, I finished up my half of the list and carted over to Michael, who was sampling the delicious Trader Joe's coffee. (see: see.addiction)
We are in the market for a new coffee so he told me this was strictly research. I agreed and tried some too.
Meanwhile, I wanted to consolidate our carts, so I ask Mike where his cart of groceries was.
Mike: "Oh... right there" turning and pointing to an empty spot next to the potatoes.
His cart was gone!
Now... I can appreciate the time management strategy of taking someones full cart of groceries while in the grocery store in order to save time! Unless it is our cart of groceries.
Mike looks around and says... "Mel, that guy over there took my cart!"
my response: "haa haa! well, go get it back!"
Talk about awkward. The guy accidentally grabbed Mike's cart while sampling coffee and left his cart behind. The situation was resolved quickly but not without a really good laugh!

see.addiction

We have an addiction.
2 people.
one house.
one mutual addiction.
To what, you ask?
Coffee.
Total. Complete. Addiction.
I am aware of my needs. I recognize them and give in. Every morning, I take out the beans, grinder, and pot. Grind up a few cups worth of those precious little jewels of motivation.
Brew and sip.
Mike, however, believes he can go without... ha!
Well yesterday our needs were tested when we ran out of coffee and mutually decided to drink Green tea instead. Just for the day.
Note: we both enjoy tea and drink it often. we both only have 1 cup of coffee each day and in the morning only!
My day started out alright, I was a bit sluggish on my bike ride to volunteer at the hospital.
However, by lunch time, I was feeling the beginning affects, I felt run down with a mild headache. I thought... I must just be hungry.
I ate lunch and sipped a cup of black tea. By this time, a more painful headache started. A few hours later, on the way to my evening class... I gave in. I stopped by my supplier (Starbucks) and got my caffeine fix.
Fast forward to 12:45 am. Mike comes home from diligently working in the library on a paper. I am still awake and can't sleep because I am waiting for him (this is what I tell myself) and we proceed to chit chat until almost 2:30 am!
After we have exhausted every single topic for the day (including NPR stories and news stories we have both read) I confess that I filled up on caffeine that afternoon and then...
HE CONFESSES TOO!
He got got his fix from the bakery nearby at about the same time!
And by 2:30 AM we were both still juiced from our afternoon fix!
What can I say about this?
I love my morning cup of coffee. I love that it is hot, semi-sweet, slightly creamy, sociable, slow, mesmerizing, and delicious. But! I hate that I am so addicted and going without causes physical pain!
And the thought of decaf is insulting.
What to do?
I think I will consult a cup of joe to contemplate our options...

see.Opa!

This past Easter we went Greek.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take many pics from the days festivities but below are the highlights.
As told to us by our hosts (my Greek Landlord, Niko, and family): in the Greek Orthodox Religion, you go vegetarian for the entire length of Lent. The last week before Easter, you don't eat ANY animal products... eggs, cheese and the like.
After midnight on Easter morning (so around 1 or 2 in the morning) everyone gathers around and enjoys a large pot of hot, steamy, lamb (intestine) soup. To prepare the stomach for the next day's meal (as seen below). Mike and I were fortunate enough to get invited over for the 'midnight soup' and I was beyond excited to partake in this tradition.
*I try to put my personal vegetarian feelings to the side to enjoy moments like this.*
The night was really fun, there was traditional egg cracking and Niko's mom won!, laughing, loads of Greek, and the soup was flavored beautifully.
The next morning, or a few hours later really, our backyard was full of tables and chairs and one very very important guest:

The rest of the lamb! Again, just part of the tradition.
So you can imagine, the warm sun, cool breeze, Greek music, laughing, talking, and the lamb on the spit.
It was quite the Easter Greek-a-palooza!!Eventually, it started to rain, but that didn't scare ANYONE off! We all just went inside to enjoy dessert, coffee, and wonderful conversation.
At one point, a discussion started about the Greek to English translation of the word Opa!
Everyone had a say...
"It means, to celebrate!"
"It means, cheers!"
and on and on...
Finally, Niko's dad put it quite simply and with a huge smile...
"Opa! means Opa!"
And of course we all chimed in...OPA!