Daily Fix: Vintage Wool Stadium Blankets

found at solsticehome on etsy


found at Allie Ruth Peach on etsy


found at goantiques.com


found at ebay
___________________________________________

I just realized why I loved that orange plaid coat so much. It looks just like those vintage wool stadium blankets that I love. These warm boiled wool blankets were first made in the 50's and 60's are about 4x5 feet and come in a variety of plaids. I remember as a kid, we always had one in our car. I would it to the bleachers at the Friday night football game in High School. Now that I have a 120 year old house, I am once again appreciating the warmth these guys bring. I picked up this green and yellow one at the Elkhorn Flea Market for about $40. I thought it would be a perfect companion (cooler than a snuggie) for watching Packer games at home.

Lulu the dog goes to the Dog Park

It's going to be a pretty laid back weekend: Dog Park, a trip to Sven's for lunch, laundry, New York Times, yard work, and the Packers game.

Weekend Style: Scarf/Belt combo

J.Crew
I have been eyeing up the JCrew winter line and the use of a belt OVER a scarf is cute and practical (extra warmth, but not all bunched around your neck or falling in the way). I'm a big fan of using scarves to jazz up my weekend black with jeans ensemble.

Colorful Snail Mail

I LOVE getting mail, but unfortunately the only mail I've been getting is the weekly penny saver and some weird dragon and witch magazines addressed to the former resident. Now you know why I love online ordering: because I get mail! So, I'm spreading the snail mail love and hoping to improve my card sending skills (esp. birthday cards). These cards are from World Market and blank inside, so they're perfect for a "go to" card when I forgot to buy a real thank you card.

Backyard Discovery: 4th street Forum

I've been to Turner Hall, mostly to see live music, and I've had the famous fish fry at the Historic Turner Restaurant. I have seen the Fourth Street Forum at Turner Hall on MPTV (our PBS station) but always change the channel and say "ughhh, why isn't a good documentary on?". Well,today, I was on the 88.9 Radio Milwaukee website and was actually reading about it, when I realized, this ain't so boring. Each week, the forum is comprised of different community leaders and the topic is a different "Milwaukee issue". Very town hall meeting-esque. This week the topic will be "Domestic Violence, Dangerous Homes", at Turner Hall on Thursday at noon. However, those of us nerds with jobs, will have to check out the Itunes Podcast or watch it on Sunday morning at 9am on MPTV.

Redecorating the master bedroom: Square One

The master bedroom is one of the last rooms in the house that needs redecorating since we moved in. It seems like the bedroom is always the last place to get a facelift. Is it a symptom of putting myself last? Or is it because I took my time to figure out exactly what I want the room to look like? The room is going to be a challenge: it needs to be entirely re-painted, the bungalow style ceilings will limit a lot of ideas, and the room is honestly huge. Stay tuned.

Here are a few inspiration photos from the brainstorming process:

Halloween Mash Up

Our annual Halloween party was last night and a great success! The "It Came from the 80's" theme worked really well, great costumes; see above. Our friend CJ "aka ELWOOD" took portraits of our guest that turned out really well. Back at home now, at the Halloween Hangover Brunch at Cafe Centraal and ready for a nice Sunday afternoon nap.

Daily Fix: Halloween Survival pack

* 1) My favorite Halloween Movie, "Hocus Pocus":


* 2) A bunch of candy (must include Almond Joy):


* 3) Flashlight, because I'm not walking to the garage in the dark:


* 4) Costume back up plan, just in case:


* 5) Some spooky decor, cheap cobwebs are a must:

Perfect Autumn Coat FOUND!!!

After weeks, I FINALLY found the orange plaid coat that I spotted on the Nie Nie Dialogues.

It's here online at DELiAs. AND it's on SALE!

I want to go to there: Haggerty Museum of Art

I only went there a few times while at Marquette; mostly because I confused the Haggerty Museum of Art with Hegarty's Pub across the quad. Now that I'm older and wiser, I would really like to venture back to my old stomping grounds, grab a latte with extra love (code for whip cream) from the Brew Bayou, wander the stacks at the Raynor Library, and enjoy some quiet time at the Joan of Arc Chapel. Ahhhh memories.

Here are some pieces of art from their website that I really like:









Here's where the museum is located:

HOURS
Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday: noon - 5 p.m.
Free admission daily

Backyard discovery: Brick 3 Pizza

I ate there for the second time tonight; I had the Lasagna Pizza (ground beef, cheddar cheese, parmesan, and ricotta cheese) pictured above

Now, I hesitated to get too excited about this place or adding it to my list of recommended places to eat. It opened up in the middle of the recession, the first time I went it wasn't all that busy, and it's in a neighborhood with a pretty high turnover rate for businesses. Hower, after the great reviews over the past few months and Matt's nod to its ability to consistently make good pizza, I think this place is gonna make it. The multiple plasma TVs showing NBA games get high marks from dudes. They have the most creative pizza menu I've seen in a long time (eg. Lasagna Pizza, Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, Baked Potato Pizza, Mac 'N Cheese Pizza, Goat Cheese Pizza, Pesto Chicken Pizza). I like thin crust pizza, but this is a good thinly hand tossed style that they heat up in these big ol' ovens that make the bottom of the pizza nice and golden.

Lifesaver

Neti Pot

I got mine at Outpost Natural Foods last year. I've been using this for the last few days while I battle a runny nose/cough/congestion (almost gone). Personally, I would much rather have salt water up my nose than take drowsy-inducing Sudafed. For the cough, some cough drops and lots of warm fluids is doing the trick. Some colds just need some TLC, that's all.

In the kitchen: Homemade Granola Bars

I realize that my usual Starbucks double Latte or nothing at all in the A.M. is not a very healthy breakfast. I want to eat better than my usual "running out the door/eating at my desk" meal so that my belly doesn't steer my car into the Wendy's drive through line at 4 PM. And, I have a wedding coming up in July. So lately, I've been thinking of food choices in terms with the GLYCEMIC INDEX and how I could fit it into my meal planning (you know, the one that also includes all of Matt's favorite foods like pizza and mac 'n cheese). So here's my first attempt with a whole grain breakfast: Granola bars with Flax seed, walnuts, coconut, dates, honey and goji berries. If you have any ideas what to name this, let me know with a comment below.




INGREDIENTS:
1 cup toasted flax seeds
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup toasted coconut
5 chopped dates
3T dried goji berries
4T raw honey

DIRECTIONS:
Mix everything together well
Scoop into small plastic bags or plastic wrap
Roll into desired granola bar shape
Store in fridge overnight until firm

(Makes 5)

My friend Bridget from Healing Illuminations has a lot of great recipes for balanced carbohydrate, antioxidant-rich, and raw food on her website. She's been helping me with a lot of my nutrition based questions.

You're so cute I wanna take you home!

The other day, I posted about a bunch of greyhounds that will soon need adoption. All these retired greyhounds are CURRENTLY available for adoption through GPA Wisconsin. Go to: www.gpawisconsin.org



See Tulsa here


See Sarah here


See Bill Cosby here
Yes, his race name is Bill Cosby. Gotta love it.

Baby shower today

I bought this onesie and matching bib set from BeanPickleSprout on Etsy.

That's gonna be one cute and stylish baby.