Banned Books Week 2010

Posted in Books by

Hope ya’ll are participating in Banned Books Week this year! This time around I’m re-reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker. One of my all-time favorite books and movies. I cry every time. Love, Love, Love. If that’s not up your alley, check out one of the others from the 10 most challenged books of 2009:

1. ttyl; ttgn; l8r, g8r (series) by Lauren Myracle
2. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Twilight (series) by Stephanie Meyer
6. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
9. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
10. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Also, check out Northcoast Zeitgeist for his awesome banned book posters. (One shown above.) They’re visually fantastic and a great way to get the message out. Not to mention created in Ohio!

I’ve got the blues: John Lee Hooker

Posted in Tunes by

We all know how much I love listening to the blues. Far and away my favorite music genre, it must be growing up in Chicago and listening to all my parents Hound Dog Taylor albums. I thought I’d share a little of one of my favorite bluesmen, John Lee Hooker. A singer-songwriter and guitarist, he rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to the Delta Blues. He is thought of as creating his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his wicked blues guitar and singing. Here is one of my favorites: John Lee Hooker’s rendition of “One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer.” Enjoy.

(Go to full post for sound clip.)

Apple Slushie

Posted in What's Cookin' by

Yes, this is a picture of the amazing apple slushie. For those of you who haven’t had this dreamy concoction, it is freshly pressed apple cider that is thown into a slushie machine. Truly nectar of the gods. I dream about them all year long, but only have one at Sunrise Orchards while attending the Gays Mills Apple Festival. It is well worth the trip for you to come out and try one. Trust me.

Apple Festival ’10

Posted in Travel by

This is our third year going to the Gays Mills Apple Festival, unfortunately Roz and Lukey didn’t get to join us this time. It was a bit chillier this year that in the past, but still a gorgeous day. I had the requisite apple cider donut and some apple pie, but you all know what the best was. . . . apple slushie time. Damn, those have to be what the Greek gods were drinking when they talk about ambrosia. Definitely heaven sent.

On the way back from the festival, we stopped at Sunrise Orchards and I brought home about 1/2 a bushel of Cortlands and a big bag of Galas to make applesauce, apple butter, and to freeze for pies and crisps later on. Honeycrisps, of course will be savored on their own. Oh and we got a jug of cider to take with us to Farm Aid this weekend. What better way to tailgate than with warmed cider spiked with some rye? Woot! I’ll post later on how my apple butter and applesauce turn out. Now I need to get cranking.

Widdershins Aesthetic

Posted in Fashion by

This all started on The Pursuit Aesthetic and has since started making the men’s fashion blog rounds. I ran into this version on 10 Engines’ blog and found that his looked as if it was taken directly out of Shawn’s closet. I mean it even had the requisite bottle of Miller High Life. I thought that it would be fun to riff of of this and do a female version. I had to change more than the 5 things suggested, but I feel that I still stayed true to the original. While setting this up, I came across this version on Joe Gannon’s site, so I included it as well. Enjoy.

*Check out the full post to see all the looks together as well as shopping details for mine.

Homemade Pesto

Posted in What's Cookin' by

I have a ton of basil still and I don’t want it to go to waste before the frost kills it, so I decided to make some pesto for dinner last night. This is by far the easiest thing to make, I have no idea why anyone would buy pesto at the store. The great thing is that you can whip it up in a minute. It stores fresh in the fridge for about a week or so. You can also freeze it, I suggest using an ice cube tray for pre-measured portions.

Homemade Pesto

2 C loosely packed cups fresh basil
1/2 tsp clove of garlic (or more to taste)
2 tb pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
pinch of salt.

Combine basil with salt, garlic, nuts, cheese, and half of the olive oil into a food processor or blender. Process, stop to scrape sides and then add the rest of the oil gradually. Add more oil if you would like a thinner consistency.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Apple Picking Outfit

Posted in Fashion by

Only ten more days until my favorite festival is back! Yes, the 52nd annual Gays Mills Apple Festival is next weekend and I can’t wait. We had such a good time last year. It’s so much fun to check out the the apple harvest at the area orchard, grab a few tasty apple treats (hello apple cider slushies!) and just enjoy the great autumn weather here in Wisconsin. Here’s what I am dreaming I would wear on our quest to find the perfect Honeycrisp.



*Check out the full page post to see shopping details.

NorthernGRADE

Posted in Noble County Gold by

This past weekend Shawn and I traveled up to Minneapolis, MN to attend NorthernGRADE, an Ad-Hoc Men’s Market, held at Architectural Antiques.  I talked a little bit about this last week, but wanted to fill you in on how it went.

The event was located at Architectural Antiques, what an amazing place. It was like going through the best attic/grandparent’s basement ever. Full of light fixtures, stained glass, mantelpieces, knobs, hinges, church pews. . . . it was a treasure trove of old-timey goodness. Definitely the perfect atmosphere for the event, I loved how the vendors were able to create their own spaces using old bartops, marble sinks, and the like. It made each area distinct and let their product’s personality shine through. Brilliant.

I was quite impressed with the quality and range of the vendors, everyone there were masters of their craft and took great pride in their products being made in the USA. One of my favorites were Baldwin Denim, where Shawn picked up two pairs of stellar jeans and a tie. I also loved Cause and Effect leather goods. Billy Moore is quite the character and a true craftsman. I picked out a horsehide belt with a handmade anchor-shaped buckle for Shawn and got myself a leather cuff. I also purchased the Stormy Kromer hat I wanted!

All in all, I feel that the event was a huge success and hope that this will be the start of something big, where more venues will promote and celebrate companies that strive to continue manufacturing high-quality goods here in the US. I know that I would definitely go to them, and judging by the over 700 other people in attendance, many more will join me.

Rhinovirus

Posted in Uncategorized by

I’ve been battling a cold for the past week and it finally hit me full force on Friday while in Minneapolis. I powered through it for the weekend, but now I am home and need to going on lockdown until this thing has run its course. Went to the doctor to get some meds to help in the fight. Will have to post about the trip later in the week.

Noble County Gold Heaven: NorthernGRADE

Posted in Noble County Gold, Travel by

This weekend Shawn and I are headed up to Minneapolis to check out NorthernGRADE.
It’s a shopping event designed to celebrate American- made menswear from small companies, most of them from right here in the Midwest. The line up can be directly taken from Shawn’s closet: Red Wing Shoes, Duluth Pack, Pierrepont Hicks, Taylor Stitch, J.W.Hulme, and Baldwin Denim. Basically, Noble County Gold heaven.

I think that this event is a really brilliant idea. Not only is it spot on with the current “nostalgic/heritage” trend that is happening in menswear, it focuses on something that is becoming more and more important today: buying local and staying true to your roots. One of the things I hear Shawn say all the time is, “I want it to be REAL.” Meaning, that it has to be an authentic product as well as it ringing true to your heart. I wish that women’s fashion would jump on this bandwagon.

Since I am not really going to be trying any bow ties- although that IS a big trend this fall- I’m looking forward more to some of the other vendors that will be present. This is not just a clothing meet up! They will also have bikes by Freeman Transport, canoes by Stewart River, and stationery by Doane Paper. I am really looking forward to checking out the bikes, Freeman is an amazing company and I would LOVE to own one. Or maybe I can talk Shawn into bringing back a canoe to take out on Lake Mendota! More likely, I’ll see if I can nab an old school hunting cap by Stormy Kromer. Perfect to keep me warm this winter while out throwing snowballs for Walter.

They’ll also have music, food, and other entertainment, so I’m sure it will be more like a night out with some well dressed gentlemen than a man bazaar.