Saturday, April 16, 2011

IT'S T-BALL!!

My husbands family can quite easily be considered a baseball family.  My husbands brother played baseball most of his life, he has one hell of a pitchers arm!  So this weekend was a pretty big to do, because our little five year old nephew Xander played his very first game of T-Ball! 
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I've been sick with a cold and cough for the last few days, so I'm on day 2 of not getting much sleep do to coughing my guts out.  So this morning I showed up at the opening ceremony armed with a fluffy hoody sweat shirt and a giant Chai Late.  Chai really is a life savor.  It was great fun to see all the excited wiggly kids walking across the field.  Non of them could hold still. Lol

After the opening ceremony, Curt and I had some extra time to poke around Puyallup.  Luck came our way and we bumped right into an artisan festival in the park.  Artisan festival to me equals fun crafts to look at aaaaannnddd STREET FOOD!   Oh how I love street food!  Curtis and I found a delectable hand made tamale booth.  Now that is my kind of breakfast!  They also had these amazing fried little canoli like pastries.. Oh so yummy!   On top of an ideal breakfast, I made of with a few new treasures.  I picked up a nifty old beet up fruit crate and a perfect little pick nick basket for only $5 for both!  Woot!


Xander's first game was this afternoon.  It was so great to see all the kids getting the hang of the game.  It's really just teaching the kids to hit, catch and throw, along with good sportsmanship and team playing.  Xander made sure to correct us when ever we would call it a "Baseball Game".  He would say "It's T-BALL!!"  Over all, it was such a great day to get outside and spend time with family!

CHEERS!

Friday, April 15, 2011

HAPPY WEEKEND!


Yeah! It's finally the weekend!  Curtis and I are gearing up for a busy and exciting weekend!  We are currently cuddling up at my in laws, watching TV and taking advantage of her wonderful enormous soaking tub!  Woot!  Were spending the night so we can wake up bright and early to see Curtis' five year old nephew play his first game of T-Ball!  Very Exciting!   Then we are going to spend Saturday night with 2 of our really good friends in their brand new digs!  Sunday we are having brunch at a special place and playing a round of miniature golf, then only a few down moments before we go to see my absolute favorite jazz singer of all time, Kurt Elling!!   His lyrics fill my heart with pure love and his voice is just like butter!  I just can't wait!  What do you guys have planned for this weekend?
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Just so you can get a little taste.  :O)


Cheers!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

ALL THE WILD HORSES

I keep seeing all these wonderful photographs popping up everywhere.
I think once I get my house together and I'm ready to start hanging art, I might just blow up a couple photographs to have around the house. 
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These are gorgeous








 
CHEERS!

Monday, April 11, 2011

IM JUST SAYIN....

So I just got married right....
Do y'all have any idea how many times I've been asked when we're going to start making babies?!
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So I just want to lay it all out on the line right now.  Are you ready?  I'm no where near crazy enough to jump on the baby train any time soon.....  There.
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But if I were, and I'm not saying I am....... I LOVE THIS!

Oh yeah... and this too.....


I'm just sayin......


Cheers!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

SUNDAY BRUNCH ~ THE CRICKET CAFE


Curtis and I are huge fans of Portland.  Mostly because one of our amazing friends and the man who married us lives there, but what makes Portland such an amazing city is the FOOD!!  Every nook and corner has something new and creative to offer, as well as amazing care to the quality and freshness of the food its self.  Like the Seattle area, Portland is also booming with agriculture and specialized vendors of all sorts.  Though there are many places that I love to eat at in Seattle, I have to admit that Portland really has it figured out.  They have it figured out because all of these small little eateries in every nook and corner are taking full advantage to the natural resources and agriculture the city has offer.  It's really quite amazing!
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The Cricket Cafe is no stranger to that concept.  Pulling all of their ingredients from Farmers Markets, local family bakeries, local sustainable farms..... even their next door neighbors backyard stash of mint leaves!  Community and humanity are the heart and soul to small business.  That is what makes us great!  That is what makes us wholesome!  That is what makes the lines go around the damn corner!!
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Ill never forget the first meal I ever had at the Cricket.   It was a special;  Ricotta flap jacks, with glazed white peaches and hearty bits of CANDIED BACON!!!   Yeah..... that was CANDIED BACON!
I honestly don't think Ill ever forget that Sunday brunch.  Along with amazing food The Cricket also offers an impressive liquid menu.  The specialty is, "The Bloody Gary" 
Not just your every day bloody mary...  Jalapeno infused vodka and fresh horse radish.  It's self induced heart burn, but my oh my don't we just love to feel the burn!  My favorite bloody of all time!
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The restaurant was created on a bet between a husband and his wife as they were walking home one evening.  As they were walking, a white cat crossed their path, which later they found out was named "Cricket"..... And there you have it, The Cricket Cafe!
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My dear friends, if you are visiting Portland, you have to stop by 3159 SE Bellmont and have a "Gary" for me.  Oh, and if the line is around the corner, just remember.... CANDIED BACON!






 
CHEERS TO THE CRICKET!

Monday, April 4, 2011

A PURPOSE FOR REPURPOSING

I've been totally inspired lately by Sunset Magazine.  The last few issues have has some amazing articles featuring people who have revamped their yards and interiors with repurposed materials.  I LOVE THIS!  I mean I love gardens that are full of funny junk laying all over the place, but I also love to see people repurpose junk to make their gardens look oh so modern and cozy.
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One of my favorite couples here in Seattle just purchased their first home.  It took Auna and Chris almost an entire year to close on their house, due to construction code issues the bank had to repair, and special loans they had to be approved for to pay for the work that will inevitably have to be done to the home before they can move in.  With a year long struggle, they were just given the keys several days ago, and they are already planning some exciting things.  One thing that is important to them is to conserve wherever possible as well as have some COLOR!  The gray sky's of Seattle can get the best of us down in the dumps, so they plan to counter balance that with a vibrant colored home.  Such a great idea!
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So here are a few ideas with them in mind!
The gall who designed this outdoor space as well as converted her shed into an office space did it for under $2000!

Most of her fancy pots were found at thrift stores or are cheep terracotta pots done up with a little paint.
I love how colorful and whimsical her garden is, and looks to be pretty low maintenance.


Another great use of colorful paint!

Great Shed Transformation!

Love the Chicks and Hens hanging out in the palm tree!

I was also so happy to see a Seattle native Leah Steen from Revival Home And Garden in the most recent article who revamped her beautiful georgetown fixer upper using mostly reclaimed materials and lots of imagination.  Also, I'm not a huge lover of the color purple, but the color of her house is AWESOME!!

I love the front hedges and walking stones that are chunks of cement from their RV parking pad deconstruction.  Also those fabulous gates on the side of the house was built from salvaged metal.


This is a discarded syrup barrel from Coca-Cola that they revamped into a rain saver.  Leah said the water gets them through half the summer.

The pavers are chunks of the old RV parking pad lined with moss.
They revamped the detached garage into a guest house and the windows were repurposed from Second Use.



The interior is as bright as the exterior with crazy wall-paper from flavorleague.com

I also love this industrial storage cabinet turned liquor cabinet!  That candelabra is pretty nifty as well!

Well, there you have it.  Inspiration can be found anywhere!

Cheers!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

SUNDAY BRUNCH: THE SUN BREAK CAFE

My Mom has always been my strongest follower here on The Little Road Said Go.  Shes always the very first person to comment on most of my posts, and she's always been quite fond of my Sunday Brunches.  Well my mom has been visiting us here for the last week.  We've been having lots of fun!  She offered to take Curtis and I out for Sunday Brunch today, since she knows its one of our favorite things to do!  We decided to try the Sun Break Cafe in Auburn.  It's not far from our house and Curtis and I had heard several things about it, and we've been wanting to try it out for a while.  Perfect opportunity!
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The Sun Break originally was a very popular sandwich shop called "The Big Bite" located in Federal Way.  After shutting down there, Bruce, the owner opened the Sun Break Cafe, serving only breakfast every day.  Actually, that's not true, you can still grab a sandwich to go if you would like!  (I'm going to have to try one of those very soon!)
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The Sun Break is a no nonsense kind of place through and through.  The portions are enormous! Luckily you can order half orders.  The menu is also generous with many breakfast favorites, from country fried steak and eggs to scrambles and omelets. They also feature some of the best banana bread you could ever imagine! You can even get the "For My Old Friend Frank Omelet" full of sausage and sauteed mushrooms.  The owner Bruce is also a no nonsense kind of guy.  If you're visiting his restaurant, you are expected to play by his rules.  As long as you can manage that, then you can expect to have a delightful meal, and Bruce really is a delightful stuck in his ways man.  In all honesty, I have a bit of respect for that.  Owning a fabulous restaurant doesn't necessarily mean you have to accommodate every persons needs.  You just have to offer great food and common ground.  Hey, the soup Nazi did it, right?!
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I do have to admit that I strayed from my usual eggs benedict and grabbed a meat omelet, but my mom filled in for me and ordered the benedict.  The omelet was great, the benedict was even better, but..... Curtis' chicken fried steak and eggs...... AMAZING!!  Two large patties so tender you don't even need a knife to cut it!  Sided with a heap of hash browns about the size of your head.  The benedict came with not one... but two thickly sliced pieces of canadian bacon and was drenched in the richest hollandaise sauce.  I also ordered a hot chocolate that came out with a Mt. Everest replica of whipped cream on the top.  Definitely not a breakfast for the faint at heart!  Oh but the banana bread... how I loved you!
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There is also an amazing little antique store inside the restaurant called The Classic Farmhouse. The owner Katy is such a sweetheart and she has really affordable prices on all her goodies  I snagged a few treasures from her today as well. 
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Cheers to the Sun Break Cafe!







 
AND CHEERS TO YOU!

Friday, April 1, 2011

CHEERS TO THE KING AND QUEEN!

IM BACK!
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Its taken me quite a few days to catch up after my whirlwind trip down to Calistoga and back with all my amazing California friends.  Oh I miss them! 
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While I was down there, I realized that I have little things around me that just make me remember California.  My little slice of Cali here in Seattle.  Here are some comparisons from our trip to Calistoga and my humble little home.
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Some Fun Artisan Bread

Some Special Bread hand Made By My Dad.
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Dramatic Chandeliers

A Dramatic Chandelier Just Brought Down To Size

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A Secret Get Away Terrace


My Secret Get Away Terrace
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A Friendly Castle Dwelling Kitty


My Favorite Castle Dwelling Kitty.
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An Assortment Of Different Trees


In The Living Room
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And Friends..... Friends Are Parallel.  Good Friends Stay With You No Matter How Far The Distance.


We Are All The Kings And Queens Of The Homes We Make For Ourselves.  No Matter How Big Or Small.

 
CHEERS!