What's New (to me) In the Oldest City in America?

Last weekend, John and I went to visit my parents in St. Augustine, Florida.

(In case you don't know, St. Augustine is the oldest city in America.)

They've been there for a few years now (three?), but we haven't really done a lot of "touristy" things downtown...until now.

But first...let me share with you some super cute pictures of Ray & Jules, my parents' adopted greyhounds.

Here's a close-up of Ray, lounging on the settee in the spare (our) bedroom. Ray's almost 11 and a little bit wobbly. He still LOVES to get his babies (stuffed toys) out and play with them. He's a very sweet dude.

Here he is with his favorite blankie. He loves soft things. I think this is his "no paparazzi" pose.

And this is Ms. Jules. She's younger than her brother from another mother, but has been through a lot in her short life. She broke one of her legs in three places, but was nursed back to health and is now a happy girl living in her adoptive home. As my Mom would says, "She's a pip!"

You don't think Ray loves John, do you? He nestled in next to him and silently demanded he be patted during the entire Bruins game.

And of course, if one's in on the action, the other needs to get in. Jules entered the room and demanded the same attention. Luckily John was kind enough to oblige.

We were in St. Augustine from Thursday-Sunday. On Friday, we decided to go downtown and check out the Oldest City in America. We parked in a garage downtown and walked down St. George St, which has tons of shops, restaurants, museums, etc... We perused a few shops and then headed to a place for lunch.

I didn't take any pics there, so we'll use some stock photos (which won't do it justice) to share. We ate at Gaufres & Goods (which doesn't have its own website), which is a Polish & Greek restaurant.

I.love.Polish.food. (I'm Polish on my Mom's side, hence the love for it.)

I knew right away what I'd get -- golobki. I had it probably 20-ish years ago at a Polish restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC (of all places), when my parents lived in Durham. My grandmother used to make it and I've loved it ever since.

It's basically boiled cabbage with meat (hamburger) and rice rolled up in it in a tomato sauce. Here's a photo for your information:

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Let me just say that it tastes better than it looks!

John and my Mom had pierogies, which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. If you're not, pierogies are a type of dumpling and they can pretty much be filled with anything...cheese, meat, vegetables. They're usually served with sour cream.

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My Dad got something called pyzy, which is another kind of dumpling, but made of potatoes and rounder vs. a half moon. It's served with bacon.

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After we devoured this amazing food (I'd HIGHLY recommend the restaurant), we headed to the Lightner Museum. It houses an eclectic collection of items...from taxidermy to Tiffany glass, from stamps to musical instruments and so much more. It's in the original Alcazar Hotel, so many of the rooms tell you what was originally there when it was a hotel (steam room, dining room, etc...)

When we first got there, they were doing a demonstration of antique mechanical musical instruments, which was very interesting. It's amazing to see things that are so tiny that make music and a piece of furniture that basically holds an entire orchestra within it and makes music.

Not a great photo (because I'm in it not once, but twice!), but this is a conch shell with a cameo carved into it. Amazing!

Here's a cradle. Doesn't look too comfy, does it?

While that's the extent of the photos I took indoors, I highly recommend visiting if you're in St. Augustine. (It's inexpensive and very welcoming.)

Here's a photo of the garden type entryway. (Look...in January...it's warm and sunny!)

Needless to say, we had a good/relaxing time.

I'll leave you with this one last photo of Jules. How can that possibly be comfy? I feel like it's a puzzle and you have to figure out which arm/leg/tail to untwist first!

Perfection: It's In the Bag

You MUST try this. 

It's the most interesting combination of sweet and salty.

I'm a huge fan of Boom Chicka Pop. 

The white cheddar is pretty awesome.

I stumbled upon the fact that there was a MAPLE (yes I'm shouting) flavored one and I about jumped out of my seat. (I LOVE maple.) You can see it here.

It's very elusive, however. I can't find it for sale online. I can't find it for sale in my local grocery store. I've asked some friends around the country to look out for it and no dice. It made me very sad, until....

I bought the Holidrizzle white chocolate & peppermint. It really is amazing. I was uncertain about the mix of flavors, but one bite and I was sold.

So, go buy some- you won't regret it!

Just Call Me the Terminator

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I'LL BE BACK blogging in 2016!

Really.

I will.

I miss writing a lot, as I think I've said before, I find it cathartic.

It's just one of those things that I have to make time for. (Less time on Facebook, perhaps?!?!?)

I hope everyone has a happy & healthy 2016 & that you make the time to do the things you really like to do!

Summer Reading Challenge Final Wrap Up

Another "day late/dollar short" post on my reading (shocker there!)

The Summer Reading Challenge ended on August 31st, although I allowed myself to go a bit past the deadline. 

Of a possible 200 points, I finished with 185. Not bad for my first challenge!

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. 

10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!) 

10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.)

10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads "Best Book" award in 2014. 

15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you. 

15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.) 

15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.") I didn't get to this one -- it was tough to find a book that I wanted to read with "light" or "dark" in the title.

20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title. Edited to add: The place must be real, either current or historical, but not fictional. 

20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover.

25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books. 

25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from See You In a Porridge blog. 

30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!)

If you're interested in doing a reading challenge, Semi-Charmed Kind of Life is doing a Winter Challenge (found here), which starts on November 1st. I'll be doing it - join us!

Books Read in 2014

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If there was ever a situation when the phrase, "better late than never" fit, this would be it.

Without further ado, almost 11 months later, here's a recap of the books I read in 2014 (those with an asterisk, I'd HIGHLY recommend, those with a pound sign, DON'T BOTHER!):

1. Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (*)- While this wasn't necessarily an easy book to read, it was a great one.

2. Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson

3. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

4. 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (*)- In the same vein as The Invention of Wings, not an easy book to read, but an important one. (This was the book that the town I live in chose to read as a group. Sad, but I had never heard of it prior to then and when the movie came out.)

5. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

6. Murder on the Rocks by Allyson K. Abbott

7. Hens Dancing by Raffaella Barker

8. Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

9. Death Come Quickly by Susan Wittig Albert

10. Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs

11. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

12. Visionist by Rachel Urquhart (#) - Weird, very weird.

13. Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith

14. China Dolls by Lisa See

15. Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

16. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich

17. Glitter & Glue by Kelly Corrigan (*) - Great book about parents and their roles and how those play through in their children's lives.

18. Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

19. Chestnut Street by Maeve Binchy

20. Defending Jacob by William Landay

21. Song House by Trezza Azzopardi (#)- The description of the Welsh landscape can be so beautiful, yet the stories that take place in them are so depressing.

22. Dr. Nightingale Traps the Missing Lynx by Lydia Adamson

23. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller (*) - I absolutely LOVE Fuller's tales of growing up in central Africa in the 70's. It's interesting to imagine having grown up on a different continent, among exotic animals and landscapes. I highly recommend this and her first book, Let's Don't Go to the Dogs Tonight.

24. Murder with a Twist by Allyson K. Abbott

25. Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman

26. Dr. Nightingale Seeks Greener Pastures by Lydia Adamson

27. The Mouse-Proof Kitchen by Saira Shah (*) - This is an amazing book, but complicated. After reading it, I remember trying to explain why I felt it was life-changing, but it was difficult to put into words. 

Here's what I said on Goodreads:

This is an amazing book and by far the best I've read in a long time. It's brutally honest. The characters say what some people in "real life" are thinking but can't say. It's above love. It's about adventure. It's about disappointment. Read it -- you won't be sorry.

I'll leave you with that. 

28. Looking for Alaska by John Green

29. Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith

30. Darling Dahlias & the Naked Ladies by Susan Wittig Albert

31. Dr. Nightingale Follows a Canine Clue by Lydia Adamson

32. Best to Laugh by Lorna Landvik (*) - Landvik is one of my all-time favorite authors and I (im)patiently wait for her new books to come out. This one didn't disappoint. It's a wonderfully crafted story with witty, endearing & believable characters. A feel-good book.

Sad State of Affairs

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are mine and mine alone.**

Rarely does something happen that makes me say, "I need to write a blog post about this...immediately."

The exception to that statement happened last night.

While scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I came across this post:

Before we continue with our (ir)regularly scheduled blog post, let me provide some context for those of you following along at home.

While a student at American University in Washington, DC, I was a member of the Delta Gamma (DG) sorority. (Yes, it's technically a fraternity for women, but we don't have time for that history lesson and yes, I'm technically still a member, it just sounds weird to say that, like I'm still in college at age 43...lol.)

So, when I see news about DG, especially about chapters in DC, I pay attention.

You may be saying to yourself, "Self, why is this such earth shattering news? Fraternities and sororities are in trouble all the time."

You're right, self.

So, yes, while the closure of a DG chapter is upsetting and saddening, it's not what really enraged me.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Self, she must be upset about the behavior of the GW DG members."

Yes, self, you're correct again.

Anytime I hear of misconduct (we'll just use that generic term) on the part of sorority or fraternity members, it upsets me. (Should you be interested, the misconduct of the GW chapter is briefly described here. -- hazing, serving alcohol to minors, among other things)

However, this is also not what really incensed me.

What REALLY incensed me was the reaction by members of the GW chapter to the closure.

How do I know how they were reacting?

Social media, of course.

After reading the above post, I started to scroll through the comments that people were leaving. The majority of the comments were backing up EO (Executive Office) for closing the chapter. Then, I started to see a few that were defending the members of the chapter and condemning EO for closing it. Based on the "likes" for those comments, it was easy to deduce that they were written by family members of GW DG's or members themselves.

I started to view the FB profiles for those that were members.

And I started to get really angry.

None of the profiles were public in that I could see posts that they were writing, but I could see their cover and profile photos.

And this is the kind of stuff that I started to see:

(FYI: The hashtag stands for I don't give a f*ck.)

While the actual image itself might be considered humorous by some, the hashtag puts it over the top.

I then saw this:

In case you're not familiar with the "Bye Felicia" phenomenon (spawned from quote from a 1995 movie), you can get a basic idea here. It's similar to the above IDGAF.

So, while these were basically flipping DG the middle finger, the next one is the worst, in my mind.

To me, this screams, "I know I did something wrong, but who cares? I don't need to be responsible for my actions because they were the "in" thing to do, others were doing it, blah blah."


For me, the theme of these photos posted on FB is just that.

I did nothing wrong.

Even if I did do something wrong, who cares? 

Rules don't apply to me.

Let me deflect the fact that I did do something wrong and blame it on someone else. 

Held responsible for my actions (or the actions of those that I associate with)? NOPE.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said that well-behaved women rarely make history, so that's justification for my actions.


The fact that no one wants to be held responsible for their actions in today's society angers me to no end.

One of the comments on DG's post above about closing the chapter (written by a chapter member), said something to the effect of, I don't need older women who are out of touch telling me what I can and can't do (what's wrong and what's right).

Here's a newsflash -- you willingly signed up to be a member of the organization. While pledging that organization, you were told of the organization's rules and standards. You KNOW what you signed up for.

::steps down from soap box::

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Things I'm Loving Right Now: September 2015

Here are some things I've recently discovered and I'm loving them!

Alba Botanica Hawaiian Facial Scrub with Pore Purifying Pineapple Enzyme:
I started going to a new place to get my eyebrows waxed (if you live in northern MA or southern NH, check out the Brow Bar in Portsmouth, NH!) and she recommended that I use a facial scrub a few times a week to help with some skin issues. I looked around online and after looking at some ratings on Drugstore.com, I chose this. I LOVE it! It feels great on my skin, it smells great (I love smelling like pineapple!), and it's inexpensive. I highly recommend!

Quaker Chewy Girl Scout Thin Mints Granola Bars:
I'm a big fan of Quaker Chewy granola bars (I usually get the low calorie chocolate chip ones.) When I happened to see these Thin Mint ones in the grocery store, I scooped them up to try. I love Thin Mint cookies. They taste amazing! Best part? They're the same Weight Watchers points (3pts+) as the low calorie chocolate chips ones - BONUS!

Bracelet Dish made by my friend Michelle at Ruffles, Rust & Sawdust:

I'd been looking for a dish to keep my Alex & Ani bracelets in, but they were all too small. I'd mentioned it to Michelle and she found a dish that they'd fit in and monogrammed it for me. (You may be questioning if the monogram is right, but it is!) It's the perfect size and the monogram color matches the master bedroom colors. I love it! Michelle's super talented!

Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer:

I decided recently that my powder foundation wasn't cutting it (not enough coverage), so I bit the bullet and headed to the Clinique counter. I've always avoided liquid foundation, as I hate that feeling of having face paint on. I was really surprised at how smooth and natural this felt. Once it's on, you can't even tell it's on! It has concealer, so it has great coverage. I'm really liking it.

Woodchuck Hard Cider: Summer Time: I pretty much like all hard ciders, but this one has a little something extra. It has a hint of blueberry which really adds some sweetness to it (yes, I know hard cider is already sweet!). It's very refreshing and perfect for summer time (hence the name. :)

What are you loving right now?