st. pats.. past, present and future...

it ranks right up there as one of the best adult holidays for socialization and revelry- at least in my book.

i think back to the days that i scheduled off work to hang out at byrne's pub with friends and the great memories that insued- one of which that still hangs on a wall at the bar. 

though my celebrations are a little more tame these days, its always fun to wear green, and you can't go wrong with a drinking glove.

what are your favorite memories?

top o' the mornin to ya!

looking for some green erin-go-braugh inspiration on a rainy saturday?

here are some great ideas from marthastewart.com to add some flair to your st. patty's day.

{cute little boutonniere}

{guinness float.. yum, yum!}

{st.patty's cupcakes}

... eager to try the guinness float myself!

alice!

fish fry, beers with friends + family...

and a 9:15 viewing of alice in wonderland at studio 35 in clintonville! what a way to spend a friday night!

although i was originally holding out for 3D IMax, the appeal of a local theater w/ Mad Hatter on tap won out.

loved the movie. johnny depp and helena bonham carter were both great. still may see it again in 3D though.. I could tell that the visual effects would have been great!

sunshine day...

great weather, short-sleeve shirts and my new spring jacket..

what could be better?

maybe some of these delicious warm weather treats.... yum, yum and yum.

find them here.

and the winner is...

after a fabulous dinner (delish cornish game hens) + a day of glorious sunshine, the academy awards were the perfect cap of a great weekend.

loved the john hughes tribute, james taylor and these gorgeous gowns...

date night!

..a much-deserved night out with my hubby!

last night we braved the massive crowds- gathered in the arena district/short north area for the arnold schwarzenegger classic- to enjoy some delicious italian fare at basi italia.

though this little restaurant has been around for awhile, we've never quite made it there. i think we had reservations for both john's 29th and 31st bdays, but he always ended up wanting to cancel for pizza. needless to say, i was very excited to finally try it out.

the atmosphere was awesome. it was small and crowded but in a good way- reminded me of some of the cool little restaurants that i have been to in atlanta, nyc and san fran. while we were waiting, they had a cool little covered patio bar in the back with candles. we both agreed that it would be a fun place to take out-of-town guests for a drink.

the food was good- but not great. it won't be finding a place in my "top 10 meals of all time". i got a salmon appetizer and a shrimp scampi and lump crab risotto. maybe I am spoiled by my summers in mass., but none of the fish seemed even close to fresh and I think i make more flavorful risotto. the hubby got a caesar salad that had way more anchovies then he would have preferred, but he *loved* his rigatoni salumerie. all of the food prices were really reasonable though, so between that and the atmosphere- i'm sure we'll give it another try.
the wine was really incredible i have to say- of course the wine we picked out was as expensive as the whole meal! :)

great, fun night out with my favorite guy. looking forward to a sunny saturday in c-bus!

ahhhhhh.. chhooo!

a puppy sneeze.. or little man just startled by mom's camera flash?

luckily i'm told that human cold germs are not contagious to animals- but perhaps Kingsley was feeling a little bit of cold-sympathy for me yesterday.

tea time!

my collection of tea cups has finally gotten substantial enough to start planning high tea! 

but after searching for inspiration, i am starting to realize that i am surprisingly alone in the desire to sip tea with friends while munching on cucumber sandwiches.

i guess its a good thing that i have about 4-6 months of pre-tea party, kitchen remodeling time, during which I can come up with something memorable.

at least i can count on martha for some cute ideas..

i also got some stuff from midwest living magazine..

all of these flowerly patterns make me yearn for warm weather and some post-tea croquet.. perhaps i was born 50 years too late.

home, sweet home..

trying to get rid of a lingering cold that has been around since tuesday. not the greatest way to spend a 4-day weekend, but it gives me an excuse to relax under a blanket and surf the net.

found a couple fun items that would make my time at home even more comfy..

love this mega doily rug!

.. and this fun wine holder .. mmm wine...

time to take the lead from kingsley and get in an afternoon nap!

what i love about snow..

i'm as ready for warm weather as anyone, but doesn't the snow make the most adorable back drop for puppy pics...

i guess Kingsley and tulips would be pretty cute though too.

Columbus Addy Awards

kicked off a 4-day weekend of rest and relaxation with the annual Addy Awards celebration last night. among the big winners were fahlgren for their napa auto parts tv- which won best in show, resource marketing, mlicki, and of course sbc advertising- we ran away w. 7 awards.
its always a great time hanging out with my sbc colleagues and seeing some former co-workers from the hms/tenunited days.

now contemplating the rest of my day!

happy valentines day to my hubby, my puppy + all my wonderful friends and family!

to whom this note is quite fitting...

february flurries and four-wheel drive fun

hijacked from our couch last night while watching idol i had one of the most fun nights in the snow that i can remember.

four friends showed up at our front door with snowboards and sleds.

we headed off to the park in snow jackets, hats and gloves,
... and rode through the snow pulled from a 4 runner....

here's the documentation..

puppy bowl!

the game didn't turn out quite as i had hoped.. but that doesn't mean it was a total loss!
pete and otis came over to meet kingsley.. and the boys had a good old time.
such a great time that my little baby was out like a light as soon as his friends left.

green, green, green

i'm getting excited about my brother's summer wedding. silver dresses and green shoes-
so cute.
in my excitement- and need to double task while watching american idol, i did a little web searching and found some adorable green accessories.

{instyle.com}

{etsy.com}

i may need to add some more green to my wardrobe!