Overdosing on Lavender (and other birthday happenings)

Earlier this week it was my birthday. So I took the day off from work, as did Tim, and we spent the day together roaming around Cincinnati to see what kind of birthday adventures I could get into.

After sleeping in a little, and running some errands that morning, I was ready for an awesome lunch. I had a few favorite restaurants in mind but because they were all closed for lunch, I had to pick something else (something new!).  I looked at Urban Spoon reviews while Tim was in the shower and decided on Senate. (I just felt like the Lobster BLT was calling my name. And, indeed it was!)

 We split the truffle fries as an appetizer. They were delicious.  Just the right amount of truffle oil. Tim got the "Brussel Simmons" which was the Hot Dog of the Day -- an all-beef hot dog covered in a cheese sauce, cauliflower and what else? Brussel sprouts. Right up Tim's alley.  (Senate is known for their clever monikers by the way.)

And then I got the Lobster BLT.  Why is there no picture of said sandwich?  Because I pretty much devoured it the second the server set it down. I cannot adequately describe to you the deliciousness of this sandwich. You just have to try it yourself.

Oh! I almost forgot! I had a delightful little cocktail with lunch called Kitten Fizz. Kind of a girly drink but very tasty. (Photo courtesy of my Instagram stream. Feel free to follow me:  @livvielane)



After lunch, we drove to my favorite little bakery downtown Skirtz and Johnston (in Findlay Market) for a proper birthday dessert. I couldn't decide so I got two things:  carrot cake bread pudding and red velvet cupcake.  Again, I only have a picture of one because the other is already devoured. Unfortunately, the decorative icing got a little smushed while traveling home but that's okay! 

Well, what other birthday food goes with cake?  Ice cream of course! (Or gelato, if that's nearby.) So we walked over to Dojo Gelato (also in Findlay Market) and perused the selection. I decided on a small cup of Lavender and Honey. Let me just say in times past, I've had other versions of Lavender and Honey gelato and they were lovely. However, the Dojo version of L and H gelato was SO strong. The lavender was very overwhelming. The lavender to honey ratio had to be 20 to 1 or something crazy. But, I reeeeeeeally wanted gelato and I didn't want to waste it, so I kept eating it. I gave Tim a few spoonfuls and he responds, "Oh my God! It's like the lavender is punching me in the mouth!" I don't know how, but we managed to finish the little cup.

About twenty minutes later (maybe not even that long), we had to stop by Home Depot on the way home. Seriously, I could barely keep my eyes open! I was in a daze the entire time. Tim kept asking me if I was going to be okay. I replied with, "I just reeeeeally need a nap!"

Needless to say, I got a good birthday nap as soon as we got back home. About an hour later, I think I had just about fully recovered from my lavender gelato mishap.

 I think next time, maybe I'll go with Sea Salt and Caramel.





Sprouts

Things are happening in the greenhouse...

I didn't even know purple basil existed (or that Tim planted any). I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

In Bloom

Spring has sprung around our house. It was so much fun walking around taking pictures of all the things that are starting to take bloom. I hope the rest of the season is this beautiful.

Make Your Own Sticky Fly Paper

It's hard to keep a fly-free house during warmer weather. Instead of using harmful chemicals or pricey fly traps, you can make your own fly paper at home with household ingredients and materials. It's easy!

What you’ll need:

• A paper grocery sack
• Small pot
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• String
• 1/4 cup each of honey, sugar and water

First, cut your paper bag in to 4″ strips and punch a hole in the end of each strip. Cut a piece of string for each paper strip and loop it around the hole.

Next, combine the honey, sugar and water in a stockpot and place over med high heat and cook until the mixture is well dissolved, then turn off the heat.

Dip each of your paper strips into the mixture, making sure to coat each of them very well.

Hang your strips up ‘to dry’ on another string. You’ll want to put something underneath them to catch the sticky drips that are sure to fall, like a piece of newspaper or a baking sheet. Leave them here until they’ve stopped dripping- about 30 minutes.

Now you’re ready to hang your fly strips! These guys are unbelievably sticky, so be careful to hang them out of the way (especially for youngsters or those with long hair!).

{© 2012 Blog Boutique | Bonnie of Going Home to Roost | Photos © Bonnie Forkner}

Five on Friday

Instead of listing five products or "things" for Five on Friday this month, I have chosen five of my favorite photos, or memories, from March via my photo-a-day challenge. Happy Friday!

Banana-infused Birthday Rum Cake for Tim

Authentic Mexian feast for Tim's birthday lunch

March self-portrait via Instagram

Fantastic wine... had it twice this month

Remarkable weather nearly every day. Much better than last March.

New Partnership with Society6

Great news! I have recently started partnering with Society6 to offer phone cases, laptop skins and other products. All items are produced and shipped by Society6 which means prints are unsigned. (However, signed prints are always available via my Etsy shop.) But, I am thrilled to be offering a greater variety of items soon. Not all items are listed quite yet, so keep checking back for new listings!

Hot Hue: Coral

Hot hue of the moment coral is the perfect punchy color for spring and summer! It ranges from softer and feminine pinky shades to more vibrant and funky oranges. Bold enough to stand out on it's own whether it be in your home, wardrobe or wedding decor. It also looks lovely paired with softer neutrals for a more subdued statement. Other hot hues that make a stylish pairing with coral - cooling turquoise, elegant gold, rich emerald and nautical navy!

1. outfit- J. Crew2. poster- TypePosters on Etsy3. necklace- Lola Rose4. pillow- Soma Gallery5. lip gloss- Mor6. ring- Monsoon7. sandals- Dolce Vita8. bracelets- Cara9. bench- Arktura

{© 2012 Blog Boutique | Jessica of Jessica Tierney Designs | Photos from listed sources}

March Meltdown

It finally happened. The ol' laptop finally gave out on me.  I had the feeling a few months ago that this was going to happen. The computer just kept getting slower and s-l-o-w-e-r. Like, go get a drink and I'm still downloading something - slow.  I just hoped it would throw in the towel later rather than sooner. No such luck. Turns out, you can (and I did) fill up my entire hard drive. In fact, I did such a good job, I can't even get the photos off of there that I took for Tim's birthday a few weeks back (hence why I have been picture-less and pretty much blog-less for the past few weeks) because there's not enough memory to compress it to a zip file and move it. That means?? You will have to wait until Carbonite is done backing up my entire hard drive (which literally may take a month) and then download and restore all of my 2012 pictures to this pretty, new hard drive. In this midst of all this though, I thought I would have a meltdown from not being able to upload pictures and blog. Seriously. I wasn't quite aware of how much I did this until I couldn't do it.

It was really a blessing in disguise. I can't express to you how much I'm loving the new laptop. It has an Intel i7 processor so it is wicked fast. And I pretty much have twice the hard drive space now -- awesome! Furthermore, the keyboard display is wine colored -- more awesomeness! I will take a photo this weekend and upload it for you guys to check out.

Here are few photos from this weekend at Piccolo Wine Room and then one of Layla from last night after Tim wore her out playing all day.

Keep your fingers crossed that I am able to transfer those pictures of Tim's birthday pretty soon. I am really trying to stay on track with my photo-a-day challenge I set for myself at the beginning of the year, and I would love to be able to share those photos with you guys before the end of the month.

I hope you guys have a fabulous weekend! Be ready for some new blog posts next week!

5 Tips to Organize Your Home Office

Are you losing in the battle against clutter? Here are 5 tips for reclaiming the organization you crave.

1. Dive in.

To be sure, a cluttered desk and office can be very intimidating. So start small. There's no need to wait until you have an entire weekend to devote to organizing {when exactly is that likely to happen?}. Pick a drawer, shelf or pile and dive in. If you can only devote 30 minutes here and there, that's OK. You're still one step closer to an organized office. And, you may just find that the sense of accomplishment in knocking down a pile of two-year-old magazines will spur you on to tackle three more piles.

2. Exit the paper trail and get on the information superhighway.

Many times, we hang on to pieces of paper that contain information that can be easily accessed online. With tools like Evernote, there is no longer a need to bury ourselves in paper articles that we may read "someday". You can easily create an online filing system of notes, bits of information, web page bookmarks, recipes, and articles that you'd like to read or may need to reference in the future.

3. Be a discriminating sentimentalist.

For personal mementos, create a storage system for keeping only those items that you will truly want to look back on in years to come. You don't need to keep every Snoopy greeting card that your great-aunt Sally sent you that just says "XOXO, Aunt Sally" under a commercial greeting. You will want to keep the hand-drawn greeting card from your daughter that says "You're the best Mommy ever" {which could prove to be a useful reminder during those rough teenage years}.

4. Maximize surface area.

A clean and clear work surface helps to keep stress levels low and productivity high. To the extent possible, keep computer equipment off the desk. A keyboard should be stowed in a keyboard tray under the surface. A flat-panel monitor takes up far less space than those clunky CRT monitors. {See programs like Best Buy's e-cycle for ways to recycle.} A printer can be housed on a printer stand or on top of a filing cabinet.
Small desk tools and supplies, such as a stapler, tape dispenser, paper clips and sticky notes can be stowed in a drawer. Supplies that you need to access less often, such as file folders and computer paper, can be stored in a cabinet.

5. Make it pretty.

Head to your local stationery store and stock up on some attractive desk accessories that will give you the inspiration to get your home office space organized and the motivation to keep it that way. Things like file folders, magazine boxes, photo storage boxes, binders, and notebooks are available in so many attractive patterns and colors. Make a fashion statement and express your personality through the home office accessories you choose.
With a bit of effort, your home office can be both a haven of productivity and a pleasing, motivating place to spend your time.

{© 2012 Blog Boutique | Holly of Salutations | Photo © Kikki.K}

A Weekend Walk in Black & White

About two or three weeks ago, Tim and I took the dogs on a nice, long walk out at Miami Whitewater Forest.  It was a really nice day (after we had endured a week of rain) so I thought I would take my camera along just to see what I could capture. After I got back and uploaded the pictures, it just seemed fitting to let my inner Ansel Adams come out and do a non-color blog post and let the textures of the trail prevail.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoyed our walk.