Yay! We got the 'Belle' House!

So if anyone actually reads this thing you will see that I posted awhile back pictures of some of the houses I liked, but didn't end up buying for one reason or another. Well....I changed my mind and decided to roll the dice on one - it is old, really old but it is so charming and I fell in love with all the carriage style windows and french doors and...hello...anyone who knows me knows I drool over white kitchens. The lms description which described this house as "reminiscent of Shaker Heights architecture" may have had something to do with my change of heart as well. My family, and brother-in-law in particular, kept teasing me for trying to find a Shaker or Cleveland Heights style home in Mentor - but I did it :) When Ashley +Ashley Keene started referring to it as "The Belle House" because we thought it looked exactly like what Belle from Beauty in the Beast would live in (minus provincial town; substitute busy suburb) it was pretty much a done deal. Shannon and Greg got in my head saying just how much they could see me making the house my home and pointing out the various bohemian touches throughtout. The tipping point for me was when my friend +Lisa Dionisi Whitehead resent this listing to me with a message saying "I found the perfect house for you" having not known I had already looked at it and actually rejected it for various "more practical" reasons.

So here it is followed by some of my dreams for what it will eventually become:

So eventually I want to re-add decking onto the flat roof over the garage. Picture this:

Here is the kitchen now:

And when I'm done with it:

 

Add even more white and some aqua accents

And here is the dining room now:

I want to pull the aqua from kitchen by wall papering above the chair rail (see my vision below) and wainscoting under:

And the one thing I actually hate about the house is the big wall mirror in the living room:

+Ashley Keene and Scott are redoing it for my housewarming gift! Yay! So grateful! We are thinking something like the below:

I love white brick too

So pumped and so excited to blog out the process. To all of you who listened to me bitch, watched me cry, and witnessed me break down into complete melodramatics along the way (you know who you are) thank you for standing by me and stay tuned for one kick-ass gratitude dinner party honoring all of you!

Pic below has since been updated - 27 days till we get the keys and I get my pup back!  Woot! Woot! 

Checking things off...

So I've been able to already check some things off of the bucket list I posted a month ago! Yay for me!

One of those items was taking Olivia to the International Children's Festival which was A-Mazing!

First of all where can one go these days and expect freebies - and lots of them! Not many places, but we left with a whole bag of goodies from the festival. Here as a breakdown of our day.

Arrived at around 11 (paid $10 bucks to park) and bought tickets to the 11:30 showing of The Star Keeper (an hour run time) which is described as follows in the program:

As he is lighting up the night sky, Pierrot accidentally dislodges a star from the heavens. Luckily, Pretzel notices and puts the fallen star in his big basket. However, his adventures are just beginning. To return the star to it's proper place, he must climb a spider's thread, cross the dormitory of dreams, dive to the ocean depths in pursuit of a pearl-fish, and resist the bewitching charms of the bubble tamer. In the end, it is Daisy Bygone, a very old lady, who brings this fabulous story to it's conclusion.

The show was held in the idea center whose theater is small and intimate which is great for the kids. There wasn't a bad seat in the house, although there were a lot of empty ones :(

Theater Entrance: What kind of smile is that? lol

My favorite puppet was the huge giant whose tummy was a stage where we got to see a tap-dancing spider perform among other things :) Here is a highlight reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kisC34uVJvI. Olivia got restless and I was exhausted so I may have rested my eyes for a minute or two, but seeing the larger than life puppets and the talent of the puppeteers was so worth the ticket prize of only $15 a ticket.

Next we headed to the basement of the idea center where Olivia picked up her passport. You had to visit  4 or 5 "countries" located right along the theater strip and then were rewarded with a free ice cream from Rothschild Creamery. Liv got to make a sock puppet and a princess crown, spin a wheel and win a stuffed moose (which is so super soft), and walk away with new shades and a Browns stocking hat (unfortunately, it is too small, which is sad because it is totally cute) all at no-cost to us! We just missed the free bubbles and finger-painting. (You could also take advantage of a free lunch for kids at Hofbräuhaus - I mean really?!?! How cool is that?)

Below is a pic of our free caricature drawing! Olivia looks a little older than 5, but I still love how the pic turned out.

Next we headed over to the CSU art gallery which featured The Art of Autism: Exploring Self Expression. Most of the art was created by young children and it was so cool to show Olivia the art of other 5 years old on display! She enjoyed the subject matter of many of the pieces including Minecraft creatures and whales :). This exhibit was particularly meaningful to me since for many years I was an ABA therapist working in conjunction with The Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism to help children on the spectrum.

After breaking for our ice cream prize, we headed over to the US Bank plaza where there was a magician, balloon animals, face painters, and a band (we missed the set on this one and didn't hang around for the second show)...oh, and a miniature pony named Petie (we now own his trading card)!

We ended up leaving around 3 and probably would have stayed another hour had Paper Planet not been sold out :(. It was an interactive exhibit that allowed families to fill a paper world with their own paper creations.

All in all it was a fantastic day that cost us only $42 total including a few bucks for the caricature tip (so much more cost effective than Disney on Ice where one is charged $20 to stand with a cardboard cut-out of a princess - NOT EVEN A REAL PERSON IN COSTUME PEOPLE - CARDBOARD! and that is on top of the $70 ticket price per person) I can't believe how not crowded it was for such a beautiful day in Cleveland!

Can't wait till next year!

Bucket List

So I've done a New Year's List and a Nectar List, but not an official Bucket List so here goes...and speaking of lists +Lisa Dionisi Whitehead did you start our official hate/like google docs and add your new vocab word to our other list lol.

1. Trapeze workout http://www.thestudiocleveland.com/aerial-silks.html
2. Scuba dive +Lisa Dionisi Whitehead 
3. Glamping  +Lisa Dionisi Whitehead  +Ashley Keene https://www.pinterest.com/liswhitehead/glamping/
4. Learn a foreign language - Miguel - como fue espanol?
5. Go to Paris - Doug, you can be my tour guide :)
6. Visit the South Pacific http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/islands/borabora/bora-bora.asp
7. Grand Canyon
8. Hot air balloon ride/festival )http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/islands/borabora/bora-bora.asp
9. Master some yoga inversions - Nat and Mary: I need some serious help here!
10. Visit a psychic or have one visit us
11. Learn how to to play guitar 
12. Stomp grapes in a vineyard http://irvinhousevineyards.com/grapestomp.php
13. Get out of my comfort zone
14. Buddhist temple in Bali and Mulia hotel http://www.themulia.com/en/social-gallery
15. Have a real Christmas tree
16. Host an exchange student - Lisa -hoping I can do this for CIP at some point http://cipusa.org/ - would love an au pair so Liv and I can practice our Spanish but they are expensive
17. See a shooting star
18. Chakra balance http://harmonyyogastudios.com/reiki
19. Create art for my house
20. Be the subject for a still life sketch class
21. Hang gliding http://www.kittyhawk.com/hang-gliding/
22. Take a greek mythology class
23. Tie dye +Lisa Dionisi Whitehead  +Ashley Keene 
24. Jamboree in the hills +Gina Speelman http://www.jamboreeinthehills.com/
25. Haunted Punderson http://www.examiner.com/article/spooky-and-intriguing-special-events-abound-at-punderson-manor-lodge
26. Frankenmuth, Michigan
27. Belfast, Ireland
28. Dive for pearls
29. Service trip - +Gina Speelman - remember our School of the Americas protest in Georgia?
30. Sailing
31. Drum circle 
32. Dinner celebrating the feminine  - Sark
33. Bayou trip with +Gina Speelman 
34. SAS reunion +Gina Speelman, Mel, Doug, James, John 
35. Complete my peace studies certificate - Ty http://www.tri-c.edu/programs/conflict-resolution-and-peace-studies-certificate/index.html
36. Learn to play chess
37. Have a breathing room - Thich Nhat Hanh
38. Whistle with my fingers 
39. Take Liv to International Children's Festival http://childrensfestival.playhousesquare.org/shows.html
40. Cleveland International Film Festival +Bridget Kriner 
41. Visit all the states 
42. African safari 
43. Ride a train http://www.npr.org/2014/03/13/289836945/amtrak-opens-the-door-to-writing-on-the-rails
44. Surf 
45. Cousin's club
46. Attend an Indian wedding
47. Ride a bike with a basket on it (preferably in PEI)
48. Ride a mechanical bull
49. Double dutch jump rope
50. Teach Liv how to make the old school thread friendship bracelet
51. Do a home improvement project instead of paying someone to do it
52. Travel alone
53. Take myself on artist's dates
54. Wear a big hat on derby day 
55. Big Spring Botanical Garden 
56. Research my family tree
57. House swap http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2013/01/30/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-home-swapping/1877345/ - I particularly would like it to play out like something from the movie "The Holiday"
58. Keep asking - especially for the unlikely 
59. Write Gilbert 
60. Stay at Hotel Palais http://www.booking.com/hotel/ma/palais-namaskar.html?aid=347990&label=sppctrip-hotel-722702_xqdz-52c3b26928aaa3a4af171edd441c5d4b_pool-com_slice-99999&utm_source=tripad&utm_medium=SPPC&utm_content=images&utm_term=hotel-722702&lang=en-us&utm_campaign=US&trip=VSi0wQokHTYAAHL2dq8AAAAU#_=_
61. Write an article for elephant http://www.elephantjournal.com/or rebelle  http://www.rebellesociety.com/
62. I also want to donate everything when I die and have my ashes placed in the ocean to help its ecosystem but it is quite expensive to fund this :) I once watched a special on this on the Discovery Channel and now can't find additional info. on the process - oh yay! - I think I just found the site: http://eternalreefs.com/
63. Attend a masquerade ball
64. Throw candy from a parade float

Broadway in CLE

So one of my favorite things about this city is that we are home to the biggest theater district outside NYC. Add in the awesome GE chandelier, the plethora of new restaurants, and a great launch party and I love my city even more.

Dazzle the District Images

 Monday night after enjoying an open bar and apps we were the first to learn of the new series lineup scheduled for the 2015-2016 season...

Drum roll please....

After the introduction of the first show Bullets Over Broadway I started getting anxious. While the show itself looks cute, I despise Woody Allen and just sort of wish I didn't know he wrote/directed the show.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder looked a little hokey, but seems to be a fan favorite and the 2014 Tony winner so I'm hoping I will be pleasantly surprised with the production.

I was totally intrigued by the concept of If/Then. Who of us hasn't wondered how differently life may have turned out if we had substituted a choice here, picked an alternative there. The plot sounds not unlike the Gwyneth Paltrow movie Sliding Doors from the late 90's. I did, however, hear that the show is confusing so luckily the presenter at Donor Night gave the audience members what may be a much needed hint with the removal and addition of her glasses to illustrate that when the protagonist has her glasses on we are in one version of Elizabeth's life, and when off another.

Soooo excited for Beautiful - the biography of Carole King with such iconic songs as Locomotion and You've Lost that Loving Feeling. I also think a 'beautiful' sweatshirt souvenir will be perfect for yoga. I don't know if these yet exist, but I'm still kicking myself for not buying the bright yellow sweatshirt from this year's production of Motown, that I'm already planning ahead ;)

I was also pumped to see Matilda in the lineup and had planned on taking Liv, but after seeing a trailer for the show, it is looking rather dark for a five year old: Matilda Trailer.

And seriously who hasn't cried their eyes out to the movie Steel Magnolias. Pumped to see how this translates to the big stage.

As for the 'headliner' of the series, I am a  disappointed but only because I've seen Phantom so many times already. I was happy, however, to see that this was the only repeat in the series from the past few years. I plan on using my swap-a-show donor option to switch this out for Annie or Wizard of Oz.

Here's to another great season ahead and looking forward to hearing reviews from all of you!

Back in the saddle

Ok so I've decided to recommit to writing once a week....the coolest thing about writing is that even when nobody reads it, you still have attempted to imprint yourself upon the universe; it matters not  that your voice fills a void of billions of other voices - it still seems concretely gifted to the world in some way which is pretty cool! There is something romantic about boxes of old letters (sent or not), a feeling of leaving a legacy (knowing one day my daughter might stumble across my words revealing not necessarily the truth of things, but a narrative of what I believed to be true at the time), and a sense of community with everybody else out there who wants to be heard - even when the listener may not extend beyond self; sometimes it is our own words telling our own stories that we struggle the most to make sense of.

So one of the things that has kept me busy not writing is house hunting - I am the worst house hunter ever by the way. I tend to travel with a whole search party and if my realtor wasn't one of my bff's she would most definitely hate me. She actually still might lol.

So I basically want a house that is aesthetically pleasing on the outside (this is like a non-negotiable to me and I most certainly prefer capes or colonials), has the charm of old-world (i.e. an abundance of carriage windows or the really really long vertical one, french doors, and built-ins), but with modern updates (i.e. granite counters, open floor plan) and all white trim - everywhere! I love a white kitchen too. An in-ground pool, fireplace, and a big winding front porch, white picket fence (with portal hole) for the backyard, and decent sized rooms, sans basement are also all on the checklist. I also like brick (red) - obsessed with The Confectionary Cupboard building on Center Street for those of you familiar with Mentor (they really should have a pic of the outside of this business online - it is sooo cute), black roof (no brown), and ivy up the sides or if I can't have that I will take a charming gray three dormer cape (there is one on Reynolds that I pass frequently and adore - I actually have thought of leaving them a note to see if they might be interested in selling and just don't know it yet) . Did I mention I don't want to have to really do any work on this house myself. Oh, and that I have a budget?

Here are some of my favorite inspirations:

 

(Might need to move to Wordpress: why can't I left flush or keep pics in order I want them...arghhh.)

I actually looked at the five below but there were some major problems with all :(

So what I am saying/asking is positive thoughts this way so I can finally get out of Ash and Scott's hair and start decorating :) And if you or someone you know lives in a house that resembles any of these maybe you/they want to sell and don't know it yet in which case you should call or private message me immediately?! :)

A Night Out in Cleveland

This past week I've been downtown a lot. First we celebrated my sister Ashley's birthday beginning the night with private dining at Blue Point. Service was a bit slow (I think because we were separated from the other patrons), but the cocktails and food were delic! The fire on the river martini, lobster bisque, and filet oscar were oh so good (and I generally am not a huge soup fan)! I would have preferred crustier bread (yes, crustier is an official 'food critic' term), but I guess one is hard pressed to get everything they want!

After stuffing our faces, we headed to Pickwick & Frolic for a Burlesque show and ended the night at The Vault (I was really blown away with how the bar managed to seem so big and intimate at the same time). I was expecting a long line and a high cover and was pleasantly surprised that there was neither - just don't dance on the furniture +Ashley Keene ). The Vault could have been lifted right out of a bigger 'more popular' city, and would be a great place to bring guests (you can actually hear each other speak inside the venue which is always something I appreciate!)

Packing even more into the weekend, Ashley and I attended Pippen on Sunday (not one of my faves and judging by all of the sexual innuendos I'm wondering how many parents left the performance shocked and/or upset - there were a lot of kids in attendance). Oh, and please don't think I didn't like the show because it was a bit risque (I loved Hair) - I just wasn't overly impressed with the soundtrack or plot line.

Can I pose what seems a really obvious question? If you are a restaurant housed inside the second biggest theater district in the country why in the world are you not open every time a show is playing? Otto Moser and Sung's House?!?! We popped in to Bin216 and while I love the sophisticated decor - sleek leather and tufted walls - the service leaves a lot to be desired as does the menu (my cosmo was terrible too). Ummm - I would like to meet the person who is ordering a single deviled egg for $1.50?!? Seriously!

 Ash and I went with the slider - it was good - but left us starving...

So we went hunting, searching, traversing the city for more food (it really shouldn't be this hard should it?!) We only had an hour after our failed prior attempts at eating so our limited choices became even more limited. We stopped in Parnell's Irish pub which had no food, only drinks. Isn't that against some kind of Pub law? Finally, we made our way to District and life was suddenly rosy again. I ordered a French25 but our bartender Wayne asked if he could concoct an original libation - what choice had I but to oblige :) Here it is:

Since  I love labels, I demanded a name for this pretty drink - should you ever want to order one it is known as the 'blushing Krisitna' - obviously named for the color, not a characteristic. Ash and I split the seafood risotto. If if weren't for the less than crusty bread (again!) it would have been a perfect dining experience (although the bread did come with several condiments so that made me smile).

Already looking forward to "Dirty Dancing" and our next dining experience. Cowell and Hubbard +Ashley Keene ?

Afternoon Tea at Sisters Tea Room

So today we visited the Sisters Tea Room on Mentor Ave. And, can I just say, our waitress Theresa was so super friendly she alone was worth the visit.

The Sisters Tea Room was exactly what you would expect:

Merrily miniature

Lots of florals

Dainty and delectable

Detail driven from the sugared grapes to the teapot shaped sugars

+Ashley Keene  and I went with the Seasonal Teas which included a winter blend and a pumpkin chai.

We lunched on the Tea Sandwiches which included cucumber with green goddess cream cheese, curried chicken salad on a croissant, seasonal veggie wrap which included a hummus spread, and the roast beef with horseradish mayo on a cheese roll.

We got Olivia the dessert fancies which included a brownie with cherry, chocolate cheesecake, a cream puff, and blueberry strudel.

She, however, was much more interested in pouring and drinking the milk than she was with eating any of the food.

For a pot of tea, the four mini sandwiches, and the 4 dessert bites my bill was $15 - which is, in my mind, totally worth the experience (probably would be an even better deal if you could actually sit and converse while sipping your tea instead of trying to keep a still hungry 5 year old entertained! Not to worry, they had to go cups which they happily handed over when someone's good manners started shifting).

My only suggestion would be a kid friendly option (so I wouldn't have had to ask for those to-go cups quite so soon) such as a grilled cheese cut in the flower shape like the egg salad sandwich was or an old-school french toast stick drizzled with some syrup.

Thank you for a lovely brunch!