I crazy, stupidly, loved this movie. The characters were all fantastic, I loved all the storylines, and I laughed so hard and enjoyed it so much that at one point during the movie I actually started applauding. Right there in the theater. Along with 200 other people, who also spontaneously started clapping their hands–and I am not a clapper, people! Go check out this movie and let me know what you think. I plan on seeing it at least twenty more times.
2. A visit from Allison!
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| Me, Allison, and a whore embrace. |
I was super-duper excited to have one of my bestest best friends, Allison, come visit me in mid-July! The weekend she was down was hot as hell, but we still made the most of it drinking lots of wine, hitting up the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market, shopping up and down State Street, giving Kate her first haircut (eek!), having a coffee table picnic, more wine, Sunday brunch with my local BFFs, and lots and lots of girl talk! Seeing her was just what I needed during this crazy, busy summer. Thank you so much for making the trip, Allison!
3. Stella’s Bakery’s Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread
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| Next time I’m naming my Bread Baby. That’s how much I love it. |
For as long as I’ve lived in Madison, people have been telling me that I just HAVE to get the Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread from Stella’s Bakery at the Farmer’s Market. When Allison and I hit it up the weekend she was down, it was clear that this bread was a fan favorite. Everywhere we looked we saw people carrying bags of this bread, hot and fresh from Stella’s stand. Most cradled it in their arms like a little Bread Baby, unable to wait until they got home to dig in.
Allison and I fell into that second category.
Add me to the list of locals that will now be telling everyone, “The Cheese Bread from Stella’s is a Farmer’s Market must buy!”
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| Not my picture–although I probably couldn’t do much better. |
My friend Jill–who is currently pregnant with Baby #2–had these s’mores cheesecake bars at a party and quickly had a craving to eat them again.
Enter moi.
I had to make a dessert for a work thing and she was quick to email the recipe and inform me that the baby needed this. What baby wants, baby gets, so I whipped these up, and they were both delicious and blog-worthy. Click on the link above for the recipe and try them yourself!
5. Plucking my eyebrows in the car while I’m stopped at a red light. No pictures of this one because, let’s face it, I need two hands to pluck and I very rarely have a passenger when I go to town with the tweezers from my center console. Plucking my eyebrows in my car while stopped at red lights is nothing new for me, but I seemed to do it a lot in July, and on one particular day as I was ignoring the car next to me and admiring the perfect natural lighting, closeness of my car’s visor mirror, and my well-manicured arch, I thought, “This is one of my favorite things. It’s going in the blog.”
Everytime I get into my car I try to remember to bring my tweezers, something about all that natural light really helps with the eyebrow plucking! Glad I’m not the only one.
Oh, and those smores bars look fan-freaking-tastic!
I pluck my eyebrows in the car, too. But only when my husband is driving!
Thank goodness I’m not the only person who plucks her eyebrows in the car at red lights! I keep tweezers in my console on the regular! hahaha you’ve made me feel tremendously better about myself!
Oh how nice to hear! My husband makes fun of me for plucking my eyebrows in the car! I think I do a good job at home, then the natural sunlight hits and I have to do a quick clean up. It’s become compulsive. TLC should put me on “strange addictions”.
Glad to see you are still doing the cleaning eating. I wonder what is really true and authentic on your blog, and what isn’t. Scratch that, I don’t wonder.
I am so thrilled to find out I am not alone. I keep tweezers in my car (and sometimes hubby’s car). He doesn’t get that it is THE BEST light.
Clearly we’re on to something ladies, with this eyebrow tweezing/car thing!
@Anonymous–I’m not sure what you mean by “clean eating” but my personal commitment is to cut out as much processed foods as I can and stick with things that are homemade. I’m also not extremist enough to think there can never be an exception to that, but I choose my exceptions carefully. The bread I wrote about is made from scratch by a local bakery, and the cheesecake bars were made by me with ingredients I selected. That may not fit your definition of “clean eating” and that’s okay. We all make our own choices.
I crazy-loved that movie too! When I saw the trailer, I wasn’t sure how I’d like Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling together in a movie, but it was wonderful! I too will be seeing this movie many more times…
I’ve never heard of that bread before! I really need to make it down to the farmer’s market some weekend, I’ve lived here going on three years and I’ve never been.
I love it when people come on other people’s blogs and leave nasty comments under the name “anonymous”. Shame on you for being such a nasty you-know-what and applause to Dusty for handling it like such a lady.
My favorite part of 2011 is that cheesy bread! It was great to see you too of course
I was in Madison last week visiting family and it really made me miss living there. This is the best time of year in Madison – the weather is perfect and everyone is so darn happy to be outside (especially eating cheesy bread).
I’m not sure what you mean by asking me what I mean about clean eating. You talked about it when discussing Jaimie Oliver’s food and show. He “eats clean.”. Did you not read about him in depth? Or did you just watch a show or two? There is no real inidivual definition of clean eating. Either you do it, or you don’t. But I agree with you that either is ok. Just don’t blog about your family pretty much eliminating processed foods, then blog about desserts, s’mores, etc. Not clean eating and very processed. Which is one of many things that make me wonder if you practice what you “blog.”. Its disappointing.
Del, doesn’t matter if my name is Anonymous or Jennifer or Christina. My comment remains the same. Shame on you for calling me nasty when I call it like I see it. There’s a difference, even if you may not like it.
After seeing Crazy, Stupid, Love on your list I decided to see it on Friday and loved it as well! So cute and funny. Thanks for the tip and for the wonderful recommendation.
@Anonymous–I’ve never labeled myself as a “clean eater” so feel free to file me in your no category for that one. As you mentioned, I blogged that I’ve pretty much eliminated processed foods from our diets, and the key words there are “pretty much.” I never said I’ve completely eliminated processed foods. I try to make food choices that feel right for me, but if I want a bite of a s’mores bar I’ll have it. Hell, if I want the whole pan, I’ll have it.
It’s clear this is something that interests you, and I’m happy to answer whatever questions you have.
I love the idea of plucking eyebrows in the car, I’m always looking for ways to multitask and that is multitasking at it’s finest, thanks D!
Got it, thanks for the clarification and your explanation on your way of eating. Thank you for your offer, and it does interest me (clean eating & eliminating procesed foods). I’m sure you know that I will look elsewhere for answers, to blogs and websites that will do just that. I will leave you to your s’mores (and your justifications).
i’ve never thought about plucking in the car– may need to start.
LOVED crazy, stupid, love. my jaw dropped when the big plot twist happened. so fun!
Obviously, I’m not the only one who gets into the car one day, checks the rearview and realizes, “OHMYGOSH, I’ve got to do something about those brows!” Except I usually then call for a wax appointment! Ha! And that spicy cheese bread is amazing! It’s probably a good thing I don’t get to the farmer’s market frequently….
I reallly want to see that movie and now that you said it was so good, I gotta see it! and ohh my gosh that bread looks sooo good!! yum!