May 01, 2014

#tbt - Thursday 5/1

May 01, 2014/ Heather Brown

Lately I've noticed people posting old photos with the tag #tbt. Funny, I noticed it happened about once a week. And it was always with past photos and reminiscing - travels, being a kid, etc. Then I put two and two together and realized it meant Throwback Thursday. I'm slow to the catch sometimes, but I usually catch on at some point.

If you curious, Urban Dictionary defines it as:

“Throwback Thursday. Used on Instagram when you post an old picture of yourself on Thursday. Old pic should be from a different era of your life, not last week. Bonus points if you theme it to the time of year you are posting e.g old Halloween pic at Halloween.Throwback Thursday. Used on Instagram when you post an old picture of yourself on Thursday. Old pic should be from a different era of your life, not last week. Bonus points if you theme it to the time of year you are posting e.g old Halloween pic at Halloween. ”

I didn't realize it was only for Instagram. That's new one for me as of today (thanks Urban Dictionary).

Anyway, I don't think I can do this very often because I seem to get sucked into looking at past photos only to realize I've just spent about an hour at the computer. But for this week, I'm sharing the trip Josh and I took to Boulder. The photo was taken 4/30/2005. Crazy! (Do I get bonus points since it was April about 8 years ago?).

April 26, 2014

Trial & Success: Stitch Fix

April 26, 2014/ Heather Brown

I caved in and tried it. I've seen Stitch Fix on a lot of the blogs I read - Joy the Baker, Shutterbean, Eat Live Run - the list goes on. It sounded pretty awesome, and yet I was so hesitant to try it. They could never get my style. They could never get my size. It's probably way overpriced. But the lure was too much to handle, so I decided this month to just do it.

Not sure how, but maybe you haven't heard of this fascinating company yet? Well, it's an online stylist. You fill out the profile, a personal stylist picks out five items, and they ship it to you. Then you try them one and keep what you want. They give you a pre-paid package to send whatever you don't want back to them.

In order to get to know your style, you sign up and fill out a sizable profile. They ask about your size, age, what you like, what you don't like, etc. Then they show you collages of clothes and you can say how much to like that group of clothes. You even can tell them a price range for items, and if you want them for work, home, or wherever. Here's a glimpse of the profile survey I filled out:

You also can share your Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. This way the stylist can see what your like and your lifestyle. After your satisfied with your profile, you schedule your first "fix" to be delivered. I hadn't made up my mind yet after the profile, so I waited a few days. But then the curiosity overcame me and I order my "fix."

Once I committed to the order, I was giddy with excitement. What would they send me? Would I like it? Ahhh, I can't wait. And it came pretty fast.

Props to Stitch Fix ... their style even translated to their packaging and presentation. I opened the box and inside was a letter from my stylist. I was impressed with the personal touch they added -- a note from the stylist just to me. She even called out my worry about sensitive feet and blisters. Plus, they give you a style card on how to wear each item they send to you. Nifty!

The delivery was great. They had a lot of nice touches. Like the insert about how to wear the items, and the how-to guides. Made the experience fun and easy.

My box had everything I had hoped for and more. They clothes were cute, totally "me" fit great, and at decent prices. You get five items in a box, and here's what I got:

Love. Love. Love. It was hard to decide what not to keep. After trying them all on, decided to just send back the blue cardigan. It was actually similar to something I had pinned, but although I like it on the hook, on me it was a wee bit frumpy. The rest was stellar. Here's some of the pieces in real life:

I ended up getting 4 of the 5 items. However, in looking back at the pricing. If you go that far you should seriously consider just getting the whole box. I realized afterwards you get a 25% discount if you get the whole box! Also, one thing to know, is there is a $20 fee for getting a "fix" but they'll apply that amount if you get an item. And believe me, I'm pretty sure you'll like something.

What a great idea for a business. I loved it! And I can't wait until I can get my next "fix" (Word of caution: you could get addicted to this). And if you want to get me a gift, you know what now - wink wink).

P.S. My Personal Referral Link: http://stitchfix.com/sign_up?referrer_id=3533685

April 22, 2014

One Fine Easter

April 22, 2014/ Heather Brown

Happy Easter Friends! (belated)

Josh and I had one of those "one fine day" type days on Easter. Spring was in the air, it was Easter, the sun was shining, and we were happy. Nothing super thrilling, but just mighty fine.

We started off by sleeping in (ahh, heavenly). I think God would be happy to see us relax. It's been long work weeks for us lately. And Josh has a cough, so we thought we'd get some extra rest would do us good. We lounged in the morning, and I whipped up a delicious brunch - a ham and asparagus strata. I love lazy mornings!

We continued to lounge and watch some TV. Since it was Easter, and we had been putting it off for a while (months actually), we finally watched the last episode of the History Channel's series, The Bible. It really set the mood for the day.

Then we decided to venture outdoor, so we headed to Warren G Magnuson Park. What a great park?! It runs along Lake Washington and has nice paths, and there is also a dog park. Yes, we went to the dog park and watched other people's dogs play. They would run into the water and chase each other - cute. Oh man, I'm dog crazy.

We got some good photo opps at the park as well. Look at these beautiful people...

Heather and Josh at Warren G Magnuson Park

We enjoyed the sun, scrolling around, and getting our feet in the grass.

Then we did something we never do on a Sunday afternoon...we went to happy hour. Usually we're old farts and do groceries and laundry on Sunday afternoons. No time for fun. But we broke all the rules and had a drink and appetizers at Westward. A darling restaurant along Lake Union.

We wrapped up the day with some lemon greek chicken on the BBQ at home, tasty carrot cake whoopie pies made by yours truly, and decorating some hard boiled eggs (see photo in collage above).

And that was one fine Easter.

See all the photos in my Spring 2014 album.

April 19, 2014

Green Thumb and Terrariums

April 19, 2014/ Heather Brown

Oh, hello there. Happy spring! I know it's been a while since I posted on my blog. Please accept my sincerest apologies. Work has been busy, and the last thing I want to do is sit at my computer more and type. But I've missed my unknown blog friends, and I have some some fun things to share. For starters, I want to share the newest addition to our home: my terrarium.

Yes, I fell for the new terrarium trend. It really is a trend; they're all over the place - on Pinterest, at the farmer's markets, in magazines, on blogs...everywhere. I couldn't resist the cute, little succulents. Plus, I figured it would be a nice touch to our apartment by bringing the outdoors in. Not to mention we don't have room for a garden outside, so this way I can try out my green thumb in smaller ways. (By the way, I really don't have a green thumb. It's more of the black thumb of death when it comes to plants. But I hear succulents are resilient, so I thought I could at least try. I'm forever hopefully. )

I thought I would do all the research and read before starting it, that would be the wise thing to do. Instead, I decided to just do it. So, I started at the nearby florist, Midnight Blossom, to see what I could create. The place was super cute, but somewhat pricey. Instead, I opted to try out the garden center up the road instead, Swanson's Nursery.

The lady there was nice to give me some quick tips, and steered me to the "Terrarium Basics" sheet they have available. It's actually not too hard; here's what I ended up doing...

Supplies

Assembly

The image says it all, but here's the steps:

Container - I had a hard time choosing: circle, square, rounded on top, open, white, glass - ahh! I landed with an open, square glass container: Reasons: Glass is brighter and allows you to see the layers which is a nice touch. Open on top because it's easier for beginners. And square just because. Note - In retrospect, I'd probably say start with something smaller than mine.
Pebbles - Layer on the pebbles first. This provides drainage.
Charcoal - Layer again. This is to make it less stinky (not that it is a smelly plant). Also it keeps the soil fresh.
Soil - Yet another layer. This is for the plants to grow roots (I think). One tip here is to be sure to buy the right kind of soil. I was steered towards the catcus/succulent soil mix.
Admire the layers.
Get a variety of plants - different textures, colors, heights.
Plant - I made little divots in the soil, placed the succulent, and then pushed the soil around it gently. I probably would have put in less soil in #4 since adding the plants does take more room than I thought. But I managed.
Sand - The sand wasn't totally necessary, but I thought it'd look nice. I was close to the top of my container by this time.
Decorations - I didn't plan on this, but I decided to add on some shells. They shells are from our Hawaii trip in 2006 (oh memories!).

Location

When all is done, find the perfect place in your home. Mine is situated on the kitchen table as a center piece.

Ta Da!

And there you have it. Join the trend and make one. It's not as hard as you think.

For inspiration, check this out. Or, this is what caught my eye.
Don't trust my black thumb? Try another how-to: WikiHow, BHG, West Elm, Sprout Home (video)
A good resource (I learned more about watering): Succulents and Sunshine

Good luck on your succulent adventures. Now, if only I can keep mine alive.

April 03, 2014

Georgia on my Mind

April 03, 2014/ Heather Brown

Georgia, oh Georgia...sing it for me Ray...

Now, that I've got you singing about Georgia, let me tell you about it. I can because I as just there. Yup, I did a last minute trip to Georgia for work last week. It was for a meeting with my client out in Alpharetta (in the 'burbs of Atlanta). Then I managed to tack on a extra two days in order to see some family.

I few out on Wednesday, which took all freakin' day. We left at 10am and arrived at 6pm. Such a shame to spend your whole day on the plane (luckily I made up that lost time on the way home. Anyway, my first taste of Georgia was dinner. My co-worker that joined me had been to Alpharetta before, so he suggested the restaurant. We landed at a charming restaurant called Table & Main in Roswell. This place knocked my socks off it was so good. No offense, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was delicious "farm to table" Southern food. Dang!

Thursday I spent the day with my client, and our meeting went well (whew!). Then I joined a few of my clients for dinner at another great restaurant called Miltons. Combined these two restaurants challenged all my preconceived notions of Southern food. Well done, Georgia.

With my client visit behind me, I drove out to Burford to visit my Aunt Pat and Uncle Ron. They have a lovely home and I got a true taste of Southern hospitality. They treated me like a queen (or should I say Southern Belle?).

I lucked out and got to meet their cat, Mr. Ford. He was a rescue cat and I think I made a breakthrough since Mr. Ford came out from behind the boxes and looked at me, which apparently he never does. I guess I am the new cat whisper. Okay, maybe not, but let's pretend. Sorry, no photos since Mr. Ford is camera shy.

Not to bring up food again (heck we do eat at least three times a day, so why not!), but of course we ate at the Cracker Barrel. What good is a trip to the South without it? Cracker Barrel is more than food, it's an experience. As a kid, I loved the jumbo checker board, the wooden peg game (oh man, if only I had this video as a kid), and the candy sticks from the stop after the meal. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. Oh, and you can't forget those rocking chairs out front...classic.

I actually have a cute story about Cracker Barrel. When I was a kid, and we visited the East Coast, and I found out I loved Cracker Barrel. I loved them so much I wrote a letter to headquarters and told them to open shop in San Diego. Well, no such luck for little Heather, but it was worth a try.

Saturday we enjoyed some R&R at home, but by noon we headed out to the town. I was introduced to Von Maur, a department store from Iowa, which hasn't made it's way to the West Coast (yet). I also got a tour of Dillards, a Southern department store. My favorite thing in the mall was the fact that Starbucks had sweet tea.

The day ended at my cousin Debbie's house. Another lovely Georgia home. So big! And I met their sweet pooch, Sammy. Sammy was a cutie and cuddled on my lap. It was great to catch up with my cousin and her husband, Dave. No joke, it has been twelve years since I last saw Debbie. Craziness.

Sunday I flew back home. I did make up that lost time on Wednesday after all.

And that was my quick, but sweet trip to Georgia. That's it, y'all.

March 20, 2014

Spring Flowers and Watercolors

March 20, 2014/ Heather Brown

Happy Spring!

Yes, today was the first day of spring. And by golly, the sun was out here in Seattle. Can it be? Is it true? It's spring? Well, yes, but I don't think that will totally stop the rain. I mean it did hail last night, so there's that...not to mention April showers brings may flowers. So I fully expect more rain & showers, but it's nice to think that flowers will start blooming and the sun will peek out and say hi more often.

One of my favorite parts of the spring is all the flowers, especially the cherry blossoms. They are all around here in Seattle, and I love driving down roads where the cherry blossoms line the street. It's glorious.

Anyway, I recently found a neat app that features flowers beautifully. It actually turns them into watercolors. Of course, you can use any photos, but I find flowers are my favorite. The app is called Waterlouge. I have it for my iPhone, but you can also get it on your iPad. Here's some before and afters with the app.

One of my favorites with the app so far is from our walk through Pike Place last weekend. I love all the flower vendors. I pretty much take a photo of them every time I go.

And there is another app I wanted to tell you about as well called Studio - good news, it's free. It allows you to add text, texture, frames, graphics in any old way you want. Some folks have made some neat creations. I'm still playing with it, but it's fun. My Happy Spring above was made with it and Waterlouge - crazy. But "Stay Golden" is another one I created recently from a picture I took in Joshua Tree.

Don't be like someone else I know that tends to spend way too much time on her phone playing with photo apps, eh hem. But I hope you enjoy them. It's my gift to you for spring. Now go take some beautiful flower photos!

March 17, 2014

Busting out my Green

March 17, 2014/ Heather Brown

Apparently for me, St. Patrick's Day is all about food/dessert, wearing the color green, busting out all my celtic jewelry, gloating about my maiden name O'Neill, and talking about my Irish heritage (the whooping 25% of it). Just look back at my what I said in previous years: 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010... (it goes on, you get it).

But I must admit, I secretly love the fact that I'm part Irish. But I wonder if my Swedish and German side get jealous. I mean, I (or actually, we as a country) don't really celebrate the Swedes or Germans in any way, do we? But they oughtn't be jealous because it's really just a day to drink Baileys and Guinness. Speaking of Baileys, check out these lovelies...

Not the best photo (it was already dark out so poor lighting, deal with it), but those are some darn good Irish whoopies - Bailey's Irish Cream filled Chocolate Whoopie Pies, to be exact. Just trying to make friends at the office through their tummies. Why not, it worked with Josh.

And that's not all, yesterday I went to a St. Patrick's Day Sprinkles Party at Cupcake Royale with my friend Tricia and her little girl, Kaia. Kaia took all of three minutes to frost and destroy her cupcake. It was cute, she had "happy messy face" going on.

For dinner, I said screw corn beef and cabbage, and made Shepard's pie. It seemed pretty Irish to me with the potatoes. Sorry, no photo, we devoured it instead.

Of course, I busted out my green and celtic jewelry like a good Irish lass. All in all, a good St. Patrick's Day. And I can say I did all my St Patrick's Day things - green, jewelry, food, O'Neill. Done, done, and done.

I hope you had the luck o' the Irish today!

March 12, 2014

My 2 Year Work-iversary

March 12, 2014/ Heather Brown

Well, time certainly flies. Two years ago today I started working at Responsys. Crazy, huh? My first day was actually in Chicago for training. Remember?

And here I was 1 year ago on My 1 year Work-iversary.

I know this is so cliche but the best thing about my job is the people. My co-workers are great, and it makes going into work each day so much better. We like each other so much that we even hang out to do artsy-fartsy stuff over the weekend sometimes, like Wayzgoose.

Responsys has been a fun company to work at - always working to be the best. They host an annual conference call Interact that I attended last year. There was Captain "Sully" there to inspire us, and Michael Franti to make us dance.

Anyway, here I am at my 2 year Worki-versary with Responsys. We are now becoming Oracle, so this is my last year at Responsys in a way. Bittersweet.

Well, I'm gonna keep this short since I'm tried after a long day at work. HA!

On an ending note, here's me working away at my desk today. With a thanks to my co-worker, Yeji, who didn't judge when I asked her to take a picture. I told her I had friends that wanted to see me at work (that would be you).

P.S. Did you notice the sun in the window? Awesome! Good stuff for March.

March 08, 2014

Parents in Town

March 08, 2014/ Heather Brown

I told you, right? I didn't? Are you sure? Shame on me for forgetting to tell you. My parents were in town the other weekend - the last weekend of February. Sadly, I didn't take many photos. I don't know why. I regret it. So, you get more words than photos time time (as to opposed to last time).

While it rained almost the whole time (hello, this is Seattle in February), but we still had a great time. We were originally going to head out to Port Townsend, but changed our minds Saturday morning because of the rain. Instead we opted for adventure closer to home.

Saturday started with breakfast at Macrina, my parent's favorite bakery. My dad says his three favorite things about Seattle are: (1) his daughter & son-in-law, (2) the bakeries, and (3) the restaurants. I think 2 and 3 are probably the same. Coming from my dad, that's a huge compliment. We'll take it. Anyways, you get the idea: bakeries are important when they visit.

Then we ventured out to West Seattle. You can just hop over the bridge and get there from downtown in a few minutes. There are some cute shops on California Avenue. My dad's favorite was the wine shop - big surprise. Both parents liked Click! Josh and I enjoyed Fleurt. And we all enjoyed the antique and other shops. We replenished ourselves with lunch at Circa.

After lunch, we wandered back across the bridge to SODO for the afternoon for a distillery tour and tasting. We stopped at Letterpress Distilling for a taste of delicious Limoncello. It was so good that it brought me back memories of sunny, warm days in Italy. ((Sigh...))

Skip, the owner and master distriller, was there and showed us around. He pointed out the huge vat of lemon zest with vodka marinating, and the hand-held zest machine he uses. It's a small shop, but dang good stuff, so we bought a bottle. Yum!

Next we headed over to Westland for a tour and single malt whiskey tasting. The Westland plant (store? facility? whatever you call it) is gorgeous. I loved their logo and "Thoughtfully Made" slogan (geeky, I know). Josh and I got some cool t-shirts.

The tour was fun, free, and informative. A great rainy day activity. The day we were there they just released their peated malt whiskey. I tasted it, and it was pretty smokey and peaty. I think we all liked their single malt whiskey the best.

That was pretty much our Saturday (let's skip over the food poisoning that happened to me that night -yuck).

Sunday was a short day because my parents had to drive down to Portland for a conference my dad's work. My mom and I got mani pedis, we spend some time in Ballard for lunch, and then a pit shop at the Book Larder, a book store for cookbooks, for my mom to get the Macrina cookbook.

And that's about it. A good weekend with my parents. Maybe next time they'll come in the summer for some good Seattle weather. Can't beat our summers here.

March 01, 2014

Jolly Good British TV

March 01, 2014/ Heather Brown

Hey mate! Let's have a spot of tea, shall we?

So what, maybe I have been watching too much British TV. Deal with it. It's jolly good. What British shows, you might ask. Well, let me tell you..

Downton Abbey

I know I've already told you about Downton Abbey, but I need to remind you about it. I must admit, I was first incredibly sad mid-way through last season, and then terribly angry by the end. How could they do that? ANGRY. I was wary heading into Season 4. I thought maybe it jumped the shark at that point. Season 4 proved me wrong. It's back on track, thank goodness. This season I loved Mrs Hughes and Dowager Countess of Grantham. The Countess really makes me chuckle - especially when she's speaking to poor Isobel Crawley. And Mrs Hughes was the peacemaker and everyones confident. Not to mention the lovely Lady Mary. Now come on Season 5, impress me!

Sherlock

What I hate about this show is that it's only three episodes. Luckily they are longer episodes to make up for it. They are almost movie length. We watched the last episode of Season 3 last night. It had a nice twist that surprised me. I just love Sherlock and Dr. Watson together. They are great actors and the mysteries always captive. The mustache at the beginning was pretty funny. Here's a Season 3 teaser. If you have an Apple TV, there is a PBS station and you can watch it for free (Same with Downton, by the way). You're welcome.

Foyles War

I just love Detective Foyle. I think he laughs on the inside; you can see it at the end of the episode when they end the episode on a light note. Or when Sam says something was she's driving him away from a crime scene. Sam just makes you laugh that way. Gosh, I sound like I am friends with these characters. Is that sad? Well, who cares, it's fun to watch. The mysteries are fun and it takes place during WWII, so you get to learn as you're entertained. Can't beat that. And it's on Netflix streaming. You're welcome, again.

Call the Midwife

So, Josh doesn't like this one. I do think this is more of a chick show. They often have babies being born and they show the mom screaming or sweating in labor. So there's that. I get a bit squeamish myself sometimes, but it doesn't stop me from watching. Hello, it's a midwife show...babies are bound to be born. The setting is East London during the 1950-60s. Th midwifes and nuns helping the community (riding their bikes). The main character, Jenny is so practical and down to earth. Love her & I am just hoping she falls in love. And Trixie, Cynthia, Chummy, and the sisters...everyone brings to the story. And again, it's on Netflix streaming.

They are all PBS, and mostly Masterpiece. Well done good sir, well done. If you want more Brits? My friend the Pioneer Woman talks about British actors and how they're invading there as well.

February 19, 2014

Simply Coffee: Slate Coffee Roasters

February 19, 2014/ Heather Brown

Remember when Josh & I first moved to Seattle, I started my coffee tour? I dropped the ball on keeping that series going. I partially stopped because there are just so many places in Seattle and I couldn't keep up. There is definitely no shortage of coffee houses in Seattle. That's for sure. And all Seattleites have our favorite places, including Josh and I. But we had a recent discovery I wanted to share.

This recent discovery was Slate Coffee Roasters. It's a hidden little gem in Ballard. We stumbled upon it driving around, and decided to stop for a caffeine fix. And ever since it's been Sunday morning routine for breakfast before church. Our spot is right in the window.

Mind you, this isn't like Starbucks or Tullys where there are flavored syrups and whatnot. Slate's main focus is the coffee - simply coffee. Not many fancy-dancy creations. Their menu is mainly coffee and milk in varying different ways with chocolate if you'd like. And the milk they use is local and organic, so it's fresh.

Slate is more of a coffee experience than it is grabbing a quick caffeine fix for the go. They take their coffee rather seriously. They are sure to take time on each coffee so it's perfect. My usual is espresso + milk with a Splenda. I have an extreme sweet tooth, but honestly I could probably get away without the Splenda. But heck, I just like that extra bit of sweetness.

Then we enjoy a pastry. On Sundays, they get Tall Grass Bakery goodies. I tend to go for the cinnamon roll or the apple cornmeal muffin. But Josh likes the cream cheese danish. But on other days, they get Fuji delivered, which is also quite delicious.

The other weekend, we missed our Sunday morning visit (due to snow!) so we stopped in the afternoon. I got my usual, but Josh tried the deconstructed coffee. This is espresso, milk, and then espresso + milk. It's was fun to taste each on it's own and then together. We felt like true coffee snobs (snobs in a good way).

And the folks that work at Slate are incredibly knowledgable and super friendly. Chelsea greets us when we come in (I don't know when she's not working, by the way) and knows our order.

So if you find yourself in Seattle and wanting a true coffee experience, please visit Slate. And if my recommendation isn't enough, you'll be happy to hear Slate's been named one of the 20 hottest coffee shops across the US by Eater (props to Slate!).

Note: This is part of my Local Spotlight Series.

February 16, 2014

Sweet & Simple Valentines

February 16, 2014/ Heather Brown

Valentine's Day. The day were people talk about how they are single/married, eat chocolate, have way overpriced pre-fix dinners, try cooking fancy-dancy meals at home, or say how they are boycotting it all and watching TV alone. Yada yada yada. But I do think it's nice to have a day to really stop and be thankful for all the loved ones in your life.

Josh and I made a pact not to give each other anything for Valentines Day. Of course, we broke it. I snuck a card in his laptop so when he opened the top a card was waiting. He had flowers delivered to my office.

I secretly love getting flowers delivered to my office. It really make for a lovely surprise and everyone oohh and ahhs over them. And you get this pleasant floral smell as you work. (Until said flowers have been at your desk unattended for too many days and begin to rot at the stem. Then it takes you a day to figure out what the horrendous smell is at your desk. Not that this has happened to me or anything, cough cough).

For dinner, we kept it simple and went to Thai food. Then went to a Hazelwood for a cocktail together and finished it all up with some gelato. Nice and simple, and better yet, didn't break the bank.

We finished it all up with an episode of Sherlock (love this series!).

So, how was your Valentine's Day?

February 12, 2014

Olympics in the Movies

February 12, 2014/ Heather Brown

When I was a kid, I felt like there was a lot more hoopla about the Olympics. Oh sure, people still talk about it and the Today Show is giving me updates, but I really felt more Olympic spirit as a kid. Have things changed? Or have I changed?

In the mornings, while I eat my bowl of cereal, I watch the Today Show. This has been my main "news" feed on the Olympics. So when I came home the other day, I turned on the TV, and low and behold there was the Olympics. It was like the Olympics was telling me to watch since the same channel I watch in the morning plays the Olympics at night. So I left them on, just to see. They were showing speed skating...and it was at moment that I remembered that little kid Olympic spirit. That was the night the Dutch took all the metals for men's speed skating, which is cool because I have a Dutch friend. But even cooler was that it was twin brothers that won.

From that night one, I've been watching it a little bit each night. I saw some figure skating, halfpipe, and ski jumping. I was bummed about Shaun White. But anyways...to get to what I really wanted to talk about: Olympics in the movies. There are some great movies about the Olympics. I say go Olympic crazy. Watch the Olympics and then watch a movie about the Olympics. Totally crazy.

The Cutting Edge

Have you seen this movie? Please say yes. I grew up watching this movie. My sister and I love to quote it. You gotta love Doug and Kate. Here's some favorite quotes:

Toe Pick!
If it was forty below and that button meant the difference between a long satisfying life and a cold horrible death from hypothermia, I still wouldn't give you the satisfaction!
What difference does it make? The difference is...I'm in the mood to kick a little ass.
I- I b- I been doin' a little- I been doin' a little figure skating....(chime in old man) Finger painting?

I think I need to watch this again now. Oh, and I also own the soundtrack.

Cool Runnings

Now, I know you've seen this one. I mean, who hasn't? I say, "Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!" Yes, a Jamaican bobsled team. This is a good old family favorite - it's got everything...laughs, soul, encouragement. Not to mention John Candy.

Miracle

This is more recent movie compared to the ones above. I've actually only seen this once or twice, but it's a genuine, feel-good, Olympic movie. Oh and totally inspiring. Isn't that a given with an Olympic movie? And it's also a true story. Gotta love true stories. Now, if I only knew the rules of hockey.

Chariots of Fire

I saw this a long-long-long time ago. I think my sister was watching it, so I just started watching it, too. I probably should watch it again. I remember a lots of running and the song (you know, THE song). But, most importantly, I do remember liking it. So there's that.

I think those are the best of the Olympic movies. Here's another, longer list of Olympic movies (and yes, I have seen National Velvet), but I can't vouch for them - especially not Blades of Glory. Hmm. Or, you can check out this list as well. But seriously, with the above, I've got you covered.

P.S. There are some sequels...don't do it.

February 02, 2014

The 12th Man Stands in Victory

February 02, 2014/ Heather Brown

Seattle is on fire (figuratively)! If you were here, it would be hard to miss how excited we all are for the Seahawks. We've just freakin' won the Superbowl!

For the past weeks (or months, really), people have been decked out in their Seahawks gear everywhere. Not only are the people dressed up, but the buildings as well. The Space Needle has the 12th Man flag flying on top and with blue and green lights shining. And all the buildings are putting up signs and lights. The Ferris Wheel was light up. Heck, there is even music. There are some songs that have been twisted up - like What Does a Hawk Say? or Sweet Home Field Advantage.

Honestly, I'm not an avid football fan. Only recently did I really catch the spirit - it was impossible not to! Here are a few things I've learned about the team:

12th Man - This is EVERYWHERE...signs, flags, jerseys, etc. So, the 12th man...who is that? Well, there are 11 players on the field, and the 12th player is the fan. And man, are we big fans. Seattle Seahawks fans are loud and we're proud of it.
Legion of Boom (L.O.B.) - Seahawks are known for there awesome defense. The legion of boom is the Seahawks' defense style. I really don't know much more, but I how I think of it, is when the other team's player tries to break through Seahawk's defense...BOOM, they are stopped. You know what they say, the best offense is the best defense.
Richard Sherman - He's one of the Seahawks players. There has been a lot of press about him because he it quite the talker. After the play-off game against the 49'ers, Sherman had an interview that everyone is talking about. It's all the talk...I just think he was super pumped on adrenaline and excitement.
Skittles - Yes, the candy. This is a cute story about Marshawn Lynch. When he was young, every time he scored a touchdown, his mom gave him Skittles. The fans (I mean, 12th Man) caught on and now when he score Skittles are thrown onto the field in celebration. No joke, apparently Seattle is running low on Skittles.
Russell Wilson - Our beloved Quarterback. He just seems like such a great guy. In fact, our pastor actually interviewed him. So great!

It's been a lot of fun having a city with a winning team. I don't followed about football or the Super Bowl. But those dang 12th Man fans rub off on you. So, I bought myself a Seahawks t-shirt. With t-shirt on, I felt I could really join in. Like at work, for Blue Friday, I joined in...

(Yes, it may not seem like it, but I have a Seahawk t-shirt on - it's grey but it definitely says Seahawks on it).

The Friday before the Super Bowl, we had a big Seahawk party. We had yummy cupcakes. Our office manager even made the Seahawk logo out of beads. Crazy!

We went to our friends house, the Maben's, for a couple games. We made our blue & green cupcakes (the kids helped decorate a few).

For the Super Bowl, we also celebrated with the Mabens. We had tasty football nibbles - chili, pulled pork, guac + chips, cheesey bread, and blue & green M&M cookies!

And the best part of it all: WE WON! We are the World Champions! (oh, I know you thought the Broncos would win, fooled yo!).

I'm so proud of my city! I feel like we should all break out in one big cheer...

We've got the spirit

Yes we do, we've got the spirt,

How about you!

January 26, 2014

Baker's Corner: Pie Perfection

January 26, 2014/ Heather Brown

I have a confession. This may totally surprise you. I haven't always liked pie. You heard me. There was a time where I thought I didn't like pie. The horror! (Caveat: I did like Marie Callendar's Boston Cream pie, but we all know that's more cake than pie).

Luckily, I came to my senses. It happened when we were looking for desserts for our wedding. We liked the idea of pie because you could get many flavors, and it fit with our rustic chic theme. So we tried Shoofly Pie, and my life was forever changed. I like pie. It was an amazing revelation. I'm still somewhat particular, but I'm that way with everything.

So you probably know, we did have pie at our wedding and it was fantastic.

Since pie is somewhat new to my life, I hadn't spent much time baking it. I've been a bit intimidated by pie. That hasn't stopped me before, though. Take macarons, for instance. I made a few along the way, and they've been successful. But right before Thanksgiving I invited my friend, Sarah, over and we made the most magnificent pie together.

We certainly took on a challenge with the lattice top, but all the effort was well worth it. It tasted as good as it looks. I wish I had a piece right now!

Are you looking to take on baking a pie? Let me walk you thought this one.

#1 - Make the pie crust. The crust needs time in the refrigerator, so while it's chilling, you can make the inside. We used Joy the Baker's pie crust recipe.

With this pie crust, she has you use a rolling pin to mix the flour and butter. I think this helps make it flaky. Then you separate the dough into two balls, wrap it up, and put it in the fridge.

#2 - The Filling. We use The Baker Chick's Salted Apple Pie recipe. Basically, you peel and slice up the apples. Then put them in a skillet with other goodies, and cook. It gets all bubbly, gooey and delicious.

#3 - Bring it all Together. Take out the pie dough and roll it out. You'll need roll out two crusts - one for the bottom crust and one for the pie top. Once you've rolled it out, you need to place this in the pie dish. There is a trick here that Sarah shared. You roll the pie crust onto the rolling pin, and then unwind it over the dish. Easy peasy. Then dump the apples in.

#4 - Final touches. We took it a step further and made a lattice top. Since neither of us have done this before, we followed Simply Recipes instructions. I used a pizza cutter to make strips. It's a bit hard to explain from here, so just check out the link. Then we folded the edges back over and used a spoon to crimp.

#5 - Put into the oven. We forgot to do this, but sprinkle some sugar on top before putting it in the oven. We remember afterwards. Don't worry, it still tasted delicious.

#6 - Let it rest (if you can wait), and EAT! If you don't let it rest, then it'll ooze all out when you slice it. We didn't have much patience since the whole apartment was filled with baked pie smell. But when I ate it the next day, the slice was perfect.

Dang, that pie was good. And I'm soooo glad I like pie now. Life is much fuller because of it.

And hats off to the bakers...

January 25, 2014

Funny Faces & Silly People

January 25, 2014/ Heather Brown

Well, the holidays are over. The last holiday event was last weekend, which was Josh's company office party. It was pretty fun at the Pan Pacific hotel here in Seattle.

It seems like every good party these days has a photobooth. Who doesn't like a good photobooth? They are so popular right now. It's not a party without some sort of photobooth. And Josh's company didn't disappoint. Here's our fun snaps:

(I think the two bottom ones are my favorite)

But wait! My office party also had a photobooth. I told you, photobooths are popular. For this one, my co-worker James and his wife Sarah joined us. Yes, that's mountains and bears in the background. It's cool.

Oh, and there is more. How many times do I have to tell you photobooths are popular? For New Year's Eve our friends Mark & Sarah co-hosted a party. They turned an iPad into a photobooth. Now, that's clever.

We took quite a few photobooth pictures at New Years. Here's some more...

Are you sick of these funny poses and faces yet? I have even more in my back pocket. We did a photobooth back in 2012 at our friend Manuel & Alley's wedding. So, yes, it has been popular for a few years now.

I sorta love photobooths.

January 19, 2014

Exploring Joshua Tree

January 19, 2014/ Heather Brown

Funny that I grew up in San Diego, but never made it to Joshua Tree National Park. It's really not crazy far from my childhood home - maybe a few hours drive. Go figure. But anyway, I finally found myself there over the holidays. It's actually pretty close to Palm Springs, and my in-laws live in Indio. When Josh and I were visiting for Christmas they took us on a day trip to the park.

One great thing was that it was sunny and warm...in the winter! Getting some Vitamin D is always a good thing. So it already had that going for it as we entered the park. Then, I knew I'd like it when all these funky "trees" started appearing. Not just one, but miles of them.

The reason for the quotations around "tree" is that Joshua trees are not our typical tree. It belongs to the Yucca family. I'm not an expert on these trees, so I'd hate to mis-inform you. If you really are interested in what the heck they are, go to Wikipedia.

I learned a fun fact from my in-laws as we were driving around the park. The name Joshua Tree comes from the Mormon settlers in the 19th century who were crossing through the dessert. They thought they trees were raising their arms up to the sky to pray like Joshua in the Bible.

Besides Joshua Trees, there are a lot of boulders and rocks at the park. For this reason, there are a lot of rock climbers. There is a climber on practically every large boulder. We did a little rock climbing ourselves. But not with ropes and harnesses - just on large rocks.

But just sitting on the rocks suited us fine.

We did some small hikes at the park as well. One was to Skull Rock. A very clever name for a rock that looks like a skull.

There was also a view point out into the valley below where you see Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault (yikes!). Luckily, no major earthquakes while we were there (whew). But you can totally see how the land has been pushed up.

It was a great day at the park. Sunny, Beautiful, and good company. Can't beat that!

For more pictures, go to my Winter 2013 album (just scroll down the page to Joshua Tree).

January 17, 2014

Christmas Vacation

January 17, 2014/ Heather Brown

Wow, we blew through Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany before I've even told you about my vacation. 2014 is going to be over before I even get to sit down and write to you about the end of 2013! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but really it's crazy how time moves.

But before we move on with 2014, I really do want to tell you about my holidays. They were oh-so-nice. Similar to past years, Josh and I flew down to SoCal for the holidays since both parents are down there. Yes, I know this is incredibly convenient (and lucky). We did a little switch-a-roo and started at my parents house rather than at the Browns. So that's where we'll start, at my parents house...

The O'Neill's

We flew down on Saturday. Lucky for me, the cold I had was on the mends by the time we flew down. Better not be sick during the holiday, or for Disneyland! Yea, you heard me, we went to Disneyland! (Comm'on, you have to say it like the commercials).

I love Disneyland during the holidays.They deck the park with everything holiday. They even switch up the Haunted House for the Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of my family doesn't like how they alter the Haunted House, but for me, I think it's fun. They also have the Jingle Cruise instead of the Jungle Cruise. Love it.

We had the happiest time of our lives - how could you not at the happiest place on Earth?!

Disneyland was a great kick-start to the holidays. The rest of the time with my parents was everything holiday. I squeezed in another Christmas cookie, Peppakakor. We did some shopping, wrapping, and saw good friends.

Christmas Eve we went to a lovely dinner at Vigilucci's and then the candlelight service at my childhood church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church. We sang Christmas songs and celebrated the reason for the season.

Then it was Christmas morning. We were all very good this year because Santa visited us. He came with lots of gifts, so we had to spend the whole morning unwrapping.

See that red-head in the picture? Meet Olivia. She's part of the family. No really, she is. She's related to our relatives in Germany - so like a second cousin. She's from Rust, Germany and staying with my parents for the year learning English and getting the American High School experience.

At halftime, eh hem, I mean after the Christmas tree presents, we switched to stockings. My mom takes stockings seriously. You DON'T MESS with stockings, man. Everyone gets the same number of gifts, and you have to open one by one around the room. Let me tell you, these stockings are crazy. The gifts spill out of the sock, and some (like a hula hoop) need to just hang out by the mantel.

Also, we got some visitors. My cousin Brennan, Anne, and their little girl, Marina came over. Marina was very much into the gifts, too - especially dropping them. Keely (that's the other daughter, I mean dog) was thrilled for all the people around to pet her - she's just too cute not to pet.

Around noon, it was time to transition, and we packed the car and headed off to...

The Brown's

The drive takes about 2.5 hours to drive, and you cross over the San Jacinto mountains. We arrived mid-afternoon, just in time for more gifts and a homemade turkey dinner.

We finished off Christmas with more gifts and a tasty dinner. What a great holiday!

For the rest of our stay with the Browns, we had some fun at Joshua Tree. More about that later. We went to the movies, and just relaxed. It was heavenly. Not to mention the warm weather, iced beverages, and short sleeves.

I love Christmas - it's the best time of year. And in the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

For more pictures, go here!

January 09, 2014

Checking In - Don't Go!

January 09, 2014/ Heather Brown

Hello Friends,

Well, I guess I shouldn't make my new year's resolution to write more. Ugh! I'm so behind. I have tons to tell you about - Christmas, New Years, Joshua Tree - the list goes on & on. I feel like some of it's getting so late it might not be worth posting anymore. Never. I'll write to you about Christmas 2013 in May if I must.

I just wanted to jot a quick note to encourage you to keep visiting my blog. I promise to write something soon. My hope is to work on it this weekend. Don't give up on me!

That said, I don't want this visit to my blog to go to waste. Here's something interesting that I came across. Are you left for right brained? Take this quiz and find out.

Guess what?! I'm left-brained. Not too surprising.

That didn't do it for you? What something less brain-y? Well, Jimmy and Justin are pretty hilarious with their hashtags. #checkit #funny

Or, another video where you can learn True Facts about the Tarsier. Hello freaky! Or maybe you want to hear Morgan Freeman narrate about himself.

That's all I got for now. Time for a shower, read, and off to bed. I'll be back soon!

XO,

Heather

January 01, 2014

Best of 2013 - Your Favs

January 01, 2014/ Heather Brown

At the end of each year, I always like to sit back and reflect back on the year. What was my favorite moment? What trips did I take? Who did I meet? Favorite songs, books, and movies? I wonder, did I capture it all in my blog? Probably not, but I hope I was able to share most of it. So I took a look at my Google analytics from my blog and thought I'd see what your favorites were from my blog for 2013. Let's take a look:

1. heatherjoyus - [Page views: 1,568] Not surprising that most people just head to my main page. This shows the most recent posts, and you can scroll and check everything out. It's a good place to check in on what I've been doing. I've been trying to make the top image change more often to give it some jazz. The below is one that I had up for a large part of the year. We were in Georgetown (just south of downtown Seattle).

2. A Spot of Tea: Cederberg - [Page Views: 141] This little tea shop popped up in upper Queen Anne this year. I just love it. It's South African roobios tea that's made into delicious drinks. It's made like espresso so they do some magical stuff with it. This was probably popular because the owners posted it on their Facebook page. It's so great to support local businesses, and the owners are so nice.

Iced Roobios latte & Roobios Fresh from Cederbergs

3. It's Not Pulled Back - [Page Views: 89] Wow, I had no idea you guys were interested in my hair! This year was a big change for me with my hair style. I got it shorter and more red. I'm quite happy with it.

4. Christmas Letter 2013 - [Page Views: 81] I was really thinking this would be at least #2. We put the link to the Christmas letter on our Christmas card. If you want to hear about our 2013, check out this post. You should watch the slideshow, too.

5. 2 Year Anniversary - [Page Views: 80] Two of the happiest years being married to my best friend. I know, that was super cheesy, but it's incredibly true! He makes me laugh, we have long conversations, we can have no conversations, we venture around - love this guy.

Heather & Josh in Victoria (where we had our 2 year anniversary!)

6. Baker's Corner - [Page Views: 63] You also seemed to like this Baker's Corner post as well. Do you like sweets as much as me? I think I need to share more baking goods with you if you like these posts! More yummiest for me, and more eye candy for you. This also helps me work on my food photography skills. It's a win-win for everyone!

7. Goodbye Home - [Page Views:59] This was a momentous event of the year. My parents moved away from the home where I grew up. I loved the house and it has so many good memories of my childhood, but I think it's a good move for my parents. The memories will still live on.

8. 2013 Fall - [Page Views: 56] I moved away from Flickr and started to post my albums on my blog instead. I didn't know you even looked at my photos! This warms my heart. I work hard on my photos. One of my goals in 2013, and again for 2014, is to improve my photography skills.

9. 2013 Summer - [Page Views: 52] Re-read #8 above. Dang, now I know I need to get Winter 2013 up!

10. Baker's Corner: Cake Balls & Pops - [Page Views: 48] Of course! Who doesn't love a good cake pop. I have had none believers eat one of these pops, and realize they might have been mistaken. These are the real deal people. Delicious!