A Tangle in Time: 2013

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Zendala Dare 79

It has been forever and a day since I've done a zendala dare, but I saw this week's template and thought I'd give it a go:

I've started to color it in so may post that picture later on when it's finished...I've also been busy getting in gear for Christmas, addressing envies and wrapping everything I've bought so far--it's all coming right along! I could use a little snow to really get the spirit flowing--haha!

Today we have bowling bright 'n early for Bug, then we're off to go rowing shopping for some warmer clothes and a life vest--I'm completely hooked! Going rowing tomorrow morning and then Wednesday again--life is good!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Scattered Life Collective

Ah! I was so happy to pop over to Cindy's Spirit Uncaged blog to find a new Scattered Life Collective this morning! So...I shall share mine:

current time: 5:17 am (did you remember to change your clocks?)

on the menu: Dinner plans are Stove Top Stuffing and Chicken Bake...the rest of the day is feeling like a 'Fend for Yourself Where You Can'...There is entirely too much Halloween candy haunting me yet...ugh!!

out the window: Early morning darkness, wind scuffling leaves in the driveway (oh! And my new car! LOVE!!)

A 2006 Silver Moss Honda CR-V (does anybody know what CR-V stands for? It's making me crazy...But isn't she purty??)

reading: Finally!! I finished Winter of the World by Ken Follett (I give it four stars...Liked it better than the first in this trilogy, Fall of Giants) I love Holocaust novels and this came at WWII from a different perspective, let you watch as the tensions and terror built...Definitely looking forward to book three.

So--at long last, I'd been dying to begin And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini--aahh! I love, love, love his books! A quick review from Amazon:
"Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed begins simply enough, with a father recounting a folktale to his two young children. The tale is about a young boy who is taken by a div (a sort of ogre), and how that fate might not be as terrible as it first seems—a brilliant device that firmly sets the tone for the rest of this sweeping, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting novel. A day after he tells the tale of the div, the father gives away his own daughter to a wealthy man in Kabul. What follows is a series of stories within the story, told through multiple viewpoints, spanning more than half a century, and shifting across continents. The novel moves through war, separation, birth, death, deceit, and love, illustrating again and again how people’s actions, even the seemingly selfless ones, are shrouded in ambiguity. This is a masterwork by a master storyteller. —Chris Schluep"

I also downloaded Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven for free on my Kindle. Bug 'n I have read this before at Halloween but I had to leave my paperback version of Poe's Complete Collection behind when we moved from PA (*gasp!* so devastating to let go of so many beautiful books...) But it's nice to have this favorite poem for spooky reading once again..."Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore'...."

listening: Haha--I have my Christmas CD's going already...I love Charlie Brown!

watching: One of my guilty pleasures is ANTM...seriously the show doesn't have much in the way of intelligence to offer but it's a fun watch and this season it's guys vs the girls...and I wouldn't be surprised if a guy walks away with the title this round!

good things:

ROWING!!! I am love, love, loving rowing! I went out for my second open row yesterday morning--I can't get enough! First, the wharf was beautiful in the overcast grey of the morning:

Then, while waiting for the row, I got to watch as one of the huge fishing boats was lifted by this giant crane for winter dry dock:

So cool--and really loud!

And and and!!! We saw seals this week!!!! Three fat swimmy lovelies!! They poke their chubby cheeks up out of the water and eye spy you, then quickly duck away--but one did a bit of a full belly float for us...aahhh! These guys are HUGE!! I won't bring my phone out on the boat (I've already lost one phone to the water up here) but I snagged a couple pics online to show how cute these babies are:

Adorable, yes???? Omigosh--I'm so in love!!

Family Bowling Night! We decided to begin a monthly Family Bowling Night--first Saturday of the month, to just go play, be goofy, and have some fun--success! Bill's sister, Cindy, won the first game and Bug, of course, won the second, then off we went to Café Roma for dinner--starved!! Hoping Ash and Kyle can join us next month--the more whackos, the merrier!
Wooly Bear Caterpillars EVERYWHERE!! Too cute!
Making excellent progress with Christmas shopping, planning, wrapping...Got my little weekly planner all filled in and checking off! Have you started?

icky things and their silver linings:

I really don't have any icky things to share this week...aside from too much Halloween candy still haunting me--silver lining: Christmas is coming??

Around and About

Ann Voskamp's Thanksgiving Tree We had a crazy wind storm the other day that blew down a ton of perfect little branches (and almost our entire back fence--I had to bungee cord the posts to the neighbor's fence behind it to hold it up-yikes!) and I found just the right vase at Michael's for $3! I'll post some pics later as the tree fills up with thanks...

That's it this week...The sun is starting to lighten the sky, though it's gonna be a chilly forty-five degrees today. Leaves to rake in the back yard. Football to be watched on TV and chicken and stuffing to roast in the oven. I completely love fall! Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Diva Challenge #141 and the Weekend's Excursions

It feels like it's been forever since I've done a Diva's Challenge or any tangling at all lately, so I headed over to see what Laura had planned for everyone this week to find a Duo Tangle challenge to combine the lovely Fengle and Quandary-two of my favorites together in one challenge! I had visions of Quandary spilling out of the Fengle wings but couldn't quite get it to come out just right on paper, so ended up using Quandary as a fill...then added zippy little zingers for the Fengle tips--ah, fun!

So it's almost Halloween and I let my dear husband talk me into going to a haunted house last night--I hate haunted houses...Scary, ghoulie people dripping in blood and wielding chain saws, hiding behind every shadow and tucked in every corner waiting to jump out at you, scaring, screaming, cackling...No sir, not my cup of tea...But, off we went. Took along a friend of Bug's--who, as luck would have it, was just as scared as I was--we held on to each other with a death grip while Bill and Bug laughed and had a grand old time...fiends...Really, for the most part, it was a lot of fun. I haven't been to a haunted house in at least fifteen to twenty years (good heavens that makes me feel old!!) and we did laugh and jump and scurry our winding way through the dark passages--just 'til we got to the room where the chainsaw massacre guys were and they scared the living daylights out of me and wouldn't let up (I cried...a little...it was awful...) Okay, and the laughing clowns were kinda creepy, too...But, it's Halloween--everyone needs a little creeping, crawling, good old fashioned scaring for Halloween and I'll definitely go again next year.

The coolest thing I'm looking forward to this weekend, though, is tomorrow! I'm heading down to the Buzzard's Bay Rowing Club for a free open row. They row whaling boats every morning and anyone can come out to join them. You get three free open rows before you have decide to join the club (though I'm already like 99.9% there and I've not even rowed yet--haha!) They row out on Buzzard's Bay, year round, participate in rowing races, hang out at the lighthouse, get to see seals playing in the water--seriously, I am so there!! Can't wait to get out on the bay--too super cool!! I love Massachusetts more and more every day!!

Now I really need to scoot and get ready for bowling here--thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic weekend and a spook-tacular Halloween!!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Scattered Life Collective

current time: 6:21

on the menu: coffee, coffee, then a little more coffee

out the window: the neighbor's flashing Halloween lights

reading: you guessed it, still working on Winter of the World but making good progress!

listening: Overcomer by Mandisa--such an inspiring song! And it gets ya' movin' too...

watching: Project Runway Season 12--we're down to the final episode!! I knew Helen wouldn't make it to Fashion Week and I'm really relieved that Alexandria did--she is such an inspiration to all those little Camp Couture peanuts! I'm totally rooting for her--though I believe Dom can completely sweep the win this year. All four finalists are fabulous--no matter who wins, I love them all!

good things:

Bug's teacher has invited him to join the Math Counts Club at school! He's so smart and I'm super proud!!
Ooo! I found the most awesome jade plant at Avant Gardens last week (really should have a picture to plug in here...sorry...) They're actually closed for the season and we completely barged in on owner, Kathy, who was absolutely just kind and gracious and let us browse all the greenhouses anyway. Can't wait to go back in the spring--and in the meantime, you can check out her awesome blog: Garden Foreplay
mums, mums, everywhere
mellowcreme pumpkins....aaahhh...

icky things and their silver linings:

mellowcreme pumpkins....only available for a couple more weeks then I can safely return to the grocery stores
yeah, I've abandoned my 31 Days of restaurant reviews--it just felt lame and stupid...onward to other ventures!

Around and About

We are off to the Cranberry Harvest Celebration today!
Tomorrow we head to Boston with the family to spend a day out 'n about with our nephew, Ryan, who leaves for Hong Kong at the end of the month for work. So celebrating and enjoying the day with the ones we love--and oyster shooters!!

Have a great weekend--enjoy this gorgeous fall weather and the beautiful foliage all around! Hope to see you soon!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Day Five: Lukulos Pizza

We were introduced to Lukulos Pizza by our new neighbors whose son was also on Michael's bowling team last year. The late morning league always finished up a little past lunch time, so one day we all decided to grab a bite at Lukulos, a quiet little pizza shop tucked right around the corner from the bowling alley. They run some super cheap lunch deals that are unbeatable, and they also make some pretty amazing Greek style pizza! The crust is thin and chewy, toppings galore--among those being our yummy linguica and chourico (still no banana peppers, though...hmmm...) with over a dozen specialty pizzas to chose from. And they also have quite a list of subs, sandwiches, salads, and dinners to choose from including New Bedford seafood entrees of fish and chips, scallops, shrimp and a Fisherman's platter--mm, mm, delicious! If you're lucky, you might get to try some Portuguese kale soup--they don't have it every day so if you see it on the menu, order some. So good and so good for you!

Lukulos was truly a pleasant surprise. Super great pizza and amazingly great prices. It's a little family run shop with warm and friendly service. A wonderful place with wonderful food. Can't beat it!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Saturday Scattered Life Collective

current time: 5:47am

on the menu: haven't really thought about it yet...still working on my coffee

out the window: an unexpected downpour passing through

reading: I read really slow...still working on Winter of the World and also picked up the autumn issue of Art Journaling Magazine--it's a beauty, as always! Valerie Sjodin is in this issue and I love, love, love her art!!! Grab an issue--it's fabulous!

listening: Michael has this song running through my head a lot lately...I really like Lana Del Rey, she's certainly not cookie cutter current. Her voice and music are just weird and different enough to catch my interest--one of those that at first you're not sure if you like it or hate it and I've fallen on the 'like it' side of the fence.

watching: Grey's Anatomy and if Richard wasn't half dead, I think I'd rip out that feeding tube and kill him myself after this week's episode--which I really don't get since at the end of last week's episode he says he made the right choice (choosing Meredith) and this week he's wrong?? What?? I'm officially hating the man. No one hurts Mere!! Feel free to starve to death and die. Jerk!

good things:

Broccoli sautéed with crab and teriyaki sauce (Those of you eating carbs can serve over brown rice.) So easy. So yummy.
Have you seen Wishbone's new Buffalo Blue Cheese dressing? GET SOME!!
Oh! And Sweet Baby Ray's has just come out with Dipping Sauce! Tastes like Bloomin' Onion sauce--getcha summa dat, too!
You know you're on a diet when all the 'Good Things' are food related...
Un-food related: Sweet Baby Gabe--our nephew's adorable little peanut--came with Grammy for a visit last night. He is just the cutest thing since Michael was that age! He was fascinated with our birdies--kept sneaking in their room to see them. And we played the new Angry Birds Star Wars II--he calls the piggies 'bad guys'--omigoodness, adore him!!
Our one year anniversary for moving to New Bedford is tomorrow!! That calls for a celebration! Woot Woot!

icky things and their silver linings:

Bug's brain drain math homework...he's gonna be way smarter than me. At least he was able to stay after school for some tutoring and came home understanding way better. He is gonna be way smarter than me--and I'm a fairly bright cookie. Okay, not when it comes to math. I art. I don't do math.

Around and About

New Bedford's 8th Annual Oktoberfest is today!
Also, the Lakeville Arts & Music Festival is today! I'm mainly going to see local artist, Susan Boerman who paints these super adorable little owls and hoping hoping hoping she's got a print of the one I fell in love with at the Apple & Peach Festival last month (fingers and toes crossed!!) Plus it'll be a beautiful day to peruse artful pretties before heading to the Pier for Oktoberfest--yay!

So there's the week's collective...Hope you're enjoying a fabulous fall weekend! Thanks as always for popping by!

Day Four: Ray's Pizza

Ahhh...Ray's Pizza! I remember my very first visit to Ray's twelve years ago. It was my first time to New Bedford, meeting my husband's family and introducing them as well to three month old baby Bugga Michael...So many good memories from that trip and I fell head over heels for New Bedford!

We have some unique cuisine here with our high Portuguese population and one favorite that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country is linguica, which is a smoke cured pork Portuguese sausage that is incredibly delicious! I had my first taste of linguica on a pizza from Ray's twelve years ago and I've been hooked ever since!

Ray's pizza has a super thin crust and, along with linguica, they offer all sorts of yummy toppings from the typical sausage and pepperoni, to eggplant, spinach, clams, meatballs and more (but no banana peppers! *gasp!*) I love their Blonde El Greco-spinach with feta and onions, and I need to try the Clams Casino-bacon, clams, and garlic...getting hungry just thinking about it!

Ray's also has a full menu of Italian favorites, pasta dishes, subs, salads, and even party platters to go. It's all eat-in or take out, no delivery, but it's a cozy little restaurant right on Acushnet--a great spot for people watching while you're waiting for your food. I love it there, the pizza is fantastic and I'd recommend it in a heartbeat as my favorite pizza in New Bedford!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Day Three: Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe

Day Three is our final coffee shop review and I've saved the best for last: Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe in beautiful Lakeville, MA. This one's a bit out of my usual roaming sphere and there's really no other reason for me to go to Lakeville--but for that special treat when I'd like a wee escape, it's worth the time and scenic drive to get there.

More than just a pretty face, this place has some history to boast about as well. Somethin's Brewin' is actually Lakeville's old public library building that was funded by a donation from Andrew Carnegie back in 1912. This historical site remained open until 2005 when Lakeville's new library opened, and Somethin's Brewin' moved in to maintain the authentic essence of the building in the heart of the community.

And, in the spirit of the old library, shelves of books line every wall of the café where you can sit and read while relaxing with your favorite brew or snack. Their menu sports several blends and flavors of coffees, specialty lattes (my favorite is their Naughty Vanilla!), smoothies, teas and cocoa, an assortment of sandwiches, soups and seasonal salads, and of course, decadent desserts to appease your sweet tooth!

The walls are also decorated with artwork from local artisans, available for purchase. I'm kinda sorta hopin' to get some of my stuff in there someday...hey, why not, right? So, go soak up a little history while you sip on your favorite flavored coffee beverage, browse a few books and enjoy some artful pretties! Somethin's Brewin' definitely won't disappoint!

Finally, I just wanted to share a quick shot of the journal page I whipped up yesterday. I've been wanting to start a Scripture journal for quite a while but just never got around to it. Then, a few old journaling challenges kind of brought about some inspiration, I broke out a mixed media journal and got to doodling and lettering:

The thinking is to do an A to Z journal of Scripture inspired verses and quotes. Beginning with Abundance, I naturally thought of an autumn harvest. I only wish the paper would've held up better to my watercolor washes...I'll have to use less water next time or more dry media instead...

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you tomorrow!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Day Two: Mirasol's Cafe and a Couple Forgotten Pics to Post...

Welcome back to 31 Days of Food Fun in New Bedford! Day Two stays in the coffee shop realm and brings us to Mirasol's Café in Dartmouth. Mirasol's is adorably decorated, drawing you in with bright, happy, hand-painted windows bursting with sunflowers on the outside, and inside you'll discover a colorful chalkboard with their handwritten menu, a fun mix of chairs, benches, tables, and nooks all inviting you to hang out, relax, and enjoy yourself a while...

Mirasol's offers a full range of delicious seasonal soups, South American inspired sandwiches, wraps, and salads--even a breakfast and kid's menu, followed up with scrumptious tempting desserts. Any place that includes asparagus and avocado on a sandwich is definitely a winner in my book!

Then there's their drink menu--a variety of coffee blends, flavors and roasts, the usual espresso drinks, both hot and cold, hot and frozen flavored cocoas, chai's, shakes, and smoothies. But what Mirasol's is probably most famous for is their Chippi--in their words: " Our own Super Charged, Super Sexy and Dangerous Iced Coffee: Our secret recipe combined with a luscious richness makes this a true dessert in a cup as well as a potent punch to get you through your day or night….most likely BOTH. Some say it tastes like a coffee frappe, others say melted coffee ice cream--and it does have a serious caffeine boost."

I've not dared to try the Chippi yet--I'm too afraid of becoming addicted, but it sure sounds good!! One day...one day....

Then yesterday I realized I hadn't posted a couple pictures I'd had scanned in last week. The first is a simple swirly doodle design I played with (makes your eyes a little wonky...)

And next is a mixed media Christmas card--have to get busy on those envelopes!

And there you have it--day two of thirty-one! I remembered a couple more restaurants I'd like to include in my reviews so this just might carry on a little longer than just through October...yay! Thanks for swinging by!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Day One: Dunkin' Donuts

So, it might seem a little lame to start this all off with a coffee shop but Dunkin' Donuts is huge around here. I love coffee--especially caramel lattes--and Sheetz used to be my favorite latte fix back in PA. Then we moved to MA and there are no Sheetz here. None. Nada. Zip. Meh. There are, however, Dunkin' Donuts practically everywhere you turn! Check out the map below--all those little pink dots...Dunkin's. Google 'em and scroll up to Boston, you'd think it was a Breast Cancer Awareness rally for all the pink!! We have one lowly Starbucks tucked away in our Dartmouth Target--that's it. And, oh, there are a few little other coffee shops here trying to hold their own against Dunkin', but...truly, our king of caffeine here is spelled out in orange and pink:

Dunkin's originated here in Quincy, MA back in 1950, hence their dense population. Ashlee and I once joked about making it our mission to visit every Dunkin's in the area--that's a lot of coffee!! We've been to many and have an endless list to carry on with this mission...But I have a clear favorite of the closest stores: 2095 Acushnet Ave, here in New Bedford. I have driven past four other Dunkin's as well as other myriad little coffee shops and Honeydews (another coffee competitor in the area) to go to the Acushnet Ave store. The staff is silly and friendly, and they make the BEST caramel swirl latte in New Bedford, hands down (and they super pile on the whipped cream and caramel swirl--oh yeah...so worth the extra gas and travel when you want *just a little more please*)

And now that it's fall, pumpkin everything is on the menu! I'll occasionally indulge in a pumpkin latte--straight up, no extra white chocolate or other added flavor, thank you. Dunkin's flavors can sometimes go overboard on sweetness--a little goes a long, long way...I got to sample their pumpkin munchkins the other night--super yummy! Though I haven't tried their pumpkin pie filled donut yet--that's more up Bill's alley than mine...And with winter not all that far off, I can start dreaming about Dunkaccino's--their coffee/cocoa concoction that is oh so good! And minty or salted caramel cocoas--mm mm yummy!!

It's no wonder, with so many yummy flavors of coffee and donuts, along with a great menu of sandwiches as well, that America truly does 'run on Dunkin's!'