Lucy loves it when I’m working from home so she can sit on my lap and keep my legs warm.
Have a happy weekend!
Phone Photo Friday
10/30/2009
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Art, Art: Phone Photo Friday, Family, Family: Lucy | Tagged: lap warmer, Lucy, work from home | 
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Posted by mahlbrandt
Bathroom Renovation Stage 3
10/29/2009Demo has begun! This week Jason started tearing down the wall and door frame around the toilet closet and the wall behind the former sink. It’s a dusty mess—which makes doing laundry interesting—but it’s so nice to see major progress!
What’s next: clean up the debris, move the air vent in the floor (over about a foot) and then build the new walls!
In case you missed it:
Bathroom Renovation Stage 1
Bathroom Renovation Stage 2
1 Comment | Art, Art: bathroom renovation, Art: interior design, Art: mid-century design, Art: modern design | Tagged: bathroom renovation, home, master bathroom | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Erie Trip – Part 3 (Bonus)
10/27/2009Some people like to take pictures with funny mustaches. The A-team likes to entertain ourselves on road trips with taking funny pictures in “chinaman glasses” (leftover from a theme party for The Office).
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: fashion, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Phone Photo Friday
10/23/2009
From the backseat of the Vibe about 7 hours into our drive home on Monday
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: Phone Photo Friday | Tagged: cell phone camera, ipod, Phone Photo Friday, road trip | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Erie Trip – Part 2
10/22/2009Day 3 – Visited my aunt, uncle and cousins in the morning (didn’t get any pics), had lunch at Imperial China Buffet, went shopping (tax free clothes baby!), Ginger and I played with a pug puppy at the mall, went to dinner at the home of Jason’s bro Steve and wife Char, and finally met their almost-1-year-old little dude Aiden, then we all fell in love with him and his goofy laugh
Day 4 – I had the smile breakfast at Eat’n Park were Jason used worked as a cook and my friends hung out every Friday night for a year in high school; took advantage of the sunshine and when down to the peninsula for a walk—my favorite location in Erie; reminisced about one of our first dates when we watched the sunset and talked about the wonders of God; walked toward the place Jason proposed to me 7.5 years ago; went to Aiden’s 1st birthday party; watched him get overwhelmed with gifts and confused by the singing followed by giant cake; had dinner at O’Charley’s (yes, a Nashville-based chain) with Dave and Emily; played Mexican Train for a couple of house and then fell asleep watching The Office
Day 5 – Breakfast at Tim Horton’s (a first for all of us Nashvillians) and then napped on-and-off thru a 10 hour drive home (including 4 stops)
Leave a Comment » | Art: God's creation, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends | Tagged: Erie, framily, friends, Presque Isle, vacation | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Packing Clothes for 5 Days
10/19/2009This past weekend my husband, BIL, SIL and I went on a 5-day vacation to Erie, PA stopping half-way to stay overnight in Cincinnati, OH. As I was planning what clothing to pack, I thought it would be fun to share my method of mixing and matching clothing in order to pack as light as possible. Let me start off my saying a few things: 1. I am definitely no fashion expert, 2. I wear a lot of blue, green, brown and gray (I think this makes things easier), 3. I don’t iron my clothes. Now that I have those things off my chest, let’s go. Here’s the entire wardrobe for five days:
(2 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, 3 sweaters, 2 jackets, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 hats, 2 scarfs)
Day 1
Expected plans: 4.5 hour car ride, visiting friends with 1.5 month old baby, dinner & maybe shopping or sightseeing:
Comfy worn jeans, teal blue t-shirt, gray cable knit sweater, silver slip-on flats, gray striped scarf, black cap (optional)
Forecast: Hi 50º / Lo 41º Rainy
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Day 2
Expected plans: 5 hour car ride (on to second location), visit hubby and BIL’s grandmother, dinner with friends, shopping
Dark jeans, gray keyhole t-shirt, green cashmere zip hoodie, brown wool cap, green suede casual shoes, long brown wool coat
Forecast: morning city Hi 51º; evening city Hi 48º / Lo 38º Rain 50% chance
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Day 3
Expected plans: Visiting friends and family, shopping, sightseeing, dinner with hubby’s family at home of our other BIL and SIL and our 1 yr old nephew Aiden
Comfy worn jeans, green boat neck t-shirt, gray cable knit sweater, black fleece pullover, silver slip-on flats, gray striped scarf, black cap
Forecast: Hi 45º / Lo 39º Rain & show showers
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Day 4
Expected plans: Church and out to lunch with friends, birthday party for our nephew with family, hang out with friends and/or sightseeing in the evening
Dark jeans, pink t-shirt under brown wool deep-v sweater, olive green jersey knit scarf, brown wool cap, green suede casual shoes, long brown wool coat
Forecast: Hi 50º / Lo 41º Sunny
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Day 5
Expected plans: 9.5 hour car ride back home
Comfy worn jeans, light blue scoop neck t-shirt, green cashmere zip hoodie, gray striped scarf, silver slip-on flats, black cap
1 Comment | Art, Art: fashion, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends | Tagged: clothes, Family, friends, packing, travel, vacation | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Phone Photo Friday
10/16/2009
Only in Nashville would I watch a guy with a cowboy hat walk across an intersection and down the street carrying an un-cased upright bass.
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: music, Art: Phone Photo Friday | Tagged: cell phone camera, East Nashville, Nashville, Phone Photo Friday, upright bass | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Fall Family Night + Chili Recipe
10/15/2009
…AKA Chili Night. Our church had our annual picnic on Sunday evening. This year it was a fall festival where everyone brought chili and fixin’s and dessert. It was a very laid-back afternoon of playing games on a blanket in the grass. Jason looks forward to any opportunity to hold baby Mikaelyn. (She’s the sweet little girl who just might ruin our planned baby timeframe.)
Then chili for dinner, of course. I ate my own recipe and Jason looked for something spicer. He found a New Orleans style Bouron chili that was perfect for him. I had a yummy peanut butter and chocolate rice krispy treat for dessert. Just before dark we went on a hayride. Then gathered around a bonfire to get warmed up afterward. Hayride pics (and above pictures) taken from friend’s facebook. (Thanks!)
In case you don’t have a good chili recipe, I thought I’d share. This is the recipe my mom has been using from a 35 year old Betty Crocker cookbook plus some modifications we’ve made. I turns out very colorful.
Chili con Carne with Tomatoes
1 lb (or so) of ground beef
1 big sweet onion, chopped
1-2 large green peppers, chopped (I used 4 small ones from the garden, some turning orange)
1 can (1 lb 12 oz) peeled whole tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder (original recipe calls for 2 tsp)
1/8 tsp salt (I always end up adding more)
1/8 tsp cayenne red pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
2 cans (15.5 oz) beans (I used 1 red kidney and 1 black bean)
Cook and stir ground beef, onions and green peppers in a large pot until meat is brown and onion is tender (15 minutes or so). Stir in remaining ingredients except for beans.
Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 2 hours covered, stirring occasionally, or 45 minutes uncovered. Break up whole tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in beans and heat until warm.
Suggested fixins: finely shredded cheddar, sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro, crackers
Leave a Comment » | Art, Art: Cooking, Faith, Family, Family: Extended Family and Friends, Family: Jason | Tagged: bonfire, chili recipe, fall family night, grace church, hayride | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Fall Flowers & Foliage
10/14/2009
While we were building mini greenhouses on Saturday, I couldn’t resist taking photos of some of our flowers and plants in their fall splendor. The succulent above seems to change colors for every season. I love the rusty orange-brown for October!
Lavender is still going strong. I love the frosty blue-green leaves against the purple buds. The smell makes me gag, though. 🙂
A couple of red azalea flowers still hanging on.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars enjoying our parsley.
I decided to pick the last of the basil and attempt to preserve it for cooking through the winter. Also, before chopping down the last of the zinnia bushes, I cut a few flowers to make two final vases.
In a random conversation with a stranger, I learned of a technique for saving and storing fresh basil that I decided to try. I cut up the leaves into small strips with cooking shears and mixed them in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil. Then I spooned the mixture into an ice cube tray and drizzled with more EVOO. Once they’re solid, I put the cubes into a ziplock bag. I’m hoping these basil-cubes will work! I LOVE fresh basil in my pasta.
Black bamboo: you are stunning. I love you.
1 Comment | Art, Art: God's creation | Tagged: black bamboo, caterpiller, fall, flowers, herb garden, preserving basil, zinnia | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
Smells like Heaven
10/13/2009Clean laundry is my favorite smell in the world. Not the artificial clean laundry smell they use for candles and air freshener – REAL clean laundry. I love it! Which makes me wonder why I was prioritizing price over smell (and apparently, quality).
After 2 of my husband’s dark gray shirts got bleached by low quality cheapo detergent (I won’t mention the name but it’s pictured above in the blue bottle.), I decided to start buying Tide again. Tide smells wonderful. Combined with Bounce fabric softener sheets? HEAVENLY. Can’t wait to be enveloped by my clean sheets tonight!
In case you’re wondering, we have done anything else with our master bathroom since Stage 2. But, we have shopped around for .75″x.75″ porcelain tiles and we’ve still been looking for a MCM cabinet to use as a bathroom vanity.
1 Comment | Art: fashion, Other | Tagged: favorite smell, laundry | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
myMCMlife.com 