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♔ -- Making themes has always been incredibly relaxing and just soothing for me, however over the years there have been many incidents where people have blatantly taken my coding and tweaked/claimed it as their own. I will always keep my themes up and continue creating more so long as I'm on here, but please, please respect the credit where it is due!
♔ -- You may edit the layouts I've made in any way you would like. All I ask is that the credit stays right where I have put it, unless clearly shown elsewhere! To continue onto my themes, simply hit the 'forgive' link below!
♔ -- Please note: I no longer answer any theme questions. I will be posting a theme FAQ page which I will add to frequently, but until it is up please refrain from asking them. My apologies. Of course, if there are any serious issues feel free to contact me on my main blog.
I remember looking at you, 3am barefooted on the dark streets, and telling you that this was the easiest way to be happy.
Don't try to understand okay.
You may not understand it but she'll disappear off into the maps for a few night's stay with her own sheets, you'll barely hear a word and her lips will run so dry you'll be tempted to wet them with your own but all you need to do is keep in the quiet and wait for her to turn back to you. She might glance up once in awhile, it's only to look at you. She needs you there as little to none as she may show it. When she shuffles her legs she's feeling them brush against yours when you are past sleep. When she bends her knees to prop her journal, your hips are beneath them. When she tucks her hair she is flustered because the touch is nowhere near as rough as her skin remembers. But it's okay. She'll be okay. Just give her the time she needs, let her have the affairs she needs. She will need a lot of them, however she will never ask for them. She can't afford words at times like those.
Let her shrug into her rain coat at two in the morning, don't make it known that she's woken you up. Watch her. Look at how fragile she is. She isn't as exhausted as you think, just wait until she returns. She might come back in through the door a few times, she'll try to be quiet and use her toes but the cracks in her ankles might give her away, but you know what to expect. No matter how long she spends tossing things to find her journal, let her come back to the edge of the bed to grab it from against your thigh. You might save her the time, but it is much better for her to have the touch. The second she reaches bedside may be all that's necessary for her to come back to you. It is a dangerous place to be, for her, but that's why she loves it in the ways that she does. If she leaves at such an hour, you have nothing to worry about. She is being cared for. The night is sitting on her shoulders and playing with her hair, it may come back tangled but the company was all she needed. Her lips are warm, and everything delicious is resting on her tongue. It isn't that she prefers it over your taste. No. Don't be so foolish as to think it's that. The mere thought of tasting it along with your lips when she returns will be what brings her back through your door in the first place.
She will need to taste other things, she will need the attention of her books and the caress of the pages along her fingers and she will need the attention of her mugs to burn her mouth, to leave her tongue singed to bring attention to the roof of her mouth, the backs of her teeth, to bite into her thick cheeks, just so she can recognize all of the places that still exist. She will need the attention of every thunderstorm that passes through the city streets and the attention of every dog stranded on surrounding fire escapes, every couple swaying drunkenly between her ankles on the sidewalks below. Most important she will need the attention from what you might think of as an excuse of a journal, a torn bundle of pages that may not even be bound. She may leave them all over the place, they may cover your papers for work and leave you running late. They may hide your keys. But she needs it. God does she need it. So let her have it. Don't be angry with her. Don't be impatient. Remember that the love she gives is a love you will alway have, please don't forget that. She is begging even if she hasn't said a word. No matter how many of these things she leaves under her tongue, no matter how direly she may need the attention of all of these others, her tireless affairs, know that they are nothing without you. Know that they are not taking away from any of the attention that you give her just the same. They do not exist without you. You are what is holding them together. Don't feel as if you are lacking her. Don't think that because she wanders she is not yours. She brings you everywhere with her. Watch her carefully. Because with these other lovers is when she is most yours.
When she kisses you before she leaves in the mornings only to hurry around the apartment to find the things she's buried in the night before, let her believe she'd forgotten to do so and kiss her again. She may be back a few more times, but remember to let her carry the time. The touch is always what she needs.
Know that some days you may wake up to an estranged heart locked up into the girl that you love. You might not recognize her, and she doesn't recognize herself, which is why she may not speak. She doesn't want any other girl telling you the words that belong between the two of you. Throughout these days it may be the quietest it will ever be in that apartment, or it may be the most cluttered. It may take everything you have not to organize, not to dim the lights, not to reach for the remote and silence the orchestras streaming through the speakers. But it's all that's keeping her light. Overbearing does not exist for her, because she is every sense of the word. She is everything too much, because to her the thought of doing anything too little is hardly worth being done, and feeling anything too gently wouldn't leave enough of a mark. Keep the lights on, if this is what she chooses. Leave the half tattered sketches displaced all over the counters, let them taint the pages of her books. It will only help her remember. (Look carefully into the lips, they most likely will always resemble yours. She can't help that.) Let the bathwater run over, let it run cold. She will never see this as a frustration, you will never be able to tell she's noticed. You won't hear a thing besides a breath of a gasp when she sinks into it, sometimes she prefers the cold.
That's another thing you'll have to remember. Her temperament. You will never quite be able to follow behind as closely as you would like to. Let her write on the most riveting and beautiful days. Let her shade it from the living room. Let her shut down, you have no other choice. Let her stumble through the hallways because it is too dark to see her toes, her fingers dragging against the wallpapers, leaving behind granite trails. Don't be mad at her for it. Let her sit in the corners of the counters and hold her knees to her on the kitchen floor, let her write. Don't make her speak up, there are times when she won't know how to use her tongue. But even then she will tell you that she loves you with everything that she does, and everything that she is. When she is stirring her hot chocolate and let's the spoon clink against the side, don't be naive enough to believe it's an accident. When she lets the wine drip down the edge of the glass and catches it before it dips with her pinky, listen to her. When she pulls the down off of the bed and leaves nothing but the sheets and a single pillow at the foot, when she leaves the bathwater dripping in a full and chilled tub, when she leaves three quarters of her pancakes on top of the stove and leaves the blame to a full stomach, when she comes through the door soaked in rain water, when her jaw clenches, she's telling you something. She is always telling you something. Do not take any sound for granted, any detail. Do your best to hear her, because if you can't you don't deserve her.
If you ever get a glimpse into her pages, she isn't looking for any feedback. She may not be looking for anything once you've finished reading, she's been studying you all the while. She'll look for slight eyebrow raises, a purse of your lips, dialations, if your breath picks up or where it trips. She'll count the seconds and later when you're long gone to a drowsy night, she'll skim her hand down the page and count to herself again, and believe me she will remember where every inch of you had reacted. Where you had curled up in the curves of the u's, where you had let your breath escape into the o's, the m's caressing your tongue like she would. You will be overwhelmed by her. Consistently. Always. Just know you don't have to understand to feel, and she is proof of that in the softest of flesh.
She may be up at ungodly hours of the night baking things that may never be touched, because leaving them to sit and be devoured by another is enough pleasure for her, and she has exhausted herself enough into the process to spend her love dissolving in her mouth. She would always much rather prefer crawling back into bed to find the taste of you. Don't be alarmed if she leaves the bed, she'll do so quietly and she will return with the most delicious sweets on the roof of her tongue, and that is something she cannot help but to share.
She'll more often wear your t shirts than her own, and she'll hold infatuations over inches of your body that you would have never considered could have been loved. She will kiss your knees and she will brush her thumb over your ankles when she's crawling into bed, her lips will touch to the edge of your palm just where she likes it. Where the skin webs with the bones when you jar your thumb out to the side. The dresses that she wears will always be for you, loose in most places but hugging her in all of the places she'd like, know that these are your arms surrounding her throughout the day. Know that you are in every single mug that she cups, that she is bringing you to her lips with every sip. She will over indulge you in her favorites and speak about the tastes of things more often than you've ever taken notice to them, but what she is really saying is that she enjoys the way they stick to your kiss, and they always taste better with you.
She will always expend her day to you, even if you had been there. She will suffer for people she barely knows and she will feel heartache when a love is lost between the lines of her novel, because it was just as much hers as you are. She will often dwell on the thought of loss, she will feel things so tragic that you may not know how to help her, but as a writer she will always cling onto the things she does not have. Before you it was all she could do to be that girl who fantasizes until she nears madness and writes herself into all of the things that she wished warmed her chilled bones at night, but now that she has the feel of your skin against her own it's the opposite that her heart aches for. The idea of loneliness and a tantalizing nothing fascinates her, and she will never be able to wrap herself around it when it is not with her. Do your best to understand. That is something she never will, either.
Some nights she will take up painting. She will spend copious amounts of money that she will never quite have to take up the one thing that consumes her and grabs her right then, no matter how fleeting. She will buy canvases and paints even if she already has the colors in a miscellaneous bin in the closet, she will always be unsatisfied with the shades, she will try her best to find one that matches the colors so vividly in her mind but she does not take note to the fact that such things do not exist. Some nights she will dance. Some nights she will write. Some nights she will wrap herself in and out of music, whether silently or out loud. Some nights she may simply take up you. She will be all over the place, all at once. It is all you can do to follow.
This is just the way that things will be. This is just the way that she is, this is the way that she loves. You may not be able to handle it, and you will never catch it all, but everything that is in your own little apartment is the result of her loving you. The poster half alive on the back of the bathroom door reminded her of the night you lit her candles for her to soak the apartment, you picked her favorite, because it was the closest that resembled the smell that so often was your skin. She leaves books in your place when you've left and none of them are quite at all by any sort of accident, the titles left on your side of the bed all have folded pages that made her ache, of you. The covers left on your side of the couch can all be translated into something. It will all mean something.
It will all mean everything. And in time, perhaps one night you just may catch up to the amount of love she is offering to you. Just know that even then, by morning she will have found another way to tell you, in all of the ways she knows how to. In the only way she knows how to.
She will get angry with you. She will spur up the wildest of temper's you've ever seen, and she will often get agitated at the way she loves, because as difficult as it may be for you to take in it is all the more tiresome to exist as, all the more gruesome to her body to give. What most people don't know is that she has no choice. She has no other option than to pour herself so heavily into everything that the two of you will become, it isn't that it will drive her to insanity, it's that she is already there. She has already pulled up a chair and had a silent breakfast as if two old friends, she has gotten to know it, just like every other emotion that has ever once surged through her tiny body. You might think it impossible for such drastic thoughts and feelings to be packed into something so small, and truth be it it is. The way that she loves you is nothing short of an impossibility. It is what will drive her towards death. It will, in time, kill her. Even if slowly, part by part, journal by journal, night by night. You will never, I promise, I swear to any God's that exist, feel anything quite like what she will throw against you. She can love you gently, but she can love you just as roughly all the while. She will pay attention to the way you swallow every bit of it, and adjust to make you feel it even more. She will smother you and suffocate you, she will tear you apart and crawl herself into every little inch of you, and she will make it her own. And if you choose to love her back, if you choose to accept that you may never understand, that you may never comprehend, that you may never be able to dissect exactly what it is she is trying to say or trying to show you, don't think of it as even the slightest any form of suffering, to be given this sort of love. Because she is left just as daft and dazed as you, and by some unrealistic force, you may find that you lose yourself as well. And it will be the most unnerving, bustling, and love defying experience of your existence.
(Source: sleepingtigers)
Before I know it people are coming back home. People are just waltzing right back in through the double doors at the edge of my heart and making themselves comfortable, settling into the sheets that cling to their limbs again because there's is the only scent that mingles correctly. Keeping lights on under shut doors for much longer than healthy, but what's health if it come's to a conversation with the rain, the moon's eyes are always so teary and God it is so easy to listen. They are keeping me awake. Their windows are propped open and their fingers are playing along the wet and slick sills but I can hardly feel it, not yet, soon I'll recognize them, though. I always do. I remember the knuckles of every single person I've felt. Some keep their heat on too high, sweltering in their blankets and tossing and turning waiting for the door to be pushed open enough to let my draft in. They want the sweat clinging to my neck, my clothes sticking to my ribs and neck and chest. Any excuse to run bare. Any excuse to run me bare. Everyone eventually comes home, and I never leave.
I'll keep the windows down on my way home, maybe the smell of the night stuck against my skin will make you want to kiss me more. I know the night comforts you, so I'll bring it to bed with me.
You have a bite to your cheeks that makes me crave winter, even as fragile as I am in the cold. And God I'd love to be lifted out of my boots, arms stuck fingers stuck between my ribs, clinging onto them for warmth. And if we remember to shut the door leave the draft between our lips, let me chatter my teeth numb against your tongue and drip the flakes from my lashes, cup my jaw like you always do and let's go back to the night we'd first met. Flannel thick, tucked against wrists thick against your skin and the rashes left across my neck, my stomach, between my thighs and coffee spilt down throughout the knit drowning my chest. And when you unwound it you'd look at me and give my hip a nudge to twirl and let your fingers drag around my waist, and I'd unbutton from the bottom up so that the heels of my palms could slope to find the coldest flesh, and eventually we were out of fabrics. We always found a way to talk back to the chill. (I always did like the way it made your breath taste.)
This would be an absolutely ideal time to be in my own little apartment okay. I just want quiet and a gentle company. And I would just keep my sleepy playlists on repeat and all of the lights off and walk around in barely an excuse for clothing and my hair knotted up and half tangled in someone else's fingers and half in the band and half in the sheets and half sprawled across a neck with my nose buried in deep. And I'd live in bed with a sleepy body and a sleepy mind and sleepy lips and a sleepy boy next to me with sleepy hands running down my back and a sleepy taste left in my mouth and rubbing against my tongue, asleep behind my teeth. And he'll lay his head on my bare tummy and I'll play with his hair and maybe drift in and out of sleep and lose track of the night and treat the morning like there's no such thing. And I'll sit inside the window pane and let my leg dangle out against the cold bricks and watch everything get drowsy around me and the streetlights blink while the fog rolls in, and if it rains I'll stay right where I am and let my shirt cling to my ribs and hug crookedly against my neck and water the dandelions beneath me, and I'll sit out on that fire escape until my limbs are sleepy enough to forget what bed means and how to rest other than lying against the cold metal three flights up. And if I start to fall asleep I'll know handsome hands when I feel them hooked under my knees, and handsome lips when they meet to my temple and murmur something they know I will barely hear. But it will be enough. And I want that voice with me that could talk me so easily beneath the covers and to lye under them with just the light of the warmth at their lips to find one another, but look towards each other regardless, sighing while the other shifts and swallowing while the other licks their lips.
My body seems to know what yours tastes like and maybe that's why I can't seem to keep still in these sheets and why my lips feel so foreign to one another, as if it's almost strange that they've come to meet each eachother again, so used to stumbling over yours if even the smallest of attempts. Don't think you understand any part of Familiarity until you begin to lose all sense of yourself, until the night you cup cold water to your face and the drips running down your throat don't bother you, when you wrap your arms around your tender little frame and stand there still beneath the water as it cools and chills and numbs because you don't recognize the touch the feel the shape of your own body, why the third rib against your left cage isn't abstract against the rest, while the skin under your palms mind as well be a stranger's you had drunkenly picked up on the Subway. When you lick your pale lips and question the taste, and your legs graze together with a slight shift in bed and the weight is too delicate to be comfortable. When you cannot physically comprehend where your body has detached from theirs is what I would like to be maddened by. When I can sit in that cafe, exhausted and drenched from the ends of the hair stuck to my neck down into the boots leaving puddles beneath them, press the mug to my mouth, and taste your lips. When I'm huddling into any sort of warmth I can get from my own grasp, hurrying home to you, and the crisp wind coaxing my hair out of my face to nip at my cheeks becomes your palm against the blush, tucking loose strands against my ear. When the sunflowers and clementines is your smell in the morning. When the bite of Vodka becomes your teeth sinking into my lips, breaking skin and slurring me into your bed.
I want something that I cannot escape. I want to be smothered, loved, and familiar.
I am constantly on this uncomfortable and unrealistic edge between not knowing how to properly handle a situation and honestly wondering if there is a right way to handle anything at all. The thing is when I feel I feel too much and I am worried that as wonderful as it may seem as gushy and lovable and desirable and enviable as it might come across to be a girl who feels love to the amount that I do might be something that no one else could possibly handle. I used to live incessantly with intentions and expectations just waiting between my lips to pass over to anyone who's got a cute pair to match them but lately since I've branched out and let myself just fucking be without needing the company of a love to talk me to sleep each night, I have found a place on my own even if it is still insanely fantasy driven, I just can't help but to think that it may be just in my nature it may be all I am here for to pour these restless and overbearing and overwhelming and ridiculous urges to just love someone so fully that they cannot take it. So I don't know how I will ever sit still if the love that I go after is the love that ends up driving love itself away. It is just ridiculous okay because even if I cannot say that I have someone here tucked in next to me that I love then I will have brief and fleeting relationships with every single person I pass and everything that touches to my fingers, anything that reaches my tongue. I could simple meet a dark set of eyes and for the entire night I am wrapped in a rain coat to my chin with hot chocolate in my palms, up and out late enough with hope that it may seem mysterious more than it does desperate, more than it does longing. Nothing tastes as good as kisses that you peek into. I just want to kiss some body but I don't want to kiss just anybody and I just want to do cute things and tell myself it's alright if it doesn't mean a thing, but I know myself well enough to know that every inch of what's handed to me is an opportunity to feel, and to feel more than I maybe should be able to. When is it too much? Because I don't know.
My eyes are closed and I'm typing this hardly awake and hardly asleep and hardly aware and hardly rational but that is okay because a lot of the times my heart is right here at my finger tips or right on the tip of my tongue and I speak on it when most of the time I shouldn't. People don't know how to handle tasting that sort of love with a little kiss, how can you be sure what someone's intentions are unless you question them with your lips? The edge of the jaw, their bare throat, you have to know what to pay attention to. Because it is all in the way they move it is not about the kiss it is the placement and the raw touch that will tell you everything you have to know, don't be such a silly girl with that melting and mushy heart of yours, save it for the day when your windows were left open though that's such a misleading term because you always prefer them that way, and you keep your lips clenched tight and touch your toes to the rain that's soaking the washed boards beneath them and I know you're thinking and I know you're standing there with ankles chest fingers numb but stop thinking for the night and don't say those words, don't trip over the throbbing ache in your mouth I know it's straining I know it's tiring, you should have long ago been in bed but it's not such a place at all for rest without a pair of knees to kiss your own. But don't they always tell you it's so foolish to need anyone else. Well so what if I just nudge out that word what if I get rid of the need and keep it for when it's needed, no, no no I am not that vulnerable girl I do not need you but I crave you that's more fitting does that keep things light on our toes enough, is that the right amount of emotion you're looking for? And you're happy on your own you've learned and you've wandered and you've shared late nights with the moon but doesn't it seem silly when all you can quite think about is how those deep cheek bones might look in the night's mouth and you wonder if the night keeps it's heart on it's tongue just like you do and if just maybe at the right time, just maybe there is a right time to say everything that you need to. There is that awful word again. But I do not want to need you, please believe that it may be the last choice I may make from this position, eyes glued to the dripping pane, waiting and impatient and wondering and barely at my knees barely crawling laying there split open for you to pick apart, I can't help but to notice if you notice. No, but you might. I do not want to need you but tell me what it means to need someone when you are unsure of what you need? Tell me what it means to want without knowing how or feel without control, without pause and without any interruption even tasteful, when not even the salty tang against the tip of your tongue could quiet it. It is always that sort of night where if you were wise you'd curl into bed and let your analyzing and love drive you mad, but you've never been that type of girl. No, you want teeth sinking into every single place that makes you drip and stain your skin and lips and sheets and bones and fingers you want a constant reminder of things that might soon need to be forgotten, but you savor what you can get. And right now the blood on your lips, whether mine or your own, is enough for me to make the wrong choice maybe for one last night. Who knows what we could become by morning.
(And I'll leave kisses as skin maps to travel your favorite places.)
I would be somewhere where it's raining. Where even the night can pull off looking gloomy, too dark, too cloudy. A moody night when the weather has a temper and my heart just keeps fluttering too much for it to think straight. At first I'd just like to have my raincoat with me. Dark blue, dangling down to just above my knees, big buttons crossing all the way to just beneath my chin, and a hood to swallow back my hair, even though it won't save the drips from getting to my bangs. I want cute rain boots too. I'll walk to where I'd like to go, just with the night's company. The puddles can talk to me and the scuff of my boots can join in and the sloshing of the sleepy eyed drivers out at such an hour passing me can pitch in too, if they happen to be around. Then I'll get to my little cafe. I want to be able to see it from a block away, when everything else is asleep and every window's eyes' are closed and the cafe is the only thing illuminated it seems for miles. That tangy, dim light. The light ding above my head to greet me. Then the night can wait outside, until of course I'm ready for it to walk me home, to tuck me back into bed. There'd be a cute dainty little waitress, the only one willing and able to work such a night shift, weary but present. I'd whisper my order to her before I sat, and I'd make my way to the very end of the cafe, against the corner window. I could let my hood fall and the ends of my hair send droplets to scurry and slide down my thighs, my fingers tingling. Waiting for the warmth. I'd get some delicious coffee, some sort of mocha or how about french vanilla. Yes I'd like that. And I'd hold it between my fingers until they blushed from the scorch of the heat and I'd stir, and I'd stir, and I'd stir, just to hear the clinks of the mug writing me a short little sonet. A love poem, even. If I could, if I really really could choose, the only company, then, that I'd ask for is a set of handsome eyes sitting on the very opposite end of the cafe, at his own round and tiny table with countless empty and body-less ones between us, the same aroma and scent clinging to his lips and skin as mine. Dark coffee to match deep set eyes, untouched and unrefined scruff to compliment a nice jaw. A brunette. A red rain jacket leading down to a wonderful pair of hands, a writers hands, a creator's hands, passionate hands. Hands that look like they've touched ground. Touched someone, somewhere, something. Actually touched. Maybe a book at his table, like there'd be one tucked in the slouchy pockets of my coat. I'd like to look up, for him to do the same, to meet in the briefest of ways and know that at least then and there I belong to someone entirely, and they to me.
And I'll kiss above your knees when you come home in your favorite sundress, letting my lip drag across all of the blending freckles that leave your cheeks aglow, bringing the sunlight with you when the moon's company waltzes throughout our apartment. Daylight sits across your shoulders, my finger lazily slurring across them before the teeth sunken into your plush lips grabs my attention. I caught the scent of the break. Cracked lips and wine against the roof of your mouth but I'll only grab the sweetest, one that will make your cravings drip behind the bed of your tongue, just let me curl up there. And when your neck cranes I'll know. Your eyes I'll catch while they lightly roll back and your eyelids flutter, your favorite treats wafting you towards the kitchen. Our fingers trip across the light switch but decide otherwise, the counters cool touch cupping under your thighs to hold you up, it's palms might grasp too tightly but it's just to keep you close. I know how the night teases you. And I'll stand between your knees if you'll let me, the kitchen's heated breath mingling with yours and I'll taste the sweet against your soft flesh, nevermind the timer. Clasp your knees. Surround me. If the rain starts to trip across the windows let them drown, I'll keep my mouth along your nape and we'll sit beside the vacant fireplace and watch the reflections drizzling across the floorboards, sundress straps slipping across the arch. We'll set up a blanket on the floor and I'll wait while you shower, droplets sheer as the nightgown's arms clung around your waist, the long v draped down the center of your chest, blushed from the singe of the water. Come and sit between my legs, I'll kiss your ankles and your spine and I'll brush your damp hair with my fingers until our eyes slouch along with our bodies. You can rest here against me, here with me, I've got you. Don't worry, I've got you.
There is something about her when she first comes through the door, bidding the rumbling night adieu with the rain slipping across her navy coat, palm sized buttons to her knees as she fumbles, creating a puddle across the flushed boards of the floor. And it's too tiring to be angry with her, already I can taste the evening on her lips, the vodka diluted by the musk of the late morning hours and the watermelon mints piled in a nest beneath her tongue. And she lets her breath exceed her pale mouth, shivering teeth, almost as if she had been tucking it back to keep it from mingling with the moon's, a riveting lover so she's said. Some nights when her body lacks within our sheets I worry it has whisked her off, whispered to her some sultry tale of luminescent walks with lake water to dip her toes into, swallow her to her ankles while the two ripple conversations of where they are headed next. Somehow the pooled crescents always lead her bare feet back to me, on her toes but here, nonetheless. If nothing else I can make out the ruby red of her finger tips, smoothing the hair netted across her temples, knotting around her ears, caught in her lashes. Dripping. She stands small and dripping. With purple beneath her eyes, mascara hugging the swell, her freckles rearranged with water droplets I can hear pattering to the floor, closing my eyes to the sound of her heels shuffling against the damp wood. Her shoulders flexing, pulled back by her wrists, the coat sloppily landing to the floor. The breaths leaving her lips assure me that they are her own. I hear her necklace fumbling the chest of her dress, and the draft throughout the room sends a chill when I know she's between my knees, where she waits. My eyes closed, sunken into our couch, fabric far from parched from her body weighting with mine the night before. And she leaves the windows open to paint the room with the night's invisible grin, every piece of lightning allowing me a look. Briefly. Fleeting. The flutter of a nervous light switch. Listening to her moving before me. Right here. Shoulders, sunken collars. Hidden. Right here. Breasts, inhaled flesh. Hidden. Right here. Waistline, the cloth falling further. Wait. Hidden. Right here. Knees. The night tints her from me again just when her dress teases the floor. The water joins my skin, she shares soft pelts with my thighs, chest, chin as she's hovering above me, and she crawls her tiny bottom into my hands. And I grip her, vowing never to let these hours steal her from me again. And we look at one another in the still, the storm only granting bouts of her outline. Right here. Wet, thick hair clung to her neck. Gone again. Right here. Water dripping from her lower lip. Closer, now. Gone again. Right here. Goose bumps lining her skin. Stolen again. Ruby red. And then her chilled fingers are cupped against my neck, thumbs at my jaw, before my ears, after, threading up through my hair. "Right here." And it's too tiring to be angry with her, already I can taste the evening on her lips, the vodka diluted by the musk of the late morning hours and the watermelon mints piled in a nest beneath her tongue. Tonight, at least, she is mine.


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Gone Pie Bakery Review
What a beautiful overcast day. Somedays it is nice to have a gloomy day with cool weather. Am I preparing for fall, you might ask? Perhaps, but there is this sense of peace and quiet solitude especially when one is by the lake.
We are really blessed to have great friends who have opened their homes to us when we make our trek from Lansing to Holland. It is a good 1.5 hour drive one way and sometimes our rehearsals go until 10pm, so it is not an ideal drive getting back home.
Yes. The time is here when the Holland Chorale comes back in session. Ryan has been in meetings, auditions, and hearings for the new year and I could already sense the excitement! I had my audition, singing one of Dvorak's pieces from his song cycle called the Biblical Songs. I also had to try out and be placed for a small chamber choir that Ryan directs. It was all pretty fun because as you know, I have not done tons of singing this summer. It has been a pretty busy one. I do have a voice lesson tonight so I am looking forward to that!
Anyway, while we are in Holland we get to stay with friends from the choir and usually we get to stay with a couple that live very near Lake Michigan. Last night we went for a boat ride after dinner. I had had a walk prior to dinner so it was nice and relaxing to putt putt around the lake. Nothing to rough though!
There was some nice wildlife on our way back from our ride too!
Being here has allowed me to relax in the way I should even though I have PLENTY on my mind. I have been working on a to-do list and I have been getting things off my list too! One of smaller things is having my nails done. This morning my friend's granddaughter was nice enough to paint mine just in time for the opening MSU game on Friday. How fun is that? Thanks Ellie!
So how about this review? I was able to sample some delicious and wonderful goodies by my friend at Gone Pie Bakery. We have met several times and even when she came to visit her family in Michigan. Gone Pie Bakery has been in business in the New York area for over 25 years specializing in vegan and gluten-free baking.
What started as a storefront business quickly evolved to an on-line / wholesale business catering to those with specialized diets. I know for a fact as well that many businesses around the area carry her products too! Gone Pie has also shared recipes on her blog and really keeps her readers updated on seasonal goodies that are being baked in her kitchen.
What did I get to try? Oh my goodness, where do I start? I think I should start with the Ginger Cookies. These are probably the most delicious ginger cookies I have eaten. They melt in your mouth and have a really fresh and natural ginger flavor that no other ginger cookie has been able to deliver. It is soft and very moist and perfect with a cup of tea.
The beauty of this is that the ingredients are shared with the buyer. How great is it to know what you are ordering especially when you know everything is nautral! The best! YUM! Here is a sample of the ingredients:gluten-free flour blend (organic brown rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, gafarva four, sorghum flour, organic coconut flour, organic buckwheat flour, organic quinoa flour, organic amaranth flour), organic vegan sugar, organic apple sauce, organic coconut oil, Gone Pie vegan organic crystallized ginger, organic brown rice syrup, organic lemon, organic coconut milk, organic vanilla, spices, n/a baking powder, baking soda, sea salt.
My next favorite were the Vegan and Gluten-free Coconut Brownies. Yes...let's take a moment to digest this. Imagine the smell and the flavor....ok. Do you have a sense?
This has got to be the moist decadent and moist brownie I have ever eaten. It took me a while to finish the pan because I cherished each bite. There was not a single dry crumble. It is amazing to be able to eat something so delicious and natural that tastes so good but does not leave you wanting or craving more. This I think is a sign of natural baking not lacking in flavor! Here are those ingredients: organic brown sugar, gluten-free flour blend (sorghum flour, organic rice flour, garfava flour, potato flour, tapioca flour, organic buckwheat flour, organic coconut flour), dates, organic coconut milk, gluten-free chocolate chips, chocolate liquor, organic coconut, canola oil, organic tahini, organic unsweetened/non-dairy cocoa powder, organic coconut oil, n/a baking powder, spices.
If you are a coconut lover, these should definitely be your pick, even though the shop has other brownies options to choose from.
My last and most favorite of the three goodies I received were the Vegan Peanut Butter Cups. I used to eat the occasional Reese's peanut butter cups but I was always left with a lingering sore throat because of all the refined sugar and processed chocolate.
I took my sweet time eating these beauties because not only were they ginormous but they were decadent and satisfying. If I could only make them multiply! Here are the simple ingredients for this gourmet treat: vegan bittersweet chocolate, organic peanut butter, organic agave nectar, organic coconut flour, organic coconut oil
Do you know what is the plus about these treats? You can order them on-line and choose from a slew of other goodies that Gone Pie Bakery offers.
Please consider trying these reviewed products or even ordering some of the seasonal items under Special Treats a pan of their vegan Fruit Bars. Have I tantalized you enough?
Thanks Barbara for having a great business and wonderful products!
Posted by Noelle at 11:30 AM 9 comments:
Yankee Oatmeal-Molasses Bread and Peeled Snacks Winner
The weekend is gone and another week is here! I realized I have not posted since last Wednesday and wondered why. Oh yes, I have been busy and almost really not cooking, except for super simple quick meals so that things can get done around the house.
We had a garage sale this weekend with 2 other families. We had a successful Friday and we woke up feeling we would have a really great Saturday, but instead, it turned out to be a dud of a Saturday. It was really strange because growing up I thought Saturdays were always more popular. There were several factors that could have played into the low attendance but overall we decided we would not really think about it. Life goes on. We were thankful for ANY money that got made selling our junk, you know what I mean?
We were so tired those 2 evenings we ended up just eating out. We decided to go out for a movie on Friday so we finally watched The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Anyone see that? It was REALLY great, even the little baby girl liked it because I am sure she could hear all the action packed noise. There was lots of movement!
After the movie we headed to PF Changs and ordered delicious meal. Ryan opted for a now favorite of his, Ma Po Tofu with extra vegetables. Was this my husband asking for a vegetarian meal???? I was so sure he was pulling my leg. Really...but he really was not. I on the other hand had no intention of eating ANY tofu. *shudder* I really cannot wait to get back to eating tofu when this aversion hopefully disappears when the baby arrives. I had beef, because I needed my protein, so I ordered beef and broccoli with brown rice.
I REALLY forget to ask this restaurant to hold their sodium. The next morning I woke up with swollen feet. Here I take very care not to eat too much salt at home and then this restaurant lays it on thick. Note to self: communicate with the kitchen next time! Either way, it was a lovely dinner and we decided to head home.
Saturday evening, Ryan picked us up Chipotle. If it is one food category or food group I have REALLY craved since being pregnant is Chipotle. I can have it all the time, especially with a mountain of guacamole. YUM! I had a delicious veggie bowl with black beans, rice, corn salsa, pico, lettuce, guacamole and lettuce. I was so stuffed by the end but so happy especially since I did not have to cook!
Hopefully this week I will have some nice recipes to share but in the meantime I want to share a bread recipe I made a few weeks back.
Before I get to that I want to thank everyone who entered the Peeled Snacks Giveaway! Make sure to head to your nearest Costco you midwesterners, or to your local Starbucks to try these goodies if you did not win.
Gail from Vegiegail won the giveaway! Please contact me with your info! Thanks!
Back to the bread recipe........
Who knew molasses and oatmeal mixed? Oh yes, I did. My mom would add molasses to our cooked oatmeal when we were kids so we could get the healthy vitamins in unsulphurized molasses. It is a great source of iron and calcium.
When I saw this recipe, I was intrigued, especially since I do not make bread often. I should because it really is quick and easy. Once this bread was baked, which created the best smell in the house, we were super excited! We ate it for breakfast with our omelettes in the mornings or we toasted it and added some delicious Earth Balance to it. It really was a hearty bread and I would make it again.
Just remember.....add the salt that it suggests in the recipe. I forgot it! Otherwise it was a perfect bread recipe. Enjoy!
Yankee Oatmeal-Molasses Bread
makes one 9x5-inch loaf
adapted from Epicurious
1/2 cup packed old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope dry yeast
6 tablespoons dark unsulfured molasses (original calls for light)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) Earth Balance margarine, room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups whole wheat white flour
2 1/2 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour
1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance margarine mixed with 1 teaspoon dark unsulfured molasses
1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats
Place 1/2 cup oats in large bowl of electric mixer fitted with dough hook; pour 3/4 cup boiling water over. Let stand 30 minutes (water will be absorbed and oatmeal will be very soft).
Pour 1 cup warm water into 2-cup glass measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Mix molasses, 2 tablespoons EB margarine and salt into oat mixture in bowl. Mix in yeast mixture. Add enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form medium-soft dough, mixing at medium speed until well blended, about 3 minutes. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky, about 5 minutes. Form dough into ball. Butter large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 9x5-inch loaf pan. Punch down dough; turn out into floured surface and knead 3 minutes. Form into 8-inch-long loaf. Transfer to prepared pan. Cover with plastic, then towel; let rise in warm draft-free area until dough has risen about 1/2 inch above rim of pan, about 45 minutes.
Bake bread 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 350°F. Bake 25 minutes longer. Brush top of bread with glaze; sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats over. Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out bread onto rack; cool completely. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze. If desired, reheat wrapped bread in 350°F oven about 15 minutes.
Posted by Noelle at 6:00 AM 19 comments:
Labels: baking, bread, earth balance, molasses, oatmeal, peeled snacks winner
Mango Spelt Pancakes with Mango-Strawberry Salsa / Peeled Snacks Review and Giveaway
Wow, how much can I get on today's title? I simply had to get both of them in today since they work together.
I wish I have been able to share with you more breakfast posts since they are the MOST important meal of the day for me and it should be for everyone! I usually get my fill of protein with black beans, egg scrambles and more. I was very much into tofu scrambles but I have not been able to stomach tofu so eggs have made it back into my life. I feel like they have given me the protein I have needed in the past few months.
But this most is not about eggs. It is about pancakes. Yummy delicious pancakes with mango all over the board. I mentioned last night that I bought 12 huge mangos for 3 bucks yesterday and I peeled them and cleaned them and let them refrigerate overnight. Not quite convinced how many cups to freeze. All I knew is that mangos were going to be part of my breakfast.
Several weeks ago, I was sent some snacks from Peeled Snacks. If you are not familiar with them, you probably have seen their products at Starbucks and some grocery stores. Well now their snacks are available at Costco in the Midwest. Their dried fruit snack company has NO added sugar, oil, or preservatives. They sent me a new snack called the Farmer's Market Trio which consists of dried apples, cherries and raisins. YUM. I also received some yummy dried mango and apricots. So do you see where I am going with this?
This morning though, I made some yummy pancakes inspired by Angela's recipe from Oh She Glows. My husband is not really a fan of whole grain pancakes and is all about the buttermilk pancakes, but he told me this morning that he would give them a try.
I added some dried mango in the pancake mix and then made a fresh mango and strawberry salsa to go on top of the pancakes. They were delicious and Ryan even liked them. He told me I was getting closer to making better pancakes. I don't know what that means but I like them and they were hearty.
ENTER:Before I post the recipe, I want to let you know that Peeled Snacks wants to give ONE reader from the US, a chance to win an Organic Fruit Picks Variety Pack. Go check out the goodies you would get.
Here are the ways to enter: (Leave a comment for each)
1. Which Peeled Snack are you interested in trying?
2. Become a fan of Peeled Snacks on Facebook
3. Follow Peeled Snacks on Twitter
4. Become a fan of Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Facebook
That is it! Only US residents are allowed to enter but please feel free to comment on this post on the recipe as well! Giveaway ends Sunday, August 28th at midnight, EST.
Mango Spelt Pancakes
adapted from Oh She Glows recipe
serves 2 (8 pancakes)
1 cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Navitas Naturals maca powder (optional)
1 Tablespoon Navitas Naturals lucuma powder (optional)
1- 1.4 ounce pack Peeled Snacks dried mango, chopped
1/2 c So Delicious original coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Heat a non-stick skillet on medium while mixing the batter.
Add the milk to dry ingredients and stir well. Add the dried mango to the mix. Spray the skillet with non stick oil and spoon the batter onto the skillet on med-low temperature. Flip pancakes when bubbles pop and cook other side.
Mango Salsa
1 cup fresh mango, diced
1/2 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
5 mint leaves, chopped
splash of orange juice
Dice the fruit and place in a small bowl. Add the maple syrup, juice, and mint leaves and mix well. Place fruit on top of pancakes.
Posted by Noelle at 9:56 AM 33 comments:
Labels: breakfast, brunch, dried fruit, fruit, fruit salsa, giveaway, mango, mint, Navitas Naturals, pancakes, Peeled Snacks review, SO Delicious, spelt, strawberries, vegan
Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart and Nuts Online Review
I feel this month is quickly fading away but I am not complaining because it means fall will be here soon! It was particularly cool yesterday, enough for it to FEEL like fall and for me to want pumpkin cinnamon rolls and a pumpkin latte. YUM! Anyone with me on that?
On a sad note though, yesterday I found out some news about a friend's daughter's baby. She had planned to have her baby naturally but ended up having complications and was not able to get her baby immediately to breastfeed. Turns out, a week and a half later, that the baby has cystic fibrosis. I have been praying for this family ever since I heard there were complications but this brought it to a new level.
I had some time to not think about it because we had a tour of the hospital where I will be delivering. We arrived 1 minute late only to arrive JUST in time before the tour started. We were totally suprised that there were at least 10-12 couples there! Wow. Lots of people having babies indeed. :-) It was a very thorough one hour tour and I was happy to have taken it because I can be less anxious. The tour also reminded me how much I so do not like hospitals. Even though I work for one, mine does not feel like a hospital at all but I might be biased.
Time to start making lists of everything I want while at the hospital. 8 weeks left folks and I am starting to get a little more jittery.
We thought we had a good lunch yesterday so that dinner could hold off until we got home from the tour but BOY was I a nervous wreck. My blood sugar level dropped and I was shakey. Even though Ryan admitted he was really hungry as well, we were wondering what had happened especially since I popped in a few nuts and dried fruits as a snack.
Anxious. It seemed to be a reoccurring thought and feeling yesterday. You know how I found out? Ha, the Lord spoke to me in my devotional through Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I was like "Me? Anxious? Nah....then I realized that my friend's news about their baby made me be worried and anxious and perhaps the hospital tour and everything coming so close already brought me these feelings. I thank God for reassuring me.
On to some goodies! I recently was sent some delicious goodies from Nuts Online, and I have to say I really like their service and the qaulity of their products. I received a pound of unshelled hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and dried Ranier cherries. I made scones using the cherries (which I have not posted) and a raw filling for a tart using the macadamia nuts. (anothe recipe not yet posted)
What I did use and I want to share with you is the recipe I made using the hazelnuts. It has been a LONG time since I have had to shell my own nuts but this was fun. I cracked the whole pound of hazelnuts, and then toasted them at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes and then removed them from oven and let them cool. I wanted to blanch them so that the outer layer of the hazelnut will be removed. It was a fun process but the company also sells blanched hazelnuts and shelled hazelnuts as well.
Anyway, I ran across Smitten Kitchen's recipe for her Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart and KNEW immediately I had to make it. Plums are delicious on their own but since I have been feeling a little nostalgic on everything French, I knew this tart would be fun to make.
I veganized the version of the recipe taking out the dairy products and eggs and replaced them with So Delicious coconut milk and creamer and flax seed meal.The tart crust was made with Earth Balance margarine instead of butter. All in all the tart came out SO WELL! We ate our slices last night as we watched Julie and Julia! How great is that?
Make this tart because you will not be sorry. It is so gourmet and fresh, your dinner party or family will love it!
Hazelnut Plum Crumb Tart
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
serves 6 to 8 slices
Crust and crumbs3/4 cup Earth Balance margarine (1 1/2 sticks), chilled, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup hazelnuts, shelled and blanched
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated or vegan sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated or vegan sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 pound ripe but firm plums (about 4 standard black ones and 4 red plums)
1 pound ripe but firm plums (about 4 standard black ones and 4 red plums)
1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons) granulated or vegan sugar
2 flax "eggs" (2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons) granulated or vegan sugar
2 flax "eggs" (2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
1/3 cup So Delicious hazelnut creamer
1/4 cup So Delicious coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Grated nutmeg, optional
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Grated nutmeg, optional
Preheat you oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake until fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes, then let cool enough to remove the skins. (That is if you are using raw hazelnuts with skins. Do not toast if using already blanched hazelnuts)Place nuts in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until medium fine, about 30 pulses.
In the same food processor, add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix until just combined. Add butter, and process until crumbs begin to stick together, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the mix and set aside. This will be your topping.
The rest of the mix needs to be pressed into the bottom of the prepared pan and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan to form crust; Use a heavy measuring cup to help press the crumbs neatly down and up the side, forming a nice inner corner.Transfer crust to the oven; bake until it appears to be set, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes (the fridge will expedite this for you).
Slice plums in half, and remove pits. Slice larger plums into eighths and arrange in cooled crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. In a small bowl, prepare the flax "eggs" and set aside for 3 minutes in order for it to thicken. Add in the coconut milk and creamer, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg. Pour liquid over fruit; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
Transfer tart to the oven; bake until tart has set and is slightly golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let rest at least 25 minutes before cutting if serving warm. You can serve this warm or at room temperature but we much preferred it fully chilled.
This has been added to Slighty Indulgent Tuesdays!
This has been added to Slighty Indulgent Tuesdays!
Posted by Noelle at 12:11 PM 8 comments:
Labels: coconut milk, crumble tart, dessert, earth balance, hazelnuts, nuts online, Nuts online review, plums, SO Delicious, sweets, tart, vegan
Egyptian Potato Salad and 31 weeks!
It is incredible how time flies! I look down at my tummy and feel the amazing movements and then think about the short amount of time I have left to see my little girl! It makes me thank God daily for creation and his gift of life because IT IS a gift!
Even though this week starts my 32nd week of pregnancy, I wanted to show you a picture after I did an hour of Zumba at 31 weeks.
I work at lower impact when my lower tummy starts bothering me but otherwise I feel perfectly fine. I say this now but 3 days back the lovely Braxton-Hicks contractions started. I only knew because I was telling a friend how different the baby's movements have been only for her to tell me these were those so-called contractions! There is one thing having your mid-wife describe how the feeling is going to be like and another is actually experiencing them!
Let me just say I am getting a little more tired these last few days. I took extra naps this weekend and it helped! I know I sound funny because my mother has to remind me that I am not super woman and it won't be as possible to do everything I normally do on a daily basis ALL the time.
Can you tell that I am having a difficult time pacing myself? I should not have a hard time lounging around reading or watching movies, but when you know there is always something to work on, it is hard!
Sorry about not posting anything this weekend. I mostly unplugged for the weekend and focused on organizing and cleaning or resting. Something I did fail to share with you is that Ryan set up the crib 2 weekends ago! It is nice to have it up despite the fact that perhaps the baby won't be in it at the beginning.
I have been working on a theme for half the bedroom. The other half is Ryan's office. Despite knowing we have limited space we decided that the office was going to be half nursery too. Talk about being flexible! There is enough room for the crib and changing table and closet space to put baby stuff so we are all good.
I recently changed from a green / yellow motif for the crib and wall decor to pink and brown. I have never been a person to like pink or to wear it often, but somehow, as I have been receiving baby clothing and articles in pink, I was inspired. I am doing a Parisian theme with cherry blossoms! I cannot wait to have it all up. It is true. I am growing a little impatient to see our little one, but I will cherish the time we have now.
So is this a food blog or a mommy blog, you might ask? Well, I cannot help it but it is a little of both but it is a journal of my life so how about it?
Menu planning has been a blast this month. I have kept on course pretty much up until the days I did not feel like cooking and Ryan was able to put together pasta and salad for us or we could go out to eat. We have 9 days left in this month and I feel like there are plenty of food options for the month, whether I cook or Ryan cooks.
We had Mediterranean night one evening and I prepared hummus, pepper salad, roasted potatoes with some pita. Originally I had been making some fresh chickpeas but they accidentally burned so I had to use canned. ARGH! Ryan told me "I can eat this every night, we don't even need meat!" Now that is what I like to hear, because the meal was so easy to prepare!
I used a different recipe for the roasted potatoes. Even though I like my recipe, I came across Carol's recipe from Vegan Splendor. Vegan Egyptian Potato Salad??? YUM! I read her list of ingredients and the cilantro and capers popped out of the recipe. wow! I could not wait to make them.
I used white potatoes instead of red potatoes and after they had roasted in the oven for the designated time, the potatoes were the perfect crispiness. Ryan really really liked them as did I. You let the potatoes cool and then add the dressing to them. I did not use as much oil because all my other dishes had olive oil already.
You have to make these! Add some hummus, a salad, and done! You have a great meatless meal.
Egyptian Potato Salad
adapated from Vegan Splendor's recipe
serves 4
8 white or yellow potatoes, peeled and cut in 2-inch cubes
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon capers
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon slices for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel potatoes and dice into 2-inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and add the cumin, granulated garlic, minced garlic, shallots, and salt and pepper. Toss potatoes to equally distribute the oil and seasonings.
Bake in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
Place cooled potatoes in large bowl. Toss with dressing. Add chopped cilantro and toss well. Adjust seasonings. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving or eat immediately!
Posted by Noelle at 10:26 AM 16 comments:
Labels: 31 weeks, baked potatoes, capers, egyptian, meatless, Mediterranean, olive oil, pregnancy, roasted, scallions, side, Vegan Splendor
The Purple Carrot Truck ---Food Network National Contest
Hi folks! I come with a totally neat post today! You might not know it from all my posts but I have grown to be a supporter of local businesses especially since moving to Michigan almost 3 years ago. It has been in the past month that I have grown sad to see the businesses that do not survive due, in part, to a more general popularity with mainstream businesses.
This is not the case with the following business, The Purple Carrot Truck. The beautiful, wonderful and unique detail about this food truck is that it is a "farm to truck mobile dining destination that specializes in locally grown fare." Did you know that they are the FIRST food to farm truck in Michigan? Not only that but the fact that they use local fare is so attractive. You know what you are getting as opposed to the mystery items one might be getting elsewhere. (wink..wink)
Each week, The Purple Carrot Truck makes rounds and stops at different locations around Lansing and East Lansing and serve lunch from 11:30am to 2:30pm. They are in areas where work folks or any folk can stop by and grab something delicious. Sometimes they also hold evening events, like a Tapas menus for special events.
This week they are featuring the following menu:
Ten Hen's Roasted Garlic w/giving tree heirloom chip, truffle oil $4
Howell Melon-Cucumber Bisque w/harrissa, mint bubbles $4
Michigan Summer Caesar
diemer's romaine, tirrell farm tomme, dwg cherry tomato confit vinaigrette, house croutons $6.
Hi-5 Potato Salad
nightengale potatoes, titus farm eggs, yogurt, house herbs $6
Spartan Country Chicken Salad
rasch peaches, mike's mustard, basil, dwg bibb $7
Pure Michigan Beef Panini
piedmontese skirt steak, MI chanterelles, dolce vita chevre, house mustard aioli $8
Nightengale Eggplant "Meat"ball Hoagie
andy t's tomato-raisin chutney, foodshedfarmer micro greens $7
AtWater Bock Braised Pork
vanilla porter, ballaton cherries, cabbage slaw $7
Cake Pops $1
Carrot Cake
Chocolate-Peanut Butter
Thin Mint
Can you guess what I ordered yeseterday?? The Eggplant "Meatball" Hoagie with Chutney! AMAZING! And their Hi-5 Potato Salad. (YUM!)
My favorite time to stop are on Saturdays when they offer the brunch menu! Here are a few things I have ordered in the past.
And the cake pops are so delicious! Even the husband approves of them with several thumbs up! This is their Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Pop.
And the cake pops are so delicious! Even the husband approves of them with several thumbs up! This is their Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Pop.
Tofu Benny (which is like eggs benedict, but made with tofu and their vegan sauce in a sandwich. SO GOOD)
Rhubarb Scone
I LOVE the fact they offer a VEGAN / VEGETARIAN option because it gives variety. I have even heard locals say that those are usually their favorite too! :D
Now I know I have readers from everywhere and even from Michigan, so if you EVER get a chance to get to The Purple Food Truck, you must. Check them out on Facebook and on Twitter!
Can you do me a favor?
This food truck is now in the Top 2 our of 10 food trucks. They still need our votes and one can vote daily up to TEN times and all for THIS particular truck. Visit Food Network's website and vote by simply entering your email address! Choose the state of Michigan and then locate the truck and click on Lansing and VOTE!
The food truck receiving the MOST votes will be named America's Favorite! You can vote until September 12th so do not hesitate to support fresh, local and the best!
Vote daily until Septemeber 12th or text FT147 to 66789. You can send ten texts to the number as well! Thanks!
Posted by Noelle at 10:45 AM 6 comments:
Secret Recipe Club--Part 2--Triple Chocolate Cookies
May I start with a bit of pregnancy woes? I actually have been feeling pretty good lately except for really uncomfortable back pain after a night's rest. Not even my body pillow has been a comfort. I take that back I HAVE been using it again the last 2 nights with better results.
Yesterday was pretty rough though because I feel like my tummy is feeling more uncomfortable even when I sit. I thought I started my day eating well yesterday with a yummy bowl of homemade spiced applesauce but that was only the beginning of the most uncomfortable day of nausea, indigestion (acid reflux), and some vomiting.... sorry but it just did not let up.
I thought perhaps I needed protein which I was planning to eat after I ate my fruit, but it was really required or else I was going to get sick. I ate my scramble and even after that I did not feel well. I wondered it is had to do with the fact I forgot to take my pre-natal vitamin last night before going to bed but that did not seem to be the issue.
Lunch time came around and I knew I had to eat something but I could only muster drinking a smoothie. THAT was not nice on my tummy either. I got sick an hour later.
It was later in the evening I realized I was not feeling my baby girl move higher up in my tummy as I have been the last few months. I always wondered what it felt like to feel the baby shift and I believe that is what she had been doing. I now can feel the movement of the baby in my lower abdomen, which feels real strange.
Can anyone attest to how I was feeling and whether it is connected with the baby shifting?
Either way, today is another day and I am not feeling the same way I was yesterday, so thank GOD I can eat a little better and a little more today.
Today's post features a second part to the Secret Recipe Club. Unfortunately there was one blogger that backed out at the last minute and left an orphaned blogger without being featured! I would feel pretty crummy if someone just felt like no longer cooking something from my site AT the LAST minute. Either way, I was one of many that volunteered to cook something from Connor's Cooking blog.
It was hard to choose something, but I totally knew I wanted to make something sweet. I chose to make a cookie recipe with three types of chocolate. Am I speaking anyone's language?
I veganized the recipe using flax seed meal for the egg and coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil. It smelled really great as they baked and they proved to be nice and tasty too! It took a total of 10 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to bake a batch! How can you NOT like this cookie recipe?
Thanks Connor for posting a yummy cookie recipe!
Triple Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Connor's Cooking as seen on a Food Network recipe
Yields: 2 dozen
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 egg or 1 flax seed egg (1 Tbsp flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
2/3 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup chopped pecans, optional
Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, mash together the margarine, coconut oil and sugars with a fork until well combined. Prepare the flax seed "egg" and set aside for 3 minutes (or just add the egg) and then add to the margarine mixe until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dark chocolate and pecans and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.
I only had dark chocolate chips in my cupboard, but the recipe calls for
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Posted by Noelle at 5:00 PM 13 comments:
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According to NHL.com, Bylsma has his eye on leading his national team into the Olympics. "I'd be more than willing to be a part of a staff, but my goal isn't just to be a part of a staff," Bylsma said. "At least, the written goal is not just to be part of the staff."
Lots of people are asking who votes for which NHL Award. Here's the answer (via Pierre LeBrun): * Hart -- Professional Hockey Writers' Association * Jack Adams -- NHL Broadcasters' Association * Vezina -- 30 NHL GMs * Norris -- PHWA * Calder -- PHWA * Selke -- PHWA * Lady Byng -- PHWA * Calder -- PHWA * GM of The Year -- Panel of 30 GMs plus media Edit: A few more, courtesy of wikipedia, and due to the badgering of PensAreYourDaddy ... * Masterton -- PHWA * Ted Lindsay -- NHLPA * Clancy -- PHWA & Broadcasters * NHL Foundation -- NHL Execs * Mark Messier Leadership -- Messier * Conn Smythe -- PHWA And then, of course, there are the stats-based awards: * Art Ross (most points) * Jennings (fewest goals against) * Plus/Minus (highest plus/minus) * Rocket Richard (most goals) * Crozier (highest save percentage)
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse it ~ uhh ~ does.
"Dan has done such an impressive job with our team, both on and off the ice, that we didn't see the need to wait any longer to announce our decision," Shero said in a statement. "He is the man we want to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins as our head coach."
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Administrative Staff
Dr. David Hagan
Chief Medical Officer
David J. Hagan, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Gibson Area Hospital & Health
Services and has served on the GAHHS Board of Directors since 1985.
Dr. David J. Hagan went to High School in Niantic-Harristown, Niantic, IL. Followed with College at Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 1972-1973 & Millikin University, B.A., Decatur, IL 1973-1976. Medical School at University of Illinois,
College of Medicine, M.D. at the Urbana Campus (1976-1977) and the Rockford Campus (1977-1980). He then completed his residency in Family Medicine at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio (1980-1983). He currently has his own Family Practice in Gibson City with a satellite office in Fisher, IL.
He has been married to his wife, Cathy, since June 6, 1981; they have 2 children Justin Christopher and Jennifer Ann.
Dr. Hagan was inaugurated the President of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians on
December 4, 2010.
Latest News &
Items of Interest
Gibson Area Hospital Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week
World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated last week at Gibson Area Hospital (GAH) with the theme [...]
Marie Martin Awarded Employee of the Month for July
Marie Martin, of Fisher, has been awarded the Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services (GAHHS) [...]
"Fore the Hospital" Golf Outing Shines for Silver Anniversary
The Silver Anniversary for the Gibson Area Hospital (GAH) Foundation 2014 Golf Outing on Thursday, [...]
Hundreds Visit New Project Open Houses
From July 1 to July 3, Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services invited the public to three new [...]
Jesse Jiles Receives GAHHS Employee of the Month Award for June
Jesse Jiles, originally from LeRoy, has been awarded the Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services [...]


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It is finally time to catch up a bit on my blogging. Now that the holidays are out of the way and a new year has started, I thought it was fine time to share my latest favorite quilt. I made this for Riley Blake to use at fall quilt market in Houston this last fall. Can I say that I love how it turned out? It was a labor of love but oh so worth it. I'll be honest that it isn't the type of quilt you can knock out in an afternoon, but when you have it finished, you will be so excited to wrap yourself up in all of that chevron goodness. These are all from Riley Blake's line of Chevrons. They make me so happy (read all about that here).
Natalia Bonner from Piece N' Quilt was the amazing quilter. I felt so bad for her, she ran out of thread halfway through the project and had to sit around for the UPS man to bring a new spool of thread. Then she whipped it out because it had to be bound and sent to Houston in a day! It was a crazy adventure. Looking at her quilting, you would never guess that she was in a rush. Everything is so beautiful on it.
The quilt has had a bit of a journey in it's short few months. It went from Utah on a quick flight to Houston. Then it went on to Australia! And now it is back in Utah on display at Pine Needles in West Jordan, Utah. In February (I think), I'm going to be teaching this as a class at Pine Needles.
Here is the link to purchase this pattern direct.


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Although money problems have troubled George and Shellie Zimmerman's marriage, their relationship ended in November 2013 when he was served with divorce papers.
George faced the possibility of life in prison if he was convicted of second degree murder in the shooting at the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida of Trayvon Martin. In August 2013, Shellie pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor perjury charge and received a sentence of one year probation.
News Updates:
11/19/2013: Shellie Zimmerman was finally able to serve George with a petition for divorce after he was arrested in Florida for allegedly using a gun to threaten his girlfriend.9/10/2013: George Zimmerman could face charges involving domestic violence issues after he threatened Shellie Zimmerman's father and battered him. Shellie Zimmerman 911 Call
9/05/2013: After separating August 13, 2013, Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce on September 5, 2013. Read more ...
Scroll Down for Updates and Timeline of Shellie and George Zimmerman's Legal Issues
George Michael Zimmerman: October 5, 1983 in Manassas, Virginia.
Shellie Nicole Dean: Abt. 1987 in Longwood, Florida.
Wedding Date:
George and Shellie were married on November 17, 2007 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Their wedding was officiated by a close friend, Sondra Osterman.
Shellie and George do not have any children.
George: Insurance-fraud investigator, mortgage risk-management company employee.
Shellie: Nursing student, licensed cosmetologist.
Since 2009, George and Shellie lived at a gated community near Orlando, The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. After the shooting incident, George went into hiding.
Vivian Kuo: "Of the $204,000 raised by the website, about $150,000 is now in the defense fund and $30,000 was used 'to make the complicated transition from private life in Sanford, Florida, to a life in hiding as a defendant in a high-profile court case.'"
Source: Vivian Kuo. "Zimmerman's wife arrested, accused of perjury." CNN.com. 6/12/2012.
Quotes About the Marriage of Shellie and George Zimmerman:
Shellie: "I stood by my husband through everything and I kind of feel like he left me with a bunch of broken glass that I'm supposed to now assemble and make a life…It's just heartbreaking ... I have a selfish husband. And I think George is all about George ... I think I'm realizing that I have been married to a person for almost seven years, and I don't think that I ever really knew him at all."
Source: Seni Tienabeso. "George Zimmerman's Wife Says He Is 'Selfish,' Feels 'Invincible.'"
ABCNews.go.com. 9/06/2013.
Rene Stutzman: "... acquaintances described her as respectful, polite and a good match for Zimmerman ..."
Source: Rene Stutzman. Shellie and George Zimmerman: Family finances were a problem." OrlandoSentinel.com. 6/13/2012.
Shellie: "He's [George] absolutely not a violent person or a threat to the community."
Source: Matt Gutman, Seni Tienabeso, Ben Forer. "George Zimmerman Tells Trayvon Martin's Parents 'I Am Sorry.'" ABCNews.go.com. 4/20/2012.
Timeline of Shellie and George Zimmerman's Legal Issues:
2/26/2012: Trayvon Martin shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida.
3/14/2012: Zimmerman file turned over to the state attorney.
3/19/2012: Investigation into Martin's death started by the Justice Department.
4/11/2012: Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder. He turned himself in.
4/12/2012: Zimmerman's first court appearance.
4/20/2012: Florida Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. set $150,000 bond for Zimmerman. Zimmerman apologized to Trayvon Martin's parents.
4/22/2012: George Zimmerman released on $150,000 bail. He was required to wear an electronic monitoring device, adhere to an evening curfew, not allowed to possess a gun or consume alcohol, and he had to turn in his passport.
5/08/2012: A "not guilty" plea to the 2nd degree murder charge entered by George Zimmerman's attorney in the Trayvon Martin case.
6/01/2012: George Zimmerman's bond revoked.
Matt Gutman: "Prosecutors had filed a motion today to revoke his bond, accusing Zimmerman of "deceiving" the court about his finances, even going so far as to discuss it in code words with his wife, and his possession of a second passport, which he apparently acquired two weeks after the shooting."
Source: Matt Gutman, Seni Tienabeso. "George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked." ABCNews.go.com. 6/01/2012.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester: "They were well aware of the money available [approximately $135,000]. "Mr. Zimmerman can't sit back and let his wife testify falsely … nor can he allow his attorney to stand up and make misrepresentations."
Source: Yamiche Alcindor, Marisol Bello. "Zimmerman's bail revoked." USAToday.com. 6/01/2012.
6/03/2012: Zimmerman surrendered to police and booked into jail.
6/11/2012: Judge Lester listed concerns and reasons for reconsidering George Zimmerman's bond.
Judge Kenneth Lester: "It is apparent that Shelly Zimmerman testified untruthfully at the bond hearing ... There are several factors that weigh against [George Zimmerman's] release: this is a serious charge for which life may be imposed; the evidence against him is strong; he has been charged with one prior crime, for which he went through a pre-trial diversion program, and has had an injunction filed against him. More importantly, though is the fact he has now demonstrated that he does not properly respect the law or the integrity of the judicial process."
Source: Circuit Court for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Seminole County, Florida. "Order Revoking Bond." FlCourts18.org. 6/11/2012.
6/12/2012: Charged with one count of perjury, Shellie Zimmerman was arrested. [Copy of Complaint] Her arraignment was set for July 31, 2012 and she posted a $1,000 bond. Madison Gray of Time.com reported "If found guilty, she faces a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison." Records show several transfers of funds from George's account to hers which according to Jeffrey Neiman "may have run afoul of several federal statutes."
7/05/2012: Calling George Zimmerman a manipulator, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set a bond for Zimmerman at $1 million.
Judge Lester: "Notably, together with the passport, the money only had to be hidden for a short time for him to leave the country if the defendant made a quick decision to flee. It is entirely reasonable for this court to find that, but for the requirement that he be placed on electronic monitoring, the defendant and his wife would have fled the United States with at least $130,000 of other people's money."
Source: Rene Stutzman. "Judge: George Zimmerman's new bond: $1 million." OrlandoSentinel.com. 7/05/2012.
7/06/2012: George Zimmerman was released from prison after posting a $1 million bond. Before leaving prison, he was fitted for an electronic monitoring device. He can not go near the Orlando-Sanford International Airport, open a bank account, or drink alcohol and he must remain in Seminole County. More release conditions placed on Zimmerman.
6/10/2013: Jury selection in the Zimmerman trial began.
6/24/2013: The trial for George Zimmerman started.
7/13/2013: A jury of six women declared George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
8/28/2013: In order to receive a sentence of one year of probation, Shellie Zimmerman made a plea deal with Florida prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor perjury charge. She "must complete 100 hours of community service and write an apology letter to [Judge] Lester."


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Commitment is built through change and reaffirmed through change.
Remember, love grows by giving it, releasing it, without limit, without restriction. If you and your partner share true love, you will be unafraid to love, completely, with trust, honesty, fairness, and commitment -- to love that person as you do yourself and, thereby, nurture individual and mutual growth. Ask your partner: What can we do to make our love grow? What should we do, individually and together, to build our relationship?
Each ask and share the answer: What do I need?
Commitment is expressed through dialogue, through sharing thoughts and experiences. It is important to establish basic understandings and realize that they change over time, as experience is accrued. It is important to keep dialogue open and, however uncomfortable, to address and resolve conflicts, changes or developing issues.
Fear and Sabotage
The greatest obstacle to keeping a relationship is fear, fear of losing a relationship that means so much that it can sabotage that relationship by stifling crucial communication, thus spawning more fear and miscommunication.
If you can find peace in a mutual and equal accommodation (even, and maybe especially, if it requires thoughtful sacrifice -- balance -- from both), your love and commitment will grow.
It is imbalance, often through lack of honest communication, that cripples relationships.
If you cannot face these issues, then what is being committed to? Are you willing to limit and shortchange yourself and your partner by not asking and answering these questions honestly?
If you don't face this, expect more dramas.
Remember, we do this work, this study of non-ordinary reality, the realm of spirit, the discovery of the unknown, through alternative, complementary, vibrational or energy medicine, through Reiki, shamanism, Consegrity, or whatever may be our modality, not to escape reality but to discern it more clearly, to accelerate our healing, growth and development, and that of others in our Sacred Circle, and the Earth itself. We each are crucial in The Sacred Hoop of Life. Love is sharing what we have of heart, mind and soul with another, discovering it in ourselves, with newness and aliveness, truly living.
If we accept that challenge, of risk, of trust, of reaching out, we will find setbacks and barriers, but we will find freedom, too. And that is the joy we can hold eternally in ourselves as we step into the next realm. In relationships, we may not find who we are looking for, but we will find who will meet. That is truth. We meet ourselves at every step of the way. For each moment is reality; each moment is a gift, an eternal present; the past is gone, the future not yet.
We can either accept the reality of our surroundings, the relationships that are and the opportunities before us, and participate, discovering ourselves in what the Creator has freely given us, or we can always be looking over the horizon for the imaginary, focusing on the "lack" or incompleteness of the moment, making it our destiny, and fail to recognize the miracles that surround us in the moment, each moment -- which can at any moment transform into new realities of being. To love the moment is to love ourselves and what the Creator has given us, however we may judge it with our tiny consciousness.
If we are open to the Big Mind, the Nagual, the unnamed and unnameable of each moment, we expand ourselves and our opportunities. That is where miracles of all kinds, including miracles of the heart, are born.
We Are Not Perfect Beings
And, as with all things, we must have forgiveness, compassion and prayer. In The Sacred Hoop Of Life, when we see a person through the eyes of spirit, it changes who we both are. Our actions are then determined by spirit, not want, not control, for we are then acting from a position of abundance, from the Source of abundance, the heart, the Mind Of God, and both action and thought have tremendous impact on our environment. Can we find perfection? No. Only perfect being is perfect and we are not perfect beings. Our diversity is in fact our strength. But we can recognize the perfect imperfection of love and relationships in this world of polarity and we can commit to progress in all we do. A hint: It is sometimes hard to let go, but it is easy to step aside and let the Creator take over.
Mitakuye Oyasin!
About This Contributor: Jim Ewing is a Reiki master/teacher and shamanic healer who lives in Lena, Mississippi. Author of Clearing: A Guide to Liberating Energies Trapped in Buildings and Lands


text:
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The Indiana Public Retirement System is among the largest 100 pension funds in the United States. The fund serves about 447,000 members and retirees representing more than 1,400 employers including public universities, school corporations, municipalities and state agencies.
The INPRS has administratively made changes to PERF/TRF, set to take effect July 1, 2014, which will most likely decrease the expected benefit for future retirees. The long-term rate of return assumption will be reduced from 7 percent to 6.75 percent, while the annuitization of members' ASA account funds will be contracted out to a private vendor. Both of these changes will have a significant effect, especially on those nearing the retirement age.
The Indiana State Teachers Association will host an information session to provide up-to-date information on the proposed changes to PERF/TRF. The session will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Anthis Career Center auditorium. ISTA's chief lobbyist, Gail Zeheralis, will be the speaker. All members of PERF/TRF and their spouses are welcome.
ANITA VERNON UniServ director Indiana State Teachers Association Fort Wayne


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All Breads are Toasted White, Whole Wheat, Marble Rye, Pita, Brioche Bun, Hoagie or Pretzel Roll
Signature Sandwiches
Dan-O's Delight $6.99
Cuban Pork and Ham with Smoked Gouda topped with Homemade Pineapple Compote and Red Pepper Pesto on a Brioche Roll
Steak Pizzaiola $7.99
Steak, Grilled Onions and Garlic topped with Mozzarella & Parm Cheese, Italian Seasoning and Homemade Marinara
Served on a Hoagie
Carolina Philly Steak $7.99
Steak with Chili, Cheddar, Cole Slaw, Red Onions and Mustard
The Ern $7.49
Cuban Pork and Roast Beef with Grilled Onions topped with Provolone and Red Pepper Pesto served on a Brioche Roll
The New Englander $7.49 Served Hot or Cold
Turkey with Stuffing topped with Cheddar Cheese and Cranberry Sauce on a Hoagie
Shrimp Po' Boy $6.99
Fried Shrimp with Lettuce & Tomato Topped with Cajun Tartar Sauce served on a Hoagie
Branford T-R-B $9.99
Thinly Sliced Turkey, Roast Beef, Bacon& Habanero Jack Cheese with Homemade Jalapeno Wasabi Pesto, Horsey Sauce, Lettuce, Tomato and Red Onion served on a Buttered & Salted Pretzel Roll
The Guido McFlathery $9.99
The Hot Italian and a Full portion of Corned Beef, Provolone, Tomato and our Roasted Red Pepper Pesto & Parsley Pesto
The Bulldog $9.99
Hot Pastrami and Corned Beef, Grilled Onions, Kraut, Swiss and Whole Grain Mustard on Marble Rye
The Big Meaty $10.99
A Full Portion of Steak & Cheese and Chicken & Cheese Combined on a Sub Roll. For 18oz of Deliciousness!!
Dano's Double Bacon Cheese Burger $10.99
2 Gourmet Burgers topped with Bacon,Habanero Jack Cheese, Mayo, Lettuce and Tomato ServedBetween 2 American Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
ADD a Side House or Side Caesar Salad $1.99 extra
Side Choices
Fries, Cajun Fries, Tots, Hot Chips,Baked Potato Salad or Carrots & Celery
Homemade Sides: Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad or Cole Slaw


text:
Some guests at a Derry Township hotel this weekend were the victim of a phone scam in which they were told the hotel lost their information during a power outage.
Derry Township Police said guests received a call from a man who said the reservation system had lost all stored information. He identified himself as a staff member and requested guests' personal and credit card information.
Police are reminding travelers to be aware of scams such as this during the holiday season. Never
provide personal or financial information to an unsolicited phone
caller and, if you receive a call while staying in a hotel, walk to the front desk and make personal contact
before releasing any information.
Police did not say how many fell prey to the scam in Derry Township this weekend but did say the caller successfully obtained information from guests. The scam was discovered when a suspicious guest contacted the front desk. Police are now investigating the incident.
3235 Hoffman Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110
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Contact Sales
Available Monday to
Friday 9am - 5pm PT
Trumba Corporation
1200 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1750
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 696-7200
Fax: (206) 696-7201
For general questions or comments, or to find out more about the Trumba Connect service, please email email@example.com.
If you would like to discuss partnership opportunities between Trumba Corp. and your group or organization, please contact sales.
Email us at email@example.com.
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Trumba Corporation is located on the 17th floor of the IBM building in downtown Seattle. The building is bounded by 5th Avenue on the west, 6th Avenue on the east, Seneca Street on the south, and University Street on the north.
© 2004-2014 Trumba Corporation. All rights reserved. Trumba is a registered trademark of Trumba Corporation.


text:
Ultimax — Enterprise Integration
Toshiba designs embrace open network standards to facilitate easy integration in the widest variety of network environments, complying with DICOM and IHE standards to assure standards-based communications protocol between network systems.
Ultimax—IHE Integration
Toshiba supports open standards for data communication and has implemented data communications in alignment with IHE: Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise. These protocols allow users to boost clinical efficiency with universal connectivity for simple access and distribution of data across any size physician or hospital network.
Ultimax—DICOM Integration
The Kalare includes complete DICOM compatibility as standard. Only Toshiba offers all the 6 major DICOM Service Classes Standard with every system:
- Storage
- Query/Retrieve
- Modality Worklist Mgmt
- Performed Procedure Step
- Storage Commitment
- Greyscale Print
- DICOM Conformance Statements
Uncomplicated and Responsive Customer Service
Enterprise Integation Designed to embrace open network standards to facilitate easy integration in the widest variety of network environments.


text:
News: Juelz Santana Names Cam'Ron Rivals Nas & Jay-Z As Inspirations [Video]
Friday, Jul 30, 2010 1:30PM
Dipset's Juelz Santana recently revealed his five biggest music inspirations and explained the delay behind his upcoming Lil Wayne-featured "Home Run" music video.
Despite being Cam'ron's former rap rival, Juelz named Nas as one of his biggest inspirations.
"The three automatic, Biggie, Jay-Z, Pac," Juelz revealed in an interview. "Ya dig what I'm saying? I'ma throw Nas in there, I'm gonna go with Cam after that too. I ain't even gonna front...The album, Born To Lose, Built To Win, the mixtape, Skull Gang, all of my artists, I got a movie I did with Megan Good that should be out in August going straight to DVD but it's a good movie. It's called Video Chick. Getting my acting thing up. My solo mixtape is gonna be a monster. I know I've been dragging my feet -- but it's gonna be what it's gonna be. Still got the 'Home Run' video coming out with me and Lil Wayne, I've been holding on to that for a minute, BET, I've been waiting for them to give me the word. I had a lot of ladies in that video so there's a lot of edits I had to do just to get that right for the television. I didn't want to leak it on the Internet first. Shout-out to all the models that came out for that." (WV Soul Magazine)
Earlier this year, SOHH hit up Def Jam VP of A&R Sha Money about the hold-up with Santana's Born To Lose, Built To Win solo album.
"He's touring and getting money," Sha told SOHH. "He's getting his money so he's comfortable, he's just creating the right music because he's that next n*gga man. So he's coming with it. It's coming this year, we gonna drop this mixtape, The Reagan Era, he's shooting some crazy videos -- they on it right now, heavy, and I support them because he's that next n*gga. I've contributed from records all the way down, man. He gets everything man, from the music to the marketing to the big picture, man. We gotta create stars, I don't just leave them at the A&R Depot saying, 'I'm done.' I take it all the way there. It starts with the music and you know that's what I do. That's just one of the things that I'm great at, is the music." (SOHH)
Last March, Juelz talked about putting together his Reagan Era underground project.
"We got another record for the mixtape," Juelz explained of how he and Banks plan to follow up their current smash. "That record's actually got me, Fabolous, Jadakiss and [Lloyd] Banks on it. ... We took the Estelle sample from 'American Boy' that goes 'Take me to New York' and kept repeating that. I sent it to everybody that I felt [could kill it], which was me, Fab, Banks and Jada. But me and Banks gonna have to do another one together with just me and him. That record is crazy. That Reagan Era is gonna be a problem -- that's why I been taking my time strategically building up. I think now is a better time. Every day I'm drawing more attention to myself." (MTV)
Santana previously spoke with SOHH about his Born To Lose, Built To Win album release.
"Born To Lose, Built To Win, that's the name of my new album and I'm used to getting nothing and turning it into something," Santana explained. "It ain't no Def Jam delay, it ain't no delay, I'm just waiting day-to-day, watching the game and paying attention. I ain't wanna rush an album, I wanna keep it relevant, keep all the pieces right there. I'm just strategically doing things and I don't want to just 'drop' an album. In this day and age, it feels like you gotta give people more so I want them to want for Juelz Santana to over succeed and oversee everything else, I really need to be there." (SOHH)
Check out Juelz Santana's interview below:


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Posted: October 20, 2008
Two Ohio Supreme Court justices recuse themselves and other developments in the Myhal/Mahal case
Justices Stratton and O'Connor recused themselves from the case of State ex rel. Mahal v. Brunner. The justices also recused themselves when the court heard State ex rel Colvin v. Brunner last month in which the court allowed same-day registration and voting to go forward during the 5-day overlap window. Judge William H. Wolff Jr., of the Second Appellate District, sat for Justice Lundberg Stratton and Justice Lynn C. Slaby, of the Ninth Appellate District, sat for Justice O'Connor. Jugde Wolff was the only Democrat on the court for that decision (see news story on the case) and he was one of the 4 judges who sided with Brunner in the 4-3 decision.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has removed the case to U.S. District Court in Columbus, on the grounds that the complaint against Brunner arises under federal law, namely the Help American Vote Act. Additionally, the Ohio Supreme Court shortened the timeframe for the case, saying it wants Brunner's response to the case today and all briefs and evidence from both parties by 10 a.m. Wednesday, rather than Friday.