Happy Valentine's Day

Whether you love or hate this often called "hallmark" holiday, there are a few fun ideas out there for celebrating the love we share with our friends and family. My favorite way to spend Valentine's Day is cooking dinner and watching a movie with my hubby. We celebrated this past weekend and made JJ's mom's lasagna and watch The Social Network, which was a pretty good movie. Here are a few things I think would make for a fun way to celebrate, if you're into celebrating Valentine's Day:

How about a heart shaped pizza from Papa John's for your sweetie? According to their website, they sold over 60,000 of these during last year's promotion, so Papa is on board again this year to deliver this fun dinner idea. If pizza's not your thing, then what about this...

Take your sweetie out to dinner at White Castle...yep, I said White Castle. Doing this tonight would have required some advanced planning though because believe it or not the restaurant often sells out for available spots for their dinner service on Valentine's Day. For the past 20 years, White Castle staffers have been playing up on the fun and offering up table side service at each booth, which is cover with linen table cloths and adorned with fresh flowers. You must love the sliders to make this your valentine's day choice, but it seems like a fun way to spend the evening. Don't want anything to do with food to display the way you celebrate this day...

Then you can never go wrong with good old fashion flowers! I got this beautiful red rose today when I walked into work. This really made me smile and was a great way to start the day. A very nice co-worker from the morning show shift went out on his lunch break, picked up a bouquet of roses and passed one out to all the ladies to celebrate Valentine's Day - now how cool is that - it certainly lifted many people spirits and got the day started off right in my book!

So, however you celebrate Valentine's Day (or don't celebrate), enjoy today - share a laugh with a friend, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and pass on some positive energy to others, because it's the cool thing to do!

Cheers to a new year - 2011 is here!

This time of year can really be inspiring. The obvious is making the New Year's resolution, which some people say they don't make because they don't want to set them selves up to fail on the first day of the year. Many people set up goals around this time of the year and succeed in accomplishing them - so when ever the time of year - I say go for it and make it happen.

Cheers to a great start for 2011 - I hope this year brings you many days filled with laughter, love, adventure and happiness. Best Wishes for an awesome year ahead from CincySpin!

A Day to Give Thanks

Warm wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving this week to all my dear blog readers out there. When trying to decide on a blog post about Thanksgiving, I came across the poem below and wanted to share it with you today. May you have a relaxing and peaceful day with your loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving

by Douglas A. Cox

Thank you for the water

That soothes my deepest thirst

Thank you for the folks who see

The best and not the worst

Thank you for the air I breathe

The earth on which I stand

Thank you for the miracle

Of one hinge in my hand.

Thank you for my family

My friends who've come to know

That our words shape the life we live

They are the seeds we sow

So speak the words that heal the wounds

Of prejudice and hate

Replace the words the cynics choose

Before it is too late

Say thank you in your silence

Say thank you right out loud

Say it in your deepest heart

And shout it to the crowd

Thank you Lord for all these gifts

For giving me the choice

For helping me to see the good

And giving me a voice.

"In our joyous Thanksgiving may we find the path to peace!"

Trick or Treat!

Cheers to a safe and fun Halloween weekend to all - this year Halloween at our house has been pretty low key. We didn't spend time or money recreating this year's most popular costume. What is this year's most popular costume you may ask, well according to Google the answer is there's a tie - that's right a tie between Lady Gaga and the cast of the Jersey Shore. Now obviously, those two options are for adults and I'm sure there are many other choices for kids that are topping the most popular lists.

What I find interesting about dressing up in costumes for Halloween is how those costume choices change over the years as we age. As infants, parents dress their precious little bundles of joy up as bumble bees or tiny pumpkins. As kids, many want to be super heroes like Superman or Wonder Woman. When we enter our younger teen year's, choices might navigate towards what we want to be when we grow up, like a doctor, or you start to trick or treat in groups with friends and everyone dresses up as the same thing - you've seen this, there will be like 5 or 6 girls all dressed up as disco chicks or something like that. Now, for most older teenagers, they're going to opt for the more scary costume - dress in all black, put on some freaky face paint and a wig and that's all you'll get for their costume. Some teens still pull out the more creative side, which can be fun to see what type of costumes they come up with - most will pull from the celebrity side of things, like impersonating their favorite actor or movie figure. Then as adults, when we're invited to Halloween parties, we come up with all kinds of creative ways to make people laugh when we let go of our in habitations and let our fun side show every now and then to come put with some great get ups.

Now, on to the Trick or Treat part of this post. When are people too old to go around trick or treating? I find this to be an interesting questions as I've recently started flipping on the porch light and passing out candy these last few years. I love seeing all the cute kiddo's come up to the house and open their bags or holding out their plastic pumpkins, saying trick or treat for a piece of candy. Some of them brave and confident on what they are supposed to say, others getting right up to the house, then looking back at their parents at the end of the drive way, looking for encouragement on what to say. These are the years of innocence - when there are no worries in life, when you are protected by parents and just out to have a good time! But all that changes when the next group of "kids" knocking on the door is a bunch of sometimes "obnoxious" teens who hold out their pillow case and don't even speak to you. They expect you to just reach down in the bowl and continue to fill their bags up to the brim with more candy. Those few sentences may make me sound like someone who's bitter about passing out candy - like if I'm going to have the porch light on, then I should just be okay with anyone and everyone who comes around trick or treating. What I've learned over these last few years as a home owner, is to have fun with those older kids. Not too much fun to the point where they'll make note of your house number and return to egg your car, but just to make it fun for all parties involved. Case in point - if you are a teenager who doesn't really put any effort into wearing a costume, then expect to do some "tricks" when you roll up on our house. JJ and I will make you stand far back from the candy bowl and you'll have to catch the candy as we toss it to you - or if you come up to the house and don't say "trick or treat" and just hold open your pillow case, then we'll ask you what is that that you want. So, my point to this post (or rant) is that if you are going to participate in the trick or treat game, then play the part - get a costume, dress up, and say the "trick or treat" phrase - it isn't that hard and it's usually fun too!

I hope everyone has a safe, fun and Happy Halloween tonight. I leave you with a few photos from last year's Trick or Treat night in our neighborhood. Even Miss Ella got into the spirit of dressing up!

Floating down the River

On Labor Day weekend, JJ and I took a little adventure and drove out to Morgan's Canoe Livery and enjoyed a 3 mile canoe ride along the Little Miami River. We went to their Fort Ancient shop, which is in the town of Oregonia, just about 30 miles northeast of Cincinnati. According to their website, the Morgan family built the livery in 1969 and "chose this secluded section of river for its natural beauty and protected isolation, as well as being the best canoeing section on the Little Miami."
It was another beautiful day in Cincy and I've really been wanting to go canoeing all summer. Some how it always seems that every weekend fills up during the summer months and before you know it, time has flown by and we're heading into fall. Now, don't get me wrong, fall is my favorite season and probably a great time to canoe, but I really loved being out on the river soaking up some the last few rays of summer sun. It was pretty crowded that day with lots of other families taking the opportunity to get in some quality time along the river. Our 3 mile trip was nice and relaxing and there hadn't been much rain around, so the canoe actually scrapped some rocks a time or two. Truth be told, most of the very relaxing 3 miles canoe ride for me was spent like this:
Laid back with my feet propped up while my awesome husband did all the paddling. Am I not the luckiest girl in the world, he's the best!

Luck of the Irish

Old Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you: May the wind be always at your back, The sun shine warm upon your face, The rain fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Who doesn't love being a "little" Irish on St. Patrick's Day?! Cheers to you my blog readers - I hope you have a safe and happy St. Patty's Day. (PS - how cute is the Irish Care Bear...reminds me of my younger days!)

2009 End of the Year Questionnaire:

Here are some fun questions to reflect on as 2009 draws to and end. I edited out a few questions from the original questionnaire that I saw on another blog.

Feel free to copy, cut and paste these and pass your answers on to friends and family. Some of the questions are a bit silly, but it’s still kind of an interesting way to recap your year and compare to years past.

Here are my answers::

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I got married!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, & will you make more for next year?
Didn’t make one (at lease one that I can remember)! For 2010, I am going to try to make the switch from soda to water - we’ll see how it goes!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, several friends gave birth to beautiful children.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My husband’s grandmother and uncle died in 2009.

5. What countries did you visit?
I stayed in the US this year, but visited several states.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I would like to have more patience.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 10, 2009 – The day JJ and I got married.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Turning 30 and knowing that I married my best friend.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My attitude towards my job, but I’m determined to make that better in 2010.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
In the year of the Swine Flu, thankfully I didn’t suffer anything more than a mild case of the flu. But, I did fall down the basement stairs at our house and earned one nasty bruise on my tushy!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A handmade quilt wall hanging from Hawaii.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, bills, and more bills.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Hawaii for our honeymoon.

14. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Kiss of Life by Sade

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier

b) thinner or fatter? Maybe a little chubbier-?!?

c) richer or poorer? Richer, in my heart – but the bank statement has stayed about the same.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Talking about how I was going to exercise!

18. How did you spend Christmas?
Visiting with my family in Dayton and spent time with the “work-family” while working during the holidays.

19. Did you fall in love in 2009?
More than I ever thought possible!

20. What was your favorite TV program?
I really enjoyed a program on Showtime called the L Word.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I try not to waste time hating people.

22. What was the best book you read?
My Sisters Keeper – crazy ending in that book.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?
A band called Iron and Wine, thanks to a co-worker for introducing me to them.

24. What did you want and get?
An iPhone – thanks JJ!

25. What did you want and not get?
I wanted something special to happen for two dear friends -who, someday, will make wonderful first time parents!

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Reader

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 this year! If my memory serves me right, the day kicked off with a nice card from my co-workers and then dinner with JJ, though I don’t remember where – how’s that for “old age”!

28. Who did you miss?
Grandma Millie

28. Who was the best new person you met?
I really enjoyed meeting our wedding photographer.

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
You can not make people change, all you can do is let them know how you feel about a situation.

30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“I got a feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night…”
-Lyrics from “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is filled with friendship and love. This has been a wonderful year for me and it's hard not to get teary eyed this time of year when I reflect on how blessed I am with fabulous friends and loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my life!

Mele Kalikimaka...

The Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas!
On this Christmas Eve morning, I'm here at work, thinking about how I'd like to have this year's holiday off and be spending it with my new husband. Alas, that is not the case this year, but maybe someday (she says hopefully)!!!

So I draw inspiration by listening to Bing Crosby's beautiful song called Mele Kalikimaka and remember the most amazing 2 weeks of my life that just occurred a few months ago when we spent that time together on our honeymoon in Hawaii.

If you stop by the blog today, I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Christmas Eve and that you have a very Merry Christmas this year!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

This year's holiday baking started early when I decided to make a special treat for a friend's birthday. I wanted to try a new recipe, so I headed on over to one of my favorite websites called Bake or Break. The author of Bake or Break has great recipes and takes wonderful pictures that make you want to stop what your doing and head to the kitchen to try your hand at making their latest recipe.

Here's the Bake or Break recipe for Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes:
42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner...

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla...
Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies...
Divide batter among pans...
Bake for about 22 minutes or until filling is set...
Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Remove from pans just before serving..
As you can see, I used the mint oreos for the bottom cookie crust and it was a big hit with those who indulged in these delicious treats!

Turkey Noodle Soup

This year I was fortunate enough to celebrate Thanksgiving with JJ's family and also with my family, so there were some awesome left overs stocking our fridge! So, after we'd had the traditional dinners for a few days, my mind wondered and wanted to find another way to incorporated the left over turkey meat into a new dish.

I browsed a few websites and came up with a recipe for Turkey Noodle Soup, which turned out to be pretty good. It was a pretty simple recipe. In fact I didn't really even measure any of the ingredients.

First I chopped and sauteed carrots, celery, and onions...
After a few minutes, I added about 2 cups of chicken broth and a little bit of water. Once that started to heat up, I added a bag of egg noodles... I let the noodles cook for a few minutes, then added the left over turkey I had chopped into bit size pieces... I added salt, pepper, and parsley to the mix and let the soup come to a boil. Then I backed off the heat and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes or so...
I toasted up some left over dinner rolls and served up the soup in our new dishes we received for a wedding gift... I think the soup actually got better as the days went by, and we certainly had some tasty left overs for lunches!

Happy Mother's Day!

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day. I want to take a moment to wish my Mom, Carole, and all my "mom" friends a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you're all able to take a moment to relax and do something fun for yourself. Enjoy the Day!

New Year's Resolution List...

I was browsing several of my "blogging friends" websites to see what topics they're covering as we start this new year of 2009. I came across this list on Udandi's blog...take a minute to browse it over if you're into New Year's Resolutions. For me, many of the things on the list really hit home and I'm planning on practicing them during 2009.

The list was heard on the Bob & Sheri show...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if needed.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to ____ today. I am thankful for____’
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for ____. Today I accomplished ____.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You’ll be smiling before you know it.

Whether or not you're into these types of lists, I hope you've enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebration. I know I'm looking forward to the many fabulous things ahead in 2009. Cheers to a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone enjoys a safe and wonderful Holiday and that you are able to spend time with family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Thanks for taking an interest in my blog. I hope to continue to entertain you with many fun stories throughout next year!

Fountain Square for the Holidays!

Because of my career choice, I tend to have to work during the Holidays. This year, I've been lucky to have a full week of vacation to take during the month of December. Now granted, I couldn't take it the week of the actual Christmas Holiday, so I opted for the week before to get myself in the Holiday spirit!

I've enjoyed a wonderful week of fun and relaxation, really treating this week like it's "my Christmas"! JJ and I decided to spend one evening this week downtown Cincinnati taking in all the Holiday lights and Christmas decorations. Fountain Square underwent a huge remodeling that seemed to last all year long, but it has really turned out lovely and is the perfect spot to enjoy the Holiday season.

All the trees are covered in bright white lights and the Ice Skating Rink is in full swing with lots of people enjoying an evening in Downtown. I braved the rink on those extremely skinny blades and managed to take several laps around the rink without falling! It turned out to be quite a fun night, mostly because JJ held my hand to make sure I didn't fall, but after a few laps I did gain some confidence and soloed around the rink with a smile on my face (and my hands out wide to brace any falls!). As you can see from the picture above, I decided to wear the Santa Hat, which I think helped me embrace "my Christmas vacation" even more!

My First Ugly Sweater Christmas Party!

That's right - an ugly sweater Christmas party! Have you heard of this new trend in party themes? I've heard of it recently and was excited to be invited to my 1st one!


Usually on the day of a party, there's a bit of routine in the "getting ready" part. Same questions...What do I wear? Maybe I'll go buy a new top? How should I do my hair? (Etc.) However this past Saturday, there was a bit of a twist to the tasks that go into getting ready for a party.


Task #1 - Go to a store and find the Ugliest Holiday sweater on the rack. Task #2 - Purchase the garment and wear it with pride. That's right, if you are going to dawn an Ugly sweater...you must "Own It" as they say. You must stand tall and proud in the sweater you've found and really have fun with the theme!


Below are some great pics from the party. It was a great celebration of Katy's birthday & the fabulous Christmas season. I enjoyed meeting new people, many of whom are "bloggers", and look forward to hanging out with everyone again in the future!

An afternoon at the Lanes...

This past weekend we celebrated a post Thanksgiving Day get together with my family and after our lunch we spent the afternoon at Poelking Lanes South in the Dayton area. Nothing like some bowling to bring out everyone's competative side (or at least mine!).

I was in a bowling league growing up and really enjoy heading to the bowling alley every Saturday morning to try to improve my game. I certinatly don't roll any 300 point games, but I do enjoy a couple of games at the lanes and try to at least break 100 on the score board!

Happy Thanksgiving to all...

I am extrememly Thankful today for my family and friends.


This is the time of year when I always reflect on the many wonderful relationships I have with people who I truly love and enjoy having in my life. Thank you dear friends and family for your continued love, support, and friendship.


Please enjoy this Thanksgiving season and remember to always count your blessings.

Celebrating the 4th of July...

One of my favorite things about Cincinnati is the annual Northside 4th of July parade.  It's a great place for people watching...it is filled with lovely characters, dressed up in all kinds of outrageous outfits and also full of extremely friendly people who are celebrating our nation's birthday.  

Northside is a great neighborhood where people from all walks of life gather to enjoy a relaxed community atmosphere.  Here are some great pics from the parade...Enjoy!

 (We didn't let it "rain on our parade" and neither did this lovable lab.)(A little humor for the "boxy" cars...)

(These guys didn't want Barack to get wet in the rain...HaHaHa!)

(If the price of gas keeps going up, these might be a good options for transportation.)
After the festivities this year, we headed to The Comet for some yummy chicken burritos, cheesy quesadillas, and tasty drinks...