tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19752826280076953662018-07-19T07:56:02.275-04:00cleveland's a plumnew york may be the big apple, but cleveland's a plumalexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.comBlogger1140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-73939678622373198092017-01-25T07:43:00.000-05:002017-01-25T07:43:04.625-05:00You can learn a lot about a person based on...<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They say you can learn a lot about a person based on the car they drive, where they went to college, the zip code they grew up in, Myers-Briggs type, yada, yada, yada.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And while the descriptors above provide a fair amount of context (Volvo S60, University of Dayton, 44709 and ESFJ), I have a new favorite get-to-know-you question.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actually two questions, that I've been using interchangeably. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>What radio stations are programmed in your car?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- What's on your DVR?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What I actually enjoy most is when someone says, "I don't have a car" or "I don't have DVR," because then you can take the conversation a million different directions. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But for the purpose of this post, I'm going to share my answer to the first question, because you can tell a heck of a lot about a person's interests based on what they listen to in the car.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's set the stage: I love my <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/" target="_blank">SiriusXM Satellite Radio</a> and I would be lost without it.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alexa's Sirius Radio Programmed Channels (in no particular order):</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/jamon" target="_blank">Jam<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">_</span>O</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/jamon" target="_blank">n</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Jam<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Band<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmfly" target="_blank">SiriusXM F</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmfly" target="_blank">LY</a> - Hip-<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hop/R&B from the 90s <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">&</span> 00s</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/howard100" target="_blank">Howard </a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/howard100" target="_blank">100</a> - The Howard Stern Show</span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/entertainmentweeklyradio" target="_blank">Entertainment W</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/entertainmentweeklyradio" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eekly</span> Radio</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Entertainment <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">talk</span> and new<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/businessradio" target="_blank">Business Radio</a> - B<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">usiness</span> power<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ed by Wharton</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/gratefuldead" target="_blank">Grateful Dead Channel</a> - Grateful Dead 24/7</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/nprnow" target="_blank">NPR Now</a> - NPR News <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">& Conversation</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/90son9" target="_blank">'90s on 9</a> - '90s pop hits</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/classicvinyl" target="_blank">Classic Vinyl</a> - <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'60s & '70s Classic Rock</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/radioandy" target="_blank">Radio Andy</a> - Andy Co<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hen<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/Pop C<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ulture</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Based on the above, one could gather that I'm a foul-mouthed, liberal-minded, business woman who would be equally starstruck meeting Missy Elliot or Trey Anastasio and has seen every Golden Globe nominated movie and television show.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm totally on board with that description. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your turn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">W</span>hat are you listening to in the car these days?</span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com148tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-86896132825347616072017-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:002017-01-05T12:39:48.991-05:00Surprise! I'm back.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's been almost a year to the date since I <a href="http://www.clevelandsaplum.com/2016/01/cardinal-maids-cleveland-get-your-time.html" target="_blank">published my last post</a> on Cleveland's a Plum.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shall we blame 2016 for my absence? Sure. Let's simply pretend that the <strike>election</strike> year was so traumatic I couldn't muster up the energy to write. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Truthfully? Blogging just wasn't a priority. Social media has changed so much since I started this little slice of the internet in 2008, and I found myself experimenting with more real-time platforms like Snapchat and Instagram Stories. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But you know what? I miss blogging, so I'm going to put my $10 clevelandsaplum.com annual domain name renewal fee to good use and <b>write for me</b>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's factual that as my day job writing responsibilities increased, my bandwidth for personal writing decreased. And while I've never been comfortable saying, "I'm a writer," it sure does make me happy.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So here we are, nine years, 1,139 posts and a year-long sabbatical from blogging later and I'm back!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the good news is.... Cleveland is <i>still</i> a Plum, except that now <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/petertaylor/2016/10/27/why-cleveland-is-americas-hottest-city-right-now/#5d8795c26655" target="_blank">I'm not the only one who thinks so</a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now if you'll excuse me, I have a blog design to update and personal goals to set.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy Thursday, kids.</span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-49475985638006954162016-01-08T09:27:00.000-05:002016-01-08T09:27:43.464-05:00Cardinal Maids Cleveland -- Get Your Time Back!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy 2016, kids! I hope your holiday was as wonderful and family filled as mine.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I must admit though, as magical as the month of December was, it was also overwhelmingly busy. Between work travel to San Francisco and extended holiday visits in St. Louis and Canton, I'm surprised I found enough time to decorate our home and purchase and gift wrap presents for over 30 people.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Luckily, there was one thing that helped me find the time to get every thing knocked out and alleviate some of the stress. <a href="https://cardinalmaids.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cardinal Maids</b></a>, a Cleveland-based professional cleaning service came to my home on a Friday morning and cleaned it from top to bottom while I was out running errands. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You guys have no idea what a relief it was to not spend my weekend cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors. You see, I'm not much of a cleaner. I grew up with a cleaning service coming to the house every two weeks. I'm excellent at picking up clutter, not so much at scrubbing tile.</span></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXf5isGUltM/Vo8asI2LjvI/AAAAAAAAJMU/UwwmIBSo9ow/s1600/Cardinal%2BMaids%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXf5isGUltM/Vo8asI2LjvI/AAAAAAAAJMU/UwwmIBSo9ow/s320/Cardinal%2BMaids%2BCleveland.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enter <a href="https://cardinalmaids.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cardinal Maids</b></a>. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without a question the<b> </b>professional cleaners are good at what they do, <b>my house was immaculate</b>, but what I think really differentiates their offering is the easy <a href="https://cardinalmaids.com/book/" target="_blank"><b>online ordering process</b></a>. Simply provide the details of your home, any add-ons that you may want, pick an available date and time and you're done. It's that easy!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you're in the Cleveland area and looking to recoup some of your precious time, I highly recommend you hire Cardinal Maids - <b>you deserve it</b>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Confession time, I'm about to share my ulterior motive here, so do you want to know the <i>real </i>best part of this experience? CK loved it so much he has agreed to bring Cardinal Maids back once a month. No joke, he kept mentioning over and over again how nice it was to not have to clean and how he didn't feel guilty relaxing on a Saturday afternoon. He's officially a convert.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Praise the cleaning gods (hands in the air emoji)!!!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Disclosure: I was offered a complimentary house cleaning in exchange for this post. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.</span></i></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com216tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-43009815756280623912015-10-29T13:04:00.000-04:002015-10-29T15:17:33.891-04:00Five Below Fun for the Family<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm going to brag on my step-daughter for a moment here. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When the kind people of <a href="http://www.fivebelow.com/" target="_blank"><b>Five Below</b></a> reached out about a partnership that included a $50 shopping spree for my step-kiddo I couldn't wait to tell her.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Crihc4Kdu_Y/VjJR31A7yuI/AAAAAAAAJKQ/de8YJDWcGQQ/s1600/Five%2BBelow%2BShopping%2BSpree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Crihc4Kdu_Y/VjJR31A7yuI/AAAAAAAAJKQ/de8YJDWcGQQ/s640/Five%2BBelow%2BShopping%2BSpree.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She loves shopping at Five Below and points it out to me every time we drive by, so I knew this truly would make her day. Trust me when I tell you, there was quite the high pitch scream of excitement when I gave her the good news!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I didn't expect was what came out of her mouth next, "Can I give one of the gift cards to another kid shopping in the store? Like a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rakenow/?fref=ts" target="_blank"><b>RAKE</b></a> (Random Act of Kindness)!"</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My eyes immediately teared up. Here I am all excited to give HER the opportunity to pick out fun, high quality gear at an amazing price and she's excited to give the opportunity to another kid.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Melt my heart, sweet child, MELT IT. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't want to capture a photo of the family that Maria gave a $10 Five Below gift card, but I smile just thinking about it.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JyUbgoQ1PQ/VjGBf3-JXQI/AAAAAAAAJJ0/ex8xvjDlyVQ/s1600/Fun%2Bat%2BFive%2BBelow%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--JyUbgoQ1PQ/VjGBf3-JXQI/AAAAAAAAJJ0/ex8xvjDlyVQ/s640/Fun%2Bat%2BFive%2BBelow%2BCleveland.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had so much fun shopping at Five Below. Admittedly, I don't go there often without the kiddo, but after this most recent trip that will change. I'm already thinking about stocking stuffers and gifts for my nieces and nephew.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From collectible Pokemon trading cards and Shopkins to room decor to media accessories to sports there's something for every kid or tween on your list. Plus, kids can go in there and spend their own money because all items are $1 to $5.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pvm6H1baBP8/VjGDjM4B3UI/AAAAAAAAJKA/mZfcpJWn-ug/s1600/Five%2BBelow%2BHaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pvm6H1baBP8/VjGDjM4B3UI/AAAAAAAAJKA/mZfcpJWn-ug/s640/Five%2BBelow%2BHaul.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Talk about a haul right? A poster, super cool safe, Shopkins, Duct Tape <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206452188438317&set=a.2986755302727.138943.1077375960&type=3&theater" target="_blank"><b>that we used for our Halloween costume</b></a>, Cleveland Cavaliers cup, neon bouncy ball, Ty plush cat, "#" battery powered light for her room, sunglasses and a hilarious pizza themed t-shirt for CK.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Maria would have brought the whole Five Below store home with her if she could, and to think that she could have had more but decided to make someone else's day makes me very proud to be her step-mom.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks to the great people of <a href="http://www.shespeaks.com/" target="_blank"><b></b></a><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">She Speak</a>s</b> and <a href="http://www.fivebelow.com/" target="_blank"><b>Five Below</b></a> for providing this fun and unique opportunity for my family, it's one we won't soon forget. </span></span><br /><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Editors note: This is a sponsored post, but as always, opinions are 100% my own.</i></span></span>alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com154tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-79008439532525493022015-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:002015-10-22T14:01:04.975-04:00#MyCLEPhoto + Hilton Cleveland Downtown Getaway<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interested in a free weekend stay for two in Downtown Cleveland? Who wouldn't be?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The oh-so-close-to-being-completed <b><a href="http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ohio/hilton-cleveland-downtown-CLEDOHH/index.html" target="_blank">Hilton Cleveland Downtown</a> </b>is sponsoring a contest to help curate art for the hotel. They're asking Clevelanders to submit photos in and around Cleveland showing their CLE pride in front of their favorite locations and landmarks. Selfies work too!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The final product will be a swanky mural full of submitted photos that will be unveiled when the Hilton opens in Downtown Cleveland in June 2016. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are two ways to submit your photos to not only be included in the art, but also to win that fabulous getaway:</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Upload your photo via the <a href="https://myclevelandphoto.wishpond.com/landing-page/" target="_blank"><b>My Cleveland Photo website</b></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Use the hashtag #MyCLEPhoto on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Admittedly, I had more fun than anticipated looking through my semi-recent Instagram photos, tagging some of my favorites for inclusion in the mural.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Case in points:</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKeWuzdHSTg/Vig7r6WF_TI/AAAAAAAAJIk/7Ip_En0YSpQ/s1600/Ohio%2BCity%2BStreet%2BFestival%2B2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKeWuzdHSTg/Vig7r6WF_TI/AAAAAAAAJIk/7Ip_En0YSpQ/s640/Ohio%2BCity%2BStreet%2BFestival%2B2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fun at the inaugural <a href="http://www.ohiocity.org/event/ohio-city-street-festival" target="_blank"><b>Ohio City Street Festival</b></a> with <a href="http://cleshopaholic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Shibani</b></a> and the kiddo!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbIZNX0B8qk/Vig8xQ7wXaI/AAAAAAAAJIw/4yyvh6t7DXA/s1600/W%2B25th%2BSt%2BOhio%2BCity%2Bat%2BDawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbIZNX0B8qk/Vig8xQ7wXaI/AAAAAAAAJIw/4yyvh6t7DXA/s640/W%2B25th%2BSt%2BOhio%2BCity%2Bat%2BDawn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Taken from my car on West 25th Street in Ohio City post-morning <a href="http://www.harnesscycle.com/" target="_blank"><b>Harness Cycle</b></a> spin class. The West Side Market was just about to wake up, guys.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nz_1M2AVtWA/Vig971LTfgI/AAAAAAAAJI8/kMlyaWafe7k/s1600/Corn%2BMaze%2BLife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nz_1M2AVtWA/Vig971LTfgI/AAAAAAAAJI8/kMlyaWafe7k/s640/Corn%2BMaze%2BLife.jpg" width="634" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That Corn Maze Life at <a href="http://mapleside.com/" target="_blank"><b>Mapleside Farms</b></a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WAsfsYwoqbY/Vig_wMYxQAI/AAAAAAAAJJM/pHBjhGHXg0w/s1600/Cuyahoga%2BValley%2BNational%2BPark%2BTowpath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WAsfsYwoqbY/Vig_wMYxQAI/AAAAAAAAJJM/pHBjhGHXg0w/s640/Cuyahoga%2BValley%2BNational%2BPark%2BTowpath.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scene from one of my bike rides in the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm" target="_blank"><b>Cuyahoga Valley National Park</b></a> <a href="http://www.ohioanderiecanalway.com/Main/Home.aspx" target="_blank"><b>Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath </b></a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I mean, these are all <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23myclephoto&src=typd" target="_blank"><b>#MyCLEPhoto</b></a> worthy, right?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what photos will you be adding to the Cleveland Hilton's mural? I bet you have more than you think on your iPhone, <a href="https://myclevelandphoto.wishpond.com/landing-page/" target="_blank"><b>add them today</b></a> and who knows, you just may be the grand prize winner!</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com112tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-71431776473704460642015-09-22T15:19:00.000-04:002015-09-22T15:20:37.922-04:00Door to Door Organics is the epitome of #joydelivered<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJ0PpasnbNE/VgGZHUpfZII/AAAAAAAAJG8/BzvSeLNxIvo/s1600/door%2Bto%2Bdoor%2Borganics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJ0PpasnbNE/VgGZHUpfZII/AAAAAAAAJG8/BzvSeLNxIvo/s320/door%2Bto%2Bdoor%2Borganics.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We order everything else online, so why not order local organic fruits, vegetables and more to be delivered right to your door?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enter <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/" target="_blank"><b>Door to Door Organics</b></a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've participated in weekly farm buying clubs in the past, <a href="http://freshforkmarket.com/" target="_blank"><b>Fresh Fork Market</b></a> is a great Cleveland example, and while I enjoyed my subscription, the lack of flexibility in my weekly order caused me to waste perfectly good food.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once I got into my weekly Door to Door Organics deliveries, I realized that what I loved most is that on Monday morning I'd sign into my account and meal plan. You can add, subtract and modify your entire order or <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/about/box" target="_blank"><b>produce box</b></a> prior to delivery straight from their website.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not in the mood for bananas? Simply swap them out for another fruit or vegetable of your choice. Planning on making (spoiler alert) zucchini bread? Make sure you load up on extra zucchini!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's not just about produce though, one can purchase bread, snacks, dairy, etc. or my family's favorite, <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/shop/products/smoking-goose-applewood-smoked-bacon" target="_blank"><b>Smoking Goose Applewood Smoked Bacon</b></a>. If it wasn't for Door to Door Organics, we never would have found this brand which is now a household staple. </span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-568OY7tH8Ho/VgGcOl6jiII/AAAAAAAAJHI/g6yg32CGr44/s1600/Door%2Bto%2BDoor%2BOrganics%2BOhio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-568OY7tH8Ho/VgGcOl6jiII/AAAAAAAAJHI/g6yg32CGr44/s640/Door%2Bto%2BDoor%2BOrganics%2BOhio.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's an example of a box I received over the summer, those organic chicken thighs went right into my Yiayia's chicken and noodle recipe. I can even order my local favorite <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/shop/products/good-greens-chocolate-coconut-wellness-bar" target="_blank"><b>Good Greens</b></a> bars - a win for everyone!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It may still be sunny and warm in Northeast Ohio, but let's not fight fate, fall is officially here, and my brain goes straight to Browns football, apples, pumpkins, Sunday soups and zucchini bread. I just love being in the kitchen this time of year.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I may have jumped the gun when I made my "famous" zucchini bread a few weeks ago, but the time is now, and I highly recommend you add this, <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/recipes#tab=find_page=1_filter=_reset=_subnav=_tabparams=" target="_blank"><b>or any of the amazing Door to Door Organics recipes</b></a>, to your collection.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3kC2Hp2D4U/VgGevU2tCII/AAAAAAAAJHU/7DyoXHAdup8/s1600/Zucchini%2BBread%2BRecipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3kC2Hp2D4U/VgGevU2tCII/AAAAAAAAJHU/7DyoXHAdup8/s640/Zucchini%2BBread%2BRecipe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Zucchini Bread</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 3 cups flour</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>- </b>3 cups sugar</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 4 teaspoon cinnamon</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">---- Combine above dry ingredients and put aside in large bowl. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1 1/4 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts, but pecans are good too.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1 cup raisins</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 4 teaspoons vanilla</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 4 large eggs</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 1 1/2 cups oil (I use half oil and half applesauce as a substitution.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- 3 cups grated zucchini (Beautiful, organic and delivered straight to my door!)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">---- Beat eggs, vanilla and oil well. Add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add zucchini, raisins, nuts and mix well. Pour mixture into two greased and floured 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours and ENJOY!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guys, once you go home delivery you never go back and who better to try than Door to Door Organics. Interested in signing up? <a href="https://ohio.doortodoororganics.com/signup?gift_cert=CLEVELANDPLUM15O" target="_blank"><b>Click here</b></a> to receive $10 off your first order.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or, wait for it, you can <b>win one of three $50 gift certificates for good food</b> I'm giving away right here on the plum!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>To enter, complete one or all of the following: </i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <b>Leave a comment on this post </b>telling me your favorite fall food.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <b>Tweet the following. </b>You can tweet once per day, but must <u>leave a comment each time</u> telling me you did so.</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I want #joydelivered to my doorstep from @dtdorganics, @clevelandsaplum! http://bit.ly/1Fs72FF</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <b>Share on Facebook</b> - http://bit.ly/1Fs72FF - <u>leaving a comment on this post</u> telling me you did so.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You have until end of day Tuesday, September 29th to enter - GOOD LUCK!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Disclosure: I was provided a gift certificate from Door to Door in exchange for this brand partnership. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.</span></span></i><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-90855342814271690512015-08-24T11:08:00.000-04:002015-08-24T14:26:27.500-04:00Gardening with Petitti's Garden Center<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With this being our first round of seasons at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23halleyscarriage&src=typd" target="_blank"><b>#HalleysCarriage</b></a>, we had to start from scratch when it came yard maintenance. We have nearly an acre of land that's covered with 100+ year old trees, overgrown bushes and patchy grass coverage in addition to being home to all sorts of wildlife.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's actually wonderful surroundings, but the elderly woman who lived in our home before us hadn't properly maintained the yard in years, and we've basically spent the entire summer cleaning/digging out our flower beds - a solid first step.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But as we continue to prep for fall planting, I couldn't just leave our yard flowerless for the summer. Enter lots of big, beautiful pots to fill with colorful, hearty flowers.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But what to plant? All my favorite go-to annual flowers were full sun and I have nothing but shade.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, I had to think about the deer.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aauwj3kXUJU/VdUuLvMmIXI/AAAAAAAAJFY/ZkRo6Hn5U-I/s1600/Backyard%2BDeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="638" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aauwj3kXUJU/VdUuLvMmIXI/AAAAAAAAJFY/ZkRo6Hn5U-I/s640/Backyard%2BDeer.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Exhibit A:</i> a friendly, flower eating deer straight chillin' in my backyard.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Deer resistant:</b> a phrase that never crossed my mind until I moved into a home adjacent to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm" target="_blank"><b>Cuyahoga Valley National Park</b></a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enter <a href="https://www.petittigardencenter.com/" target="_blank"><b>Petitti Garden Center</b></a>, Northeast Ohio's premier garden center. Their knowledgeable staff walked me aisle by aisle helping me pick out flowers and plants that would be most likely to survive (and thrive) in my new yard.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Admittedly, I didn't listen to <i>all</i> their advice, which is probably why I'm going to need a slightly altered plan for spring 2016, but I'm confident that my yard is going to improve year over year.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An easier portion of our outside to maintain, the front porch, has plenty of sun and from what I can tell thus far, no real deer interference. Bring on the big beautiful pots!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HdSjCbfhZP8/VdU7MOcsZUI/AAAAAAAAJFo/EKqVTdfyDVo/s1600/Petittis%2BGarden%2BCenter%2BBedford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HdSjCbfhZP8/VdU7MOcsZUI/AAAAAAAAJFo/EKqVTdfyDVo/s640/Petittis%2BGarden%2BCenter%2BBedford.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CK and Maria helping me pick out <a href="http://www.petittigardencenter.com/index.php/gardening/pottery-trellises-planters" target="_blank"><b>two glazed clay pots for our front porch at Petitti's</b></a>.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-evABzIX4riQ/VdU7Z3KgZYI/AAAAAAAAJFw/-e_qYfFr5-I/s1600/Gardening%2Bwith%2BPetitti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-evABzIX4riQ/VdU7Z3KgZYI/AAAAAAAAJFw/-e_qYfFr5-I/s640/Gardening%2Bwith%2BPetitti.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Top left:</i> the day we planted the annual flowers - Penta, Lantana and Bacopa - in our new pots. <i>Top right and bottom:</i> growth progress after a month or so - blooms for days!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While we may not want to admit it, summer is basically over, and I'm already thinking about my fall planting and spring planning -- mums, flower bed prep, weed killing, grass seeding, perennial planting and leaf removal.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's so much to do! Luckily, <a href="http://www.petittigardencenter.com/index.php/locations" target="_blank"><b>Petitti Garden Center, and their nine locations in Northeast Ohio</b></a> can help. I even already have a date set over Labor Day weekend with my Mom to make a trip to the Avon location for yard prep.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you plan on doing the same in the upcoming weeks I have a giveaway for you - <b>a $50 gift certificate to Petitti's!</b></span></span><br /><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To enter, complete one or all of the following:</span></span></b><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <b>Leave a commen</b>t on this post telling me your favorite flower, tree or bush.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <b>Tweet the following</b> (You can tweet once per day, but must leave a new comment each time letting me know you did so.)</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Hey, @Petittis - help make my garden grow with a $50 gift card from @clevelandsaplum! http://bit.ly/1LsOX9D</i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <b>Share this post</b> on your Facebook page - http://bit.ly/1LsOX9D - leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You have until end of day Tuesday, September 1st to enter to win - <b>GOOD LUCK!</b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Editor's note: I've partnered with Petitt's Garden Center to help bring this contest to you. As always, opinions are my own.</i><b> </b></span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com102tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-89468602211426076662015-06-23T12:41:00.000-04:002015-06-23T12:47:23.308-04:00It's patio weather in Cleveland!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When it comes to summers in Cleveland, when one has the opportunity to sit on a patio, one sits on a patio. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alternately, when one has the opportunity to sit on a patio with a Lake Erie view, you run as fast as you can to sit on that patio.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Case in point, <a href="http://pierw.com/" target="_blank"><b>Pier W</b></a>. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Piew W is one of Cleveland's finest dining establishments. Known for a critically acclaimed seafood menu and a breathtaking view of Downtown Cleveland, every trip I've ever made to the restaurant, whether for brunch or a happy hour on the patio, has been spectacular.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This includes my most recent trip to kick off this summer's patio season..</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl7WKynJxso/VYi-2z4f6CI/AAAAAAAAJCk/4w1AuhDW2ps/s1600/Pier%2BW%2BPatio%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl7WKynJxso/VYi-2z4f6CI/AAAAAAAAJCk/4w1AuhDW2ps/s640/Pier%2BW%2BPatio%2BCleveland.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friends on the patio!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxqcfqP1VLU/VYjCN9yFmcI/AAAAAAAAJDI/2L2pIBPdaFM/s1600/CLE%2Bbloggers%2Bat%2BPier%2BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NxqcfqP1VLU/VYjCN9yFmcI/AAAAAAAAJDI/2L2pIBPdaFM/s640/CLE%2Bbloggers%2Bat%2BPier%2BW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hanging out with some of my favorite CLE Bloggers, <a href="http://www.confessionsofaclehabitant.com/" target="_blank"><b>Allison</b></a>, <a href="http://cleshopaholic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Shibani</b></a> and <a href="http://www.thedawgsdish.com/" target="_blank"><b>Alana</b></a>. Our heads may be covering the Cleveland skyline but I promise it's there!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQJYlUS3uIg/VYjCdG5GnTI/AAAAAAAAJDQ/-0VxTYDlACs/s1600/Pier%2BW%2BOysters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQJYlUS3uIg/VYjCdG5GnTI/AAAAAAAAJDQ/-0VxTYDlACs/s640/Pier%2BW%2BOysters.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My love of oysters knows no bounds. I mean, we had our own personal oyster shucker! </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NvyqWNxyRw/VYjClrZo-iI/AAAAAAAAJDY/mmj4iGUzl60/s1600/Lake%2BErie%2BLove%2BSunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NvyqWNxyRw/VYjClrZo-iI/AAAAAAAAJDY/mmj4iGUzl60/s640/Lake%2BErie%2BLove%2BSunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunset over the lake photo? Check. Here's mine and Alana's dates for the evening, Seanski and Edie hamming it up for the camera - thanks for the photos, Alana! Good times had by all.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Champagne, oysters and sunset aside - another favorite from the Pier W patio menu were the crispy pork wings which I'm still craving to this date.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks again to the fine folks at Pier W for inviting myself and my fellow Cleveland blogger friends to this event - as always though, my opinions are my own.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Tuesday, kids - the sun is shining, so go find a patio!</span></span><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-55126413389134109372015-06-09T06:38:00.000-04:002015-06-09T09:52:28.412-04:00Spring was most definitely sprung!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello old friend. I've missed you! </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>{{ As a reminder, if you're still looking for a daily dose of plum, you can find me on <a href="https://twitter.com/clevelandsaplum" target="_blank"><b>Twitter</b></a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/clevelandsaplum/" target="_blank"><b>Instagram</b></a>.}}</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How do I even begin to update you all on my whirlwind month of May (and end of April)? There were trips to Toronto, Nashville and Detroit. Overnight guests three weekends out of the month and numerous trips to Canton. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guys, I was all over the place.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is not a bad thing, but whoa delly the number of pics I took. So instead of publishing gobs of photos, I'm going to share a single image that most accurately represents the weekend's festivities. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here goes!</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGuCUKZ7rbE/VXYytcLd1vI/AAAAAAAAJAw/7Y1M5tCYFUY/s1600/Owen%2Bbecome%2Borthodox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGuCUKZ7rbE/VXYytcLd1vI/AAAAAAAAJAw/7Y1M5tCYFUY/s640/Owen%2Bbecome%2Borthodox.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My sissy is officially a Nouna (Godmother in Greek) to the most adorable little boy, my cousin Owen. That face he's making is totally all, "um, I'm not going in there!" And that face my Mom is making in the background is all, "um, I'm totally not supposed to be in this picture!"</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f0_MaUYxmFw/VXY2Y8j5WsI/AAAAAAAAJA8/5IYgTsaZr38/s1600/Mrs%2Band%2BMrs%2BMiddaugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f0_MaUYxmFw/VXY2Y8j5WsI/AAAAAAAAJA8/5IYgTsaZr38/s640/Mrs%2Band%2BMrs%2BMiddaugh.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was honored to be able to standup as a bridesmaid in my dear friend Foxx's wedding - her and Brian make such a wonderful couple and have surrounded themselves with quite a crew if this picture is any indication! This particular photo was taken by the wonderful <a href="http://mariannemangan.smugmug.com/" target="_blank"><b>Marianne Mangan</b></a> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/STONE-MAD-PUB-RESTAURANT-AND-BOCCE/76352067576" target="_blank"><b>Stone Mad Pub</b></a> in the D-Sho - bombs anyone?</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnCQWFkHsMU/VXY9rmeB9LI/AAAAAAAAJBM/KZgqeigtZxc/s1600/the%2Bkiddo%2527s%2Bfirst%2Bcommunion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnCQWFkHsMU/VXY9rmeB9LI/AAAAAAAAJBM/KZgqeigtZxc/s640/the%2Bkiddo%2527s%2Bfirst%2Bcommunion.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This little light of mine had her first communion and it was perfection.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twYhIGclhqg/VXY97J4WMII/AAAAAAAAJBU/Md8uCgmEQD4/s1600/Boomer%2BGets%2BBaptized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twYhIGclhqg/VXY97J4WMII/AAAAAAAAJBU/Md8uCgmEQD4/s640/Boomer%2BGets%2BBaptized.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My cousin Marissa and little Gabriel a.k.a., Boomer, also got welcomed into the Greek Orthodox faith this past month - what a precious nugget! </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfr9zBbMn3M/VXY_Qcrw6YI/AAAAAAAAJBg/bTpo4P5cIXg/s1600/STL%2BGrandparents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfr9zBbMn3M/VXY_Qcrw6YI/AAAAAAAAJBg/bTpo4P5cIXg/s640/STL%2BGrandparents.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm kinda cheating with this one but there was just too much family fun when CK's Dad and Step-mom came to visit us from STL. They did a lot more than just help us with our backyard patio lighting though!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UuuT5vfaAYM/VXZBZw5l7pI/AAAAAAAAJBs/p8Fa4t87JT4/s1600/Fun%2BTimes%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBubble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UuuT5vfaAYM/VXZBZw5l7pI/AAAAAAAAJBs/p8Fa4t87JT4/s640/Fun%2BTimes%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBubble.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This pic, even though you can barely see my face and I'm apparently attacking my friend's heads, sums up my whirlwind 24 hours in "the bubble" a.k.a. Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with my college roommies. When we reunite it's always more than your average good time.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So that's that. We're officially, for the most part, caught up.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, let's keep this fun rolling straight into summer.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Tuesday, kids!</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-16649184775266407842015-04-28T11:42:00.000-04:002015-05-06T10:12:05.510-04:00Provenance at CMA Culinary Series: Food and Wine Inspired by Art + Giveaway<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Update: This contest is now closed, congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/bitebuff" target="_blank">@BiteBuff</a> - you're the big winner!</i> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've said it before and I'll say it again, the <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/" target="_blank"><b>Cleveland Museum of Art</b></a> is my favorite space in Cleveland. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm also fairly certain that eating and/or cooking is my favorite pastime - combine the two and I'm happy as a clam.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lucky for us, the CMA has wonderful dining establishments right in the heart of the museum and a new monthly culinary series that allows one to indulge in seasonal specialties. The <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/visit/provenance/food-and-wine-inspired-by-art" target="_blank"><b><i>Food and Wine Inspired by Art</i> Chef's dinner series</b></a> at Provenance is an 'artistic experience for the senses' where the incomparable Chef Partner Doug Katz crates a unique five-course menu with wine pairings. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CK and I were invited to attend the April 15 event and were, as usual, greeted by the wonderful Provenance at CMA staff and a table full of lively guests. I truly think my favorite part of these dinners is getting to meet fun new Clevelanders that love food and wine as much as we do. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let's get to the good stuff though, the food, wine and A GIVEAWAY.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2WqRmjwha8/VT03gOfWpTI/AAAAAAAAI-o/OszgU340h8E/s1600/Provenance%2BCulinary%2BSeries%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2WqRmjwha8/VT03gOfWpTI/AAAAAAAAI-o/OszgU340h8E/s1600/Provenance%2BCulinary%2BSeries%2BCleveland.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>April 2015 Food and Wine Inspired by Art Dinner at Provenance</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Amuse-Bouche:</i> <b>Spring onion bisque</b> with grilled local ramps, EVOO and dried kalamata olives + Dry Creek Chenin Blanc</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>First Course:</i> <b>Braised artichoke salad</b> with shaved Iowa prosciutto, local feta, micro basil and roasted pepper-fennel chutney + Au Contraire Chardonnay</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Second Course:</i> <b>Pan-seared Scallop</b> with jumbo lump crap, roasted asparagus, glazed radishes, green goddess sauce, lentil chickpea-almond pilaf + wine the same the first course</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Third Course:</i> <b>Grass-fed filet of beef</b> with Anna potatoes, red wine jus, fried sage and shallot butter + Justin Cabernet Savignon</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Fourth Course:</i> <b>Strawberry rhubarb crisp</b> with minted local yoghurt + Domaine Chandon Brut</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, we ate and drank <i>very</i> well this evening. The <a href="http://www.newcreationfarm.com/" target="_blank"><b>New Creation Farm</b></a> filet of beef was so good that I think all future beef tenderloin is ruined for me, thankfully I can run to the farmer's market and pick some up. Whether I'll be able to cook it as well is yet to be determined.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks to the wonderful folks at Provenance, I'm able to provide <b>a pair of complimentary seats at the table to a future Food and Wine Inspired by Art dinner </b>to a lucky cleveland's a plum reader, a $130 value! Upcoming events through July are <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/visit/provenance/food-and-wine-inspired-by-art" target="_blank"><b>listed on the website</b></a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Enter for your chance to get a seat at the table by completing one or all of the following:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. <b>Leave a comment</b> on this post telling me your favorite season - spring, summer, fall or winter.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. <b>Tweet the following</b><i> </i>(</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can tweet once per day but must leave a new comment each time letting me know you did so.)</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>I want to win two seats at the @ProvenanceatCMA Food and Wine Inspired by Art dinner table from @clevelandsaplum! http://bit.ly/1HU4C2u</i> </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. <b>Share this post on your Facebook page</b> - http://bit.ly/1HU4C2u - leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You have until end of day on Tuesday, May 5th to enter to win - <b>GOOD LUCK</b> - the winner in in for a real treat!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com105tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-8259323635739594062015-03-23T21:55:00.000-04:002015-03-25T13:21:37.838-04:00The one where I catch myself on fire<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You guys, this past Thursday evening, while cooking dinner for my family, the string on my favorite zip-up hoodie caught fire.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We can blame the damn power boil feature on my fancy new stove for this one.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The thing is, I didn't even realize the string was on fire until I smelled something burning, looked down, and realized it was me... I WAS ON FIRE.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It started spreading so fast!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I fumbled around trying to pat the flame out, but mid-panic decided to run out the backdoor and strip off my burning clothes - a hoodie, t-shirt and bra - ALL on fire mind you. My hair even singed.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can only image the show my neighbors got.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The image below shows the three non-living layers that got burned. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Except there's a fourth layer, my skin, that now has blisters over a very, very sensitive area. Ahem.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j6w8iQJsDIk/VRDCNc9jjvI/AAAAAAAAI9U/14hoo3PNMn4/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j6w8iQJsDIk/VRDCNc9jjvI/AAAAAAAAI9U/14hoo3PNMn4/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Photographic evidence, doh.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sweet Jesus.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In hindsight, I probably should have just gone to the sink and simply places the damn hoodie string under some water. Way to buckle under pressure, Alexa.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Genius. A genius with blisters on her boob.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">R.I.P. favorite grey hoodie, you'll be missed.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-35481410689320304822015-03-03T11:39:00.000-05:002015-03-03T13:26:43.577-05:00Window Nation: Cleveland windows<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Who says you can't get new windows in winter?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't, and neither did <a href="http://www.windownation.com/" target="_blank"><b>Window Nation</b></a>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As CK and I continue to tackle getting our new home organized, we have a pet renovation project in the works that recently had its first item checked off the (very long) task list: new windows courtesy of Window Nation!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, there's this "carriage house" on our property. But I'm not sure who are we kidding calling it a "carriage house" though, it's really a lofted garage, but because it's over 105-years-old it once housed carriages/horses. There are even trapdoors for hay distribution and the floor is old sandstone.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Truthfully, I'm shocked it's still standing, having not been given the same proper updating and attention that the home has, but we have a soft spot in our hearts for the thing. There's just so much possibility! </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that we have new windows from Window Nation, we just need to drywall (or something to that effect), add some flooring, put in a heat source and BOOM - multipurpose room. I'm thinking a music/game/storage space would just be divine.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But back to the windows, in total we had 8 double-hung windows replaced by our friendly Window Nation team. From start to finish - the measuring, picking out the windows and installation - the team was a dream to work with. Super friendly, professional, knowledgeable and FAST. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh my goodness, SO FAST. I swear I blinked and all the windows were installed.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSpcCX-CRuE/VPUbSy2Bu5I/AAAAAAAAI8A/fTswZ_emeVo/s1600/Window%2BNation%2BWindow%2BInstallation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSpcCX-CRuE/VPUbSy2Bu5I/AAAAAAAAI8A/fTswZ_emeVo/s1600/Window%2BNation%2BWindow%2BInstallation.jpg" height="640" title="happy window nation customer" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kenny from Window Nation tearing out our god knows how old windows and prepping for installation.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mGbElEmDfLI/VPUszcIjdeI/AAAAAAAAI8Q/JxHS8cZEXdE/s1600/Happy%2BWindow%2BNation%2BCustomers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mGbElEmDfLI/VPUszcIjdeI/AAAAAAAAI8Q/JxHS8cZEXdE/s1600/Happy%2BWindow%2BNation%2BCustomers.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">TA-DA - new windows! Here's CK and I with the Window Nation installation team upon completion. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I sincerely can't thank the Window Nation team enough, such a pleasure to work with. In fact, I'm already thinking about my next project with Window Nation - vinyl siding for the carriage house. Who knows, by the end of this pet project our <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23HalleysCarriage&src=typd" target="_blank"><b>#HalleysCarriage</b></a> may end up being cooler than our actual house!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stay tuned for updates - I have a feeling this "carriage house" renovation is going to be a fun (and long) one.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Tuesday, kids!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com122tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-90879928555009596062015-02-13T14:46:00.000-05:002015-02-13T14:55:28.910-05:00A nice Cleveland-centric weekend in February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">People tend to get down in the dumps during Cleveland winters, and while I can wholeheartedly get on the "it's-not-as-fun-as-summer" train, winter doesn't mean we need to sit at home wrapped in blankets waiting for the first sign of spring.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Take this past weekend for example. My sissy was visiting from NYC, my cousin Jenna was visiting from Columbus and we didn't let the cold weather slow us down as we hopped from Cleveland hotspot to Cleveland hotspot.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>First stop Friday</b>: <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/events/special-events/mix-at-cma" target="_blank"><b>MIX at CMA</b></a>: Soul. This <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/" target="_blank"><b>Cleveland Museum of Art</b></a> monthly event is always a winner in my book, and this month's Soul theme didn't disappoint. I mean, who doesn't love to boogie to soul music? Love, peace and soul baby!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkeZeDNGL10/VNzOp8PNtCI/AAAAAAAAI5c/7Ezri4-oEl8/s1600/MIXatCMA%2BSoul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkeZeDNGL10/VNzOp8PNtCI/AAAAAAAAI5c/7Ezri4-oEl8/s1600/MIXatCMA%2BSoul.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#MIXatCMA</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Next stop Friday</b>: <a href="http://www.noodlecat.com/" target="_blank"><b>Noodlecat</b></a> + <a href="http://www.houseofblues.com/cleveland" target="_blank"><b>House of Blues Cleveland</b></a> for <a href="http://greenskybluegrass.com/" target="_blank"><b>Greensky Bluegrass</b></a>. Warm ramen and steam bums on a cold winter's day? Clicking your heels to some damn good bluegrass? CHECK. If you're really too cold to go out for ramen though, check out Chef Jonathan Sawyer's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Noodle-Kids-Creative-Together-Hands-On/dp/1592539637/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0" target="_blank"><b>Noodle Kids cookbook</b></a> on sale now!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQb8_4XMOyA/VNzSWNj7OaI/AAAAAAAAI5o/-_yTa5yaFts/s1600/Greensky%2BBluegrass%2Bat%2BHOB%2BCLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQb8_4XMOyA/VNzSWNj7OaI/AAAAAAAAI5o/-_yTa5yaFts/s1600/Greensky%2BBluegrass%2Bat%2BHOB%2BCLE.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Greensky Bluegrass + Sissy, the Driggs' + CK</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>First Stop Saturday</b>: <a href="http://www.bonboncleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Bon Bon Pastry & Cafe</b></a> + <a href="http://campbellssweets.com/" target="_blank"><b>Campbell's</b></a> + <a href="https://www.penzeys.com/" target="_blank"><b>Penzeys Spices</b></a><b>. </b>We've been on a big Bon Bon kick in the Marinos/Kramer family and I don't foresee it stopping anytime soon. Campbell's, duh - it's my kryptonite. And Penzeys? I'm proud to say my spice collection is growing. New favorite? Not surprisingly, THE GREEK! </span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wXkwf4kT-8M/VN5QOoRuZrI/AAAAAAAAI6A/ZObNMoxl3pw/s1600/Bon%2BBon%2BCafe%2Bwith%2BSissy%2Band%2BJenna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wXkwf4kT-8M/VN5QOoRuZrI/AAAAAAAAI6A/ZObNMoxl3pw/s1600/Bon%2BBon%2BCafe%2Bwith%2BSissy%2Band%2BJenna.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sissy and Jenna during brunch at Bon Bon - aren't they pretty?!?</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Next Stop on Saturday</b>: <a href="http://platformbeerco.com/" target="_blank"><b>Platform Beer Co.</b></a> where we sat and drank too many beers to count for too many hours. Well, I didn't drink beer - I drank mead, because we all know how I feel about beer. Luckily I'm in the minority though, because even at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon Platform was bumpin'. It's such a wonderful place and has a good vibe with a friendly staff.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bopping around Ohio City on a Saturday afternoon will always be one of my favorite pastimes. </span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRq9dZIVB94/VN5R4_4tfsI/AAAAAAAAI6M/pC3V6FadXI4/s1600/Platform%2BBeer%2BCo%2BBrewery%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRq9dZIVB94/VN5R4_4tfsI/AAAAAAAAI6M/pC3V6FadXI4/s1600/Platform%2BBeer%2BCo%2BBrewery%2BCleveland.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">CK, Sissy and Jenna posing with a map of Cleveland's near west side that I admittedly tried to steal. I need one of these.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After successfully achieving a day buzz - my Mom even joined us later in the day - we headed to our house to eat <a href="http://www.romitospizzawest.com/index.shtml" target="_blank"><b>Romito's Pizza</b></a> and make cookies for a very special church service on Sunday. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Family fun time at it's best.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, instead of staying in all weekend with a blanket because Lord know it's going to be FREEZING this weekend in Cleveland I recommend layering up and enjoying this fine city we call home.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a good one, kids!</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-30955572786908291912015-01-15T11:27:00.000-05:002015-01-23T10:27:12.788-05:00#CIFF39: Get Shorty Giveaway <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlrUNLmlXJA/VLbH_XAbX-I/AAAAAAAAI4c/QaMT5E65dnk/s1600/CIFF39%2BCleveland%2BInternational%2BFilm%2BFestival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlrUNLmlXJA/VLbH_XAbX-I/AAAAAAAAI4c/QaMT5E65dnk/s1600/CIFF39%2BCleveland%2BInternational%2BFilm%2BFestival.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>[The ticket giveaway is now closed, congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/heyescapist" target="_blank">@HeyEscapist</a> whose comment was chosen via random.org]</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's January in Cleveland which means it's almost time for the <a href="http://www.clevelandfilm.org/" target="_blank"><b>39th Cleveland International Film Festival</b></a> (CIFF). </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Can you believe it?! Yippee! </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This year's CIFF, which runs March 18-29, will again make its home at <a href="http://www.clevelandcinemas.com/showtimes.asp?ptID=AAGZR" target="_blank"><b>Tower City Cinemas</b></a> with over 350+ films being shown on premises. Neighborhood theaters/venues will also be getting some love with film events at <a href="http://www.beachlandballroom.com/" target="_blank"><b>Beachland Ballroom</b></a>, Cedar Lee Theatre, Chagrin Cinemas and the <a href="http://akronartmuseum.org/" target="_blank"><b>Akron Art Museum</b></a>.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One thing I've always respected about CIFF is that it does such a great job with its events. It's more than just films and it's more than just a singular event during the proper festival. Case in point the <a href="http://www.clevelandfilm.org/support-us/film-feasts" target="_blank"><b>Film Feasts</b></a> series sponsored by <a href="http://onbase.com/" target="_blank"><b>Hyland, creator of OnBase</b></a> (full disclosure, I work at Hyland), where for the 12th consecutive year an opportunity is provided to engage the community, celebrate the arts in Cleveland and cultivate new film buffs. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Film Feast I'm most looking forward to this year (and have attended in the past) is <a href="http://www.clevelandfilm.org/support-us/film-feasts/get-shorty" target="_blank"><b>Get Shorty</b></a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Thursday, January 29 at 7p.m., my beloved <a href="http://www.clevelandcinemas.com/showtimes.asp?ptID=AACAP" target="_blank"><b>Capitol Theater</b></a> will play host to the Get Shorty event where attendees will gather to view a selection of short films, vote on their favorites and actually have a say in what films get screened at this year's CIFF. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition to films, Get Shorty attendees will be served up an array of food and beverages provided by <a href="http://www.culinaryoccasions.com/" target="_blank"><b>Culinary Occasions</b></a>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tickets are $100 a piece and can be <a href="http://www.clevelandfilm.org/support-us/film-feasts/get-shorty" target="_blank"><b>purchased online here</b></a> - <i><b>OR</b></i> - <b>you can win a pair here on the plum!</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So if you want to join me, CK and lots of other fun Clevelanders at this year's CIFF Get Shorty Film Feasts - here's your chance.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. Leave a mandatory comment on this post telling me your favorite movie(s) of all time. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. Follow CIFF on <a href="https://twitter.com/ciff" target="_blank"><b>Twitter</b></a> and/or <a href="http://instagram.com/clefilmfest" target="_blank"><b>Instagram</b></a>, leaving a <b>new comment</b> on this post telling me you did so.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. Tweet the following, leaving <b>a new comment</b> telling me you did so:</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey, @clevelandsaplum, I want to go to @CIFF's Get Shorty Film Feasts at @CapitolW65th! #CIFF39 http://bit.ly/157Qp0H</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>You can tweet daily for extra entries</b>, leaving a new comment on this post each time you do so.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Entries will be accepted until end of day Thursday, January 22, with the winner being announced the following day. Best of luck to all!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Thursday, kids.</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-48815207977506265782015-01-06T06:44:00.000-05:002015-01-06T11:40:22.335-05:00This is the year<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wait, where am I? What month is this? What year is this?</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have I really gone a solid month without posting? This surely is a first. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Thankfully, I'm still a sharing fool on my @clevelandsaplum <a href="http://twitter.com/clevelandsaplum" target="_blank"><b>Twitter</b></a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/clevelandsaplum" target="_blank"><b>Instagram</b></a>. Other social media platforms notwithstanding, I missed the original plum channel turning seven last week - SEVEN. This little piece of the internet is officially as old as my step-daughter. My how different my life was back then</span>.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, instead of trying to recap a month of memories via photo montage recap post, just head over to <a href="http://instagram.com/clevelandsaplum" target="_blank"><b>my Instagram</b></a> to catch up. I promise you I've had a lot of fun this holiday season, there was even <a href="http://instagram.com/p/xArU5nGoh4/?modal=true" target="_blank"><b>champagne jello-o shots</b></a>. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I look to 2015 there's much to look forward to - settling into our home, decorating said home (!!!) and finally taking a honeymoon with my handsome husband.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I'm reminded of something that CK so elegantly said on New Year's Eve, <b>"2015 is the year we've been working for."</b></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2014 was full of happiness (getting married, new house), but it was also the most trying year I've had in my adult life. Between starting a new job, planning a wedding, house hunting, purchasing and moving into a new home, becoming a step-mom, starting to live with a man and a kid.... </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could go on, but let's just agree that it was <i>a year</i>. A hard, challenging, makes you second guess everything you thought was holy kind of year.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But as I begin to settle into my new home and my role as a wife and step-mom, I agree with CK. This is the year we've been working for. The hard shit is behind us and this is the year, god willing, that we get to just... live. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy 2015, kids. Let's make it a good one because we only get one shot to do so.</span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-51093580318060804462014-11-06T14:11:00.000-05:002014-11-06T14:11:59.738-05:00Jump Back Ball 24: Jump Back to the Future!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X6KBaBpBmsc/VFuUqlPNFtI/AAAAAAAAI28/5kwCYgHDBYI/s1600/jump%2Bback%2Bball%2B24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X6KBaBpBmsc/VFuUqlPNFtI/AAAAAAAAI28/5kwCYgHDBYI/s1600/jump%2Bback%2Bball%2B24.jpg" height="255" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By now you all know of my genuine love for Jump Back Ball, PlayhouseSquare's always anticipated annual event and this year's party promises to be the best yet.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 24th annual Jump Back Ball is taking place Saturday, February 28, 2015 and I can't wait to <a href="http://www.playhousesquare.org/events/detail/jump-back-to-the-future" target="_blank"><b>Jump Back to the Future!!</b></a> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Can we please talk for a hot second about how fun this year's theme is? It's so fantastic that I'm contemplating leaving my ballgown at home and rockin' a <a href="http://gizmodo.com/your-halloween-costume-next-year-should-be-this-great-h-1655130272" target="_blank"><b>Marty McFly puffy vest and hoverboard</b></a>. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As in years past, PlayhouseSquare Partners is hosting a kickoff party to begin the always brief selling window. Last year's event sold out in 10 days so I highly recommend you making an appearance at the kickoff party to not only secure one of the hottest tickets in town but also to purchase it at the lowest price. Ticket prices increase by $15 plus handling fees the day after kickoff.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.playhousesquare.org/events/detail/jump-back-ball-ticket-kickoff" target="_blank"><b>Jump Back Ball Ticket Kickoff Party Details:</b></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday, November 10, 5:30pm to 7:30pm at <a href="http://www.hofbrauhauscleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Hofbrauhaus Cleveland</b></a> (1550 Chester Ave.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jump Back Ball Ticket Kickoff Pricing:</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">$130 Partners (2 Partner tickets and 2 Non-partner tickets per person)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">$165 Non-Partners (2 tickets per person)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I personally can't wait for the kickoff party to not only get my tickets but also to FINALLY check out Hofbrauhaus Cleveland. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hope to see you Monday and at #JBB24! </span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Trade Gothic LT Std'; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div>alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-34397432445820266432014-10-23T06:37:00.000-04:002014-10-23T09:19:04.309-04:00Vegas + Moving + NYC<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's Wednesday night as I type this, I'm sitting on my favorite old couch that's fresh out of being in storage for the past year. I'm also drinking a nice red blend out of my gorgeous new wine glasses, fresh out being in my Mom's garage since <a href="http://www.clevelandsaplum.com/2014/03/a-plumtastic-bridal-shower-cma-cle-food.html" target="_blank"><b>my wedding shower in March</b></a>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I cooked a homemade dinner for my family on my new stove, in my new house and I didn't even care that my kitchen is still in semi-disarray.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">YOU GUYS, I'm happy.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, let it be known there is still a TON of work to do.... decorating, painting, etc., but man oh man we are making progress, I see a light at the end of the tunnel and it's exciting.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, where have I been these past few weeks that have caused me to slack in the blogging realm? Well, I've been to Florida, Las Vegas, London and NYC. All while trying to organize and execute a move. No big deal. Actually, saying I've been "busy" would be a gross understatement and I'm excited to get back to my routine.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But let's take a brief moment to reflect on where I've been and believe me when I tell you these a mere fraction of the photos I've captured over the last month.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMexhtcH_ZE/VEheE8SxGMI/AAAAAAAAI1c/B65nDp56esA/s1600/%23HitMeDaytonOneMoreTime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMexhtcH_ZE/VEheE8SxGMI/AAAAAAAAI1c/B65nDp56esA/s1600/%23HitMeDaytonOneMoreTime.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What happens when nine of your best girlfriends from college (University of Dayton) gather from across the country in Vegas to see Britney Spears? A WHOLE LOT OF FUN and a fantastic hashtag: #HitMeDaytonOneMoreTime. From <a href="http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/experience/lounges-and-bars/chandelier.aspx" target="_blank"><b>The Chandelier</b></a>, <a href="http://www.houseofblues.com/lasvegas/fr" target="_blank"><b>House of Blues Foundation Room</b></a> and sushi at <a href="http://www.koirestaurant.com/las_vegas/galleries/1/" target="_blank"><b>Koi Las Vegas</b></a> we laughed the entire time.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3xTrHSjQSVU/VEhewOIlVwI/AAAAAAAAI1k/zHQOz1cRUSQ/s1600/Brittany%2BSpears%2Bin%2BVegas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3xTrHSjQSVU/VEhewOIlVwI/AAAAAAAAI1k/zHQOz1cRUSQ/s1600/Brittany%2BSpears%2Bin%2BVegas.jpg" height="638" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was extremely skeptical to see <a href="http://www.planethollywoodresort.com/shows/britney-spears-las-vegas.html" target="_blank"><b>Britney: Pieces of Me</b></a> in Vegas but she delivered a super entertaining, energetic and sing-a-long worth show that we all really enjoyed. Good times!</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aEbEqyoBEt4/VEhfsXSwauI/AAAAAAAAI1w/5dJOUcjSNu4/s1600/Las%2BVegas%2BCabana%2BFun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aEbEqyoBEt4/VEhfsXSwauI/AAAAAAAAI1w/5dJOUcjSNu4/s1600/Las%2BVegas%2BCabana%2BFun.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cabana life at Mandalay Bay + Valentino Rockstud failure after dancing the night away at <a href="http://www.mgmgrand.com/nightlife/hakkasan.aspx" target="_blank"><b>Hakkasan</b></a> + Being serenaded at <a href="http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/index/experience/roserabbitlie.aspx" target="_blank"><b>Rose. Rabbit. Lie.</b></a> which is a fantastic dining experience that I highly recommend</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LU2tpOlPO9o/VEhiVrS8SxI/AAAAAAAAI2E/L1mjMSkmxS0/s1600/moving%2Bboxes%2Bon%2Bboxes%2Bon%2Bboxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LU2tpOlPO9o/VEhiVrS8SxI/AAAAAAAAI2E/L1mjMSkmxS0/s1600/moving%2Bboxes%2Bon%2Bboxes%2Bon%2Bboxes.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In between Vegas and the above boxes on boxes on boxes I traveled to London for work, but the trip was only a three night stay and with not a ton of sightseeing opportunities the pics were slim - I was there though, I'll show you my passport stamp if you'd like, ha ha. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGsRDAqf7Yo/VEhiMKzb6rI/AAAAAAAAI18/zkyRc2aLzF4/s1600/Happy%2B50th%2BBirthday%2BCathi%2BNYC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGsRDAqf7Yo/VEhiMKzb6rI/AAAAAAAAI18/zkyRc2aLzF4/s1600/Happy%2B50th%2BBirthday%2BCathi%2BNYC.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Three days after our move CK and I hopped on a plane to NYC to help celebrate (and surprise) a very important person, my cousin Cathi! Surprise - all of your family is in NYC - Happy 50th Birthday!! <a href="http://www.davidburkekitchennyc.com/" target="_blank"><b>David Burke Kitchen</b></a> in The James Hotel in SoHo was our venue and the private room with balcony was the perfect setting.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MWs1vM_Ie2g/VEhkgLbIVuI/AAAAAAAAI2Q/MJoqPQgTj8s/s1600/I%2Blove%2BNYC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MWs1vM_Ie2g/VEhkgLbIVuI/AAAAAAAAI2Q/MJoqPQgTj8s/s1600/I%2Blove%2BNYC.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before Cathi's party we got to spend some time with our cousins Scott and Davida from Toronto who also just so happened to be visiting NYC, so we hung out in Harlem near my Sissy's. Being a family friendly trip, we also enjoyed Frrrozen Hot Chocolates at <a href="http://www.serendipity3.com/" target="_blank"><b>Serendipity 3</b></a> and a trip to <a href="https://www.dylanscandybar.com/" target="_blank"><b>Dylan's Candy Bar</b></a>.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OaTrkc9pPDM/VEhmwcEpkvI/AAAAAAAAI2Y/3O1ks90jcX0/s1600/E%2BBOWL%2BA%2Bin%2BNYC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OaTrkc9pPDM/VEhmwcEpkvI/AAAAAAAAI2Y/3O1ks90jcX0/s1600/E%2BBOWL%2BA%2Bin%2BNYC.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our NYC trip also included bowling at <a href="http://www.framesnyc.com/" target="_blank"><b>Frames</b></a> with inappropriate bowling names like "E-BOWL-A" + a stop at <a href="http://www.eataly.com/nyc" target="_blank"><b>Eataly</b></a> and Birreria + video games and walking around the grounds of my favorite church in NYC</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guys, it has been a whirlwind of fun and I am so excited that this month happened - I'm also excited for everything to slow down for a bit.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nesting, cooking, watching football, going to movies and snuggling with CK are calling my name this fall.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Thursday, kids.</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-73723705263502991902014-09-25T06:56:00.000-04:002014-09-25T10:50:49.748-04:00Random musings on a fall evening<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Random musings on a fall evening in September.</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can't wait to decorate my new house. We're officially homeowners and my excitement level for th<b>is</b> move has grown exponentially. I can't wait to start this phase of our lives.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also can't wait to put our shower and wedding gifts to use. My <a href="http://www.clevelandsaplum.com/2014/03/a-plumtastic-bridal-shower-cma-cle-food.html" target="_blank"><b>bridal shower was in March</b></a> and <b><a href="http://www.clevelandsaplum.com/2014/05/the-one-where-ck-and-i-get-married.html" target="_blank">our wedding was in May</a></b> and since then, all of our fantastic gifts have been living in my Mom's garage. Not for long!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My new iPhone 6 is pretty swell. It's gold with a clear case and it's sexy.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How does one gain 15lbs over the course of a summer? No seriously, HOW?!? Over it.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm traveling to Las Vegas with some UD girlfriends next week and it's going to be a fantastic adventure full of mauling, bubbles and dancing. The post-Vegas work trip to the UK is going to also be fantastic but potentially in a more physically exhausted state. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I still know every word to <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/" target="_blank">Disney's Beauty and the Beast</a></b>. This was proven this evening while my family and I watched it. They weren't too keen on my singing though..... rude!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The joy that television brings me is at a fever pitch in September because all my shows, glorious shows are back!!!!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Cleveland Browns have given me a lot of anxiety their first three games but I'll be the first to admit that it's at least been semi-entertaining to watch.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fox.com/the-mindy-project/" target="_blank"><b><br /></b></a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fox.com/the-mindy-project/" target="_blank"><b>The Mindy Project</b></a> makes me laugh out loud more than any other sitcom in recent memory.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm proud of myself for walking out of <a href="http://www.econrads.com/" target="_blank"><b>Conrad's</b></a> when they tried to charge me $90 to replace the headlight on my Volvo s40. Straight to AutoZone I went where I bought the replacement bulb for $13.99 plus tax and the kind gentleman at the counter installed it for free in five minutes. Thanks, <a href="http://www.autozone.com/autozone/" target="_blank"><b>AutoZone</b></a>!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>So, what's on your mind today? </b></span></span><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-2586598002484919382014-09-15T07:04:00.000-04:002014-09-15T14:30:51.822-04:00New house: an update<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Never did I think that when my Detroit-Shoreway townhouse sold and I moved into CK's apartment in Brooklyn that I would be sitting in the same aforementioned apartment typing this blog post almost a year later.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I haven't talked much about the struggle that CK and I have had finding a house on this blog because, quite frankly, it's been too painful, stressful and miserable. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't realize how much the idea of moving to the south suburbs would affect me. I can be honest and say I wanted nothing to do with it. I want to stay in Cleveland proper, close to the lake, close to my friends, closer to the life that I've made for myself the past eight years in this fantastic city I call home. Not the 'burbs, ugh.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But when I met (and married) CK I was, by proxy, agreeing to move closer to where my step-daughter's mom decided to buy a house and where the kiddo goes to school. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>I agreed kicking and screaming though.</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm self aware enough to say that I'm still kicking and screaming about this proposed move even though we're under contract on a house I'm lukewarm on. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know I'll grow to love our new home because my family will be there, but I can't help but feel like I'm losing my Cleveland identity because of decisions that weren't my own.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Are these feelings selfish? Perhaps, probably. But it doesn't mean they aren't real, that they aren't mine. </i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm a recovering control freak, I was a single business woman until I was 30. I made my own decisions and did what I wanted to. Now I'm a wife, who can generally still do what she wants to, except for that whole buy a home in my preferred community thing. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>It's time to get over it. </i></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The outlook isn't promising for me to live where I'd prefer, but I suppose that's okay because I have my family. They are the ones who are going to get me through this transition. I'm doing it for them, not for me. I'm going to adjust to my new commute, to the south suburbs, to the new house we're buying.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm going to look to our promising future and things like getting my belongings out of storage, moving into a house instead of a 700 square foot apartment and FINALLY being able to entertain again. I can't wait.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, to Independence we go. As far as locations between Westlake (where I work) and Fairlawn (where the kiddo goes to school) we couldn't have a better compromise. It's a fantastic community that I'm excited to be a part of and I can still be in Downtown Cleveland in 10 minutes - BOOM!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This blog has always been my little slice of the internet, a place that I can be me. I tend to blog less when I'm down in the dumps, as I try to keep this place as positive as possible, so hopefully once the chains of apartment living are off I'll feel the urge to write more.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>One can only hope.</i></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So here's to new beginnings and walking up and down these 105-year-old backdoor stairs thousands of times in good health and happiness.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k9Ki_Jsw2yM/VBYVtJgItUI/AAAAAAAAIzs/pTdcaejnRkU/s1600/Independence%2BBack%2BDoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k9Ki_Jsw2yM/VBYVtJgItUI/AAAAAAAAIzs/pTdcaejnRkU/s1600/Independence%2BBack%2BDoor.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-56093006576441301232014-08-29T06:44:00.000-04:002014-08-29T06:44:00.639-04:00August Shenanigans<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Man, this summer has been fantastic. I can't believe it's Labor Day Weekend all ready. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How the heck did that happen? Well, let's look at some photos from the last month and try to piece it all together.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8RKqWYB024Q/U__fGBTpzMI/AAAAAAAAIyQ/1ugbrfcDCP0/s1600/Cedar%2BPoint%2BSummer%2BFun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8RKqWYB024Q/U__fGBTpzMI/AAAAAAAAIyQ/1ugbrfcDCP0/s1600/Cedar%2BPoint%2BSummer%2BFun.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interested in hearing the loudest screams and squeals you've ever heard? Surprise your step-daughter on her 7th birthday with a trip to <a href="https://www.cedarpoint.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cedar Point</b></a>. The kiddo had the best time ever, conquered new roller coasters like the Gemini (the real one not the photo-op one) and ate the biggest snow cone I've ever seen. Making memories at Cedar Point is one of my favorite pastimes. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4XmZeF5w_OI/U__hEX1x8ZI/AAAAAAAAIyY/f_LSsHwd_-U/s1600/Marina%2BFlex%2BFriday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4XmZeF5w_OI/U__hEX1x8ZI/AAAAAAAAIyY/f_LSsHwd_-U/s1600/Marina%2BFlex%2BFriday.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://marinawestlake.com/" target="_blank"><b>Marina at Westlake</b></a> Flex Friday with great friends turned into <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WesleyBrightAndTheHiLites" target="_blank"><b>Wesley Bright and the Hi-Lites</b></a> at <a href="http://www.beachlandballroom.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Beachland Ballroom</b></a>. Dock drinks + Colleen, me and Alana + Me and CK </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iEQ4ppdzHvY/U__iLxWSRUI/AAAAAAAAIyg/gJ5RUAo5psI/s1600/Canton%2BFamily%2BFun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iEQ4ppdzHvY/U__iLxWSRUI/AAAAAAAAIyg/gJ5RUAo5psI/s1600/Canton%2BFamily%2BFun.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Canton family fun = cousins, swimming and cake, lots of cake.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cTKdNQut7Bw/U__i2mg4CtI/AAAAAAAAIyo/OCE9sbAI2eM/s1600/Nooma%2Bgoes%2Bwith%2Beverything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cTKdNQut7Bw/U__i2mg4CtI/AAAAAAAAIyo/OCE9sbAI2eM/s1600/Nooma%2Bgoes%2Bwith%2Beverything.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently I'm an equal opportunity hydration professional. From my new favorite anytime drink, <a href="http://www.drinknooma.com/" target="_blank"><b>Nooma</b></a>, to tequila cocktails at <a href="http://urbanfarmercleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Urban Farmer</b></a> to a Mike's Hard buffet at the marina. Stay thirsty my friends.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yep, just what I thought, a chock full of fun August. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Enjoy your long holiday weekend, kids. Stay safe out there!</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-73430328982812483182014-08-20T14:07:00.000-04:002014-08-20T14:07:35.616-04:00Westin + Urban Farmer Cleveland<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recently, CK and I had the opportunity to spend a lovely evening at the new <a href="http://www.westincleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Westin Cleveland Downtown Hotel</b></a> property<b> </b>including a night in swanky suite and dinner at <a href="http://urbanfarmercleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Urban Farmer</b></a> - oh, what a treat it was.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First impression? It didn't feel like I was in Cleveland. Second impression? I <i>was</i> in Cleveland (cue smiling, happy staff, reasonable prices and plenty of stunning Downtown Cleveland views) and it was FANTASTIC. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There's local art throughout the hotel space curated by <a href="http://www.land-studio.org/project/the-westin-hotel" target="_blank"><b>LAND Studio and Epstein Design Partners</b></a>, gorgeous interiors with modern amenities and an overall attention to detail that one has come to expect from the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/index.html?language=en_US" target="_blank"><b>Westin</b></a> brand.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaTaLWepbco/U_PtPYqF8CI/AAAAAAAAIwk/Pql-9PDRBXg/s1600/Westin%2BCleveland%2BLobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaTaLWepbco/U_PtPYqF8CI/AAAAAAAAIwk/Pql-9PDRBXg/s1600/Westin%2BCleveland%2BLobby.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The signature Westin green wall + a deconstructed chandelier, chandelier + art in the form of a giant head made of slices of tree trunks and sticks + hotel check-in lobby intriguing floor tile work</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once we completed the seamless check-in process we explored our spacious club-level suite and made our way to the club lounge for a happy hour cocktail and bite to eat.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FGEIdtQ39JA/U_P7XWPtc2I/AAAAAAAAIxE/h6y1URgBdIc/s1600/Westin%2BCleveland%2BClub%2BLevel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FGEIdtQ39JA/U_P7XWPtc2I/AAAAAAAAIxE/h6y1URgBdIc/s1600/Westin%2BCleveland%2BClub%2BLevel.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lake Erie view from the club lounge + my handsome husband, CK, helping himself to a cocktail + the appetizer spread, all of which was scrumptious and paired perfectly with our beverage options</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After cocktails and snacks in the lounge, the group, including fellow blogger <a href="http://momfabfun.com/" target="_blank"><b>Courtney</b></a>, her husband and Westin general manager Alan and his lovely wife, headed to <a href="http://urbanfarmercleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Urban Farmer Steakhouse</b></a>. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh, Urban Farmer, how I love thee.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been to a fair share of steakhouses in my day, the dark interior, the old school men's club feel, the stuffy service. Urban Farmer Cleveland is not that, and in my humble opinion, that's a good thing.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a Cleveland steakhouse revolution, guys! It's farm-to-table centric, appeals to it's new Ohio patrons, serves up a fantastic cut of meat and I'm still dreaming about the cornbread.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8KP-Ooa3Mc/U_P8T2Mvc0I/AAAAAAAAIxM/bJphTdqG5is/s1600/Urban%2BFarmer%2BCleveland%2Binterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8KP-Ooa3Mc/U_P8T2Mvc0I/AAAAAAAAIxM/bJphTdqG5is/s1600/Urban%2BFarmer%2BCleveland%2Binterior.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A feel of the Urban Farmer brand from their menu suite and fashionable interior seating options (this place is huge). The finishes are spectacular. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2kTUguR28ts/U_QFjSgqbEI/AAAAAAAAIxc/ZdfkSVvP-is/s1600/Urban%2BFarmer%2BSteakhouse%2BCleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2kTUguR28ts/U_QFjSgqbEI/AAAAAAAAIxc/ZdfkSVvP-is/s1600/Urban%2BFarmer%2BSteakhouse%2BCleveland.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I could easily share 20+ more food and cocktail photos, we ate and drank so well during our evening at Urban Farmer. These are some of my favorites though: shrimp seasoned to perfection, table side cheese presentation, prime beef tartare, American Gothic cocktail and 24oz Ohio Proud bone-in ribeye with candied bacon addition.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Being a Westin Ambassador I was granted an unforgettable experience in my beloved Downtown Cleveland - and I'm not just saying that because I've partnered with the organization. I'm saying it because it's a top notch hotel and restaurant and we're lucky that they have decided to make a home in the CLE.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Man, these photos are making me want to go back, good thing I have a <a href="http://urbanfarmercleveland.com/happy-hour-menu/" target="_blank"><b>happy hour planned a Urban Farmer</b></a> next week!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Wednesday, kids. </span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-46025482575083179462014-08-13T06:54:00.000-04:002014-08-13T10:29:40.446-04:00SPIN FOR DIN<div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On more than one occasion I've stated that I "detox to retox," which basically means, I spin my butt off at <b><a href="http://psycletherapy.com/" target="_blank">Psycle</a></b> (detox) then enjoy my life as a bubbles and food aficionado (retox).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Life is a balance, people.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Similarly, there's a fantastic benefit happening on Sunday, August 24 at <b><a href="http://www.crockerpark.com/" target="_blank">Crocker Park</a></b> called <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/481905798611515/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular" target="_blank">SPIN FOR DIN</a></b>. Same detox/retox idea but for a way more worthy cause, the <b><a href="http://www.hungernetwork.org/" target="_blank">Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland</a></b>.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CzSe2X2qGNU/U-tw-Pk0OdI/AAAAAAAAIwE/sGGyggxe-O8/s1600/spin%2Bfor%2Bdin%2Bhunger%2Bnetwork%2Bcleveland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CzSe2X2qGNU/U-tw-Pk0OdI/AAAAAAAAIwE/sGGyggxe-O8/s1600/spin%2Bfor%2Bdin%2Bhunger%2Bnetwork%2Bcleveland.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My friends at Psycle are bringing the indoor cycling experience to an outdoor setting at Crocker Park in Westlake. With 4 classes to choose from, including one with a live DJ, and all proceeds benefiting the Hunger Network, why wouldn't you want to SPIN FOR DIN?</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My girl <b><a href="http://www.thedawgsdish.com/" target="_blank">Alana</a></b> and I are all signed up for Jen's class at 10:30am and bikes are filling up fast reserve yours ASAP. <b><a href="https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=17343" target="_blank">Sign-up online here under the "events" tab</a></b> to get in on the fun, blow the roof off of Crocker Park and help do our part to reduce hunger in our community.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hope to see you on a bike on Sunday, August 24!</span></span></div><div><br /></div>alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-45974592648451958682014-07-24T06:30:00.000-04:002014-07-24T06:30:01.609-04:00Going out in Tremont is Tasty<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Aside from a <a href="https://twitter.com/solodistrictoc" target="_blank"><b>SOLO OC</b></a> stop, I spent the majority of this past weekend in <a href="http://tremontwest.org/" target="_blank"><b>Tremont</b></a> and it was fantastic. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let's start with our Saturday trip to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PlatformBeers" target="_blank"><b>Platform Beer Co.</b></a> which can be described in two words: simply fantastic. There's a great urban feel, bar games, open air and a rotation of food trucks and local restaurants providing sustenance. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What's ironic about my calling a beer only bar fantastic is that, gulp, I don't like beer. Well, let's say I <i>used</i> to not like beer... I'm at the point where I can publicly acknowledge that fruity ones are growing on me. Think summer shandy, think raspberry, think cherry. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact: this wine, bubbles and bourbon only gal has probably had more beer in the last three months than I've had in the last ten years. </span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GaPYZJxLcOY/U9BVQSSxINI/AAAAAAAAIuk/PnqO7FOibYg/s1600/Platform+Beer+Company+and+Hotz+Cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GaPYZJxLcOY/U9BVQSSxINI/AAAAAAAAIuk/PnqO7FOibYg/s1600/Platform+Beer+Company+and+Hotz+Cafe.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Platform Beer Co. logo/mural + Taps upon taps and beers upon beers + <a href="http://www.hotzcafe.com/" target="_blank"><b>Hotz's Cafe</b></a> in Tremont women's bathroom accessories.... lotion, hairspray, mints and panty liners + Super Driggs + Super Ahmed</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday brought one of my favorite days of the summer: <a href="http://tasteoftremont.com/" target="_blank"><b>Taste of Tremont</b></a>. The 12th annual event always makes for an awesome Sunday Funday. Thanks to our friend DBLB we had a swanky Tremont townhouse to pre-party with mimosas, music and meat and cheese from the <a href="http://www.westsidemarket.org/" target="_blank"><b>West Side Market</b></a>. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm pretty sure we didn't technically venture to ToT until 5pm when we finally made our way to the <a href="http://www.treehousecleveland.com/" target="_blank"><b>Treehouse</b></a> to see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Boys-from-the-County-Hell/103943093023061" target="_blank"><b>The Boys From County Hell</b></a>. The Treehouse patio was the place to be - friends were everywhere!</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1DGS_YVDac/U9BdMAlyIXI/AAAAAAAAIu0/OvzKB1bowq4/s1600/taste+of+tremont+treehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1DGS_YVDac/U9BdMAlyIXI/AAAAAAAAIu0/OvzKB1bowq4/s1600/taste+of+tremont+treehouse.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's my blog so I suppose I'm allowed to share a quad of "me and my friends" pics on the Treehouse patio, right? Husband and wife + Plum and Muffin 4eva + Me and Renee being fab outside of work (we sit next to each other at the office) + Me and my long lost favorite Greek blogger friend <a href="http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cleveland Frowns</b></a></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_5i6cHOJWI/U9BeXfMCmMI/AAAAAAAAIvA/2EuNeDJ1pCE/s1600/Taste+of+Tremont+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_5i6cHOJWI/U9BeXfMCmMI/AAAAAAAAIvA/2EuNeDJ1pCE/s1600/Taste+of+Tremont+2014.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The patio scene at Treehouse + The patio scene at DBLB's + AJP, CK and Muffin</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please don't ever end, summer, I'm having WAY TOO MUCH FUN. This really is CLE.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Thursday, kids.</span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-63336554240742031452014-07-23T06:39:00.000-04:002014-07-23T06:39:00.176-04:00New York City is my favorite apple<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Two weekends in a row of travel (to Saugatuck, MI and NYC) plus a jam packed CLE weekend makes for one tired blogger. No complaints from me though because my summer has literally been overflowing with fun.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Case in point, my trip with CK to NYC to see Beyonce/Jay Z, Phish and my favorite sissy.</span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5PPZKzZgq5g/U86-xSACwnI/AAAAAAAAItU/E2JlMtwgTXo/s1600/United+in+flight+service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5PPZKzZgq5g/U86-xSACwnI/AAAAAAAAItU/E2JlMtwgTXo/s1600/United+in+flight+service.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The beginning...scenes from my Thursday night flight to LGA. Could I possibly fit anymore brands in this photo? </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5JDvZV7LXkw/U86--VvHYqI/AAAAAAAAItc/xFdfmcuivrI/s1600/St.+John+the+Divine+Xu+Bing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5JDvZV7LXkw/U86--VvHYqI/AAAAAAAAItc/xFdfmcuivrI/s1600/St.+John+the+Divine+Xu+Bing.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upon our arrival in NYC we went straight to sissy and Jason's where we were greeted with delicious thai food. Friday morning brought brunch at Community Food & Juice and exploring one of my favorite spots near my sissy's <a href="http://www.stjohndivine.org/" target="_blank"><b>The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine</b></a>. This visit we got to take in the <a href="http://www.stjohndivine.org/programs/art/current-exhibitions" target="_blank"><b>Phoenix: Xu Bing</b></a> art exhibition. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlYo8FA-I_g/U86_KWBFcaI/AAAAAAAAItk/6YYUcjPXlnQ/s1600/McSorleys+Old+Ale+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RlYo8FA-I_g/U86_KWBFcaI/AAAAAAAAItk/6YYUcjPXlnQ/s1600/McSorleys+Old+Ale+House.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was right around the time that we were walking out of the cathedral when the news hit that <a href="http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers" target="_blank"><b>LeBron was coming back to the Cavs</b></a> - I kinda lost it right there on the streets of NYC - I still may be in shock. That being said, Jesse had planned ahead packing his LeBron jersey and as we pre-gamed at <a href="http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/" target="_blank"><b>McSorley's Old Ale House</b></a> the Gannons and Kramers celebrated accordingly with "light" and "dark."</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-laWDpKNph9Y/U86_UiMLxFI/AAAAAAAAIts/qW2cVVUjQmE/s1600/On+the+Run+Tour+++Lebron+James.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-laWDpKNph9Y/U86_UiMLxFI/AAAAAAAAIts/qW2cVVUjQmE/s1600/On+the+Run+Tour+++Lebron+James.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A sawdust (from the floor of McSorley's) toss is very similar to a baby powder (a la LeBron) toss. + On the Run Tour at <a href="http://www.metlifestadium.com/" target="_blank"><b>MetLife Stadium</b></a> + Train ride roadies which didn't exactly jive with the fabulous dinner and cocktails on the <a href="http://www.narcissarestaurant.com/" target="_blank"><b>Narcissa</b></a> terrace in the East Village Standard that we had just finished - whatevs, YOLO.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My two cents re: <a href="http://www.beyonce.com/tour/" target="_blank"><b>On The Run Tour</b></a>. I've seen Jay Z in concert five times now so I basically knew what to expect. However, this was my first time seeing Beyonce and holy moly she was more fierce than I could have ever expected. I pretty much stood there in awe watching Queen Bey dominate the stage. All of the Jay Z + Beyonce combo performances were highlights for me, especially Crazy in Love (obvy), Drunk in Love (obvy) and when Bey sang Justin Timberlake's part of Holy Grail - hot damn! </span></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRGehu4uKSs/U87BDL-Wa6I/AAAAAAAAIuA/rMlGYZliXJw/s1600/club+phish+at+randalls+island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRGehu4uKSs/U87BDL-Wa6I/AAAAAAAAIuA/rMlGYZliXJw/s1600/club+phish+at+randalls+island.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If one concert in NYC wasn't enough, on Saturday CK and I headed to see our boys <a href="http://phish.com/" target="_blank"><b>Phish</b></a> at <a href="http://randallsisland.org/" target="_blank"><b>Randalls Island</b></a>. The show set-up exuded a great festival vibe as we caught the middle show of a three show run. </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MB-1A5N2s8Y/U87BOnxrpQI/AAAAAAAAIuI/eWI9kvhooDI/s1600/Phish+Randalls+Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MB-1A5N2s8Y/U87BOnxrpQI/AAAAAAAAIuI/eWI9kvhooDI/s1600/Phish+Randalls+Island.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Club Phish" at night, full moon and all + First Tube encore + <a href="http://drinkstack.com/" target="_blank"><b>Stack Wine</b></a> on ice, so me, SO ME.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Forever and always NYC will be my favorite city (outside of CLE). I'm so lucky that my sissy lives there (and has a second bedroom) so I'm enabled to visit multiple times a year. GOOD TIMES.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Till next time, New York.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy Wednesday, kids.</span></span><br /><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1975282628007695366.post-84181250477613819682014-07-08T06:48:00.000-04:002014-07-08T08:08:23.972-04:00Garden of Flavor: pure joy juice<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the two months since the wedding I've been a human garbage disposal. If there's a carb, sweet or chip within five feet of me I'll eat it. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My only saving grace as to why I've gained 6 lbs in two months versus 16 lbs is that I'm still working out. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This whole "summer of party-time" fun is definitely going to maintain its course, but I'm going to do it smarter. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's time for a reset. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello, old friend.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3VKExhLzf14/U7s3ClWTE-I/AAAAAAAAIsc/f9qhN44obRw/s1600/Garden+of+Flavor+Juice+Cleanse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3VKExhLzf14/U7s3ClWTE-I/AAAAAAAAIsc/f9qhN44obRw/s1600/Garden+of+Flavor+Juice+Cleanse.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.gardenofflavor.com/index.html"><b>Garden of Flavor</b></a> has been my go-to juice cleanse for quite sometime now. It tastes fabulous, doesn't cost a fortune compared to other juice cleanses, is a locally produced product that I can pick it up at <a href="http://www.heinens.com/"><b>Heinen's</b></a> and when is all said and done just makes me feel good.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fact: my whole wedding party (mom, sissy and Cathi) juice cleansed with Garden of Flavor <a href="http://instagram.com/p/nd-jvHmok0/?modal=true"><b>in preparation for my big day</b></a>. If there's a special occasion you're preparing for I can't recommend a day (or two or three) with Garden of Flavor enough - it's fantastic.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For me it's more than just event prep, it's also great reboot to get your diet back on track.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perhaps post long 4th of July weekend? Yep, now we're talking!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have a good (healthy) week, kids.</span></span><br /><br />alexa @clevelandsaplumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455541282046721762noreply@blogger.com16