Ode to Ryan WINN Kapitz

Tomorrow evening one of my dearest friends will be tying the knot. To anyone that has had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Winn ("as in my parents knew I would be a winner but just left off the "er") Kapitz, this may come to you as a shock. A few years back he met a great girl who totally "got" him, Don't know if she's Czech though... They fell in love, bought a condo in an old folks home and adopted a furry rat named Iggy. Life is good. Kapitz and I met freshman year in college and bonded immediately over our love for Bob Saget (please see above picture) and due to our heritage. However that part came crashing down when my father told him that the Czechs were the rich businessmen (Kapitz) and the Slovaks were the poor farmers (Graycar). This lead to years of dry humping and demands for various pies baked at three in the morning. Alas, we were two Muppet loving peas in a Czechoslovakian pod. After two years of being joined at the hip our parents allowed us to move in together off campus. Probably because his parents knew I would keep him on top of his laundry and well, my dad thought Kapitz was sent from heaven. So Kapitz and I lived together our junior year in college in "The Barn." We shared our living space with our friend Will, He Who Shall Not Be Named, and a stray cat that we named Bonzo Lionel Apple Laptop Or BLAH. I dare you to say "Apple laptop" three times fast and NOT have a better day because of it. Though we had ZERO heat and something died in the basement that released enough flies to think it was a sign of the Apocalypse, we made it work. Cheeseburgers for breakfast, mountain dew for lunch and whatever we could rummage at the Beaver Market with the money Will gave us for dinner and post racing game snacks. Life was simple and we were happy. Even when Kapitz got bit by that dog on the way home and had to go to the hospital, we were smiles. Even when Kapitz got so drunk that the next door neighbors thought he was my mentally retarded brother, there was joy. Kapitz and I spent the next few years being Non-Romantic Life partners. We were each others dates at endless weddings and family events. We spent all of our vacations together, and most weekends taking random road trips. Like that time we ended up in Manchester for no reason, or when we went to the Castle In the Clouds to celebrate your half birthday. Ill never forget out 4 state road trip with Rita to go Visit our friend Josh in NY. We started the night drinking in Westy B, made our way up to Keene for a night of complete debauchery, stopped in CT to say hi to BoobNuts and finally made it to Long Island to have one of the craziest nights on record. How many Polish kids can you shove in the back of a mini van? Why were Rita and I the only girls? Why did that guy flip backwards on the beer pong table for NO REASON? Why did Rita have to give us a $20 to get back to Boston? Why were people always giving us money? These questions may never be answered. But Kapitz and I were adventure bound and couldn't be stopped. We lived together after college as well. Once we bled our parents dry we settled into a tiny apartment with my cat Motoko on Comm Ave. In Allston. Most of that is a blur so this paragraph will be short. The point is, life would not have been the same without Kapitz. The good times would not have been as good and the hard times would have been downright impossible with him. When my father started seriously dating for the first time since my mother passed away, he brought a new girlfriend (now my step mother) up to Keene to meet me. I was a wreck and nervous and not sure how to feel. But when my Dad introduced Bernadette to Kapitz he looked her up and down and said "Daaaaaaamn. Good Job Papa G!" Couldn't have done it without him. I could go on for hours about all of our jokes, antics, adventures and stories but eventually I will have to leave for the wedding, where I'm sure we will all be reliving them throughout the night. I will leave you with this... A few years back I made myself take a writing course in Cambridge. The assignment was a comical piece that told the story of a real character. I could not and still to this day cannot think of a better character that Ryan Winn Kapitz. My story was voted #1 in class and I think every person left that room a little better knowing someone like Kapitz was in the world. Now some of it was fudged for creative/writing purposes, but ironically not any of the parts you may assume. Those are real. It's always been real and I can't thank you enough for all the laughter you have brought into my life. I love you Kapass and I am SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY for both of you! Czech Bump!

Maine, The Way Life Should Be

By Katie Graycar

My best friend Ryan, or Kapitz as he is more affectionately known, has been putting off coming to visit me in my summer house in Maine for over 7 years now. Kapitz is always up for an adventure which is why I can't understand his hesitance. But every time I ask him his response is "The last time I went to Maine I hooked up with a fat chick and fell out of a tree." No further detail. I don't push the story but I do continue to insist that he come!

Finally Kapitz caves and agrees to come for the weekend. I am ecstatic and promise him nothing but a good time! Knowing that he is happy with a cheeseburger and a beer, this shouldn't be a hard promise to keep!

Kapitz finally arrives to the island and before he can even put his backpack in his room, he is off to go cliff jumping with my brother. I have no worries about Kapitz's ability to jump off a 30 foot cliff, but he does have a tendency to be accident prone, so I try not to worry. About an hour later I realize my assumption was right, jumping off was no problem, it was the getting back up the cliff. Coming down the sidewalk are two hobbling bodies leaving a trail of blood. "That freaking cliff ripped off my toe as I was climbing back up!" Kapitz yelled. I knew this was a start to a great weekend...

A few hours later even though Kapitz was down to 9 toes, he agreed to come kayak around the island with us. It's a rough but gorgeous ride and I figured we would have life vests so it would be safe. As we rounded the bend of the island where the cliffs were Kapitz put down his oar to shake an angry fist at the cliff that took his toe and managed to hit the only buoy in sight, knocking him off his kayak and into open ocean. The sounds of swearing and shouting were muffled by the water as Kapitz desperately tried to climb back into the kayak. As it began to fill with water it became obviously that his only option was to swim along side it and pull the kayak back the mile and a half back to shore. When we finally got to the beach Kapitz was breathless. I tried not to laugh but he looked as though he has been attacked by a wild animal, his entire torso was covered in scrapes and bruises and all he can say between breaths is "I.... Hate.... Maine...."

We helped Kapitz back to the house and I am dying to tell the story to someone. I run into the kitchen dragging Kapitz behind me to tell my father what happened and show him Kapitz's wounds. Just as I began my tale, my Grandmother comes in from the porch letting in a stray bee. A bee that flew into the kitchen. Found Ryan Kapitz. And stung him. In the jugular. "Son of a bitch!" Yelled Kapitz as he cupped his throat. The timing of that insect was so precise it was as if God himself sent that bee to punish Kapitz for some unknown sin.

Before I could get the first aid kit Kapitz was upstairs packing his things and heading for the next boat to the harbor. "F' you and this crazy state!" I begged him to stay. I pleaded, offering copious amounts of free beer and women but his mind was made up.

Later that night I received a picture text message from Kapitz that read "Apparently I'm allergic to Bees" And there in the picture was Kapitz holding up his middle finger, which was the only thing on his body not bright red and swollen. He was pointing it at the Maine state Sign that reads "Maine, The Way Life Should Be"

One Step At A Time...

I recently had a small mental break down over the state of our house. I felt as though we should be further along than we are. Like I said before I just want it all to be done and perfect, like now. But I know that's not reality. Reality is that Pete is commuting down to Boston every day and I'm commuting 2 days and that takes a huge toll on you! The truth is that we got rid of so much furniture that we have no where to put anything. I unpacked 15 boxes of books and we only had one small bookcase to put them so now they are piled on our landing. Our clothes are in heaps on the floor because we still need a bureau. And we JUST bought a couch yesterday! We are stuck in this crazy limbo. We wanted to do some renovations to the house, but an unexpected $1450 to fix the roof so the Black Hornets of Hell won't come back in sort of put a crimp on things. And our little savings for the house is draining faster that the downstairs tub. Actually Molasses drains faster the downstairs tub. Never in my life have I consistently spent more money in a month period, not even in Europe! Really my paychecks should just go straight to Lowes. I'm trying not to get discouraged, rather encouraged... to be creative. I have to take a breath and realize that SOMEDAY all these things will be done. For now We need to focus on what really needs to be done. Also we need to realize what we can splurge on and what we should save on. We splurged on a really nice living room couch/chair set from Jordans. I wanted to find something used on Craigslist but God said No and told me to talk to Barry and/or Elliott (whatever happened to the other one??) But it will be worth it, it is THE most used piece of furniture in the house, next to our bed Aaaaaoooohhh ZING! No, really that makes us sound like really lazy people. Anyway we splurged on a nice sofa and chair and saved on the chandelier in the dining room. The one I wanted was gorgeous and looked like pillar candles and was $250. The one we got works just fine and fits the decor and was $36. You can't beat that. And you can't watch the game on a chandelier! And instead of buying a $1000 dining room set from pottery barn we scouted around and have the beginnings of an even better set that is so US! We found this amazing rustic table at The Maxx for $220! Gorgeous gray distresses wood and with nailed galvanized tin on the top. So perfect. But we needed chairs. Finally craigslist provided us with these Pottery barn ladder backs (Pete has a thing for Ladder back chairs) 4 for $100 instead of $135 each!! Now we just need a long bench to go on one side and we are set!! Here's my question, leave the chairs the way they are matching the floor and surrounding wood or paint and distress them to match the table?? Help please!

I also found these perfect seat cushions, gray and yellow with lemons and Italian writing! Chello!!

Also thanks to a lovely lesbian in Medford (craigslist again!) I have fulfilled my dream of owning the pottery barn Modular wine hutch!! I'm not joking since I was old enough to start ordering my own catalogs I swore to myself one day I would own this. The problem was if you buy it from pottery barn it costs up to $2000. This beast is pure mahogany! But I scored it for $425!! And it is so perfect. Sometimes I say goodnight to it. It's that beautiful.

We found a few more craigslist scores like the antique corner hutch to hold our never used china. (Thanks Aunt Theresa!) We swapped out the old broken white knobs for these funky brass ones to give a less dated feel to it. And of course a couple of huge spoon and fork chalk boards next to the Buddha and ladies and gentlemen we are almost done with the dining room, just have to find that bench and hang some goodness on the walls!! Who's coming over for dinner?! So now only a few weeks after the movers have come we have one room really done!! Even though we rarely use it the downstairs bathroom is done! Originally we had big plans to gut this room completely. The window is broken, the sink vanity doesn't have real drawers, they are fake but come out?? Who does that?? The mirror looked like a 1st grade art project and the bath tub/shower drain is broken and it's a lovely shade of powder blue. Our plan was simple. Rip everything out! Replace the window, make a kick ass mirror with shells and rocks from Squirrel. Find a claw foot tub from a salvage place and a shower curtain from Garnet Hill. Replace the light fixtures and tile the wall with river stones. Make a new sink Vanity out of a vintage dresser to have drawers for storage and also have a funky old feel and put a bowl sink on top. And WHAM! New fabulous bathroom. Sigh. Our new plan was this. Toss the gross mirror and replace it with a small port hole mirror we had in our bedroom. Change out the knobs on the vanity, even though they aren't real drawers, they look better now. The knobs were only $1 and make a huge difference. We painted the walls a deep heather blue to make the wainscoting and tin ceiling pop. It's amazing what a little color and new fixtures can add to a room! Bought a $30 shelf at Walmart to add storage to the wall (added matching knobs) and raided Homegoods for a shower curtain, rugs and towels that matched. Replaced the old silver towel rack with a funky one I found for $12 at The Maxx and Voila! New Bathroom for $120 instead of $2500. Its not my dream bathroom but that will someday come. For now, It works. And like I said we are hardly in there, Its cheery and cozy and does its job. Just pay no attention to the blue monster behind the curtain!

Goobye To My Goobers

It is with a heavy heart that I have to say goodbye to some of the most amazing children I have ever had the privilege of knowing. For almost 4 years I watched these children grow, learn, and slowly mold into amazing little people. When I started Gabriel had just turned two and now in July my little man (who is not so little anymore) will be 6. And where there once was nothing, we now we have little Astrid to complete the family. My heart is breaking now, but I know it is time. There are amazing things ahead and who knows what my future will hold. For the last 10 years my career has been about other people's lives and families. Now it's time to take care of me and my own. All I can say is that it was a complete honor getting to know and love these children, and I am a better person for having them in my life. Thank you form the bottom of my heart...

Benjamin Harper

Ben, you are one of the coolest kids I have ever known. You have so much passion and interest for so many things and when you love something you really give 100%. Sometimes you get all side track sally and forget EVERYTHING, but somehow it's part of your charm. I will miss playing games with you and the tantrums you would throw when I wouldn't let you win. Have you noticed now, that you're winning? It's not because I let you, it's because you are getting better. I always pushed you Ben because I knew you were capable of amazing things. When you don't listen and I have to say things 9 times it drives me nuts! I hear my mother's voice come out of me at you all the time. "I sound like a broken record... Two wrongs don't make a right..." Maybe it's because you and I are more alike than I thought! You have a kind heart and you are so good with Astrid, I know you will always watch out for her. Remember that Sophie and Gabriel need you too! You're sort of the head of the family Ben, that doesn't mean you're always right but it does mean that your siblings look up to you! So do good listening, and keep making people laugh! Keep living life the way you are now Ben and you won't miss a thing! Thank you for teaching me patience Ben! I love you.

Sophia ElizabethWhat can I say Sophie, you are incredible! You have more energy than any child I have ever known! And not the bouncing off the wall kind of energy! The energy that has direction. You are totally bored unless you are busy 100% of the time. You are definitely going to be one of those "24 usable hours in a day people" Gross. Just kidding honey. Between your singing, acting, soccer, lacrosse, friends... You are like the energizer bunny you just keep on going and you do it with a smile. You are one of the kindest people I have ever met. You are the first to help out when needed and the first to make friends with anyone. I can always count on you Sophie for whatever I need, I would have been lost without you! I'm going to miss all of our drawing time and the talks we would have, I always felt like I could tell you anything. You're an old soul Sophie, I think all of you kids are. Thank you for always making me feel special, you were always the first to say good morning and good bye and you always made me feel like such a good cook! Keep singing Sophie, your voice brings so much joy to people. I love you honey.

Gabriel Alexander

I'm almost at a loss for words when it comes to you. Not since my little Jesse years ago, have I found a connection with a child so strong as the one I have with you. We were instant best friends you and I. You are so sweet, you are the epitome of the word loving. You love everyone and everything. You are curious and smart, funny and strong. You can do anything you put your mind to! Way back when you and I used to have our little adventures together and there was nothing you didn't want to see or experience. Over the years I got to see you through preschool at Clinton Path where I know you were the teacher's favorites. And now look at you, you are almost done with kindergarten. I am so proud of you Gabriel. I'll miss seeing your Sprouts performances and your Tiger Team soccer games. Who will help me make dinner and be my taster? You give the best hugs Gabriel and you make me feel loved every day. Everyone that meets you smiles from within because you are so kind and genuine. You truly are one of my best friends and I am SO LUCKY to have been able to spend these years by your side. Words can't express how much I love you Gabriel, Domo Arigato my sweet Lovie....

Astrid KayAstrid you came in blazing to a family of already awesome kids. You had huge shoes to fill and I must say you have exceeded everyone's expectations. It's hard to be the following act to someone like Gabriel but you have bowled the world over with your heart and huge personality! You are my lil' pickle. You are spunky and feisty and you know what you want or DON'T want for that matter. For the first year of your life all you did was laugh and throw up, sometimes in reverse order. One day the throw up stopped but the laughter never did. You are such an amazing little girl and I KNOW you are going to do great things. My little fashionista and shopper. With your outfit changes, "Fancy shoes" and love for clothing catalogues you are a goober after my own heart. I'm sure I had a hand it though : ) From day one you had a larger than life personality, you LOVE to make people laugh and you HATE when you don't get your way. You are the cleanest one of the whole crew and because of this crew you are so strong and independent. With Gabriel in kindergarten this last year was really just you and me babe. I am so grateful for all of our time together. I love you to the Moon and Back Astrid. Forever and ever and ever...

It has been a honor getting to be part of this family. I have always wanted to be a mother but being with these children has really solidified that for me. They are the poster children for why people should have kids. I know it's not the end and they will always be in my life, But this is the end of an era and I can't help but feel empty inside. Thank you for letting me in to your lives. Thank you for showing me true, unbiased, unadulterated love. Thank you for giving me the BEST job anyone could ever ask for. And thank you for helping me become who I am today. I love you all so much and always will.

"Promise me you'll never forget me, because if I thought you would, I would never leave..." ~Winnie The Pooh

More Things In My Mouth

It occurred to me that I often have strange cravings and really like some weird things. But as I tell my kids, it's important to be "Super Food Tasters" You don't have to eat it or like it but you have to try it. So here is a list of some of the strange things I have tried and loved and now eat often! I dare you to try some - no judging. Apricot Baby Food Apricot has always been my favorite but over the years baby food has come a long way and now Companies like Happy Baby and Plum Organics have come up with awesome pouches of baby food that come in every flavor under the sun! Not only are they delicious and easy to eat (uh you don't even have to chew) but they are super easy to throw in a bag and take with you. They contain only real fruit and no added sugar so at the drop of a hat instead of reaching for a Twix or a bag of chips, you can reach for this little pouch and shoot a whole serving of fruits and sometimes veggies down your throat! mmmmm..... I'm sucking on Spinach, mango, Pear right now! I am also in love with Plum Organics puffs, they are meant for tiny goobers because they basically just dissolve. What's great about them though is that they are a little crunchy and come in a whole rainbow of flavors, in fact their whole approach is helping kids eat their rainbow, which is very important for a Super Food Taster. I keep them in the car! Don't even get me started on the yogurt melts! Cottage Cheese Mixed with Apple Sauce Namely onion and chive cottage cheese with cinnamon apple sauce. There is something about the sweet and savory mix that hits all the right spots for me! Cinnamon Raisin Bagels With Onion and Chive Cream cheese Please see above. Macaroni and Cheese with Ketchup Eating Mac N' Cheese always makes me feel like a kid, it's so gooey and comforting. But adding ketchup to it just puts me in childhood overload. For some reason it really works, and don't forget to add a ton of cracked black pepper. Strawberries and Basil Though not that strange, I know allot of people have not tried it! I'm obsessed. It started with the strawberry Basil martini at Cuchi Cuchi in Cambridge - it is to DIE for. The sweetness of the strawberries and the smoothness of the basil go hand in hand. And if your feeling a little randy add some balsamic and black pepper to a bowl of fresh cut strawberries and torn basil. Try it for dessert, I promise it will change your life. Cheese Ball Sandwiches Take cheese balls and put them in a hot dog bun. Eat. Love. Ramon Noodles With Cheddar Cheese Wow, that does sound gross. But I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. I make a steaming bowl of ramon noodles with half the broth and I add a handful of shredded cheese, any shredded cheese will do but I prefer the bright orange cheddar. As it melts it gets all gooey and stringy with the noodles and it's the best rainy day lunch/supper. Pineapple, bacon, jalapeno pizza We have the Upper Crust to thank for this one. I have always loved Hawaiian pizza (Sorry Kapitz) but swapping out bacon for anything is always a good idea and adding the jalapenos gives this sweet salty pizza a nice kick in the pants. It by far is my favorite pizza combination. Gimme a slice of that with a little low fat ranch for dipping (I'm a huge believer in dipping) and I'm a happy gal. Peanut Butter Puffins with Non Fat Plain Greek Yogurt and Blueberries The perfect way to start your morning! PB Puffins are the bomb on their own, but mix them with a handful of blueberries and plain yogurt instead of milk and A. its much more filling B. you get more protein and probiotics with less fat and C. the sugar from the puffins seeps into the yogurt and the moisture from the yogurt seeps into the puffins to make them soft and its magic. I'll stop saying seeps now, it grosses me out. Crunchy Soy But Nutter I just realized my typo but I'm keeping it because it's fun to say. I discovered this years ago from a set of twins I nannied for that got substitutes of everything, poor kids. But in this instance it works. It's a little less sweet than peanut butter and has way less fat. Try it on anything you would have peanut butter on, I love it on celery with dried cranberries! It's like a coutoure "Ants On A Log" I'm a fan of the I.M. Healthy brand. And it totes comes in chocolate! Tofu Plain and simple I love the stuff! I tried it first at Whole Foods. They make a fried seseme Tofu that is quite simply God's gift to earth. Of course frying anything makes it taste good, but beyond the taste it helps with the texture which is usually peoples beef with Tofu. Ha. Beef with Tofu. Anyway Once I got past the first step I was in love. I drain and cube it and roast it for a snack or to throw in stir frys. I'll eat right out of the package though that is my least favorite way. I even discovered these slimy tofu noodles. You have to rinse them because they smell like ass but they have th consistency of ramon but with the benefits of tofu and like zero calories and way low carbs! It's also a great pasta substitute for all you South Beachers out there! You may have to try tofu a few different ways but I bet you'll find one that doesn't make you throw up! I even converted Pete! Fresca I just love the stuff. Usually I drink seltzer water but if I want a little something extra this is my go to can. I heart Fresca plain and simple, I know it's only a tiny step up from TAB but a nice cold can cannot be beat. Not enough people are choosing this as their diet soda in my humble opinion. That's all I can think of right now, But I know there are others. Sometimes I get strange looks for these things, even Pete after all these years still can't get over the cottage cheese and apple sauce deal. What kinds of strange things do you eat or crave? Preggers or not!

At Least There Ain't No Hole In The Wash Tub!

Emmet and Ma Otter had it right. Don't sweat the small stuff. They were as poor as dirt but they were okay because there wasn't a hole in the wash tub! But can I just bitch about my own "wash tub" for a moment. Being a Nanny for the last thousand years I have seen my fair share of Laundry, and actually don't mind doing it provided I have a great laundry room to do it in! The thought of even having a "laundry room" made me do back flips! My whole life growing up and in every apartment I've had (that is if it even had laundry) I have been forced to take my clothes to a cold, wet basement. The point of doing Laundry is to have a basket of fresh smelling clean clothes, Nothing feels clean or fresh smelling in those basements - no matter how many dryer sheets you put in. So when we bought this house, the fact that it had an actual laundry room, well a large laundry closet, made me ecstatic!! No more dungeons!! The washer and dryer we were left with were okay, so we thought. But a few weeks ago Pete tried to dry his clothes from the rain and the dryer sounded like the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and it started to smell of smoke. I'm sure we could have had someone come over to fix it, But before Pete could take a breath I was on the phone ordering our brand new Washer and Dryer!! Obviously I had to assume the washer was bunk too, I needed a matching set after all. So we sprung for the Energy Star, front loading Samsung set! I was so overjoyed I actually cried a little. Last weekend we painted the pale yellow laundry room a gorgeous deep red in preparation for the delivery men! I felt like a little kid waiting for Santa as I jumped every time I heard a noise outside! I think I was most excited because once they were installed the room would be 85% done! I had dreams of hanging some shelves for storage, maybe a small table where I could fold things, a few fixtures to hold our broom and mop and maybe even a cheesy laundry sign that said something awful like "Put your duds in the suds" or "Colors free, Whites 50 cents" (who wouldn't want a somewhat racist laundry room?) Anyway the point is that in this seemingly endless battle over the house, we were so close to having ONE completely done and brand new room, and that felt GOOD! Finally they arrived and I was overjoyed!! I kept Hurley out of their way as they got rid of the old pieces of junk and installed my new gorgeous appliances that actually play a little musical diddy when they are done instead of that horrible beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. But then I heard it... "Uh, Honey... You might want to come check this out..." Not Good. They don't fit!!! They are Huuuuuge and take up almost the whole room. We stacked them to save space which isn't the problem, they are so damn wide they hit you in the face when you open the door and now the corner space is useless because you can barely squeeze by! Now we have to try to "walk" this behemoth bitch over to the other side of the room. But that's not all... The plug for the dryer is on the other side where it is now, so we either have to find a nonexistent plug extension for this massive beast or we have to hire an electrician to come and switch the plugs out - not cheap. And even when they are moved, I'm not sure there will be room for any shelves or a table if we want the doors to open. My Laundry dreams are slowly crumbling. At least the red looks good. One step at a time...

What's In Your Mouth?

Let me start this by assuring everyone that I am NOT preggers... That being said, I have had some crazy ass cravings lately! The kind that punch you in the face and make you want to punch someone else in the face unless they are quenched immediately! Some are normal. Whenever Pete asks me what I want for dinner, for the past few months all that comes to mind are meatballs or chicken Parm. Don't know why. Maybe because my heart longs for dinner at Sweet Basil in Needham. Only THE BEST Italian place in all of Boston (yes even the North End) if not the world! (I know that was a large jump) It's not just food there that will bowl you over (What what!) Its the atmosphere. Its small and cozy, cash only and you have to BYOWine. The staff is friendly and attentive and every visit feels like an intimate dinner party at a friend's house. I'm gonna miss that little gem. I would drive back the hour and half for the chicken parm there. http://sweetbasilneedham.com/ Sigh. They sell a cook book that I am totes picking up before we leave! Anyway something that I can't explain is this new "water" that I can't get enough of. I think part of it is form that whack L.A. diet that made you violently shoot out your ass. But this doesn't do that. It just tastes really good and makes me drink water! One day I was craving something spicy and also cinnamon. So my crazy water was born.

Totally Gross and Awesome Water

1 Glass of filtered water

1 tablespoon of Lime juice

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

a few shakes of Cayenne pepper

a few shakes of red pepper flakes

small squirt of honey

I know it sounds really gross, and it is, but I really like it. Plus cinnamon is STOOPID good for you! Just 1/2 teaspoon a day can help lower your LDL cholesterol, it has an anti-clotting affect on the blood, sniffing it has been proven to help memory and it is a great source of iron, fiber and calcium! BAM! Also there was a study at Copenhagen University that gave people with arthritis a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon before breakfast for a week and it significantly helped there pain! Listen up Grancheeky! Anyway, drinking water is really important and sometimes (Okay Lots of times) I don't drink enough, so anything I can do to get the ol' washington in me is good! Plus all the tastes and smells sort of trick me into thinking I just ate so hopefully it will help me from snacking as much!

And for a little green in my diet, I have been obsessed with Kale chips and SeaSnax! Cambridge Naturals is a funky crunchy store that I work near and I can't help but stop in on my walk with the kids and pick up one of these fun new snacks. Kale chips are exactly that, freeze dried kale. Who here can say they have enough kale in their diet?? Once just a garnish now a delicioustreat! And again, Kale is really good for you! Why snack on potato chips with zero nutritional value, when you can snack on these lil' buggers that are packed with antioxidents, fiber and carotenoids which help protect your eyes from UV rays. Plus they are a cruciferous vegeatble so they really bitch slap your risk of cancer! All they do is dry out the kale and add crunched up nuts and spices and pour it all over the kale to coat it and give it a really satisfying consistency. I'm big on the consistency of food, it's why it took me so long to get into sea food! Anyway they come in really good flavors like Ranch and chedder cheese, my favorite is the Spicy Miso! Which is a perfect segway into Sea Snacks! (A little Japanese theme here) Sea Snacks are a fun little company that make dried seaweed snacks. They come in littl etravel packs and bigger family sheets or sprinkles for your soups and salads! They come in a few different flavors like onion but my favorite is the OG Just a touch of olive oil and sea salt! at first I turned my nose up at these thin green sheets, but then one day it was the most delicious thing in the world! Funny how that happens. The tag line for the company is "Strangely addictive" and that is so true. On the first day I had three packages. I couldn't help it they melt in your mouth and are gone before you know it! But the good news is each serving was only like 30 calories! Plus Seaweed is the king of nutrition! Jam packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidents. It has anti-inflamitory, anti-cancer and anti-viral properties! And for centuries women in Korea have eaten seaweed to help with postpartum recovery! They learned it from watching the whales eat kelp after giving birth, crazy huh? You can learn more and order snacks at http://seasnacks.com/. I suggest you do! Anyway I can't claim that chicken parms reverse the signs of aging, but everything else has got some good benefits! Hopefully you'll try one or two of my strange cravings and find something new and healthy to add to your diet, or at least have an amazing time at Sweet Basil. I kinda want avacado right now...

The Heart Of The Home

They say that "The kitchen is the heart of the home." And I fully believe this. Pete and I both LOVE to cook and entertain. In fact we fell in love while breading chicken cutlets in his kitchen. True Story. Anyway, every house we looked at, the first place we ran to was the kitchen. Now this kitchen DEFINITELY needs some help. It has some shaky bones and is small But I know we can make it work. When we first saw the kitchen during the open house it was lime green with a gorgeous vinyl floor (You know the kind that will NEVER BE CLEAN) and hunter green counter tops. But the blue bottles in the window, FIREPLACE and fun little chachkies (Which I just learned is Yiddish??) made it feel super cozy. I have always wanted an open plate rack too! Except for some reason these people only put SEVEN spaces!! I literally loose sleep over how much this bothers me, Why not EIGHT?! A Normal place setting you ding bats! Now I will have to take out the bars and move them closer together and pray that eight will fit because I can't live with that kind of malarkey. Pete wanted to get rid of the whole desk section completely and put in a big cupboard but I fought him. Don't get me wrong I am always one for storage and we certainly need it here in this kitchen, but I fell in love with this little nook! I want my laptop right there to look up recipes and Facebook stalk people while I wait for dinner to cook. Who knows, it a year or so I may be over it and want more storage but for now I'm pumped. A project in the future is to make a cork board out of our old wine corks for the wall. I would make it in a frame so that it can be removed, But I want to cover that back wall with a wine cork board to tack up pictures, coupons etc. And let's be honest, It'll only take a week or two to get the corks... As I said before we are working with a tiny budget for the WHOLE house, so we have to get creative and pick and choose what really needs to be done. The truth is, the kitchen is fine the way it is. No leaks or huge cracks anywhere and the appliances seem to be working - it does it's job. I just don't like it! I want brand new appliances that are shiny and not covered in old grease! I want a counter top that doesn't make me throw up a little!! I want cupboards that are functional and stylish that don't fall off in my hands when I open them! Sigh... For now I will have to focus on inspiration and things I can change easily! The whole inspiration for our soon to be gorgeous kitchen was a Tuscan Villa. I went back and forth between my love for things rustic and European and my love for things Bright and coastal. Europe won this war. And it's all thanks to this baby... I saw it at Anthropologie last year for over $900 and I found it at The Maxxsters on clearance for $250! I bought it before we even closed on the house! I just knew, without measuring that it had to be in our home! Our landlord called it "an old industrial sized storage unit" - he thought it was junk. He is an idiot. It just may be the most gorgeous table ever created. The top this beautiful untreated wood and the bottom is old almost rusted steel, and the shelves can be moved up and down. I was hoping to make it out kitchen island and I think it will actually work. The feeling of this table is what I wanted to puke all over our kitchen. The first step was paint. Our kitchen and dining room are open to each other in an L shape, so it was hard to paint them different colours. The kitchen technically stops where the linoleum floor stops. The area with the fireplace is supposed to be a "den". Whateves, I say its still part of the kitchen. But the point is I couldn't divide the spaces without it looking too compartmentalized. So all the walls were painted in Eclipse, which was that old yellow we saw in the Dining room. But we decided to keep the walls plain in the kitchen, instead of continuing with the pearlized look. Already it has made a huge difference. But now the counter tops look even more awful, don't know how much longer I can live with them! I'd love to see something natural like soap stone or concrete, I was never a fan of granite, especially not for the price, I don't care how "in" they are - they ain't IN my budget! I also need to put in a back splash. That is something I am fairly confident that with a little help from DIY.com I can do myself. I just can't decide what I want. Originally I wanted white subway tile with a few ceramic Mediterranean/Italian painted tiles thrown in. But now I feel the subway tiles would be too modern. But I would love to incorporate the Italian ceramic somehow, I absolutely fell in love with the gorgeous red, blue and yellow colours when I was in Capri and really want to showcase them somehow. I really like that the cabinets are white but they are made of really cheap wood and not painted in the inside. One thought would be to remove the cabinets completely in the corner to the right of the sink and have open shelves. Very farm house/cottage and I wouldn't have to worry about painting that section of cabinet, I'd also like to have a little more wall to make the kitchen seem bigger. OR we could just remove the doors from those cabinets - but the bases are so crappy I don't like that idea. What I would love to see is some sort of aging on the cabinets. They are pretty boring and since we can't afford new ones, I'd love to give them a cheap face lift with a little fancy paint. At first I though A crackle look, But that requires a ton of time and paint, and it was a bit busy. Then I thought good ol' distressing to give it that antiqued Provencial look - which is still a strong contender. But then I found this picture of an amazing kitchen, where they white washed the cabinets and it was the perfect combination of light bright cabinets with an old touch. I have to decide soon though because in less than two weeks we will actually be living there and will probably be wanting to use our kitchen! As you can see my design is all over the place. I Just can't decide, and am scared to commit! Once we are actually living there for more than a night and things start to get cleaned up, I'm hoping to have some more focus. Right now my brain is spinning a million different directions and I'm petrified of screwing up the most important house in the kitchen. Simple does not come easy to me. This Home's heart is about to have a triple bypass!

Two Kitchens I really freaking LOVE! Look at the DRAPER sign!!