Sunday, September 9, 2012

Take Me Out To the Ballgame: IronPigs

While we were in PA, we went to a minor league baseball game - my first time seeing the IronPigs play! It was the July 27th game, which was a double header due to inclement weather the day before, and it promised fireworks at the end. 

However, when we arrived (in hopes of seeing the second game), the weather didn't look too promising. There ended up being a rain delay, which meant an even later start time. But we were all there, ready and waiting to see the IronPigs! We located our seats and checked out the food and souvenir vendors while we waited for game time and tried to stay dry. 

Pretty soon the game was underway. 

Sydney got a stylish IronPigs hat and Morgan got an IronPigs stuffed animal she named "Bubba." 

We got lots of soft pretzel sticks. 

The first game soon led into the second game, which we simply had to stay and watch because there was no way we were going home without seeing the fireworks (we may have been more excited about those than the game). But they won! Whoo hoo! And we got coupons when we left. Double win.

The Ohl Men, chillin'. David (center) wearing his newly "won" t-shirt that he caught, out of the reach of a kid behind us. Gotta be faster! 

I even got to meet IronPig, "Ferrous" AND got his autograph. I love mascots - they crack me up! This guy was an interesting shade of swamp green. And hairy. I can't let my buddy Spikes see this photo.  



The game stretched on into midnight, and we couldn't believe we were all still awake! And we had a wedding to go to the next day. Here I am, checking the time on my phone and instagraming. Who doesn't love instagram? 



The fireworks were really great and worth staying for. It was a very fun evening, especially because that was the first time we all got to go to a baseball game together, as a family. And by the time we headed home it was 1 in the morning. Us Ohl's are party animals!

 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Jersey Shore, Long Beach Island

In July, (on my MIL Marilyn's birthday) we loaded up our vehicles and drove from PA to the Jersey Shore. It was my first trip to the shore and it was a gorgeous day! We went to Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. No Snooki sightings, unfortunately.

Long Beach Island is approximately 18 miles in length and about a half mile wide. Skinny little thing. I liked seeing it depicted on the GPS. Our car was practically in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! 

We found a good spot (out of tides way) and set up camp. 9 people, 2 umbrellas that wanted to fly away, chairs, coolers, towels and of course toys for making sand castles. 

Andrew and David couldn't wait to use their old skim boards. There were only a few injuries that day...

Look at that form! Such grace. 

We loved hanging out with these cutie pies. They are growing up so fast!
 
Rockin' our sunglasses.

After our day on the beach, we headed to the one and only The Chicken Or The Egg. Andrew's family has been going there for years, even before the restaurant was featured on Man vs. Food. I was excited to see what the place was all about. 

We feasted on none other than chicken wings, in various delicious sauces. Yum! We did not take the ludicrous challenge though. We wanted to keep our taste buds. It was a fun little place.

Now I can say I've been to the Jersey Shore - and loved it. I need to work on my GTL (gym, tan, laundry) a little more next time to really fit in.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I'm back! I have been out of the blogosphere loop and I'm so far behind on my summer blogging. It has been a busy, jam-packed, fun-filled couple of months. I feel like I was just rounding the corner into August and now here I am, 4 days in to September (gasp). I've got lots to share, and hopefully I'll get caught up (eventually).

For a lot of people, this week is  "back to school" for both students and teachers. As I was looking ahead at my September calender, and looking back on June, July and August, I took inventory of how much I have to be thankful for. It really has been a great summer! The above photo was taken this past weekend at Pat and Katie's wedding in New Hampshire. We had an amazing time celebrating with them and it was the perfect end-of-summer mini vacation. 

Before I dive into full recap mode and sort through the hundreds of photos I've been taking (literally), here's a little overview, in random order.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation:
  • 3 Road Trips 
  • 5 States (NY, PA, NJ, MA, NH)
  • 2 Weddings (soon to be 3)
  • 1 Trip to the Police Department while in PA (to verify a fixed headlight and avoid a ticket) 
  • 5 Wedding Invitation Designs
  • 1 Diana Krall Jazz Festival Concert
  • 4 Beaches (Beach Haven, Hamlin Beach, Canandaigua Lake, Lake Ontario)
  • Seven Year Wedding Anniversary
  • 8 Birthdays (we possibly almost forgot one)
  • One Year Anniversary of Coffee, Crafts & Conversation (A.K.A. Triple C)
  • 2 Arizona Family Visitors (Uncle Bob in July, my Mom in August)
  • 50th High School Reunion (I accompanied my Mom to her alma mater) 
  • 30th Birthday Party for my dear Ohl Husband
  • 2 Man vs. Food Restaurants (The Chicken or the Egg, Mother's Cupboard) 
  • First Iron Pigs Baseball Game
  • 1 Television Appearance (thanks to Tony & Kristy's Backyard BBQ with News 8)
  • Many, many ice cream cones
That about sums it up. Although I'm fairly certain I'm forgetting something! If you're wondering where I've been and what I've been up to, see above list. It's been wonderful and crazy and busy and beautiful. I just might need a vacation after my summer vacation! I'm almost glad to welcome in autumn. Almost.
 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Strawberry Romaine Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

This is one of my favorite salads. It's pretty easy to make too. The recipe is from Wegmans. It's perfect if you have some strawberries laying around. The dressing is what makes it so delicious! 


You'll need 1 container of strawberries, hulled and sliced.

One 10oz package of chopped Romaine lettuce - or I like to use two Romaine hearts and chop them myself.

I use a serrated plastic knife which keeps the lettuce from rusting. Genius.

Dressing ingredients: plain yogurt, white vinegar, mayonnaise (I only use real Hellmann's. End of story), poppy seeds, red or white onion, and sugar (not pictured).

Whisk the sugar an vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

If you're ready to eat, pour all of the dressing on and toss with the lettuce and strawberries. Or, you can make it ahead or to go, by pouring the dressing in to a jar for later (refrigerate) and layering the strawberries on the bottom of the bowl, until you're ready to toss and serve.

This salad is sooo good! And it makes a large potion - perfect for a gathering or family dinner.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup minced white or red onion
1 tsp poppyseed
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or light mayo if you prefer)
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 pkg (10oz) chopped Romaine lettuce (or two Romaine hearts chopped)
1 pkg (16oz) strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced

Directions:
1. Whisk sugar and vinegar in large bowl, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in onion, poppy seeds, mayo and yogurt until well combined. 

2. Add dressing to romaine and strawberries and toss until evenly coated.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Dolman T-Shirt Refashion

This one's for you Kimi. It's time for another one of my clothing refashion adventures. Pinterest strikes again! I saw a tutorial for turning an XL men's t-shirt into a dolman shirt that I could wear. I didn't even know what a "dolman" was, so I looked it up on wikipedia (the source of all "reliable" answers of course).

I got an XL plain gray t-shirt from Marshalls for $4.50. I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. 

As you can see, it was far too large and not fitted at all. This was my project at our June craft night. 

I  followed Trash To Couture's tutorial, as seen here. She has great step-by-step instructions, photos and a video to follow. It didn't take me very long at all. Next time, I would allow a little more fabric for the width of my sleeves - I sewed them a little too tight! And it took me two tries to sew up the body of the shirt because I hate measuring. I tend to wing it. Then I have to re-do it. No patience I tell ya. 

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Even if I wear it around the house, it's a comfy shirt. Leah was my stylist for this photo. I think she should take all my fashion photos from now on. Notice the beautiful white storage bench I'm leaning against - this was an amazing furniture transformation by Christy. You have to see the before photo. Read about Christy's dresser makeover here. And then leave lots of comments so she'll start blogging again!

I also made the leftover fabric from the t-shirt neck into the lovely visor that Leah is modeling. That girl can make anything look good! I may be on to something.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Wegmans Organic Farm

Last month, I had the opportunity to tour (and work on) the Wegmans Organic Farm in Canandaigua, NY. It was a beautiful hot (very hot) summer day. I was excited to learn about organic farming and put my hands to work! 

We started our day with a tour of the barn, where harvested produce is sorted and packaged. It's quite an impressive facility. There's even a yoga studio on the upper level. 


Our first task of the day was harvesting cherry tomatoes in the hoop houses. You can learn more about hoop houses and the tomato harvest here. The aroma of the tomato plants and their leaves is intoxicating. There's just something about picking tomatoes right off the vine and popping one into your mouth. So fresh! 


Our mode of transportation and our tour guide, Paige. We also weeded a hoop house, which was quite challenging. Because no pesticides or weed killers are used, weeds are that much more invasive and difficult to keep out. Later on, we helped clean out an entire field of Swiss chard. We definitely got the full farming experience!

Up the hill, is the chicken coop house. These lucky chickens (and rooster) live a happy life, complete with fans inside where they lay their organic eggs.

I got to see eggplants on the vine. I never knew exactly how they grew. Love that dark purple color! 


The sunflower patch grows beautiful flowers and keeps the bees happy so they can make organic honey. 

The farm overlooks beautiful Canandaigua Lake - what a view!

The "Kitchen Garden" was my favorite part. A picturesque garden with a beautiful gated entrance, trailing grape vines, herbs and flowers. I would love to have a place like this to sit and enjoy.

I had a lot of fun visiting and helping out. I definitely learned a lot while getting to experience organic farming. To learn more about the Wegmans Organic Farm, visit Wegmans.com or visit their blog.