Hawaii In The House!

I was in Hawaii a few years ago for work, and as I was leaving I stumbled upon a shop in the airport that sold plant cuttings. You could purchase them, take them home and possibly grow a bit of Hawaii in your den. I am certainly not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but I bought some of the cuttings anyway.

I don't know what I was thinking. I knew I would never plant them. Maybe I thought I would give them as gifts to those with a more "green-thumb" inclination than I. Enter The Hubby...he can grow anything! I am convinced that you could provide him with a slab of concrete, some seeds and in a few weeks there would be a budding, glorious garden blooming.

Now, keep in mind...these cuttings sat in a drawer for a few years until the time that I met The Hubby. He took them, threw them in pots, cared for them more than I care for my own teeth, and they began to bloom. What is even more funny is that he set them outside all summer long in the heat and humidity that is a Maryland summer and nothing happened. They grew and gained more leaves, but they didn't bloom.

Cut to two weeks ago. He finally brought them inside because the weather has been getting cooler and placed them in the bedroom. What happened then? BLOOM!!!

Hawaii at home!

I wake up to these every day now. In addition to the 5 blooms you see, there are 14 just waiting to show up. The blooms last a few days and then are replaced with another. This has been going on for a week now. Thank you Hubby for bringing Hawaii to the bedroom.

Cookography: Fried Green Tomatoes

I am a somewhat "genteel" southern woman at heart. I love my southern cooking. Be it a good spicy gumbo or boo fries. I really enjoy the huge comfort content of dishes served in the southern states.

This past weekend I took a stab at fried green tomatoes. One of my coworkers had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and was lamenting how many of them were green, he doubted that he could get them ripened before they rot.

Me to the rescue! I told him I would take the green ones. I'm sure he thought I was crazy...but then, people often do. So, I brought them home, sliced them up and let the magic happen.

The assembly line!

So yes, a few of the tomatoes managed to ripen a bit before I got to them, but I decided to slice them up too. I prepared my buttermilk and egg bath (one egg and buttermilk to cover) and combined a "Shake & Bake" package with a healthy helping of Parmesan Cheese as my crispy goodness.

Then, I grabbed my extra large skillet and placed about a quarter of an inch of oil in it. Use whatever oil you like...I went with Canolla. Once it was hot, I took each tomato and dipped it in the liquid, and then heavily coated it in the crumb mixture. Into the hot oil they went...SIZZLE!!!

Crispy tomato goodness!

I fried them for 2 minutes on each side. You don't want the tomato to become too soft and mushy. The trick is to get them brown and keep the tomato a little firm. So, vary your cooking time with that goal in mind.

In the south, they also serve these with a spicy remoulade (aka...dipping sauce). To replicate this, I took a couple of tablespoons of mayo and added a healthy few shakes of Tabasco sauce to it and mixed it up.

Fried Green Tomato HEAVEN! These make a great side dish to any meal. I coupled them with a roast pork I had slow-cooked in the crock pot all day long. The combination of the fall-apart-in-your-mouth pork and the crispy tomatoes was fantastic!

Fizzled In

Cocktails! They are such a huge portion of my life. I'm not ashamed to admit that. Don't judge!

The problem with mixing cocktails is that you rarely use an entire can of soda to do it. Since I don't have one of those fancy soda guns that bars do (Maybe someday!), I am often left with a half can of soda sitting in the fridge going flat.

Over the years, I have tried many different products that claim to keep soda fresh in between uses. None of them have actually managed to do it...UNTIL NOW! 

I found this particular product on Amazon last year. Yes, I spent a year testing it in the real world before bringing it to all of you...you're welcome.

I would have called it "Flat-Be-Gone"

Keep in mind, the photo above is the second generation of the product. The original sealed standard soda cans perfectly. I even went on a business trip for a week and came home to fizzy soda! This second generation product not only fits standard cans, but it also fits the smaller cans you can buy in an 8-pack. It's now 2 great products in one!!!

So, if you are suffering from flat half-cans of soda, head over to Amazon and do yourselves a favor. At just under $5.00, they aren't cheap...but they are well worth the cost. Imagine the amount of flat soda you would throw away without this little gem!

Drink up!

Film-A-Geddon: The Croods

And a new feature is born! "Film-A-Geddon" is where I will discuss movies that I have enjoyed. Especially ones that I feel didn't get the respect they deserved when they were in the theater.

This time around, let's talk about "The Croods"

Yep, cave people!

I downloaded this film thinking, "Ok, 90 minutes worth of popcorn humor and no substance to worry about." I was a little wrong. Aside from the animation being spectacular, this movie contained a lot of substance I really didn't expect.

To sum it up, you have a family of cave people trying to escape the end of their world. That, in and of itself, is pretty deep! I mean, how do you explain the end of the world to a 7 year old? Well, they do a pretty good job of it in this movie.

I was totally prepared for fluff. What I wasn't prepared for was a film that teaches you to look beyond the familiar and strike out to find something better...a film that teaches you that fear is not something to center your life around...a film that actually accentuates the value of a cohesive family unit.

Nicolas Cage voices "Grug", the patriarch of the family. He is obsessed with keeping them alive during this very dangerous period in human evolution, as any father would be. Our heroine, "Eep" is voiced by the lovely Emma Stone. She wants to explore and do something more with her life than live in a cave. She meets "Guy" voiced by the exceptional Ryan Reynolds. I could close my eyes and just listen to his voice all day. He is slightly more evolved than the Croods and has mastered the use of fire. He plans to survive the coming destruction and winds up with the entire Crood clan accompanying him. In a complete standout role is Cloris Leachman as "Gran". I'm sure they tried to get Betty White to voice this role, but I'm sure she's too expensive. Cloris is apparently the poor man's Betty White.

What amazed me the most about this film was that there wasn't a villain. The Croods weren't fighting against someone (Ok, sometimes themselves). They were just trying to survive. It was also pretty amazing that the motivation for their survival also wasn't the death of a family member (Nemo, I'm talking to you!).  Amazingly enough...there wasn't any death. You'd think then that there wouldn't be anything to make me cry...don't worry, there was plenty. I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that no one dies. It's actually kind of refreshing. Even on repeated watchings (I am up to 6 at this point) the emotional heart-strings are pulled every time, like clockwork.

I recommend The Croods for children and adults alike. The kids will love the visuals and the slap-stick humor. I'm hoping the adults will take something a little more valuable away from the film. Fear, lose it!...Family, treasure it!

Let me know what you thought of the film in the comments below.

Dust Bitten

A tragic accident occurred at Sanctuary over the weekend!  This gorgeous lantern, my baby, was the major casualty. You might remember my original post about the dearly departed, alas poor Lantern...I knew ye well.

Here is the last "living" photo I have of the deceased,

"You light up my life..."

I can only blame myself for this senseless tragedy. If it were not for my large, clumsy, oafish hands Lantern would still be alive today. I was reaching inside to turn off it's LED illumination, the globe slipped and Lantern plummeted to it's death on the floor below. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't scream. I couldn't react. I watched, frozen, the fall as if in slow motion ending in a brutal crash of glass on the wooden floor below.  I did my best to attempt to save him, but it was too late. What was once a statuesque, bright beacon was now a crumble of lifeless shards on the floor.

I'm sure it's morbid to post a photo from the morgue. I warn you...the grisly image that follows is not for the faint of heart.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The sense of loss I feel right now is immeasurable. The other lanterns and I have agreed that tonight we will hold a memorial service. Everyone will be lit to they're brightest, carrying on the torch for those who were lost...extinguished in their prime.

Sir Mix-A-Lush: The S'more Martini

I chose this martini as the signature cocktail for the Labor Day BBQ. I did some online research and found a lot of recipes. From that I culminated my own take on the legendary campfire classic.

The real trick is choosing liquor that doesn't give you a nasty liquor taste, but at the same time...you don't want it to be too sweet. I settled on Godiva Chocolate Liquor and Pinnacle Vodka's Marshmallow flavor.

The other trick is the presentation. I purchased plastic martini glasses at Party City. It was a picnic after all, I didn't want people breaking my good glass martini glasses. I first dipped the rim of the glass in chocolate syrup and then rimmed it with graham cracker crumbs. YUM! 

The other aspect of the presentation was the garnish. For this I bought small bamboo skewers, also at Party City. On the skewer I placed 4 mini marshmallows which I then toasted over my gas stove burner. You have to be careful...they toast quickly! I wound up with a few charred marshmallow remains while attempting this. The great thing about the garnish is that you can toast them the day before to save time when whipping up the cocktail. Had I employed a bartender for this party, I would have made him toast the garnish as he made the drink. But then I also would have insisted he be muscularly chiseled and work shirtless in very tiny shorts! Hey, if I'm paying I get to choose!

A flavor test without the fancy rimming on the glass.

I created a few test versions leading up to the actual BBQ. Well, I didn't want to serve an inferior martini to my guests! Stop judging me!!! On the test above, I drizzled the glass with chocolate syrup. It looked really pretty, but the drink was so cold the syrup never incorporated into the drink. Hence, I decided to add it to the shaker in the end. What I settled on is the recipe below.

          The S'more Martini

   

                   Rim a martini glass (8oz or larger) first in chocolate syrup, then in 

                   graham cracker crumbs, set aside.

                   In a martini shaker with ice add the following:

                             2oz     Godiva Chocolate Liquor

                             2oz     Pinnacle Marshmallow Vodka

                             1oz     Half & Half

                             1oz     Chocolate Syrup

                  Shake vigorously and strain into the martini glass. Garnish with a

                  skewer of toasted mini marshmallows. Drink and enjoy!

Here are pictures of the final version with all it's amazing rimmed goodness taken by those who were enjoying it.

Photo Credit: Siobhan Connellan

Photo Credit: Josh Wiles

The martini was a big hit at the party, even my mother tried a sip...and she never drinks booze! The downside was that there weren't a lot of left-overs for me to enjoy. Is that a good thing or a bad thing???

What I Did With My Summer Vacation

Hello everyone, and welcome back to JimNotMike. I know I've been gone for a while, taking a little break...but I'm going to try and get back to posting here...at the very least, once a week.

I thought I'd start by sharing a bit about what I've been up to since I've been gone.

Pepper

Yep...she thinks she is a lap dog!

We had the pleasure of fostering this beautiful dog for a few weekends until our kennel found a more permanent home for her. She now has a new home and new name, but she will always be Pepper to me.

New Orleans

I got to spend some more time in New Orleans. It's my favorite food city, as most of you know. I also got to tour the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery...AGAIN!

Rum, Rum, everywhere! I'll take a barrel please!!!

Office Move

The weekend of July 4th our office moved location to an entirely new facility. It was a pain, but well worth the effort.

My brand-spankin new cubicle.

The "Huddle Room" I designed. It's for informal meetings.

The Beach Trip

Scott, Tod and I headed to Rehoboth for a week. Really, the best part of my summer. It was more rainy and cool that it had ever been, but heck...it's the beach, who cares! I can drink in the rain and wear a hoody!!!

This is us...packing light!

Our wonderful location on a sunny day.

And...another GREAT view! Oh waiter!!!

Trunk Club

I tried out a service that picks out clothes for you. They made some great choices for me, but everything was well out of my price range so I sent it all back. I think I need to start a service like this, but at a lower price point. The experience was great. Nothing like having a personal stylist!

Lovely packaging.

Pretty clothes.

Labor Day BBQ

Since I couldn't host on July 4th because of the office move, I hosted an end-of-the-season BBQ.

From my local butcher...yummy!

Condiment Bar! Thank you Pinterest!!!

So that pretty much brings us up to speed. If I've left anything out, well...it can be a future post! I hope you all had a great summer too!

Bulbs...And I Don't Mean Flowers

Well, here it is getting chilly here in Maryland. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Just so you know we are going to be doing some time traveling. I'm starting out with some current posts and then will go back in time to cover some things I was too lazy to post while they were happening.

Back to bulbs...light bulbs, that is. I am trying something new and not for the reasons you might think. I have 2 light bulbs, one outside and one inside that require a 17 ft ladder to change. They both recently went out at the same time which is sort of a saving grace. It means only having lug the ladder around one day.

Yeah, you wouldn't want to change that either!

I headed off to Lowe's  yesterday to check out my lighting options. I usually buy "Rough Usage" bulbs (Sounds a little kinky, doesn't it?) for these fixtures because the front of my house gets so much vibration from the road. Normal bulbs last about 3 days in these fixtures and that's just a huge pain. Once I got to the store, I was confronted by way more lighting choices than I felt like making that day.

There are the normal incandescent bulbs, well I knew I wasn't messing with those. There are the CFS bulbs. I am not a fan...not only are they rather delicate, but I don't enjoy the quality of light they give off at all. I feel like the light they give off is the same quality of that in a morgue. 

What surprised me was the huge selection of LED light bulbs they had now. I have a lot of accent lighting that is powered by LED's, but I never really considered it's other lighting possibilities. LED's are great, they are bright and they last forever! The LED lighting I have as been going strong for 8 years now. I opted for a couple of bulbs that were equal to 75 watts, a little less than I have used in these location in the past. LED bulbs are fairly expensive at the moment compared to their incandescent brothers. I paid $40 each for the 2 bulbs I bought. There were even more expensive options...but I'm on a budget, no time for lighting frivolity. 

I pulled out the incredibly long ladder and installed the bulbs today. Now I can't wait for it to get dark to see how well they perform. I think over time the LED bulbs will come down in price and I could see myself converting the entire home over to LED. Mind you, I'm not so concerned about the economy of it...I just love the idea of hardly ever having to change a lightbulb!

Not "That Cuban Place"

Things are a little confusing here in my little town. We have a restaurant called "That Cuban Place", but this post is not about that cuban place. This post is about the cuban place that is better than "That Cuban Place".  This cuban place is Sabor De Cuba.

It is located in Frederick, MD right in the thick of the downtown area. We have so many great restaurants in that area, many of which I have spoken about here. My coworkers and I hit Sabor De Cuba one day for lunch.

Don't tell my boss!

I decided I had to try one of their Mojitos. You can't feast at a cuban restaurant and not sample this iconic drink. Besides, it was a Friday and I didn't have a lot on my plate back at the office. I have to say, it wasn't as good as the ones I make, but in the grand scheme of the Mojito Universe it was quite good.

Minty, limey goodness

One trick I noticed is that here the bartender blends the ingredients before placing them in the glass rather than muddling them in the glass. The upside of this is that the mint pieces wind up small enough to make it up the straw as you're sipping. The downside is that it tints the cocktail green. Not the typical color of a muddled Mojito. I've always enjoyed the contrast of the clear cocktail with the mint leaves myself.

For my lunch I ordered the Cuban Sandwich, how could I not? This place definitely gets these right...perfect, in fact.

Yes...I ate the bread.

A Cuban Sandwich, for those of you who have never sampled one, consists of roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle. It is then pressed like a Panini so the insides get nice and gooey and the bread gets nice and crispy.

I have sampled this sandwich all over the country and there is only one restaurant in Miami who makes one that is better than this one at Sabor De Cuba. I warn you tho, they don't reheat very well so be prepared to finish this delight all in one sitting. It's really not that difficult, just skip the appetizers.

NOTE: In all fairness, I have personally not tried "That Cuban Place", but coworkers of mine have and didn't have the best things to say about it. I plan to check it out for myself at some point and will post my review here.

Une Believable!

Lately I have been keeping an eye on Kick Starter. If you are unfamiliar with it, it's a site where inventors post their projects hoping to find the funding to produce them. There is some pretty cool stuff on there and a lot of it is getting the funding it needs to become reality. 

One of the projects that I got really excited about is the Une Bobine. It is a flexible phone stand/charger. It allows you to position the phone pretty much anywhere you want it. For someone who loves their phone almost as much as the people in my life (I mean, I do sleep with it every night), this is something I have been seeking for a very long time. 

I donated $50 to their Kick Starter campaign and a few months after they had reached their funding goal I received 2 Une Bobine of my very own.

Twisty Turny

Within perfect reach

As you can see, it is now perfectly within reach of my fingers when I am sitting at my iMac. The stand is even stable enough for me to use the touch screen in this position.

The second one, I bought for use in my car. I'm still playing with it's positioning to get it in the perfect spot so I can use the phone while driving without crashing. Of course now that Apple has changed the plug for their new iPhone 5, I'll have to wait to upgrade until such time as there is an Une Bobine for that plug. Oh well, it's the best reason I've found for not spending the money on a phone upgrade right now.

Craftaculosity: The "Woods" Basket

Once again I had the fortunate chance to design a Cocktail Configurations Basket for a local charity's benefit. The event was being held in conjunction with the Reunion Show at The Lodge. It was an amazing night! More people packed that tiny log cabin in the woods than I had seen there in years! It was great seeing all of the performers who hadn't graced the stage since the place was known as Deer Park Lodge many years ago.

For the event, I traveled down memory lane and created a cocktail basket that recalled my own precious memories from the heyday of Deer Park. I give you "The Sex in the Woods" basket. Don't judge.

I stopped while it was still tasteful...don't ask!

The tagline reads, "It's like 'Sex on the Beach' only darker...and you don't wind up with sand in your junk!" Basically, I took the standard Sex on the Beach cocktail recipe and constructed it with dark spiced rum instead of vodka. You'll find my recipe at the end of the post. But first, a few more pics.

The basket was a hit and brought in $200 in the auction. Again, more than I ever would have personally written a check for! Here is the recipe for the drink.

               The Sex in the Woods

                   2oz   Spiced Rum (I use Bacardi Oakheart)
                   1oz   Peach Schnapps
                   2oz   Cranberry Juice
                   2oz   Orange/Pineapple Juice

                   Mix all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker
                   with ice, shake well and pour into a Collins Glass
                   filled with ice. Garnish with an orange stabbed
                   by a twig.

I went out on a limb and didn't test this recipe in my own bar before offering it up for auction. I was fairly certain it would taste ok at the the very least. I have since heard back from the folks who purchased the basket and the cocktail was a huge hit. Lesson learned? Don't be afraid to just take a shot in the dark every now and then. Course I 'm not sure I've ever been afraid to take a shot...unless it was made with Jägermeister (Ick)

Call Me...

...Maybe. It's been the hit song of the summer. I found myself trying to avoid it for simply that reason. Having seen the inspired creativity the song has led to, I can't resist it anymore. Now it even has a Glee version.

That really can't compare to this orchestral and choral version.

It just amazes me that a bippy little dance number can go this far and be this wonderful. So I am hooked. I have started a playlist in iTunes devoted entirely to Call Me Maybe creativity and when I'm at the club I just simply can't resist dancing to it.

The Last...

...Mojito of the Summer Season. Breaks my heart, and it should break yours as well.

In all it's Limey/Minty goodness

Now I'm not saying you can't make a Mojito after Labor Day, but to do so, just wouldn't be the same. This drink epitomizes summer for me and to drink it at any other time of year just seems unnatural.

You can check out my previous post for my amazing Mojito recipe. I hope you all had a wonderful summer!

Dinner Out: Thrive!

While in Atlanta, my coworkers and I went to my favorite downtown restaurant, Thrive! 

I have been here a few times in the past and it just continues to be wonderful every time. It's got an amazing contemporary interior and wonderful food. Here is my first Ginger Mojito, a concoction that I recommended to them 2 years ago and they have since placed on the menu.

A classic Mojito using their Ginger Beer instead of soda water...Yum!

Yeah, I had 6 of those...who could resist? Everyone knows how I feel about Sushi, but this restaurant has sushi items on the menu that are flash fried...they fry everything in the South. Because these are gently cooked I don't run into the usual texture problems I have with raw Sushi.

The Dragon Roll!

It consisted of spicy tuna and salmon, avocado and a spicy cream cheese. It is then flash fried for mere moments to perfection. I have got to find a place around here in Maryland that does this!

Cookography: Pots De Creme

I can't take credit for this recipe, although I did augment it just a touch. I found it on one of my favorite Blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I made it for my families "Father's Day/Nieces Birthday" dinner this past weekend. As I've mentioned in the past, my family doesn't celebrate any holiday on the day that it falls...Oy!

Anyway, this quick and easy dessert was just what we needed.

Perfection!

You just can't go wrong with chocolate and whipped topping. These little gems took all of 10 minutes to create and all of 2 seconds to eat. You start with eggs, chocolate chips, a dash of salt, and your desired flavoring (I used Amaretto) in a blender.

The Oster of my heart!

You mix this on low until it's well combined. Then you take a cup of strong, very hot coffee and you pour it through the lid while mixing on high. The hot coffee melts the chocolate and tempers the eggs until you have chocolate goodness you just want to pour on someone and lick it off (I digress)! You then pour it into whatever vessels you have handy. I had these little deposable shot glasses just sitting around.

An empty shot glass is no good to anyone!

I also wound up grabbing these small ramekins for the excess.

The rest I drank from the blender.

Then your refrigerate them until they are set and serve them with your favorite whipped topping. I used the Cool Whip seasonal flavor, French Vanilla.

My Mom's Boston Creme Pie in the background. Also Yummy!

These were a total hit with the family. Well, except for the family members who don't ever drink coffee. They found the coffee taste too much. Those who drink coffee didn't notice the coffee flavor at all. They focused on the chocolate...as did I. In the end these are great low sugar desserts that pack a powerful chocolate punch without being overly sweet.

Down the Primrose Path

I am a huge fan of blooming flowers, I just can't grow them. Thankfully I have The Hubby to grow them for me. These are Evening Blooming Primrose. Around 9pm every evening, you can stand at the plant and watch them bloom.

They smell good too!

It's like watching those time-lapse nature videos...only it's in real time. It's an amazing sight! Here is a video I filmed last evening.

Fishy

It's time to talk about food again. Since I've given up processed sugar and flour, I have been looking for  food items I can enjoy that are quick and easy to prepare. Recently, I ran into these.

Yum!

I'm not a huge fan of fish. I think this is partly due to the number of breaded fish sticks I was force fed as a child. To this day, I can't eat breaded fish! I do enjoy a good fillet from time to time.

These individually packaged Tilapia fillets come packaged in their own little parchment envelope. All you do is place them on s baking sheet and throw them in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They heat and steam in the parchment pack and the sauce permeates the entire filet.

I enjoy them alone as a snack, or pair them with a vegetable to make a meal of them. Tastey, tender, and flaky!

Summer is Here!

That means a lot of different things to many people. To me it means that the A/C units are in the windows, the tanning chaise is in the back yard, and it's almost time for the first Mojito of the season.

I took the week off from work and centered it right over the Memorial Day weekend. The Hubby and the pup headed up to see his family in State College, so here I am, a bachelor for the weekend. What to do? What to do? It's funny how when you have all the time in a day to do whatever you want, just how hard it is to choose what to do. Should I hit the "Chores List"? Run some Errands? Surf the web? Tan? Almost makes me yearn for the typical daily grind to structure my day...almost.

So I've got some errands to run today. Then I have Aslun's House Warming Party on Saturday. Sunday, my house is getting cleaned in time for the Retirement Party I'm hosting here next Friday. On Monday, I am hosting a small Memorial Day Cookout where the new smoker is going to get it's trial run. That should make for an interesting blog post. While I smoke on a daily basis, I've never taken a crack at the type used for smoking meats.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend everyone. Let me know what you've got planned in the comments below!

Not the Sistine Chapel, But...

Ceilings, most rooms have them. Most of the time they're painted white so they "disappear". Only they tend not to. Many years ago I had one floor of an apartment that had lower ceilings than the first floor. I went against convention and painted everyone of those low ceilings black. No one but me ever noticed the ceiling height difference until I pointed it out.

I am not advocating that everyone run out and to Lowe's and buy them out of black paint. I'm just saying, it works. Ever notice how a lot of public spaces (restaurants, galleries, etc) paint their open ceilings black. Black makes stuff disappear, white...not so much.

All that being said, I would never paint my ceilings today. Out in the sanctuary there are the most gorgeous wood ceilings.

The view Molly sees while lying on her back on her bed

I love the slight color variations in the wood. You really see them on a bright sunny day. I had to brighten this photo up a but cause it was cloudy today.

In the back room (bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, closet) there were not gorgeous wood ceilings. There was gross drop ceiling installed which I promptly ripped out. Once renovations were almost complete, it was time to decide what sort of ceiling to put back in. A friend of mine suggested ripping out the rafters and doing a cathedral ceiling. I didn't like that idea. With the ceilings so high (17ft) in the sanctuary, I wanted this room to be much more cozy. Not to mention that I then would have had 2 rooms that are a bitch to heat!

So, I put a drop ceiling back in. Before you cringe, and everyone I suggested it to did, I had a plan. My plan was to install the metal grid and buy copper fabric that would drape across the frame. I'd seen it down in a restaurant in Chicago, and I loved the effect. It is also prohibitively EXPENSIVE! Enough fabric to do the room was going to cost me $6000 YIKES!

I still went ahead and hung the grid. I also learned a very thrifty fact about drop ceiling grid. The white grid is very inexpensive because that is what everyone uses. I wanted black grid, which costs triple what the white does. Then I found out from my trusty Lowe's salesperson, that they make little plastic covers that you can snap onto the grid to make it black. Much less expensive.

So, the grid is hung, now what to put in it? Paper! I found a huge roll of copper paper online at a gift wrap website. $70 bucks! That is my kind of bargain. Not to mention the fact that it was exactly 2ft wide, and how wide is a drop ceiling grid? 2ft x 4ft! PERFECT! The paper wasn't going to do the draping I was expecting the fabric to do. I bought the least expensive drop ceiling tiles I could find and wrapped the paper end to end on those. Then Tod had the amazing idea not just to wrap the flat paper around the tile, but to crinkle it all up first, then spread it back out over the tile. Sheer genius!

What I see when I open my eyes every morning.

The crinkling of the paper created all of those wonderful facets. I could stare at it for hours. The crinkling also creates an upholstered effect since the center of the paper doesn't hug the tile underneath it. That, and I also had enough paper leftover to wrap presents with for 5 years! I still have a good portion of it left. In a few more years, when this paper eventually fades...I'll just spend another  70 bucks and get a brand new ceiling out of it.

Another idea for drop ceilings I used years ago in that apartment with the black ceilings. The bathrooms and kitchen there had horribly ugly drop ceilings. We trashed the panels and bought a carton of the panels that are used to cover lights in a drop ceiling. We put those in every slot of the drop ceiling. What an amazing effect. Turning on the lights in those smaller spaces was suddenly like turning on the sun. It really brightened up the space.

In the end, with a little creativity, drop ceilings aren't so bad. I never thought I'd catch myself laying on my bed staring at one for a half hour and enjoying it.

Pop!

Corn. Ok, so not one of my favorite snacks. However, I did find this great new brand while I was in Chicago. Gary Poppins Popcorn!

I am partial to their cheese flavor, but the carmel corn is also good if you like that sort of thing. The greatest part about their popcorn is that the kernels have a huge fluffy "head", is that what they call it? It is also in low on those horrible kernels that are prone to getting stuck in ones teeth.

Like I said, the cheese is my fave!

So, hop on over to their website and order some up. I've already placed my order since what I brought home from Chicago is already gone. Mmmmmmmmmm.