Road Tripping!

Thelma and Louise (actually, Suzanne and Joanna) hit the road...

After 738 miles and over twelve hours of driving, I have finally made it home! My mom was sweet enough to fly out to Detroit from Chicago so that she could make the trip with me. All in all, it was pretty uneventful, although it started out as a real pain in the ass. My mother ordered our TripTix through AAA, but when I started flipping through the book on Thursday night, I realized we had a problem.

Me: "Um, Mom, where are the directions?"

Mom: "What?"

The woman at AAA printed out our book without the turn by turn directions, which is the only thing we wanted in the first place. Normally this is no big deal, as you can print them yourself at home using the AAA website. Only my Comcast guy had just left the house 15 minutes earlier, after disconnecting my internet and cable. Sweet. So we hopped in the car and drove to the library, where the internet was down. Actually the whole network was down, so none of the other ibraries had internet access either. Luckily, a nice old woman sent us to West Bloomfield, where they had access, so we got our directions without further issues, even if it took us over an hour. Back at home, I checked our maps, and noticed how close we would be going by Niagra Falls.

Me: "Too bad we won't have time to stop at Niagra Falls. We're going right
through there."

Mom: "Niagra Falls? Are we going that far north? Are we going into Canada?
Because I don't have my passport."

Me: "Shit."

Now, you can get into Canada without a passport, but you can't get back into the USA without it, or at least a birth certificate and driver's license. This fact made our directions useless, cause there was no way I was leaving my mother stranded north of the border. So we packed the car, I sent my mom to bed, and I went out drinking.
Sidenote: Thanks to those of you who came out to 5th Avenue for my Bon Voyage Party. I'll miss you guys! And the Killer Flamingos ROCK!

In the morning, after 5 hours of sleep, we had to go to another AAA for new TripTix. The lovely woman behind the desk rerouted us, so we got on the road by 10, and had arrived at the hotel in Syracuse by 7. Up at 8 and back in Connecticut by 2:30. Not much excitement there! We sang along with Stevie Nicks, ate cheeseburgers, and that was about it. No shooting dirtbags, no picking up cowboys, no driving off of cliffs. Pretty pathetic by Hollywood standards, but this is my mom we're talkng about.

Pantry Raid!

<--"Say No to Cracks!"

Why is it that every time I plan on going to the pool, it starts raining? I have the whole day off, and it has been gray and wet since I woke up this morning. I decided to try and be really productive, unlike my last day off.

First goal: Cook everything in the pantry and fridge before I move out in two weeks, without buying more stuff. Not as easy as it sounds. But I'm getting there! First I made a huge frittata, taking a chunk out of the produce in my fridge. Then I baked a batch of Big Bear Brownies. Usually, I bake everything from scratch, but never brownies. They never come out as gooey as the boxed kind for some reason! My mom got me hooked on Kodiak mixes back in March, when she bought a case of it and handed it out at her birthday party. The pancake mix is killer, and the brownie mix is so good you would never know it's whole wheat. Finally I emptied a whole shelf of the freezer and made Shrimp and Green Pea "Risotto". It was delicious, and I love not feeling guilty about eating carbs! Carbs are yummy, and I love them. Now I'm stuffed.

Second goal: Start packing. This one is definitely hard. Which is a bit nuts, since all I really brought out here is clothing and craft stuff. However, to pack it all now means I need to plan out my outfits for the next two weeks and not make anything at all until I get back to Rhode Island. I decided neither thing is possible. So I spent my packing time organizing. I sorted through all of my supplies, set aside anything I think I may not use soon, and made special folders and labels for the rest. If you know what a pack rat I am, you know how hard it is for me to acknowledge that I may not need that stack of old take out menus, the bottle caps from Germany, or a bunch of Chinese fortunes. But I am letting them go. Deep breath. If the garbage man could see inside my trash, he'd think I am nuts.

Starting tomorrow I am working three double shifts in a row, so everything else is just going to have to wait...

Craftsters Rock the DUCF

or What to do in Detroit, Part 3

All the craftster buzz had me psyched to check out the Detroit Urban Craft Fair today, and see in person the work of two of my favorite Michigan craftsters. After much ado, I ventured out, cash and camera in hand, to the Majestic Theater for an afternoon of oohing and aahing over all kinds of goodies. As expected, I wanted to buy tons of stuff, but luckily I had a sidekick, who helped me keep my budget in mind and my spending in check. There was a lot I craved but couldn't justify buying, like a $135 dollar diaper bag, cause you know, I don't have a baby. Or a clear vinyl Patti Smyth skirt, which rocks, but just won't go with the rest of my closet. I left without going broke, but with some fun treats and lots of business cards for shopping later!

First thing on the agenda was a brief visit with Miranda who makes such lovely crocheted hats, that I want to cast aside my "Just Say No to Hats" rule. If only I had normal person hair, I'd buy one of her little brim caps in every color! They are so cute, as is she, as you can tell from the photo!

I also love everything Miss Amie Miller makes for her shop enamor. Her booth was so well done, everything looked beautiful. The hostess aprons and totes are awesome! Alas, someone beat me to the punch and bought the whale tote I was after! It's my own fault for being late, but I'm still going to grumble.

Anyway, here is what I actually did buy. These kick ass postcards from Rar Rar Press make me laugh out loud. You know some of you can expect to see them in packages on your doorstep soon, the rest will go to Eric in Germany! I also bought a pair of amazing bark earrings by Heather Fagan of BirdsGather. My friend bought one of her cuffs and earring sets, too. They are so unique, and light as a feather. As for the laters, I will definitely be hitting up Lollibomb Beauty, formerly Lushbox, for some of her Sugar Plum Body Frosting as soon as her holiday line is released. I got a taste today, and I had to force myself not to eat it. Oh, and by the way, all of her products are vegan. For when that baby finally does come, I will be all over Rebecca Yaker's bags over at Hazel and Melvin's Room. The fabric and quality is fantastic, and worth every penny. Now I just need to have a husband who stays put long enough to knock me up. :P

Lonely Wifey's Day Off

Yum.

Yesterday was my day off. Usually, I love days off, but with a hubby across the ocean and all 3 of my MI friends at work, it makes for a lonely JoJo. I decided I would be productive, so as not to be sad. I worked out, I did laundry and cleaned the condo, I cooked a pound of bacon. I ate three quarters of the pound of bacon. To make myself feel not so gross about that, I then made the World's Best B.L.T., hoping that the lettuce and tomato would cancel out the fatty fat bacon rumbling around in my tummy. Next I made a batch of my favorite muffins and gave them there own little photo shoot. Mmmm... Then I took a nap. Luckily Kay called around 4:30 to prevent me from sleeping the rest of the day away. We went out to see her new boy's softball team play their last game at Liberty Park. Definitely the coolest park I've ever seen. You Beer League boys back home would be so jealous! However, while walking through the diamonds, Kay got hit in the leg with a flying baseball bat and ended up with a lovely welt. It could have equaled a good souvenir, had the guys won the game. Sadly the rest of the team didn't show up, so they didn't get to play at all. We just ended up having many beers and quesadillas, so all was well in my book. I have Sunday off too, so I need to make sure I have plans, and rid the house of all pork products in advance.

Now I'm rounding up the troops and getting excited for Saturday's Detroit Urban Craft Fair. Two of the craftster ladies will have booths there, so I can't wait to spend some money on them! They also have a few "Make and Take" workshops planned, so you can sit down and do a little project in the midst of your shopping. If you haven't got plans, come on down and hang out with us, bring the kids, have a few drinks, and support local indie artists! Yay!