Superstitious in the South

While the photo may not be of the best quality, the underlying message, in my mind, is nothing but quality.



Please do correct me if I am wrong, but is omitting the 13th floor because of superstition just a southern thing? I do not believe I have ever noticed this missing floor here in the Midwest. Apparently this is a very common act in the south. The #13 is the same as a black cat crossing your path, walking under a ladder, or breaking a mirror.

I find it quite humorous. After all, if you are on the 14th floor, in retrospect you are really on the 13th floor. What difference does it make? It is just a number. I am not convinced the omission of a floor would give the worrisome any peace of mind. It must.

While I may not believe in superstition, I am careful not to jinx things. For example, if I am flying Northwest, I refuse to refer to them as "northworst" until after I have landed safely (and on time!) at my destination. The times when I have not done this the flights have been delayed, postponed or unreasonable uncomfortable. Anyway, that's just me.

I'd be curious what little "cautions" others swear by. Thoughts? Stories? This photo definitely sparked an interesting conversation for us.

Project Update: bits & birds

The spring breeze has brought us dozens of project ideas and new directions. We assure you that the promised tutorial will be coming shortly.

In a recent raid of the Anthropologie sale bids we came across these cute door knobs. I immediately thought of Spain and all the beautiful azulejos. It's my goal (with the help of pm & his power tools) to use these knobs for a decorative shelf/towel hanger. I've got the perfect vision of what I want in my head. Now I'll just need to find the right match of wood and trim. My eyes will be peeled for another bargain. Design on a dollar, here I come. (I'd say dime, but goodness knows the deals are never that good at Anthropologie, even in the sale bin.)

Why the birds? We were recently inspired by these origami birds at a coffee shop, and wanted to try our hand at making them. We've got a great entryway leading to our living area where I plan to use these little guys. We've got lots of folding and cutting to do until then. Again, we'll keep you posted on our progress.

So yes, it was a productive weekend. Oh, and we brewed (yes, again!). This time we tried our hand at a white tea steam beer. It's fermenting away as we speak. The brew master, pm, will be posting more on that here soon. (It may just include the secret recipe, so stayed tuned!).

FestiFools - Crazy fun!

We are deeply saddened we will not be able to participate in Ann Arbor's FestiFools event this weekend. This gem of an event involving over-sized paper mache puppets, was one of our #1 favorite townie traditions.

Not only is an extremely creative way to celebrate April Fool's Day and foolishness in general, but it's a great family-friendly event. You walk up and down Main Street and see adults, teenagers, tweens, and children all smiling, laughing and enjoying.

We will for sure be checking out the event's snapshots on the Flickr Group and bookmarking Myra Klarman's wonderful blog (and photography!).

While we can't be there in spirit, we are happy to be offering a portion of the proceeds for our FestiFools photo magnets (as seen above - click here for larger image - and on our Etsy shop) to FestiFools, an Ann Arbor non-profit organization. Please feel free to mix & match.

Don't miss this event. Sunday, April 11. 4p.m. sharp. Downtown Ann Arbor on Main St.

Smile! You're outside.

Love it. Love it. Love it!

I've got to say, I am a sucker for sidewalk art. (As noted here in a previous post.) It's a shame that I wasn't wearing my Merrells; this photo would have been 100% complete then. *sigh

I feel like this saying really does capture the great outdoors in way we never vocalize. "Smile! You're outside." Exactly. After being shut indoors for a long, cold winter it sure is easy to step outside (preferably in the sunshine) and smile.

Being outside and doing things outdoors certainly does make me happy. I love to hike, camp, swim, walk, and explore. In fact, I like to plan out (or in many cases just think about) all the fun warm weather trips we'll make in the spring/summer/fall. Last year I really wanted to camp at Sleep Bear Dunes in Michigan. This year, it's my goal to make it happen. It's funny that we actually live closer to the park now, even though we're out of state. I've got quite the laundry list of places I'd like to go in the warm months this year too. Now if only it was easier to have access to more vacation days. :P

Not being a native of Nashville, Tennessee (where this photo was taken), I wonder if this message wouldn't have been more appropriate for a more northern climate. I could imagine the folks from the east coast would appreciate seeing this message after this past brutal winter. Oh, but wait -- for 4-5 months of the year I guess it would be covered in snow, slush and ice. Regardless, I hope this message makes its way to many sidewalks around the country.

Time for me to step outdoors and get a breath of fresh air. Smile and all.

Back flips, blues & beer on Beale St.

This photo say it all. And, in case you missed the title of this post, so does that.

You want to get a glimpse of what happens on Beale St. in Memphis - here it is. While we may not have had the weather on our side this day, but there certainly were plenty of people walking up and down this street. We planned our visit to Memphis on the same weekend as the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship, so, yes there were crowds. Most of our time in Memphis consisted of crowds. We couldn't see the Peabody Marching Ducks because of the crowds, and we had to wait more than an hour for ribs at Charles Vergos' Rendezvous. All in all, all the waiting was well worth it. In fact, we are still recovering from BBQ overload.

But anyway, back to the picture. I was intrigued with all the old ads painted on the buildings. (You'll see more posted to our Flickr stream in the weeks to come, no worries.) Beale St. seems to have a sensory overload of ads, whether they are painted on the building facades or right at your fingertips in the form of beer vendors. It is impossible to walk more than 10 feet without encountering a "Big Ass Beer" cart on this street. No better place than here for a street crew to come in and do back flips for change. (By change I mean $$.) Entertainment at its best - performers, beer, and charm.

Memphis was an interested city. A city that seems to be undergoing a lot of change, or at least somewhat in need of it. Don't know where else you can go for back flips, blues or beer? It's gotta be here!

Getting into Gear Guacamole

Time to get back in gear! We just returned from a southern adventure to the barbecue belt (TN, KY, MO). We will give more of an update on that soon - complete with photos, recommendations, & stories.

Avocados were on sale the other day. That can only mean one thing -- guacamole. Yum, yum! The perfect treat for the celebration of spring and the season of outdoor picnics. We made it through the winter folks!

Here's the recipe (thanks to the Joy of Cooking, Pg. 72 in my edition). I have adapted it slightly.

Mix and mash.

4 medium avocados

1/4 c lime juice

1/2 sweet onion (of the purple variety. :))

2 cloves garlic

splash of hot sauce

1-2 ripe tomatos

black beans

salt to taste

project teaser.

Easter eggs are everywhere. So are bunnies, baskets, jelly beans, and cadburg eggs. Don't forget all the tacky decorations lining the aisles of the supermarket and visible in all too many window displays.

Our decorations are going to be bigger, badder, and better. Well, maybe not bigger - I have seen a few too many over-sized stuffed bunnies. And, surely not badder; unless of course, that by badder you mean wicked. :)

Stay tuned for our very first tutorial coming soon. (We hope that our second round works out! :P)