Category Archives: vs. weekend

Sarah vs. the Weekend, in pictures

Posted by sarah3030 in Christmas, vs. weekend, work

I am too tired to write a true to the “vs. Weekend” post.  So I’ll give you the cliff notes version.  With photos.

Important to know while Saturday and Sunday are “the weekend” I volunteered and worked all weekend.  During the morning/early afternoon each day I volunteered at a big trade show the St. Louis Convention & Visitor’s Commission hosts called Holiday Magic.  It’s essentially a giant indoor carnival with lots of kids crafts/activities/rides/Santa and a shopping area that seems to be populated with lots of things you can find on an infomercial.  Local attractions have a booth and local chefs are on the culinary stage and it’s a way to get people downtown.  Since I love the CVC, I try to volunteer for large events they have.

Me in my cute volunteer apron uniform!

I look at that picture and feel I was having a weird face day.  Do you ever think you’re having a weird face day?  Anyway…  When I signed up to volunteer they asked me if I had any preferences – a job you can sit, with a lot of people, without a lot of people, etc…  I asked for as few kids as possible.  Wish granted I was put in the “Alpine Village” hosted by a local brewery and where higher end food was for sale as well as the beer tasting and bar set up.  I just answered questions about what was inside, when the beer sampling would begin, what was on the entertainment stage, etc.  Life was good.  I was told I’d be in the same spot Sunday.  Excellent.

Saturday night I went to work at my cooking class assistant job.  Saturday night’s class was not so much about cooking, but about gingerbread house making. Around this time of year, the Kitchen Conservatory hosts several gingerbread making workshops.  I should say gingerbread house construction workshops.  All the gingerbread baking and cutting out has already been done.  The workshop lets people do the fun part, the decorating!  We make loads of royal icing (with peppermint extract in it so it smells like the holidays!) and have so many candies, cereals, pretzels, gums and more ready for decorating.  And then the total mess making decorating begins.  Saturday’s group in particular was 18 sixteen year old girls who have been doing this since they were about 8.  They were honestly just fine teenagers, but as someone who does not have a lot of exposure to children, ever, it was a tad trying for me.

Decorations galore! M&M's, licorice, gum, neccos, sno caps, marshmallows, gumdrops and more!

One of our sample houses

More sample house fun - frosted mini wheats are great because they are already snow covered!

After a crazy long day, including the clean up of the gigantic mess that 18 girls making gingerbread houses makes, I came home to a hot shower and warm bed.  Sunday morning I was hoping to sleep in some, but was up around 6:30am, and finally really got moving around 8am.  I ran downstairs to get coffee and the paper, made a cheese plate for breakfast (warm bread, delicious drunken goat cheese and fig jam – it can be breakfast) and climbed back into bed to read said paper and eat said cheese.  It was a really relaxing couple of hours.  I reported back to the CVC at 11:30am and found out my post had been reassigned by accident.  And would I please work the football zone.  Kids get to line up and throw footballs at large inflatable with targets cut into them.  Kids.  Sports.  Oh hell.

Lined up and ready for action

Best part of day - Tweety caught a rogue football and posed for a picture with me

I left the convention center to go straight back to Kitchen Conservatory for another teen group.  This time, 10 seventeen year olds were in for a hands on cooking class for a birthday party.  Granted, this is a way cooler birthday party than I ever had as a kid, and I gotta respect the teenage girl who thinks a cooking party is cool.  However, I was not super excited to back up a 2nd teen group in two days.  Also, the menu this young lady picked out to make with her friends consisted of fried ravioli (it’s a St. Louis thing – called toasted ravioli here – essentially breaded and fried ravioli), tempura vegetables, roasted vegetables, teriyaki chicken and tempura shrimp.  That’s a lot of fried stuff.  This group was super fun and very sweet and it was really interesting to hear their conversation and what goes on in their world.

The good news is that I had Friday off and got up some Christmas decorations!

My mantle and faux fireplace

Quinn & Oliver have stockings!

The village is starting to come together

And there you have it.  There is my last three days recap.  I’m exhausted.  I’m also happy I volunteered.  I’m happy I think about someone else sometimes.  I’m happy I work in a fun kitchen store/cooking class place sometimes.

I’m also happy that tomorrow morning I go in to officially sign all of my new job paperwork!

Good night!

 

Sarah vs. the Weekend – the series

Posted by sarah3030 in vs. weekend
Me vs The Weekend
Woohoo!  Now it’s a thing!  With a button!  That makes it an official thing!  Join the party…tell us about your weekend “vs” style.

I received a short notice invitation to attend a workshop in Jefferson City on Saturday afternoon.  This meant I would have had to leave Friday night, stay with a friend who I met my junior year of high school at Girls’ State and have continued to stay in touch with, and then drive back Saturday early afternoon.  I was fairly determined I was going to go when at the last minute I decided it wasn’t the most feasible plan.  Sarah vs. being spontaneous…winner: being predictable.  Ironic since the workshop was a “follow your passions” workshop.  Perhaps talking myself out of spontaneity is my passion.  
 
So instead…I had a big girly night.  Went to get a pedicure.  Got home and watched the Stand Up To Cancer benefit.  Participated in the stereotypical face mask (you know the classic scene from movies when girls are wearing thick white mud packs on their faces, hair in a towel, bathrobe on…that was me).  Candles lit, my dorky music on, completely immersed in girls night in for one.  Sarah vs. being social…winner: being a hermit on a Friday night.  Sometimes you just need it.
 
Saturday, I busted a cleaning move.  I talk about being messy pretty often.  It’s because it’s true.  I just don’t care that I’ve been walking over the giant box the china cabinet came in for two weeks.  Quinn has been playing on it, in it, with it…I’m just helping her out, right?  Not anymore.  I took loads of things to the dumpster.  I vacuumed so much the vacuum broke!  I finished the great closet purge.  I pulled all the clothes out of my dresser to re-fold and re-organize.  (My shirts go into several categories: tanks, fancy tanks, short sleeve dress, t-shirt, nice long sleeve, junk long sleeve, sweater.  I’m like Monica from Friends and towel categories.  And if you get that reference – we’re best friends!)  THEN I rearranged my bedroom furniture.  Sarah vs. being a cleaning machine…winner: the bedroom.  Organized clothes and a fresh look in the room are a good way to start autumn.
 
I was planning a surprise date for Adam Science and I Saturday night, nothing fancy, I just wasn’t telling him where I was taking him for dinner.  Since I was on a blogging break when I started dating Adam Science, here’s the adorable (and long winded since I’m incapable of “long story short”…settle in friends)  story of our first date, which is important in understanding surprise date night.  Adam and I were a blind date.  We had emailed back and forth several times, spoken on the phone once and, as he was a teacher and had lots of time on his hands due to summer break, I told him to pick a restaurant, any restaurant.  He said he would do the “research” (his word – not mine) and provide me with some options.  He emailed me back four restaurants.  Three of which I had been too.  I told him I had indeed been to three of them, however they are all delicious, so please pick the one you want to try the most.  He picks a restaurant called The Fountain.  Excellent choice.  We pick a date and time and I tell him I’ll meet him there the following Monday.  I am (not surprisingly) running late that fateful first date day and on top of that get stuck by a train stalled on the tracks near the casino.  I text him to apologize for being late, but assure him I’m on my way.  “No problem,” he says, “see you inside.”  Then 30 seconds later another text, “They’re closed on Mondays.”  
This is funny to me.  Funny since he had spoken of his research methods.  Funny because the website clearly says closed on Mondays.  I’m flexible and I’ve certainly made bigger mistakes than this before and this is no big deal, so I tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes and we’ll regroup.  I pull up to this closed restaurant and this is the first time I meet him.  We decide on another place close by (there are 40 restaurants within a half mile radius from where we are) and the rest of the evening is fun and interesting. 
Whew, moral of that story was, Saturday night I took Adam Science back to the restaurant that was supposed to be our first date location, The Fountain.  It’s super vegetarian friendly, has the most amazing Zanzibar chocolate ice cream and is a funky atmosphere.  Sarah vs. surprise date night…winner: a little walk down memory lane.  I like nostalgia.  I like, “what were you thinking then…” conversations.  I like this boy.  
Next up, Sunday, and my turn to make Adam Science breakfast.  I decided to make Ebelskivers, a puffy filled pancake.  I saw the pan in a Williams Sonoma catalog and had the picture cut out and taped to the fridge forever until I finally received the pan as a gift several years ago.  They’re so cute.  I sauteed some diced peaches with butter, sugar and cinnamon and used that as a filling in most of them.  I put a few chocolate chips in some.  Sarah vs. Denmark’s beloved breakfast food…winner: Switzerland.  Meaning, it was a neutral win.  I burned the first round, Adam wasn’t thrilled with the filling, but they’re fun to eat and cute to look at.  Room for improvement.
Sunday afternoon was the Schlafly Art Outside art fair, which is full of local artists.  I love to browse art fairs.  I love to buy art that strikes me.  It’s like wine.  I don’t always know what’s “good”.  I do always know what I like.  I would rather have something strike me, be caught by a color or style, drawn to a piece that I can see fitting into my home and that embraces my style.  I have found “my” style in the last year as I’ve grown comfortable in this apartment.  I don’t know trendy or stylish, I know me.  I can express me.  I found a couple of drawings from one artist that express me.  Once they are hung on the wall, I’ll snap a picture of them and share the artists’ info with you.  Sarah vs. art…winner: Sarah.  For finding art.
The real reason you can’t see the artwork I purchased on Sunday is because I can’t find my photo card.  I had it to take the pictures.  I took it out to pop into the usb attachment to download them to my laptop.  It’s not in the usb thing, not in the camera…you’d think those would be the only two places for a camera memory card.  Please see number three above.  Sarah vs. being a mess…winner: the mess

Sarah vs. the Weekend, Vol II

Posted by sarah3030 in vs. weekend

I did a post like this back in May and had some fun with it.  This seemed like the perfect weekend to revisit the format.

  • Friday afternoon went to look at a house.  It was a GREAT house.  It’s in a “transitional” neighborhood.  It’s a GREAT price.  The house next door is “boarded up.”  Sarah vs. house hunting…winner: timing.  Happy in my apartment a while longer.  The good houses will still be there when I’m really ready.
  • Friday night was a low key dinner with Adam Science.  He is a master of delicious food made from simple ingredients.  I was a tad stressed out due to the house-hunting situation and sure I made for less than amazing company.  Sarah vs. handling stress…winner: stress.  Took some Lunesta and knocked myself out for the night so I didn’t lay awake for hours.
  • Saturday morning I shook off the funk as best I could and tackled the assembly of the china cabinet that arrived at my house earlier that week.  I ordered one from Crate and Barrel and had been looking at the pieces spread all over my dining room since Tuesday.  Sarah vs. construction projects…winner: Sarah the Handy!
  • Saturday night I brought Adam Science to meet my sister, Emilie.  Emilie, my picky eater sister, loves this one Indian restaurant, which comes as a surprise to the rest of her family.  We met there and had a very nice time.  Emilie said he “seems nice.”  Sarah vs. boyfriend meeting more family…winner: Adam Science.  He and Emilie got along nicely and Emilie’s declaration that he is nice and cute is high praise.
  • After dinner we went back to my apartment and walked up to the gelato place a few blocks away. Oh, yummy gelato.  I had some chocolate and some hazelnut.  Sarah vs. dessert…winner: Italian ice cream – every time.
  • Sunday was a bonus weekend day since this was a three day weekend.  The day started with Adam Science making waffles.  We’re talking made from scratch with beaten egg whites waffles.  He’s such a catch.  :)   Sarah vs. breakfast…winner: Sarah. For catching the boy who makes her made from scratch waffles.
  • We were then on a mission to buy a saucepan and to spend a coupon for some free spices at Penzey’s.  (Plus, I had to pay up on a bet I had lost an hour before regarding the name of a street.  The street changes names!  I have to say that betting with spices is really something only some serious food nerds would do.)  I had heard of Penzey’s Spices, but had yet to venture into the store, lest I come out bankrupt.   It is a treasure trove of delicious smells and interesting blends.  I came out with two new chili seasonings.  Sarah vs. Penzeys…winner: The Chili Cook Off coming up on 10.10.10!
  • Walking away from Penzey’s we stumbled upon a store called Vom Fass that was advertising vinegars and oils in the window.  Of course, we went in.  There were samples of citrus vinegars and pomegranate ones, truffle oils and balsamics, scotches and whiskeys.  This is a very good store.  Sarah vs. Cherry Whiskey…winner: Cherry Whiskey.  I could sip on that on a fall evening with no problem.  
  •  Dinner that night was grilled pizzas.  I wish I had my camera for those.  Adam Science makes the best pizza dough and it’s perfect for pizzas on the grill.  We picked up mushrooms and sauteed them with garlic and put them on the pizza with mozzarella and fontina and served it alongside a salad dressed with a pomegranate vinegar dressing he made from our purchases that afternoon.  Sarah vs. pizza…winner: Pizza!   
  • Monday – the bonus weekend day.  I had rare motivation to go clean out my  junk room.  Oddly enough, the last time I did a “Sarah vs. the weekend” post I had worked in that room some.  I had not worked in there since.  Once again, sad.  Sad I have a junk “room”, sad I still had one after a  year in this apartment, sad I have so much junk.  Sad no more.  I rocked it.  The room “not fit for man nor beast” is now open and clean!  Sarah vs. the junk room…winner: Sarah the Tidy!
  • Due to cleaning up the junk room, I found the photo hooks I had specially ordered to complete the photo montage in the dining room.  Woohoo!  I got this idea from Little Brown Pen who takes the MOST beautiful photos of Paris.  She was selling a perpetual calendar made from those photos and also just the brackets to make your own collage.  Once I saw Smitten Kitchen’s photos of food I knew I had found my project inspiration.  I have this beautiful mural of simple and beautiful food photos covering the wall now.  Sarah vs. art projects….winner: a nearly complete dining room!  I think I need to add a decorative ledge or shelf above it to complete the look.  It’s kind of just floating there right now.  I love the photos.