Picture of the Day: Tulip Bulbs for Sale in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
08.10.2004 

Pie for Pi Day

Being an engineer, I am a math nerd so on Pi Day I usually make a pie to celebrate. Also, I like any excuse possible to make and eat pie. For non-math nerds, March 14 is Pi Day because the first few significant digits of the mathematical constant pi are 3.14. Pretty cute, huh?

This year I am pretty busy with work before I leave for Italy tomorrow night so I sadly don't have time to make a pie but I thought I would share my pie from last year. I made a mixed berry pie with a double crust and had a lot of fun decorating the top crust.

Using a knife I cut out the symbol for pi, π, in the center of my crust and placed it on my pie. I then used mini fondant number cutters to make a border with the value of pi out to 36 significant digits (=3.14159265358979323846264338327950288). "Why 36 and not 35 or 37?" you may ask. Well, 36 digits is what fit on the pie. After cutting out the numbers I attached them to the crust with a little egg yolk brushed on the back. I finished the edge by trimming it, folding it under and then pinching it with my fingers to make it look pretty. Tasty + nerdy = awesome! 

By the way, if anyone has any ideas for a fun baked good I can make to celebrate Mole Day on October 23, I am open to suggestions. Pi Day is easy, but Mole Day has me stumped...

Picture of the Day: Winter Garden at Château de Villandry

Château de Villandry
Loire Valley, France
11.26.2003 

Bunting Happy Birthday Card

I made this card for a dear family friend whose birthday is this month. Of course, me being me, I am behind on everything and I sent out her present a week late, but I hope she will forgive me. Since spring is in the air I wanted to make something bright and cheery so I thought a simple card decorated with bunting would be fun.

For the base of the card I used white cardstock with a faded lined paper design on it. To make the bunting I made a little template out of chipboard and then cut out the flags from some brightly colored origami paper I bought at a hyaku-en shop (Japanese version of a dollar store). I folded the tabs on the flags over some black and white string and taped them to secure them. Once I had all the flags attached to the string, I mounted them on the card with foam tape to give the flags a little dimension. I coated the back of the remaining string with craft glue, arranged the string in loops and then trimmed the excess off once the glue had dried. To finish off the card I wrote "Happy Birthday" on the flags.

Happy Birthday, Georgene! You are such a special part of my life and I am so lucky that you adopted me as part of your family.

Picture of the Day: Church in Santa Cruz La Laguna

Santa Cruz La Laguna
07.05.2010

Stairway: Then and Now

When I bought my house in September 2007, the stairway up to the second floor was a hideous mess. The stairs were covered with worn out, filthy green carpeting and the wood paneling surrounding it made everything feel claustrophobic. The fact that a small wall mounted hurricane style light was the only illumination didn't help anything either. Not only did it look bad, but it was also not up to code with no hand rail and a head clearance issue.

After moving in, the whole stairway was gutted. The wood paneling was saved and cut down for trim in the back bedrooms, but everything else ended up in the dumpster. There were wood treads under the carpet, but they had been notched when the wood paneling was installed so they needed to be replaced. The plaster behind wood paneling was crumbling so that was torn out and new drywall was installed. For fun I picked a tomato red color for the walls. Drywall also replaced the ceiling tiles and crown molding gave it another special touch. 

Instead of the closed in look that the old walls of paneling made, using balusters along the stairs made everything more open and airy. Adding a handrail and angling the ceiling brought everything up to code. I found a pretty light fixture for a steal at the Pottery Barn Outlet and installed it over the stairs to brighten things up. 

The top of the stairs has a great little space for some decorating. Currently, I have an easel that I bought at Ikea holding a black and white picture that I took of a woman preparing fish in Chuuk, Micronesia. I was on a set of stairs looking over the woman when I took the photo so I thought it subtly tied in. To the right of the picture I have three sets of vintage fishing buoys that I picked up at a flea market in Florida. I love their bright colors and how they have worn with age. A small wooden stool that I bought at a flea market in Japan and a chocolate and cream houndstooth check rug from Pier 1 finish off the top of my stairs.

I love how cheerful and bright my stairway is and the difference between now and when I bought my home is like night and day.

Picture of the Day: East Pagoda of Yakushi-ji

Yakushi-ji (薬師寺)
Nara, Japan
08.15.2010 

Reason I ♥ A2 # 24: Ron's Roadside Barbecue

Having gone to undergrad in North Carolina I really love good pulled pork. After moving upon graduation it's something that I definitely crave partly because it is delicious and partly because it reminds me of my college years. Sadly, outside of the South I haven't had much luck in finding good pulled pork.

Yesterday that all changed when Frank and I decided to try Ron's Roadside Barbecue. It's in Ann Arbor Township outside of town in the middle of nowhere. A small place, mainly geared toward catering and take-out, Ron's did have a single table inside so we thought we would eat in.

Of course I chose to get a pulled pork sandwich. It was amazing with tender pork and delicious sauce on a brioche bun. I can honestly say it was the best I have had outside of the South. Frank decided to get the Memphis Throwdown, a combo with pulled pork, smoked brisket, ribs and chicken. It was absolutely huge and I think he only ate half of it. All of the meat was tender and juicy he thoroughly enjoyed it. For sides we got the amazingly creamy mac and cheese and delicious German potato salad.

In addition to the fabulous food, everyone who worked there was wonderfully friendly. The owner even popped out from the back to see if we were enjoying the food and stopped to chat with us for a while. Needless to say we will be back and I happy to have found some place local to satisfy my pulled pork cravings. 

If you are intereseted, check out the other reasons that I love where I live: I ♥ A2 Blog Posts

Picture of the Day: Lamp Post Detail in Bratislava

Bratislava, Slovakia
05.30.2006 

Picture of the Day: El Castillo at Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá, Mexico
10.09.2005