Galentine's Night at Whole Foods

Galentine's Day is a celebration invented by the quirky and lovable, Leslie Knope of NBC's comedy, Parks and Recreation.

What is Galentine's Day? I'll let Leslie explain:

Oh, it's only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It's like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus Frittatas. - Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation Season 2 Episode 16

Some Birds Are Jerks

American Robin

I really like birds. I was obsessed with birdwatching in junior high and high school and went on a lot of birding trips with my mom and our local Audubon Nature Center (the fabulous Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, where I have interned, worked and where Kenneth and I got married!). 

Birds are fascinating - they're also gorgeous and much more challenging to spot and identify in the field than trees or wildflowers, which I also really like (in case you haven't realized this already, blog reader, I am a big nerd, I love trees, birds and the fungus among us, also, corny nature puns).

Valentine's Mantle

Chin Up!

Prairie Oaks

Kenneth and I have been attending the Columbus Metro Parks Winter Hike Series for the past three years. Last year we attended seven hikes, which is the minimum required to get the coveted Barred Owl decorative patch. Unfortunately both of our schedules with work and school in January and February this year have been busy on the weekends and we have not been able to make it to more than one winter hike. 

Healthy Purple Smoothie + Recipe

I threw some spinach into a fruit smoothie for lunch today - it was surprisingly good! I'm not usually a fan of green smoothies, but I couldn't taste the spinach in this smoothie (though you can see specks of green in the photos!). The recipe below is approximate, I didn't measure anything.

Emma and the Aquabot

Yesterday we bought the cats a new toy - the HEXBUG Aquabot Fish. It's a robotic fish that swims in water. They were all fascinated after we put the little gold fish in a bowl of water, Emma especially. We let them play with the fish this afternoon and Emma tried really hard to catch it! It looked like she was bobbing for him, she got water all over her chin and up her nose!

Columbus Flea

Last weekend Kenneth and I checked out the Columbus Flea for the first time. The Columbus Flea is held once a season and is a combination of a flea market and arts and craft fair. Local vendors sell a wide variety of products, from soy candles to vintage clothes. This time the Columbus Flea was held at Strongwater Food and Spirits, a restaurant and event venue in East Franklinton. 

Skreened

Skreened is an awesome t-shirt printing company located right here in Columbus! Using Skreened's website, you can create your own unique custom t-shirt, tank, hooded sweatshirt or tote bag. Remember the owl drawing I was working on last year? I finally finished it and with help from Skreened, turned it into a Black Owl t-shirt!

Ajiri Tea

Trying out my Ajiri hand knit hat - it's warm and comfy!

I discovered Ajiri Tea last summer when stopping at Winans Fine Chocolates & Coffees in German Village for some coffee. I picked up a box of rooibos (ROY-bus), which is a delicious red, caffiene-free tisane (a tisane is an infusion of herbs, it's not tea because it doesn't come from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis). Rooibos is my favorite non-caffeinated beverage and I thought the boxes were beautiful. They are handcrafted in Kenya by women from dried bark and banana leaves. Ajiri, which means 'to employ' in Swahili, is a company in Kenya that provides employment for women and an education for orphaned children through the sale of their tea and coffee. 

Dinner from the North Market Cookbook

I received the North Market Cookbook as a birthday present from my parents last week. For dinner last night Kenneth and I made the Crispy Oven-Roasted Kale (from Chef Peter Chapman of The Pearl) to go with our poached eggs and toast (I love breakfast food for dinner!).

Little Emma

I was going to post a non-cat related photo of the day today, but then I took this photo of Emma and I had to share it. Emma insisted.

Maybe I'll have a non-cat related photo tomorrow...

Playing Laser Tag with Cats

Author's Note: The video monitoring camera company, Dropcam, asked me to share a story about our cats as part of their current blog challenge. They're looking for bloggers to share funny, cute or sweet stories about their pets. You can learn more about Dropcam on their website, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. I am not getting paid to write this post, nor do I own a Dropcam camera, though it would be interesting to know what our cats get up to when we're not home!

There are many toys our cats love to play with. Catnip mice and other animals (they have eight mice, two socktopuses, two snakes and three fish), string, straws, foil balls, baby tennis balls, a kong for cats and a SlimCat ball. We've even played with bubbles! 

Jackfruit!

I tried fresh jackfruit for the first time today! Jackfruit is the world's largest fruit that grows on a tree - and it kind of looks like a gigantic hedgehog. Our local Market District Kingsdale had fresh jackfruit in the store over the weekend so I grabbed a small cut piece to try at home. 

A Quarter of a Century + 1

Today is my 26th birthday. I celebrated by taking the day off work and relaxing at home with our cats! I also enjoyed a few of the gluten-free cupcakes my mom made for me - they're delicious!

Peek-A-Boo with Emma

Emma is really hard to photograph. If the lighting isn't just right, her facial features don't stand out - but the main reason she's hard to capture on camera is that she doesn't stay still. I took about fifty photos of Emma this morning and quite a few turned out!

Create: An Etsy Craft Night w/Red Giraffe Designs at Whole Foods

Whole Foods in Upper Arlington is helping their shoppers get crafty! Earlier this week I took my first Etsy Craft Night. Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, Whole Foods invites a local Etsy artist to lead an arts and craft class in the cafe of the store. This week's Etsy artist was Kate Stevens, owner of Red Giraffe Designs. Kate showed us how to dress up a clay pot with masking tape, stamps and acrylic paint. 

Moe's Southwest Grill - Upper Arlington

Moe's Southwest Grill in Upper Arlington has delicious tacos, burritos, chips and salsa, plus options for vegetarian and gluten-free diners! Kenneth and I visited the Upper Arlington location a few weeks ago. Before we got to the restaurant, I was able to check out their Allergen Chart and Vegetarian, Gluten-Free and Low-Cal Options online. The gluten-free options at Moe's are rice bowls, which are basically burritos without the flour tortilla!

Happy February!

An e-Valentine for all of my readers! 

Macarons

These beauties (a caramel and a lemon macaron) were bought at Whole Foods. French macarons are naturally gluten-free and amazing! I can't believe I've gotten through 25 years of life on this planet before trying my first macaron. What other delicious desserts are out there that I haven't tasted yet?