tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9376920914024285672024-03-13T09:54:42.984-07:00The Orange Coffee CupAlvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-87922756115794924312015-03-14T23:27:00.001-07:002015-03-14T23:27:39.549-07:00Strawberry Muffins<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently bought some strawberries with no plans for them... and decided to make muffins! Strawberries are a berry... and blueberry muffins are common and popular, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Strawberries are often cheaper than blueberries and the prices can often dip low, so this is a great recipe to keep handy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll have to go check where my strawberries are from but <a href="http://www.californiastrawberries.com/about_strawberries">CaliforniaStrawberries.com</a> says shipments from the northern California areas begin in April, peak in May or June, and continue through November and that strawberries are also grown as an annual crop in California.</span></div>
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I do wonder why strawberry muffins aren't as common. Maybe it's cause you have to put extra work into slicing the strawberries so blueberries are easier...?</div>
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I just googled recipes for strawberry aqua frescas and that's what you might be seeing next! (It sounds super simple: strawberries, sugar, lime, water, ice and some mint sprigs!) Last summer I made strawberry popsicles and they were a hit! Guess I have lots of ideas for strawberries after all. :)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Strawberry Muffins</b> - adapted from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-muffins/" target="_blank">All Recipes</a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup canola oil</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup milk</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">1/2 tsp vanilla</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup brown sugar </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup white sugar</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup chopped strawberries, plus a little more to press into the tops</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Directions</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line muffin pan with paper liners.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and white sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fill muffin cups a little over 3/4. </span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;">Take the "plus a little more" strawberries and press at least 3 small pieces into the the tops so that the red parts show. (I like having my muffins speak for themselves what kind of muffins they are!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans to cool on a plate (or a cookie rack).</span></div>
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What are your favorite kinds of muffins? Have you had strawberry muffins before (since they don't seem as common?)</div>
<br />Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-2487892147855475182015-03-12T16:51:00.001-07:002015-03-14T15:37:54.258-07:00Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since people are requesting I SEND snickerdoddles... from the South Bay to Australia... I thought I'd just do a public service and post the recipe so y'all can make it! You know...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime</i>" ~ English Proverb</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously guys, a LIFETIME of cookies. Doesn't that sound like a much better deal? :) And while we're at it, we should all read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060245867/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0060245867&linkCode=as2&tag=theoracofcup-20&linkId=TJG4ZJAAH23K5QMI%22" target="_blank">If You Give a Mouse a Cookie</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my go-to Snickerdoodle recipe! I realized I only have <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2012/03/kickerdoodles.html" target="_blank">Kickerdoodles</a> (snickerdoodles with a kick) on my blog, so I shall post these Maple Snickerdoodles!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Maple Snickerdoodles </b>by <a href="http://lovintheoven.com/maple-snickerdoodles/" target="_blank">Lovin' from the Oven</a></span><br />
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<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups all-purpose flour</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp baking soda</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp cream of tartar</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup salted butter (or you can use unsalted and add about 1/4 tsp salt)</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup granulated sugar</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tblsp real maple syrup</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 egg</span></li>
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<li style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon (this is the only thing I really changed. I found that 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon made them very dark and I think a lighter mix of cinnamon makes them prettier and less "burnt" looking)</span></li>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="line-height: 24.375px;"><u>Note</u></b><span style="line-height: 24.375px;">: you will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before baking! I wanted to highlight this cause sometimes I don't read through the directions first and then find out I have to WAIT. I also would recommend mixing everything in a plastic bowl, not metal, if you plan on refrigerating the dough in the bowl. I usually like to put it in plastic/saran wrap into a little package before putting it in the fridge. It seems to not dry out as much. See below for a picture!</span></span></div>
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<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and egg until combined. Add dry ingredients, stir until just mixed.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. I like to wrap it in plastic wrap instead of leaving it in the bowl. See below for picture!</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350F.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roll dough into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, with space in between. (I usually do 12 cookies to one cookie sheet.)</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake until tops are crackly, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave cookies on sheets to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Eat a few and then when they are all cooled, box 'em up!</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough wrapped in plastic wrap before refrigerating for at least an hour. Like a block of C4! :oP</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me know if your cookies turn out wonderful! What are your favorite flavor of cookies?</span></div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-12236492122105041952014-12-05T09:58:00.005-08:002014-12-05T09:58:44.660-08:00Hello, is it me you're looking for?Oh poor neglected blog. No excuses but here to say, if you find yourself here -- come visit the much more used and updated <a href="http://www.instagram.com/smirk_o" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.instagram.com/smirk_o" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wzj65T21M9s/VIHyD2dJOiI/AAAAAAAAJLM/a93cjfMWWz4/s1600/Instagram.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-72860252850947974442013-09-07T14:22:00.000-07:002013-09-07T14:22:04.649-07:00And.... I'm baaaack!Have ya missed me?? Oops - must have taken another summer hiatus. Sometimes I'll open Blogger, stare at it, and then close the screen. {sigh} Anyway - hopefully I'll have a constantly steam of stuff to write about because... we just returned from a two week cruise to Europe! :) We hit "6" countries on this cruise (though one was technically just a long layover...) and had a great time.<br />
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I may catch up with my work trip to Chicago and other things that have happened since while sorting through my gazillion (or rather 1,196 on-camera) pictures. :) I have also been terrible with my emails, which is usually my favorite form of communication, so I need to tend to that first!<br />
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Enjoying the annual 3-ish-days of HOT weather in the Bay Area! It's like we brought the Mediterranean weather home. The "warm Mediterranean weather," since the Bay Area technically has Mediterranean climate. Perhaps more often in the East Bay. :]<br />
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Be back soon!Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-56059161339589186292013-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:002013-07-01T08:00:06.526-07:00Summer Printables from Oh Happy Day!Happy July! Oh my this summer is flying by quickly! Since I don't get "summer vacation" anymore, summer is not as awesome, though the weather is somewhat a bit nicer. (Until the SF summer fog rolls in...)<br />
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<a href="http://ohhappyday.com/" target="_blank">Oh Happy Day</a> has a lot of craft ideas, but my favorite is the one <a href="http://www.eatdrinkchic.com/" target="_blank">Amy Moss</a> shared on Oh Happy Day last week!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://ohhappyday.com/2013/06/happy-summer-printables/" target="_blank">Source</a>)<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">She also provides a version with "Happy Summer" printed on the popsicles, ice creams, and watermelon slices. I just printed out a sheet of these - though I don't have a clear purpose for them yet! Perhaps some cards to send to people! I also like the ideas she shares for using them as part of the wrapping or packaging for presents. I'll be sure to report back if I do something cool with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://ohhappyday.com/2013/06/happy-summer-printables/" target="_blank">Hop on over to Oh Happy Day to download the Summer Printables!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What would you use them for?</span></div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-22437851325242945002013-06-29T20:29:00.002-07:002013-09-07T14:23:54.624-07:00Minion Goggles!I LOVE MINIONS. I'm not sure why besides the fact that they're cute... and I find them hilarious. :oP<br />
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This is a clip of Carl doing his BEE-DO. CRACKS me up.</div>
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Anyway, I found out you can print out your very own minion goggles!!! :D Now you're all ready to be a minion geek. However, don't goggle and drive.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kq6rDZN2_pk/Uc-kbjUrYDI/AAAAAAAAI2E/1QW_OE6SD9I/s1600/DM2_goggles-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kq6rDZN2_pk/Uc-kbjUrYDI/AAAAAAAAI2E/1QW_OE6SD9I/s400/DM2_goggles-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://despicableme.com/goggles/DM2_goggles.pdf" target="_blank">You can download the original PDFs here.</a></div>
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Modeled by yours truly. If you love the minions, are single and female... my tip is... find a man who will wear minion goggles with you. :)</div>
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Here is another clip of them singing the banana song... which cracks me up as well. :D</div>
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I think I giggle like a 5 year old when I watch this. </div>
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Despicable Me 2 is coming out next week, July 3! Are you going to watch it?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-31190550026660730852013-06-22T19:20:00.001-07:002013-06-22T19:20:29.440-07:00Another whirl in DCHad a work trip to DC early June for our annual convention! For a staff of 9 + 2 interns and an events coordinator - it was a smashing event with 250+ attendees! We pulled some really long days starting at 7am EASTERN TIME (ohmygoodness that is early), plenaries and workshops through 5:30pm, some kind of reception through the evening, and after parties - so I often didn't get back to the hotel until like 10pm!<br />
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Here are some mostly non-work related pics. :)<br />
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Full day meeting on a Sunday!</div>
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Thomas Circle Plaza from the rooftop of the Donovan Hotel</div>
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Our biggest bigshot speaker, <a href="http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/about/principal_staff/secretary_donovan" target="_blank">HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan</a>!</div>
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Immigrant rally on the Capitol Lawn</div>
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That is all to say... I survived our annual convention! :) It was a lot of hard work for all our staff, but I think it went well and people really enjoyed it. I was told they were at one time hosted in Hawaii... but no one showed up to the workshops. haha.</div>
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Does your work have conventions or do you go to them for work? Aren't west coast to east coast mornings the worst?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-308354952308955772013-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:002013-06-18T09:00:04.889-07:00Anniversary Adventuring Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<strong>Anniversary Adventuring Part II: Dinner @ Osteria Coppa</strong></div>
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<a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2013/06/anniversary-adventuring-part-i.html" target="_blank">See Part I here</a>!<br />
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We had dinner on the night of our actual anniversary at <a href="http://www.osteriacoppa.com/" target="_blank">Osteria Coppa</a> in downtown San Mateo. We've walked by it at night before and it always looked so fancy pants and nice! So we decided to splurge for our anniversary meal!<br />
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Top: Margherita Pizza</div>
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Bottom: Raviolo - Ricotta Cheese, Farm Egg, Brown Butter (left), Tagliatelle Bolognese (right)</div>
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The Margherita Pizza was quite delicious. Super thin crust. </div>
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The Raviolo was unique, but not that awesome (to us). As you can see, it's one giant ravioli that's filled with ricotta cheese and runny egg in the middle, with brown butter sauce. Tim actually ordered this one but we ended up swapping since he doesn't like runny eggs. The ricotta cheese was too much for and the brown butter sauce was way too rich. :( </div>
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The Bolognese was quite tasty, but nothing to rave about. </div>
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All in all, it was a fun experience but sad to say, I don't know that we want to go back. It does say that many of the dishes are meant to be shared -- so maybe it wasn't meant for one person to eat that whole ravioli and we were doing it all wrong. {shrug} But I want to love my food at $18-20/entrée for pasta! The service was also meh. The server had a few tables but even when it wasn't that busy he didn't pay much attention to us - always sweeping by. However, I think it's worth trying at least once. They also do lunch on weekdays (only weekdays!) that would be a great way to give them a try at a very affordable price. (Though I think it's sandwiches and not these pasta dishes. Check their website!)</div>
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Have you been to Osteria Coppa? Did you love it?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-8856971827211096162013-06-16T21:26:00.001-07:002013-06-16T23:07:33.012-07:00Anniversary Adventuring Part ITime sure flies! I can't believe it's been THREE years since we got married. :) Our anniversary was end of May but it's been a little busy. :]<br />
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We did some local adventuring since I had a work trip to DC two days after our anniversary, and Memorial Day weekend travel/lodging is so expensive!<br />
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<strong>Anniversary Adventuring Part I: Pacifica</strong><br />
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Pacifica is suuuper close to us but I've (and definitely never Tim) really explored it much. Not that there is a whole lot to explore... but we got coffee, a hike with a view, and BBQ - what more can you ask for? :)<br />
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First stop - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/p-town-coffee-pacifica" target="_blank">P-Town Coffee</a>! Recommended by Joe from our small group who lives in Pacifica. :) We got a bagel (with way too much cream cheese, but who complains about too much cream cheese) and a coffee for me. And who doesn't like a train caboose that serves coffee??</div>
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Pacifica also boasts having a <a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2012/03/05/is-this-the-nicest-taco-bell-on-the-planet/" target="_blank">Taco Bell with the best view</a>! It was indeed a pretty snazzy Taco Bell and I finally got to try a Doritos taco! We were planning on having better food for lunch, so I only got one. The nacho cheese didn't taste too unique with the taco. I will have to try the Cooler Ranch one next time!</div>
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We hiked <a href="http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/mori-point.html" target="_blank">Mori Point</a>! Who knew there was a trail there! There was a "short route" (if you park by the Moose Lodge), but we took the long route which involved hiking up a very, very steep hill thing. -_-"</div>
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<a href="http://www.gorillabbq.com/" target="_blank">Gorilla BBQ</a>! Also recommended by Joe --- it was a long line and no seats, so we took it home! Which was just as well since it started to drizzle/rain. It was pretty tasty! The BBQ sauce was a bit too tangy for us, but Tim added some honey and it was magically delicious.</div>
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Tim's card for me :)</div>
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This is a terrible picture of the leather Bible he got me! Since the traditional gift for one's third anniversary is leather. <3</div>
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I got him a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015IUAAG/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">role playing mat</a> for his table top games (it's got a grid on it and you can draw on it) and a keyboard volume control pedal! The role playing mat is supposed to be the "leather-like" present. haha.</div>
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My cousin sent us a happy anniversary card! Isn't that cute?? :D And she even sent a random piece of leather (upper right pic). HAHAHA. :)</div>
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Stay tuned for anniversary adventuring part II! Or dinner. On our anniversary. :)</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-37935881431312395832013-06-08T18:38:00.000-07:002013-06-08T18:38:09.671-07:00Lord of the Rings Inspired Graduation GiftsMy one and only cousin (yes, I only have one!) graduated from college last month! :) I made her a two-colored puffy ribbon lei, just like <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2012/07/ribbon-lei.html" target="_blank">the one I made my brother</a>, but in her school colors. Turns out Michael's doesn't have a maroon colored ribbon in the same texture/size as the yellow, 50 cents a spool for 3 yards kind. It was slightly wide, half sheer (WHAT, WHY?!) and $1.50 a spool for like 1.5 yards. MADNESS. Which is why I spaced it out the way I did. I think it turned out okay. :)<br />
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And apparently it is not the thing to wear leis at graduations in Minnesota... so she didn't even wear it afterwards! Though she did bring it and took pictures for OUR SAKES... but... still. {sniffles} My mom made her the other <a href="http://www.sakacon.com/2011/05/diy-ribbon-lei-v2.html" target="_blank">spiral lei</a>.</div>
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For instructions on how to make the puffy ribbon lei, <a href="http://www.sakacon.com/2012/05/diy-ribbon-lei-v11.html" target="_blank">visit Penga's blog</a> and see <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2012/07/ribbon-lei.html" target="_blank">here for tips</a> from me!</div>
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My cousin is a huuuuuuge Lord of the Rings buff! Like seriously, knows all the lines and watches the extended versions of the movie for fun. Multiple times. haha. So while this is sort of Hobbit-y, it's kind of all the same to me. :) So I made her a card of Bilbo's house! I was inspired by <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/332140541238916397/" target="_blank">this on Pinterest</a>.<br />
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I don't really have instructions or a tutorial since... I just made everything by hand! I used the one I saw on Pinterest as a guide, especially since the only thing I knew was that Bilbo has a round door for his house. I freehand cut the door parts/layers and grass. The flowers were made with a paper punch I got from Daiso. :) Tim helped me draw the woodgrain on the door. I would've liked to include a fence (as in the one Pinterest had) but I felt like it would've covered up my door too much. And it would've been more intricate cutting I didn't want to do. :oP</div>
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On the inside... I used a Hobbit-esque font! It's actually called <a href="http://www.dafont.com/bilbo-hand.font" target="_blank">Bilbo Hand</a> from dafont.com. On the left I wrote a message and on the right, Tim helped me find this graduation-relevant LOTR quote! It says:</div>
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"It's a dangerous business Sharon</div>
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Going out your door</div>
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You step onto the road</div>
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And if you don't keep your feet</div>
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There's no knowing</div>
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Where you might be swept off to."</div>
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On the back I put "Condon Productions" since it was a joint effort. :)</div>
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I couldn't find an envelope big enough for the card, so I just used a brown paper bag I had. It fit perfectly, actually. :]</div>
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Sealed it up with an owl sticker!</div>
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I got her this LOTR-inspired <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/68795663/prince-and-lady-of-ithilien-silver-toned?ref=usr_faveitems" target="_blank">"Prince and Lady of Ithilien" necklace</a> from Etsy since Éowyn is her favorite character, I think. :) And of course, there was also a monetary gift since... those are the best, right? ;)</div>
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Do you ever do themed gifts? What was your favorite graduation present?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-63581370135798801782013-05-27T18:02:00.000-07:002013-05-27T18:43:13.588-07:00A Week in Portland!I'm so behind on blogging I don't know where to start! So I'll just jump in the middle, and figure it out from there. A couple weeks ago I had a week-long conference in Portland, OR and I finished the weekend off with a trip to Bend to see Tim's family (without him!)<br />
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Along the river walkway</div>
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The famous maple bacon donut from <a href="http://voodoodoughnut.com/" target="_blank">Voodoo Doughnut</a>!</div>
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I also got an "Arnold Palmer" doughnut (with the blue Fruit Loop). :D</div>
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The famous Powell's City of Books. It was really big... and there was a map for the whole store! The column featured above has Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's signatures!!! (Fantasy authors: Jordan wrote Tim's favorite series, "Wheel of Time" and Sanderson finished the series for Jordan who passed away. I also quite enjoy Sanderson's own books.)</div>
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My brother-in-law lives in Portland and took me on a quick tour of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Park_(Portland,_Oregon)" target="_blank">Forest Park</a>! It's like two steps in and it feels like you've left the city and entered a forest. I was also told it's the biggest city park ever. :)</div>
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My brother-in-law Mike and his girlfriend! We had dinner at <a href="http://www.salvadormollys.com/" target="_blank">Salvador Molly's</a>. We alllll got the Jamaica Road Roti which had jerk chicken and roasted sweet potato, with a whole wheat wrap (which tasted just like a tortilla) with potato chickpea curry, with a side of grilled mango chutney. It was tasty but the roti was reeeeeally spicy. And we like spicy. The mango chutney helped alleviate it a bit, but it was still a hot hot meal!</div>
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Afterwards, we went to <a href="http://saltandstraw.com/" target="_blank">Salt & Straw</a>! They had the most unique flavors! I got (top right) the Dandelion Sorbet with Spring Flowers! And there were flowers in it! Other flavors included olive oil, strawberry with balsamic, honey lemon with ricotta, cinnamon snickerdoodle, AND MORE. They also let you try as MANY samples as you want. Which also means the line can be a bit slow. :)</div>
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I frequently the food trucks a lot during lunch at the conference. This was day two. Yep... that's a roast beef sandwich stuffed with fries. The concept was good/interesting/tasty but the fries were too salty so I pulled off most of them before I ate the sandwich.</div>
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Met up with our friend Nate! He lives close to Portland now but he wasn't around for most of the week. I happened to catch him and his mum on the one day they were in town before he got shipped off for work (he travels a lot for work). Enjoying some tasty Lebanese food at <a href="http://nicholasrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Nicholas Restaurant</a>.</div>
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Hung out at <a href="http://departureportland.com/" target="_blank">The Departure</a> with some people from my work's network. Suuuper swanky and we just missed happy hour so it wassssn't that great of deal. Let's just say tiny Asian tapas! But I think if you catch happy hour, you get the same food for like half the price.</div>
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Took my co-network folks to Salt & Straw, and this time I got the Almond Brittle.</div>
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Food truck day... three? haha. I forget but this was tasty. And it was at the point in the week when I wanted more green stuff and less fried. Except for those delicious pita fries... they were just too delicious.</div>
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Friday afternoon, my conference was done and I met up with brother-in-law and his girlfriend to head to Bend, OR! :)</div>
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It was a beautiful drive and you get a great view of Mt. Hood!</div>
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Meeting our newest nephew! :)</div>
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Breakfast at <a href="http://www.jacksonscornerbendor.com/" target="_blank">Jackson's Corner</a> with Tim's family!</div>
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Our first nephew :)</div>
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Most gorgeous sunset in the park behind my in-law's house</div>
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A nice leisurely hike on the <a href="http://bendparksandrec.org/.docs/park_id/10077/pg/10463" target="_blank">Deschutes River Trail</a>. It was nice and kinda reminded me of Ithaca! </div>
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Mother's day brunch at the <a href="http://blackbeardiner.com/location/oregon/bend/" target="_blank">Black Bear Diner</a></div>
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Happy four months old!! And homemade strawberry ice cream he can't eat. :oP</div>
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The ride back to Portland (this time not in the dark)</div>
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<em> (All photos taken with iPhone)</em></div>
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It was my first time in Portland and I had a great time! Definitely more things I want to do and see if I had more time there. But it was a good taste. I got to check off Voodoo Doughnuts and Powell Books off my list. Didn't get around to Stumptown coffee though! I also <strike>accidently</strike> did some nice tax-free shopping! ;) It was also nice to see Bend not in the winter since I've only been there three times, I think and every time has been during Christmas/Winter!</div>
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Have you been to Portland or Bend? What are your favorite things to do or eat there? It's not too early to start my next list of things to do/see, right? :)</div>
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<span id="goog_1347360641"></span><span id="goog_1347360642"></span><br />Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-30856836908632429302013-05-03T19:22:00.001-07:002013-05-03T19:22:57.093-07:00PSA: United Mileage Plus Premier Qualifications<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-likSLBCDK0Y/UYRws6cjLdI/AAAAAAAAIrI/I736ldah76Q/s1600/united_mileage_plus_3p_c_r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-likSLBCDK0Y/UYRws6cjLdI/AAAAAAAAIrI/I736ldah76Q/s1600/united_mileage_plus_3p_c_r.jpg" height="112" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.choicehotels.com/media/choicehotels/en/choice-privileges/gp/united_mileage_plus_3p_c_r.JPG" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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I learned this tidbit this week and thought I'd share. So on my work trip to DC earlier this week, I flew with my supervisor, who also bought my ticket. She has preimier status, so by association, I was "premiere" for this trip! We were able to get Economy Plus seats (in an exit row, so there was sweet leg room!) and was able to board in group 2.</div>
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So I was checking my United mileage plus account to see if I was anywhere close to obtaining silver status, and found out that tickets purchased through Hotwire or Priceline do NOT qualify towards premiere qualifying miles!!! You still get the miles but they don't help you qualify for premiere status!<br />
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<a href="https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/mileageplus/premier/qualify.aspx" target="_blank">See here</a>: "<em>Additionally, certain fares such as those purchased with industry discounts or through Hotwire and priceline.com do not count toward Premier qualification or accrual of award miles</em>."</div>
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LAME! It's easier to see all the available flights through Priceline so I often buy from there EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE SAME PRICE AS UNITED.COM! Of course no one NEEDS premiere status, but it sure is nice when you're not boarding in group 5 and forced to check your carry-on bag cause there is no more room in the overhead bin! And I figured with all the traveling I do for work (it's so tiring!), it would be a nice side perk.</div>
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This is only for United, so if United is not your cup of plane, you should review your airline's policies.</div>
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Did you know this? If you did... why didn't you tell me?!</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-49134900150200140962013-05-03T10:15:00.004-07:002013-05-03T16:51:25.449-07:00Whirlwind in DCHello! Just got back last night from a work trip to DC. Our offices are headquartered there, as well as a lot of our partners, so we have lots of meetings there. This time was a whirlwind visit since I didn't really get to do anything, but attend a two day meeting. And by "get to do anything" I mean like... sightseeing. :) However, the pictures below will probably look like I had lots of fun. :oP<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn0dDNlx2v4/UYPuT8_44sI/AAAAAAAAIq4/jyRRzZ3N3Og/s1600/dc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
First night there we had dinner with our DC office folks at Rice Paper. Delish Vietnamese food!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z1WQ7ou7MG8/UYPuQhsGZEI/AAAAAAAAIqo/fKdf2Lm8eIY/s1600/dc5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z1WQ7ou7MG8/UYPuQhsGZEI/AAAAAAAAIqo/fKdf2Lm8eIY/s1600/dc5.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rice Paper in Falls Church, VA</div>
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I got this super awesome BBQ Pork and shrimp dish. You wrap all that good stuff into rice paper!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn0dDNlx2v4/UYPuT8_44sI/AAAAAAAAIq8/P87LPRgz2oE/s1600/dc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn0dDNlx2v4/UYPuT8_44sI/AAAAAAAAIq8/P87LPRgz2oE/s1600/dc4.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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A RICE PAPER HOLDER! WHAT. Hahah. </div>
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So that's the rice paper --- it's kind of like a giant communion wafer. Starchy and hard. But then you dip it into hot water and it softens! I totally need to get a rice paper holder! I was totally gonna huff one back from DC but the supermarket/stores were closed by the time we were done with dinner.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-oZHA1nsYs/UYPuSwVdboI/AAAAAAAAIq0/o0jxHR_YfMg/s1600/dc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-oZHA1nsYs/UYPuSwVdboI/AAAAAAAAIq0/o0jxHR_YfMg/s1600/dc6.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some Caribou before the first morning of the meeting. I like the sentiment on the napkin!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bD7d8eplz6I/UYPuFOXd29I/AAAAAAAAIqU/rd7wJCNeigs/s1600/dc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bD7d8eplz6I/UYPuFOXd29I/AAAAAAAAIqU/rd7wJCNeigs/s1600/dc1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Met up with our former co-worker Angela at Matchbox! </div>
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Those onion straws on top of the sliders were so tasty! :)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w_5h9LR2xKM/UYPuHiWJd4I/AAAAAAAAIqc/JVneQokSm3w/s1600/dc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w_5h9LR2xKM/UYPuHiWJd4I/AAAAAAAAIqc/JVneQokSm3w/s1600/dc2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Top: me and our former coworker Angela! Do you love our hair? HAHAH.</div>
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Bottom: coworker and her boyfriend. :)</div>
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I try to do something "fun" on every work trip. This time I didn't get to see anything out of the ordinary, but I guess looking back on these pics, it was a good time outside of the meetings! :) The weather was also gorgeous there! East coast spring is pretty nice, I must admit. I didn't get to take any pictures of all the flowers I saw... but I feel like SF does NOT have so many flowers everywhere! Which is sad. Boston and DC seem to have (planted) flowers all over downtown. So colorful and happy. :)</div>
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Do you travel for work? If so, do you try to insert "fun"? :D</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-89288126635177017662013-04-28T20:02:00.004-07:002013-04-29T11:23:57.414-07:00Mystery Braid BraceletNeed more time to blog! So many posts in a queue in my head. :) Life's been busy with work and out of town guests and in-town friends! Here's a quicky about a neat little craft I discovered recently.<br />
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It's called a Mystery Braid Bracelet! Check it out:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bvIwomfQv8/UX20tz9cu5I/AAAAAAAAIpM/A9zhpgLl7jA/s1600/mystery+braid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8bvIwomfQv8/UX20tz9cu5I/AAAAAAAAIpM/A9zhpgLl7jA/s320/mystery+braid.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I kinda don't want to tell you how it's made... cause it's SO easy and you won't think I'm cool anymore. :oP Here goes!</div>
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You can get the leather bracelets with the slits from Michaels (I heard Hobby Lobby has 'em too.) Don't forget to use a 40% coupon. My pack was actually labeled "Mystery Braid Bracelets" and came in a pack of 8. There are some "flakey" bits in the package (like dots?) but over all I think the quality is nice! It says "real leather crafts" and it feels like it.</div>
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The package comes with these directions:</div>
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1) Pass the bottom end of the band up between strands 2 and 3, and push the resulting twist to the bottom.</div>
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2) Begin braiding by passing strip 1 over 2, then 3 over 1, then 2 over three. Pass the bottom end of the trip between 2 and 3 then work the braided portion up to the top of the band. This completes one braid cycle.</div>
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Then you basically just repeat!</div>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/IwUq-U_ocjw" target="_blank">Here is a pretty good video</a> (from the company that made the bracelets) with the instructions. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Had a bit of trouble embedding it, so you'll have to view it on YouTube).</span></div>
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Then you rock your bracelet and make them for everyone you know cause now you have 7 extras. :)</div>
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I discovered you can make a tighter weave or a looser weave based on your preference. It's just a matter of doing another braid cycle.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQbPFjKBYtA/UX3hQTD_GkI/AAAAAAAAIpc/2EMUc5yrXlw/s1600/mystery+braid+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQbPFjKBYtA/UX3hQTD_GkI/AAAAAAAAIpc/2EMUc5yrXlw/s400/mystery+braid+2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tighter weave on top, looser weave on the bottom</div>
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The light brown and medium brown leather straps were a lot more supple than the dark brown, so it was easier to do a tighter weave on those. Another thing to consider is that the tighter the weave, the tighter the strap, so if you're making it for a person with a bigger wrist (namely guys), it might be better to go with the looser weave if you don't get to measure them in person. If you do the tighter weave and need to make it looser, you can always undo it! :)</div>
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<span id="goog_1583651392">Have you made a mystery braid bracelet before? Is this a fashion item you'd wear?</span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><em>"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. </em></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><em>A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." </em></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><em>~ Ecclesiastes 4:12 ~</em></span></div>
Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-88632622373535387532013-04-15T20:32:00.002-07:002013-04-15T20:32:23.128-07:00Praying for Boston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BALU4q23OMk/UWzFzXPYKZI/AAAAAAAAIo0/1so2y7_iEZM/s1600/IMG_2402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BALU4q23OMk/UWzFzXPYKZI/AAAAAAAAIo0/1so2y7_iEZM/s400/IMG_2402.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Praying for Boston</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hard to believe this happened somewhere where we <em>lived</em>. We've walked on the streets where the explosions happened. Glad our friends are safe there though.</span></div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-43034290164752497092013-03-24T16:34:00.000-07:002013-03-24T16:34:06.404-07:00So busy!Sorry been MIA! Been pretty with work and life in general. Lots of back logged posts that I just need time to sit down and write!<br />
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Two weekends ago, Tim's brother was in town for the weekend to buy this sweet Lotus Elise! I got to spend all day with him riding around in it. :D<br />
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At work last week, we had a staff retreat/strategic planning all week which involved all day meetings and strategic thinking and then dinners in the evenings. It was a good time getting to know co-workers, especially those who came over from DC, but it was a tiring week!<br />
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Who knew that March was closing out this week?! My cousin is graduating this May and I've been busy making her a <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2012/07/ribbon-lei.html" target="_blank">ribbon lei</a>! <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2012/07/ribbon-lei.html" target="_blank">Instructions for the full lei is here</a>. I'll do a post on this one later on, but here is my work in progress!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ErwW-B6nI74/UU-MhlyjycI/AAAAAAAAIoY/FRE4IO-h57k/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ErwW-B6nI74/UU-MhlyjycI/AAAAAAAAIoY/FRE4IO-h57k/s400/photo.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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There are a few more friends graduating this year but I don't think I have enough time to make them all one of those leis! So I think I will want to try another variety (from <a href="http://www.sakacon.com/" target="_blank">Penga</a>!) like this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.sakacon.com/2012/01/diy-ribbon-lei-v3.html" target="_blank">Source</a>)<br />
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I think Penga said it uses a lot less ribbon and... is faster once you get it? :D<br />
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It's another busy work week for me with some travel, but I'll be back! What have you been up to lately? Or what has been keeping you busy?<br />
Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-5566338240821941502013-03-03T20:35:00.002-08:002013-03-03T20:39:20.877-08:00Valentine Cards 2013: Fish, worms, and bears, oh my!Sorry so laggy with my postings! We had an unexpected (but pleasant, haha) house guest last week and it's been quite the busy weekend.<br />
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This is part two of the Valentine Cards I made this year. (I need to hurry up before it becomes St. Patrick's day... or Valentine's Day 2014!) You can see <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentine-cards-2013-teacup.html" target="_blank">Part One here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish, worms, and bears, oh my!</td></tr>
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I originally say the fish Valentine Card below on Etsy and knew I wanted to make them! However, I waited until the night before to go to Target to get my Swedish fish. :oP While standing in the gummy aisle, I saw other gummy shapes and was inspired!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/92157145/printable-valentines-cards-swedish-fish?ref=usr_faveitems" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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The clear bags are from Daiso ($1.50 for 25)! Swedish fish and all other gummies from Target.</div>
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I found some fish bowl shape online, colored them in Photoshop and added some text. These two say, "You're Fin-tastic" and "You're a great catch!"</div>
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The brown is supposed to be dirt and this one says, "You've wormed your way into my heart!"</div>
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This one says "I love you beary much!"</div>
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I printed out the shapes/bowls and cut them out. (Maybe I'll get those templates on here sometime soon!) Put the cut out in the clear bags, filled it with candy, and done! :) I did tape the bottom corners to the back to help hold the cut out bowl/shape in place a little better. (I heard you can buy round bottomed bags from Michaels.)<br />
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Here are the final products! I gave 'em out to my co-workers, my brother, and a couple of friends. :)<br />
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"You're Fin-tastic" and "You're a great catch" I borrowed from the Internets, but I came up with the worm and gummy bear sayings all on my own. While standing in the candy aisle of Target. :D</div>
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Which one is your favorite? :)</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-8488138338198490192013-02-25T22:06:00.001-08:002013-02-25T22:07:21.791-08:00"Begin Again" - Taylor Swift (Alex Goot, Megan Nicole, Piano Guys)Sometimes I fixate on a song and just listen to it over and over again. This would be one of them! I have no great affinity with "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift, but I absolutely adore this version by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/GootMusic" target="_blank">Alex Goot</a>, <a href="file:///p://www.youtube.com/MeganNicolesite" target="_blank">Megan Nicole</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/ThePianoGuys" target="_blank">The Piano Guys</a>. :) I love love love The Piano Guys -- amazing piano and cello!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G6O_6dIuI9c" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Listen with me :) And then go listen to everrrrything by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/ThePianoGuys" target="_blank">The Piano Guys</a>. :)<br />
Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-78137879687366625572013-02-23T21:40:00.001-08:002013-02-23T21:44:02.765-08:00Milk Chocolate Mousse<div>
Chocolate mousse was my present to Tim this year. :) And some yellow tulips since he claimed prior that nobody's ever gotten him flowers before. :oP Now he can never say that again! <br />
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We love chocolate creme brulee but I didn't really want to go buy a torch kit and all (maybe someday!) so I decided to try one of our second favorites, chocolate mouse! Granted this isn't legit mousse at all and it's adapted from Pillsbury... it was tasty and super easy to make. It would probably be a great last-minute dessert idea if you have everything handy.</div>
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<strong>Milk Chocolate Mousse</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-mousse/d1f6266b-705c-4199-91a3-05c2feb5217b" target="_blank">Adapted from Pillsbury</a></div>
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1 1/2 cups skim milk <br />
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips <br />
1 box (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix <br />
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1 1/2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping<br />
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries<br />
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• In small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the milk and the chocolate chips. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. </div>
• In medium bowl, combine remaining 1 1/4 cups milk and pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is well blended and thickened; stir in yogurt.<br />
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• Blend melted chocolate into pudding mixture; fold in whipped topping. Spoon into individual dessert dishes. Top each serving with additional whipped topping and strawberries. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time. Store covered in refrigerator.<br />
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* Adding some crumbs of chocolate/Oreo cookie to the bottom of the dish or sprinkled on top would make it extra magical.<br />
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<u>Adaptations:</u></div>
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1) The original recipe was for "Dark Chocolate Mousse" and called for dark chocolate chips, but I didn't have any, so I used milk chocolate chips.</div>
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2) It called for 1 container (6 oz) of Greek Fat Free honey vanilla yogurt, but I didn't read the "Greek" part when I was at the store so I bought regular yogurt and I couldn't find honey vanilla yogurt, so I went with regular vanilla yogurt.</div>
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I ended up using HAND WHIPPED cream because.... we had whipping cream, a whisk, and no mixer. :oP It was pretty hard work! It took quite a while and required Tim to help with his own dessert. :oP But hand whipped cream is an amazing thing when it starts to form peaks and stiffen. It's like... yeah, I made liquid into THAT. And then you have a whole new appreciation for churning butter and such. (One time we over whisked the cream and it turned into BUTTER. O_O)</div>
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For the chocolate mousse, I really liked it! It was not too sweet and nice and light. My only complaint is that it had kinda of a funny after taste, which I'm pretty sure is from the pudding mix (and I love chocolate pudding!) So... yeah, it's not "legit" mousse and I'm not quite sure whether the yogurt was necessary, but it was easy and tasty! :) I definitely want to try it with dark chocolate chips someday --- I think it will make it even better!<br />
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It made a pretty big batch and as I was bringing some over to Tim... it occured to me that some Oreo crumbs would be amazing! So I will probably add some to the leftovers. :)<br />
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Did you have a special Valentine's day dessert? Or what's your favorite dessert in general?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-42322045708312032792013-02-16T15:37:00.002-08:002013-02-16T17:36:41.152-08:00Valentine Cards 2013: Teacup!<div>
Valentine's Day crafts! Sorry didn't get to post these <em>before </em>Valentine's Day, but that was partly due to the fact that I made some of them the night before. :) And some inspiration struck while I was standing in front of the candy at Target. The night before. :oP</div>
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I made two kinds of Valentine's for friends/coworkers and a book Valentine for Tim! Today, I'll cover the first one I made today.</div>
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The first Valentine was a "teacup" with a teabag. This was originally inspired to be sent to my college friends in LA. When we lived in the dorms, we would have "tea parties" together in the evenings. (The wild, wild college kids we were.) :oP So I was thinking we could have a "virtual tea party" since three of them are in Southern California and one of them plus myself are in Northern California. :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/264539/teacup-valentines-day-card" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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This Martha Stewart teacup valentine was my inspiration. I think I could've jazzed mine up a bit, but I used what I had and people seemed to enjoy them. :) I also drew some red hearts floating next to the teabag, so it wasn't <em>as</em> boring as it looks here.</div>
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The base was white cardstock and a pink piece of piece</div>
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I free-handed the teacup and then traced a few copies to cut out by hand, since I don't have those fancy-pants shape cutter machines. ;)</div>
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I'm usually worried that glue will come loose later on, so I used double sided tape to adhere everything together.</div>
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<strong>TIP!</strong> Before gluing/taping the teacup down, place a teabag inside, and then press down around the edges of the teacup! That ensures there's enough space to insert the teabag.<br />
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Did you make Valentines this year?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-975963208298116762013-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:002013-02-08T09:00:07.648-08:00Instagram-ing!<div>
Lukas Van Dyke, a photographer, <a href="http://www.lukasandsuzy.com/blog/2013/my-new-instagram-photo-policy/#comment-2806" target="_blank">recently posted about</a> his "new Instagram photo policy." He wanted to "put more effort" into his pictures. It could be from his work, from life, from his dslr, from his phone, could be edited, could be not, etc. It got me thinking about MY Instagraph photo policy. You know. If I really had such a thing. As a photo policy. o_O<br />
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But I do. It's not written and it's most often not said or stated. But I mentally <em>do</em> have "policies"! (For a lot of things in life, actually.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://asburyandasbury.typepad.com/.a/6a010535893544970c017d3ef41caa970c-800wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://asburyandasbury.typepad.com/.a/6a010535893544970c017d3ef41caa970c-800wi" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://asburyandasbury.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/instagram-didnt-get-the-tone-wrong.html" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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Bringing it back to Instagram... I like to use Instagram for capturing life... which sometimes takes a lot of effort and sometimes doesn't. Which also means some pictures are great and some aren't. I am one who thinks Instagram photos should be taken only with the phone! That is because when I see someone else with a beautiful photo -- it gives me hope that I too can capture that on my phone too -- when I happen on it in life -- without a lot of fancy camera equipment or set up time/effort. I understand that some people may see Instagram as their photo gallery so anything is fair game, but for me it's like... oh well, if you took that on your $2,000+ DSLR and spent 5 hours editing it, of course it'll look THAT AWESOME. I just love it when someone uses just their phone to capture something super awesome and it's like, "Yes... 95% talent, and 5% equipment."</div>
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<a href="http://instagram.com/smirk_o" target="_blank">Come be my friend</a>!</div>
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Do you Instagram? If so, do you have a Instagram photo policy? What is it?<br />
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-50936903438159124622013-02-05T20:25:00.000-08:002013-02-05T20:26:57.540-08:00Blanket the World in Love - Recap<div>
So I posted about the *<a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/2013/01/blanket-world-in-love.html" target="_blank">Blanket the World in Love</a>* event a little over two weeks ago. It was a day to basically bless other people! To make someone smile or to make someone's day by doing something unexpected.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jambajuice.com/~/media/www/images/products/product/smoothies/fruit-veggie/OrangeCarrotKarma65.ashx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.jambajuice.com/~/media/www/images/products/product/smoothies/fruit-veggie/OrangeCarrotKarma65.ashx" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.jambajuice.com/~/media/www/images/products/product/smoothies/fruit-veggie/OrangeCarrotKarma65.ashx" target="_blank">Source</a>)</td></tr>
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Since I only found out about it the night before, I didn't have too much time to hash out something brilliant or creative. And sadly, my plan of treating two particular co-workers actually fell apart! Well, I ended up treating another co-worker to a Jamba Juice, but I was disappointed I wasn't able to treat everyone! (There was a battle at the register.) Next time! And I must say, sometimes it is even more fun to bless a stranger. :)<br />
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Fun finds about making a more generous, awesome world:<br />
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1) I recently found out from this <a href="http://en.ilovecoffee.jp/posts/view/55" target="_blank">coffee-lovin'-site</a> that there is <a href="http://www.good.is/posts/people-are-awesome-the-south-carolina-coffee-shop-where-everyone-pays-for-everyone-else-s-drinks/?utm_campaign=goodtweet&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social" target="_blank">a coffee shop in South Carolina</a> where people pay it forward and pays for the next person's drink. All the time! :)<br />
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2) This YouTube video, "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You," has gone viral lately. It's pretty cute and my two favorite lines, that I think are quite relevant to this post are:</div>
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<strong>"I want to be on [the path] that leads to awesome!"</strong><br />
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<strong>"You've just been pepped talked! Create something that will make the world awesome."</strong><br />
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Did you participate in *Blanket the World in Love* day? Was there a time someone blessed you unexpectedly?<br />
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-68541312067324788372013-02-02T12:47:00.002-08:002013-02-03T21:03:40.053-08:00PSSA: The Most Comfortable Flats<div>
I have a terrible time buying shoes since I have wide feet. And let's not talk about how much $ that has been thrown down the drain in search of good flats! You would think flats would be easy! (Verses heels, at least.) I usually think oh, maybe I can break these in, or maybe these soften with a few more wears. NO! No more. I have learned that unless they are 100% comfortable in the store --- I will not buy them. Cause for all the money I've spent on flats hoping they would work out, I probably could buy some ridiculous designer lots-of-hundred-$$$ shoes!<br />
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All of my current flats were either uncomfortable/pinchy or just ugly. Mostly uncomfortable. So I went on a hunt to find some! Especially since my job requires some occasions of looking presentable. :) In the winter, I can wear boots, but in the summer, that would be silly! (I think I also need some need boots... there's a knick in my current pair. Sad!)<br />
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Anyway --- I went to <a href="http://www.dsw.com/" target="_blank">DSW</a> and went up and down all the aisles. I stumbled upon these <a href="http://www.dsw.com/shoe/me+too+nini+flat?prodId=dsw12prod3770058&category=cat20096&activeCats=cat10006,cat20096" target="_blank"><strong>Me Too Nini flats</strong></a>! In WIDE! YAHOO!!! A 7.5 fit perfectly! (I'm normally a 7.5.) No pinch on first try! I was looking for black flats since they go with everything, but there was only one pair in the store and it was kinda beat up, one foot was bigger than the other, and there were some weird stuff stuck to the bottom. Gross. BUT THEY WERE SO COMFY. What to do. I quickly checked online on my phone and they didn't have any black wides left! Nooooo. But they did have one pair at two other locations in the City. I was slightly concerned that those other pairs would also be tried-in, worn, and yucky.<br />
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So I ended up just buying a bronze pair online! :) (Which arrived <em>new</em>! Yay.) I still would like a black pair but bronze is kinda cool and not boring right? (I'm trying to break out of black and boring.)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5duRW9WZXXY/UQ12SRZpdsI/AAAAAAAAIio/4HyB7ZO0Y_w/s1600/me+too+nini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5duRW9WZXXY/UQ12SRZpdsI/AAAAAAAAIio/4HyB7ZO0Y_w/s400/me+too+nini.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dsw.com/shoe/me+too+nini+flat?prodId=dsw12prod3770058&category=cat20096&activeCats=cat10006,cat20096" target="_blank">me too nini flat</a> in bronze</td></tr>
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Since it's so hard for me to find comfy shoes, I'm thinking of buying another pair in a different color. (They actually just sold out of bronze!) I don't think I want the pewter pair, so I'm contemplating the navy pair. It looks pretty dark online, which I actually don't want cause I don't want to have an almost-black pair of flats that I can't quite wear with black dress pants. It would be a frivolous pair and not fulfill the black flats "need." But maaaybe they aren't that dark in person? What to do?</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6q27xwfUHg/UQ12SQjbysI/AAAAAAAAIik/CH4Xc8Mrh-w/s1600/me+too+nini+navy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y6q27xwfUHg/UQ12SQjbysI/AAAAAAAAIik/CH4Xc8Mrh-w/s400/me+too+nini+navy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dsw.com/shoe/me+too+nini+flat?prodId=dsw12prod3770058&category=cat20096&activeCats=cat10006,cat20096" target="_blank">me too nini</a> flat in navy</td></tr>
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What do you think? Should I nab the navy pair since it's so hard for me to buy shoes? Do you have trouble buying shoes? Or is it easy breezy for you? What are you favorite brands of flats?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-44719942749671557662013-01-31T22:57:00.000-08:002013-01-31T23:08:39.902-08:00Love Worth Fighting ForThis was supposed to be a quick share but then I started talking about why I wanted to share it. :oP<br />
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As mentioned in my <a href="http://theorangecoffeecup.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest post</a>, I've been clearing email drafts of random links from everywhere. One of them was this song, <em>Love Is Not a Fight</em>, by Warren Barfield.<br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/332140541238546101/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://media-cache-ec7.pinterest.com/550/a5/21/34/a52134dd3fb140ec38a150347ea17602.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">Uploaded by user</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/orangecoffeecup/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Alvina</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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I heard of this song from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireproof_(film)" target="_blank">the movie</a> <a href="http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/" target="_blank">Fireproof</a>. A cheesy movie with a really great message. It's about a couple, Caleb and Catherine, who are on the rocks and fighting all the time. They are about to give up and get a divorce when Caleb's dad challenges him to a 40-day "<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Dare" title="Love Dare">Love Dare</a>," (a real-life Christian devotional program designed to strengthen marriages). He does it reluctantly, but silently without telling Catherine what he is doing. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so you can read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireproof_(film)" target="_blank">wikipedia</a> entry if you want to know what happens without watching the movie.<br />
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Despite it being kinda cheesy and the actors not being that great (sorry, Kirk Cameron), it was a pretty powerful movie, and I am usually not moved by such things as movies! Though I'm sure anyone can identify with the struggles, I felt like it impacted me all the more because I was married. (And Tim and I don't even really fight!)<br />
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Anyway... one of the theme songs in the movie is called "Love is Not a Fight." The lyrics are below and I encourage you to read it through. So many people are getting divorces these days... sometimes it seems like marriages aren't worth it anymore. We've become a very "me"-centric society and the minute something or someone doesn't make <em>me</em> happy, we move onto something that does. But I want to think differently -- that marriage is a commitment made and not to be broken.<br />
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<strong>Love Worth Fighting For</strong></div>
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<em>By Warren Barfield</em></div>
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Love is not a place<br />
To come and go as we please<br />
It's a house we enter in<br />
Then commit to never leave<br />
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So lock the door behind you<br />
Throw away the key<br />
We'll work it out together<br />
Let it bring us to our knees<br />
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<em>Love is a shelter in a raging storm<br />Love is peace in the middle of a war<br />And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door<br />No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for</em><br />
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To some, love is a word<br />
That they can fall into<br />
But when they're falling out<br />
Keeping that word is hard to do<br />
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<em>Love is a shelter in a raging storm<br />Love is peace in the middle of a war<br />And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door<br />No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for</em><br />
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Love will come to save us<br />
If we'll only call<br />
He will ask nothing from us<br />
But demand we give our all<br />
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<em>Love is a shelter in a raging storm<br />Love is peace in the middle of a war<br />And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door<br />No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for</em><br />
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I will fight for you<br />
Would you fight for me?<br />
It's worth fighting for </div>
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Have you seen Fireproof before? What do you think about this song?</div>
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-937692091402428567.post-51282787818663508062013-01-30T20:30:00.002-08:002013-01-31T23:10:17.874-08:00Pinterest<div>
I dids it. I held off for SO. LONG. But I did it.<br />
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I joined Pinterest. :)<br />
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I knew that I would love it. And I knew I would probably spend too much time on it, which is why I've been holding off on joining! But I had dinner with a friend a few weeks back who was totally selling it for me. (As if I needed too much help thinking it was fabulous.) :) I've really enjoyed it because... I have hundreds of bookmarks for crafts and recipes, AND... a million random email drafts with random links to "cool stuff"! So I've been transferring all these random links and deleting all these drafts. It's been great. :)<br />
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I have also had to enact some NO PINTEREST DAYS, to help prevent too much time lost. :oP<br />
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Here are some of my favorite pins for Valentine's Day! (It's not too early to start planning, right?) Some of these I pinned from things I've found online and others I've re-pinned.</div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/76701999875690035/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/550/2b/d3/8f/2bd38f38f7e900b402d121622db9fc00.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://diycraftyprojects.com/2013/01/20-more-valentines-day-heart-craft-ideas.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">diycraftyprojects.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/pegblogger/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">GoodRecipesOnline.com</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/332140541238482765/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/550/5b/83/e1/5b83e138ee6d762c1e98187a8cd5dca5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/92157145/printable-valentines-cards-swedish-fish" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">etsy.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/orangecoffeecup/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Alvina</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/332140541238482761/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/550/9d/c5/29/9dc529eb26673c30ced3557fc902310b.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/264539/teacup-valentines-day-card" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">marthastewart.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/orangecoffeecup/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Alvina</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/332140541238482764/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/550/29/1d/37/291d3764f34fb589c5156600aad4161a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Source: <a href="http://blog.makezine.com/craft/how-to_valentines_matchbook_ca/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">blog.makezine.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/orangecoffeecup/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Alvina</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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Come be my friend!</div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/orangecoffeecup/"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="28" src="http://passets-lt.pinterest.com/images/about/buttons/follow-me-on-pinterest-button.png" width="169" /></a>
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So are you on Pinterest? Is it a worst time sucker than Facebook? What are some of your favorite things to pin? Recipes? Random funny things? Clothes?<br />
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Alvinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848637272348287022noreply@blogger.com2