enough with the bad news already!

Moving on from bad news about fracking and how devastating it is (though: brief bonus good news is that I am continuously hearing about new anti-fracking folks in ohio... yes!), I wanted to share nice photos from Pittsburgh and Ohio.

Pittsburgh: It's note worthy that I no longer am fighting with Pittsburgh (as a city- though i am still trying to fight the city to pay for my computer...), and am developing a slight crush on it.
boyz. doing boy things (like crochet and reading)

waddling to breakfast

The Sandwich Shop: the greatest place for greasy and amazing diner food (and good company!)

reason number 10 to like Pittsburgh: great dumpsters!

fudge dumper success!

sammerton in the kitchen


nate drawing away

And then there was Ohio--- family, friends, cuddling... the works. I never seem to manage to be there long enough.

my first night back- i was able to see casey lane play open mic! Which was extra special because last time i was in ohio- casey was not. AND he played a bunch of ryan adams for me. yip!

pizza with the family!

Chai Cupcakes for Emmas birthday... success! I made the frosting with a rue (flour and milk)- so it was less sweet than normal and still thick and great (and it was ginger frosting)! Ah- I'm officially into experimenting with frosting types (and icings... but less so).

Recipe for Chai cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar (a little less would be fine--- since the frosting was not over sweet)
2 eggs
cap full of vanilla
1/2 cup brewed chai tea, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
Method: Whisk flour, powder, salt, and cardamon. Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend 1/3 of the flour mixture with the butter. Add Chai tea and combine. Then another 1/3 of flour, then milk, then the rest of the flour. Bake for 15 min at 350. Makes about a dozen delightful cupcakes.

Birthday dinner with the delware gang (where cupcakes were had by all!!)

silly/sleeping/thinking friends

best friieeenndz

group photo! it's been years since we've had one...

For emmas second birthday dinner- she had a pizza party at a friends house in columbus. She made about a million pizzas- all as delightful as this one!

no time for sitting down to serve pizza!

pizza dinner party- horray!

Annndd then I left Ohio once again. So it goes. But I headed to the Kentucky 4-h Leadership Center to do my first ever full-on beehive solo presentation at the Kentucky Sierra Club Winter Meetings! Whew! (don't worry- i think it went well).


And then... I drove to Rock Creek WV to move in! I promise- updates on my house, my work, and all my new friends and adventures are to come! But first- heading to Athens for the weekend to help facilitate the OSEC steering retreat (and fit in visiting friends, dancing really hard, and getting to the bulk food depot!)