Monday, January 31, 2011

milo

 My little Milo is turning SIX this week! I can't believe it! 


Milo doesn't live with us, he lives with my parents in the country so that he never has to spend the day alone and is always surrounded by people and love.

 This is when he was still a youngin'!


 My little goofball


 Milo's first Halloween costume.


Milo playing with his buddy. He's the one running like a cheetah!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

This week...

...started eating clean with inspiration from IROCKSOWHAT ...and lost 3 lbs my first week!
...had another article published on my favorite local blog about one of my favorite things: DINERS!
...my grandpa had to be taken to the hospital, hoping he feels better soon
...finally had the heater issue looked at in my car. Hopefully now we will be able to drive with the heat on and not have to worry about CO2 poisoning...
...my friends adopted a pug puppy, and now I totally have PUPPY FEVER, like...I need a puppy TOMORROW!

-- Post From My iPhone

Thursday, January 27, 2011

letters


Dear Shipping Companies,
You have really let me down the past few months. FOUR holiday orders from my shop were lost this season. That's kind of unacceptable. Then, to top it off you delivered a package I was expecting to the wrong address. What's the deal?

Dear Food,
I'm sick of feeling tired, I'm sick of feeling fat. It's time to get rid of those of you who are less than "natural" and get healthy! I'm going CLEAN! Thanks to the inspiration from irocksowhat!!

Dear M,
I'm so proud of all the hard work you've been doing. I can't wait for the day that you finally get to see the results of all of this work! xoxo

Dear Spring,
I know you're scheduled to arrive here in a few months...how would you feel about moving your arrival date up a little bit...to like...say....TOMORROW?!? ...no? darn.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

january iphone pics

Just a little taste of how our life has been this cold, snowy January. Lots of the cats being silly and sweet, a beautiful sunset, too much snow, and a pic of my new SHORT hair cut!

What has your January been like so far?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

banana "ice cream"

We've been trying to be healthier this year, and I think I'm becoming obsessed with our blender. And putting bananas in it. I know this might sound as crazy as the Green Monster...but stay with me on this one:

 Slice a frozen banana and take the peel off.


 Put the frozen banana slices in your blender.


 Pulse until it looks like ice cream!
You'll probably have to scrape the sides a couple of times to get all the banana blended well.

 When I'm feeling the need to be decadent, I add a tablespoon of Nutella.


Put the Nutella in with the pulsed banana and pulse some more until it's mixed in well.

Put in a dish and devour!
It has a banana-nutella soft serve thing going on, and if you pulse it a little extra it gets this super whipped texture that is really delicious.
And SO much better for you than a bowl of ice cream.

Have you made this before?
Did you add anything different like peanut butter or honey or berries?

Monday, January 24, 2011

icicles



we've had a lot of snow and ice the past two weeks. the other night we went out on our back deck and found these GIANT icicles! So beautiful!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

This week...

...worked feverishly to get stuff DONE
...snow, snow, snow, snow day!
...too cold outside to support a social life.
...working feverishly to get rid of my debt!
...m came up with a new toy for the cats
...diner breakfasts!
...never ending queue of photos to edit
...lazy Sunday morning watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off in bed with all 3 of my boys: M, Miyagi, & Styles


Thursday, January 20, 2011

letters


Dear Snow,
You're beautiful, but it really bothers me that people don't know how to deal with you. This is Upstate NY. You've been coming here every winter since the dawn of time. You think people around here could get it together.

Dear Debt,
Your days are numbered. I am going to be kicking you out of my life this year, and there is NOTHING you can do about it. I can't wait to show you the door once and for all!

Dear Cold Wind,
You are starting to turn me into a hermit. I don't want to leave the house because I know that you are waiting for me outside. 

Dear Static,
Ever since I cut my hair you have been plaguing my head, making me look ridiculous, and driving me INSANE. I am seriously contemplating rubbing drier sheets in my hair to get rid of you. Why do you have to be so annoying?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

scenes from around town

 Taking a drive in the country


 Mural in the mall


The candy shop.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

the green monster

Ever since the New Year, I've been reading all over the blogosphere about this awesome energy boosting shake called The Green Monster. Everyone has been raving about how much energy it gives them, some have even claimed they've given up coffee and switched over to this. Since we're trying to be more healthy I decided to give it a whirl myself, and here's what happened:

 Step 1: put 2 tablespoons of Flax Seed in your blender


 Step 2: Add one cup of Almond Milk to your blender.

Step 3: Slice up one banana and add it to your blender.


 Step 4: Fill the rest of the empty space in your blender with baby spinach. Yup, SPINACH!


 This is what your blender should look like, put the top on and begin to liquefy.


 I start by pulsing my blender until all of the spinach is blended in, then I set it to liquefy for about a minute to make sure it grinds up the spinach and flax seeds fairly well.


 This recipe makes enough to fill a pint glass.


And it was delicious! You can't taste the spinach, you get a nutty taste from the almond milk and flax seed, but the main flavor that comes through is the banana. Not full on strong banana, but a mellowed more subtle banana flavor. It was delicious!
M tasted it and suggested I make it with some sugar....which would pretty much defeat the purpose ;)
I'm a fan! Next I'm going to try making it with a frozen banana for more of a smoothie texture instead of the shake texture a raw banana gives you.

Have you tried the Green Monster?
What did you think of it?
If not, will you?

Monday, January 17, 2011

365


In 2010, I challenged myself to complete a 365 Project. And to my surprise, I actually succeeded! Sure, not all the photos are amazing, but it was a peek into my year. I was so inspired that I've decided to to a 2011 365 too!  If you click the collage above, it will take you to the 365 set on my flickr account.
 
Are any of you doing a 365?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

february sponsors wanted


We have a few sponsorship spots open for the month of FEBRUARY, and once again they will be FREE!

Our sponsorship formats come in two different sizes:


If you are interested in running either size for the month of January please email us.
Large ads have the opportunity to also sponsor a giveaway and have a sponsor profile post if you choose. 

Please state in your email whether you are interested in doing either.

Please get in touch soon before these spots are snatched up!

windshielddiaries
[at]
gmail.com

january giveaway winner


Congratulations Mandy!
Please email me your information at
windshielddiaries at gmail dot com

Thursday, January 13, 2011

letters


Dear New Haircut,
After months of thinking about you, you're finally a reality. I was scared at first to take the leap, but I'm glad I finally did!

Dear Scarf,
You've been sitting on my knitting needles for week. I've neglected you. I've been too busy to pick you up. I need to finish you soon because my neck has been cold all winter long. I promise I will get to you as soon as I can.

Dear Cold Wind,
Please see above. I'm not prepared for you. Please come back at a later date. Thank you.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Capital City Diner

 Months ago, Metro 20, our go-to diner for a good, quick breakfast abruptly "closed for renovations." We spent months wondering how long they would be closed, then a few weeks ago, new signage was put up. Metro 20 was dead, reemerging as Capital City Diner, with a gaudy cartoony logo. So obviously we had to go check it out.

 We really liked the way they had changed the interior. It seems a lot more spacious than the Metro was, and instead of the kitschy 50's color scheme of turquoise and hot pink that the Metro had it now has the vibe of a swanky 60's lounge. Wood paneling and mod light fixtures. The booths are new, and more lux than the Metro booths. They did a really good job with the new decor.

They have also renovated the menu. We only looked at the breakfast options, but there are several new items that the Metro lacked.

 The Metro definitely had them beat when it comes to good coffee. Our Capital City cups were filled with weak watery coffee. And while we're on the topic of weak, they are over staffed as many newly opened restaurants are, but the service is not great. It might just be that they are trying to get into the groove of a new place, but the service was definitely slower. Our waitress was also not as friendly and attentive as the ladies who used to work for the Metro.

 M ordered the Country Breakfast: eggs over easy, home fries, a biscuit, and sausage gravy. I had a bite of the biscuit and gravy, and it was pretty tasty.

I had my go to: two eggs overeasy, home fries, bacon, and rye toast. The food was very good, made with high quality ingredients. They serve applewood bacon that is delicious. The home fries were too bland, they could use some seasoning or onions or something.

We'll probably be back once the curiosity factor dies down. The place was packed and very busy. We think that once they settle into a flow of normal clientele that their service issues might get better. We are looking forward to lots of delicious breakfasts, but we will always miss our Metro 20.

Monday, January 10, 2011

january giveaway



This month we have TWO giveaways! 

The first is brought to you by one of our sponsors: Kam of Campfire Chic


Kam's shop is filled with adorable notebooks, embroidered and cross stitched items, and really cute embroidery and cross stitch patterns. And she is kind enough to giveaway a cross stitch pattern to one lucky reader!
And as an extra special bonus, Kam is going to give Windshield Diaries readers a discount on any item in her shop! Just enter the code CAMP10 for 10% off your order!

The second giveaway is brought to you by the awesome Stephanie of Femmena Mala! Stephanie is one of my favorite new bloggers, and a total sweetheart. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should definitely make a point to stop by soon!

It's a beautiful vintage GAP dress, size Small (5/6).


Here's how to enter:
1. To qualify, you must be a follower of Windshield Diaries, leave a comment telling us what you love about Campfire Chic and Femmena Mala

For extra entries:
1. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment telling us you did so.

This giveaway will be open until Saturday, January 15, 11:59pm Eastern Time.
Winner will be announced Sunday, January 16!
Good luck!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

This week...

...celebrated my nephew's first birthday with all of his closest friends & family.
...had Sunday dinner with M's family
...fell victim to the iPhone alarm failures and as a result showed up for work an hour late on Monday.
...started my second round if the Beachbody Insanity 60 day workout...20lbs down, 20 to go!
...spent the evening with M's family
...tried to catch up on 2010 leftover projects
...waited for the snow to fall
...didn't have enough time to get everything done
...cut my hair SHORT!
...drinks with M and my favs

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Thursday, January 6, 2011

letters

Dear 2011,
You started off on the right foot, and I'm hoping that things will only get better. 2010 was a little hard, but we made it through. I hope that you will be a little kinder to us.

Dear Nephew,
I can't believe that you are already a year old! It doesn't seem that long ago that I was sitting in the maternity ward waiting room with my mom and sister waiting for you to arrive. You're so smart and silly, and even though I don't get to see you very often I love you.

Dear Friendly Brown,
More crafty time! More picture taking time! Please?

Dear Self,
You are so close to where you want to be. You need to make 2011 about sticking with your plans. Please don't get all lazy on us and give up on Insanity again. You know that it is good for you in a million different ways. I promise you, you will love yourself more in the end if you follow through with this!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

my nephew is ONE already!

We had his first birthday party this weekend. Despite this photo, he didn't really get too into the cake. I can't believe it's been a year already, crazy!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Jack's Diner

 
Driving down Central on a recent morning, we decided it was finally time to try Jack's. We weren't sure what to expect. 

 As we walked in we were immediately struck by it's vintage charm. Opening the menus we were also pleasantly surprised with the options and the prices. Our waitress was SUPER attentive and friendly. I thought I had missed the cut off time for the breakfast specials, but she let me have one anyway. M had never tried Eggs Benedict and decided to be adventurous, the waitress offered to put his hollandaise sauce on the side incase he didn't like it. 



 M was happy with his eggs, and I loved my challah French toast sprinkled with cinnamon. We will definitely look forward to frequenting Jack's more often to try the rest of the menu. Next up for me: huevos rancheros!