the cutest smart phone "stand"

my dad isn't a smart phone user.  he still has a flip phone which he only uses to make phone calls.  so, i had to laugh when he emailed this video to me and said that he would get a smart phone if it came with one of these "stands."  something tells me that we would not be able to get leko to hold our phones like that without biting them!

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

simple yoga poses you can do while sitting at your desk

i'm a really active person.  however, on weekdays i sit at a desk at work for 8 hours each day.  in general, i find it hard to sit still, so sitting for that long each day really takes a toll on my body.  i try to get up and move as much as possible (trips to the copy machine, a walk to the water fountain, etc.) but my body gets so stiff.  if you're like me, you might find some relief from stretching.  here are 5 super simple yoga poses that you can do while sitting at your desk to help stretch between emails or while talking on the phone.

love, laurie

national johnny appleseed day

i learned this morning that today (march 11th) is national johnny appleseed day.  john chapman (a.k.a. johnny appleseed) was an american pioneer who introduced apple trees to many areas, including pennsylvania.  since we live in pennsylvania and we love apples, i thought it was only fitting to share some of my favorite apple recipes in honor of johnny appleseed today.  i typically think of apples during the fall season, but i love them year round.  johnny appleseed day is celebrated in march because it is planting season.

- apple slices with peanut butter and yogurt topped with granola

- baked apple chips
- carrot apple ginger juice
- apple cider doughnut pancakes
- apple pancake rings
- german apple puffed pancake
- spiced apple puffed skillet pancake
- apple cake

- oatmeal-applesauce cookies with maple glaze
- baked apple cider doughnuts

- apple crisp granola
- classic apple pie
- deep dish apple pie with streusel topping
- curried carrot and apple soup

it's a cool, damp, rainy day here today, and i could sure go for a cup of warm spiced apple cider right about now!  what are your favorite apple recipes?

love, laurie

paint date

we have been so busy lately with all of the different things that are going on, and it feels like we haven't had a chance to spend quality time together because of our nutty schedules.  yesterday after work, i had to spend the evening painting the set for the show that i am currently working on.  ryan offered to help and i was thrilled to have another set of hands working with me.  it would have taken much longer if i had to do it all myself.  we spent several hours together painting the set, just the two of us.  even though we were exhausted by the time we were finished, it was so nice to spend time together.  it was a nice little monday night paint date.

love, laurie

contorted kitties

on saturday, we took at trip down to my parents' house.  while we were there one of my parents' kitties sat on the couch in the funniest position.  we all could not stop laughing.  i quickly grabbed my phone to take a picture of her.

on sunday night, ryan and i sat down to watch a little tv before bed.  leko came to join us and fell asleep in the craziest position.  ryan grabbed his phone to take a picture of him.

the kitties in our family sure keep us entertained, and they sure know how to get into some of the weirdest contortions!

happy monday!

love, laurie

fun links

thank goodness it's friday.  my mind is officially blown from this week with long days at work and late nights at rehearsal.  i hope we will be able to squeeze in a little bit of relaxing this weekend!

here are a few fun links that i found around the internet recently:

1. one of my all-time favorite desserts in pancake form?!  yes, please!

2. this tree house bed might just be the coolest thing ever

3. these grapefruit poppy seed muffins sound delicious

4. i love this rustic entryway coat rack made out of a piece of salvaged wood and hooks

5. a nice reminder

6. everybody loves nutella 

7. we love panera's cinnamon crunch bagels, and this cinnamon crunch bagel loaf sounds amazing

8. 8 clever uses for shower curtain rings

9. feeling run-down?  here is a 1-minute trick to recharge you!

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

bits of happiness

one of my favorite things that i used to do on my blog was the bits of happiness series.  somehow i got away from it, and it's been two and a half years since i did the last one.  (wow, time sure does fly!)  it's so easy to slip into a funk this time of the year.  with our crazy schedule and all of this miserable, brutal winter weather that we have been experiencing, i thought it was a good time to bring this happy list post series back.

here are . . .

ten things currently making me happy:

10. knowing that the show ryan has been working on for months is finally over

9. rehearsing for our next show which is my favorite thing ever - a broadway musical revue 

8. taking ballet class twice per week - it feels so good to be able to dance

7. the fact that last night ryan figured out how to program our garage door opener into the rear-view mirror in the car!!!  (you are awesome, husband!)

6. trying new recipes and having them work out

5. catching up on recorded shows on our dvr

4. seeing robins in our back yard - a sign that spring will eventually get here, i hope

3. my new haircut which makes my mornings so much easier

2. cuddling on cold nights with our fluffy kitten

1. planning vacation and counting down the days - tropical waters, here we come!

. . . 

what is currently making you happy?

love, laurie

savory corn and cheddar scones

i made a pot of vegetable lentil soup over the weekend for lunch and i was looking for something to serve along side the soup.  we didn't have any bread in the house, and i didn't have enough time to make a loaf, so i decided to make a batch of savory scones.

these scones came together in no time.  they are crusty on the outside while being light and fluffy on the inside.  they have a great flavor thanks to the sharp cheddar cheese and corn in them.  they were a perfect compliment to our soup on a cold winter day.

savory corn and cheddar scones
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time:
yields: 8 scones
adapted from clara persis

ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons salted butter, cold
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup corn

directions:
preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  combine the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder in a large bowl.  dice the butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture.  use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.  use a spatula to mix in the buttermilk and the beaten egg.  fold in the cheese and the corn.

dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 1 minute until it is all combined and the cheese and corn are well distributed.  roll the dough out into a disk (about 3/4 inch thick) and cut into eight even triangles with a pizza cutter or a sharp knife.  place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  lightly brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper on top.  bake for 20-25 minutes, until the outsides are crusty and the insides are light and fluffy.

enjoy!

love, laurie

pancakes!

it's march 3rd which means it's national pancake day at ihop today.  to celebrate the 10th anniversary of national pancake day, ihop will be giving away free pancakes all day.  if you're like us and you don't live near an ihop, you can celebrate at home with your own pancakes.  it's no secret that ryan and i are huge pancake fans.  here are some of our favorite recipes . . .

pancakes:
- almond poppy seed pancakes
- apple cider doughnut pancakes
- apple pancake rings
- banana bread pancakes
- banana pancakes
- carrot walnut pancakes
- chocolate pancakes
- cinnamon bun pancakes
- cinnamon swirl pancakes with coffee maple syrup
- coconut pancakes
- coffee pancakes
- honey and oat pancakes
- hot cross carrot cake pancakes
- oatmeal yogurt chocolate chip pancakes
- old fashioned pancakes
- orange chocolate chip pancakes
- peach cornmeal pancakes
- peanut butter pancakes
- poppy seed pancakes
- pumpkin spice pancakes
- raspberry oat pancakes with toasted hazelnuts
- sweet summer corn pancakes
- whole grain buckwheat pancakes
- zucchini bread pancakes

dutch babies / puffed pancakes:
- dutch baby with fresh berries
- german apple puffed pancake
- gingerbread puffed pancake
- spiced apple puffed skillet pancake

crepes:
- lemon poppy seed crepes with lemon blueberry cream cheese filling
- strawberry crepes

you can even make your own chocolate chip pancake mix to keep for yourself or to give as a give to a friend to celebrate national pancake day too!

happy pancake eating!

love, laurie

dear kitten . . .

if you can believe it, we got even MORE snow yesterday and today.  it's march!  shouldn't spring be here by now?  i'll tell you, we are running out of places to put all of this snow.  it's really not even funny.  the snow may not be funny, but these videos sure are . . .

last june i shared this "dear kitten" video advertising friskies cat food.  it went viral, and we just could not get enough of it because it was so hysterical.  over the weekend, i found out that friskies has made more "dear kitten" videos since then.  ryan and i watched them yesterday and i could not stop laughing.  they are so funny.  if you are a cat owner, you will enjoy these videos for sure!

dear kitten: the original

dear kitten: impersona-cat

dear kitten: my friend peanut

dear kitten: regarding the dog

dear kitten: regarding the big game

dear kitten: the disappearing humans

happy monday!

love, laurie