Run 8 Miles, Drink A Beer

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(1) Sometimes, ya just gotta reward a good thing with another good thing. Let's talk about beer now, kay?

You know how they occasionally reward you with beer after running a race? It has only happened to me a few times, like when they handed out beer after the Run for Boston 5k. Apparently, it's a thing.

But, even if it wasn't, I would have still used it to justify drinking a beer literally five minutes after hopping off the treadmill from an 8 mile run.

After all, when the sun is setting and your husband offers you a beer, you kinda have to go with the flow, right?

(2) Speaking of long runs... I have really only been doing them over the last year, because I used to just get so bored that I couldn't push myself to run for long periods of time. Enter Netflix, which I clearly rave about enough on this blog, yet still insist on mentioning...

My husband and I share a Netflix account, and we are giving it a serious headache. My husband is all about non-fiction, and in particular, he tends to like entrepreneurial and financial documentaries (I just spelled entrepreneurial correctly on my first try, so go ahead and clap for me for a second right now). 

Meanwhile, I am fiction all the way. And, because of watching Netflix while working out, I'm all about the intense action and super strong women (inspiring mid-run, no?). I am big on Alias, Nikita, Continuum, and occasionally something a little campy like Charmed. The result? A Netflix account that can't figure out if we are documentary buffs or campy thrill seekers... 

That said, after so many long runs guided almost entirely by Netflix show binging, it's safe to say that Netflix knows me by now. Like, Netflix knows what I consider to be exciting:

Who put the glad in gladiator? Her-Cu-Leeees! (Sidenote: I once got pulled over for speeding because I was so into belting out the words to a song from Hercules that I was leaning a little too hard on the gas!).

So, now that we have discussed running 8 miles, drinking beer, and Netflix, I suppose I will tease you with a picture from tomorrow's post:

What the heck?

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you agree with by beer-is-goof-for-you justification?
• What other shows should I be watching on the treadmill?

Madison Trip

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Happy Fall! It's finally feeling a bit crispy in the air here in Chicago. In an effort to visit my cousin in Madison before it got too frigidly cold, we headed up there for one night this weekend.

The secret to a good trip? Start your morning with a spin class and a latte. Boom. Simple as that.

When we arrived in Madison, some of us were in need of caffeine, so we headed over to Mother Fool's. I opted for a Lavender and Mint Kombucha (made in Madison!) instead of coffee, and it was delish.

We also scoped out some of the street art in the area. Pictured below are Meep and Obey.

Next, we decided to head over to the terrace downtown for a pitcher of beer.

It was super gorgeous and just the right temperature for a booze infused conversation on a relaxing afternoon. The lake was so shiny and placid that it looked like a monstrous pane of glass.

An hour and two pitchers of beer later, the sky started to darken and it began to mist. Soon thereafter, the sky opened up and we found ourselves sprinting to the car. We finally made it, drenched, and headed over to The Old Fashioned, which is right by the capitol.

After dinner, we headed back to my cousin's to take the dog for a walk. Corgis are a big thing in my family, and my cousin and her boyfriend have a Corgi pup. Cute as a button.



My cousin and her boyfriend had found a special, hidden little public beach next to a private dock, and we spent a few minutes hanging under a tree and watching the water.

Post-dog walking, we went back to the apartment for a home crafted cocktail. My cousin is a gifted mixologist and whipped up some delicious and refreshing cocktails.

Recipe: Middled cucumber and basil mixed with gin, sparkling water, and strawberry puree. Topped with a cucumber slice. Perfection.

With cocktails in hand, we sat down at my cousin's road sign coffee table to play some Euchre. My husband and I got our butts handed to us on Guacamole night, so we were determined to redeem ourselves.

A few rounds later, we decided to head to a bar called Mickey's for a night cap. I rolled out in an old jean jacket of my uncle's, which my cousin had tailored. 

The next morning, we woke up after a short sleep. We had to hit the road in order to be back in town for my husband to watch the Bears game, so we grabbed food at Marigold Kitchen.

I stuffed my face with a breakfast sandwich, minus the sandwich part, and it was perfect. I was impressed that the restaurant had some small portioned breakfasts (which can be hard to find in the Midwest, let's be real) as well as a ton of gluten-free options.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What did you do this weekend?
• Have you ever been to Madtown?

Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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St. Patty's Day is upon us (well.... almost!). If you've been observing Lent, your time is almost up. Were you giving up sweets? Alcohol? Guinness? Let's just say, hypothetically, that you were giving up all three things. What would you do on the day those treats were suddenly back on menu?

You'd make these cupcakes. Obviously.

I've been making cupcakes with sparkling water or diet soda for a while now... and have dabbled in the liquor infused cupcakes (like Frangelico and Kahlua)... but hadn't yet tried beer.

I have to say, the Guinness is amazing. Seriously. Even though the recipe for the cupcake batter omits eggs, oil, and butter, the cupcakes are still extremely moist. Perhaps we have the heavy, rich consistency of Guinness to thank for that, eh?

My sincere advice: Make these. Then eat them. Eat them with a pint of Guinness in front of you to wash it down. Glorious!

(From CalorieCount)

DIY Decor | Leather Coasters

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After overhauling my bedroom headboard using a thick leather-esque fabric, we had a whoolleeeelotta leftovers. It ended up in bow bracelets and cuff bracelets (and leather coasters, oh my!)...

Then, one fateful night, I stayed up for far too long making a camera bag for my mom. Somehow, that small exposure to a sewing machine gave me confidence in my sewing abilities, leading me to stay up even longer to make Justin these leather coasters for his apartment.

These are pretty easy. Of all things craft-and-food related, I am especially unskilled when it comes to sewing (something about fine motor skills and patience... not a good combination for this gal). And so, my friends, as they say in Kindergarten... If I can do it, you can do it! (They do say that... right?)

I started by deciding how large to make the coasters. I decided to go with 3.5in by 3.5in. Larger coasters would work but I wouldn't go much smaller than that.

The lines in this fabric made cutting fairly simple, but make sure that all your pieces are the same size. Don't get too overwhelmed by this detail, though -- you can always trim them after sewing.

I was worried that the two pieces would slip-and-slide while I sewed them together so I decided to start with a bit of super glue. I gave them a healthy dose of glue in the middle and then dotted a bit on the outside. Be careful not to go too overboard with superglue on the outside edges or you may end up trying to sew through super-dried-and-hard-glue.

Once the glue dried, I went around all 4 corners with white thread.

And the finished product was quite pretty..

Am I totally crazy or are these actually fairly manly? I'm sensing a fabulous man-gift movement right here. Valentine's Day? Birthday? Christmas?

Psst! If you're digging these coasters, you might also dig these Scrabble Coasters. Check them out! :)