Great post on general info

This post has so much great information on items like when to buy stuff year round, how long to store frozen foods, etc....

Mocktail Recipes



Would love to throw a party with these yummy sounding mock-cocktails...sound delicious!

Paperwhites

I love the look and scent of paperwhites, and especially that they can be forced to bloom in the winter! I bought some bulbs recently down in Portland and am going to see if I can get them to bloom this holiday season.

Here is a great link to an article from Design Sponge for a great how-to...

My new table

(not sure where to put it or where I would make it, but I totally want it)

And it seems like it would be do-able, might take a while, but seems do-able. Guess I have to store this one away for my after-test-taking-life...

via Re-Nest

Fun Idea for a Party!

Design Sponge has the funnest ideas, and this one is no different. Love the idea of a simple designed and decorated theme with simple colors with a big pop!

Email from Senator Cantwell (D-Washington)

I emailed my Senators (Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murry) earlier this week to let them know about my concerns about the recent passage of the House Bill that passed the Health Care overhaul, but included a bill that would restrict women from getting abortions if they are receive coverage from the public option (which is funded with both federal funds and private insurance premiums).

I received a letter back from Sen. Cantwell and I thought I would share it because it was a good letter to lay out her stance about these issues. I am proud to be a constituent of Maria Cantwell's!

Dear Mrs. Duris,

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the inclusion of abortion services in a government funded health insurance option. I believe every American deserves access to quality health care. I also support a woman's right to choose, as well as efforts to strengthen family planning.

In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court held that women have a constitutional right to an abortion. That decision- Roe v. Wade- was carefully crafted to be both balanced and responsible while holding the rights of women in America paramount in reproductive decision. States can ban abortions as long as they allow exceptions for cases in which a woman's life or health is endangered. It is important that as we overhaul our health care system, we do not lose sight of our Constitutional rights.

Under current law, amendments known as "Hyde Amendments" prevent the use of federal dollars for the funding of abortion services by placing restrictions on appropriations bills. These Hyde Amendments will still be in place regardless of our reform of the health care system. Moreover, "provider consciousness" regulations which require health care entities that receive federal funding to certify in writing that none of their employees are required to administer medical services they find objectionable will also still be applicable.

I believe we can achieve quality affordable health care while still protecting a woman's right to choose. Women must be able to receive quality affordable health care and also retain their right to reproductive service choices. Unfortunately, the cost of health care in America is skyrocketing at more than twice the rate of general inflation and millions of Americans can no longer afford adequate coverage. More than 47 million Americans live without any health insurance and millions more are underinsured. Uninsured adults are four times as likely as the insured to delay or forego needed care, and uninsured children are six times as likely to do so. Forcing Americans to go without basic health care puts millions of people at risk and adds inefficiency and undue strain to emergency rooms and other elements of our health care system. These factors have contributed to out-of-control inflation in our health care industry, making quality care increasingly unaffordable for more and more Americans.

As you may know, I serve on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care reform in the U.S. Senate. I am working with my colleagues on the committee to expand coverage to the uninsured, while improving the care available to those that already have coverage today. The proposals I am considering would let people choose between keeping the coverage they have now or transitioning to new coverage provided through a health insurance exchange. The health insurance exchange would be an insurance marketplace designed to foster competition between private plans and allow for the inclusion of important consumer protections, such as guaranteeing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Assistance would be provided to lower-income Americans, making coverage more affordable for all.

I also strongly support a public option that will benefit Washington State residents. I believe an effective public option will help improve access to high quality care, while bringing down costs through expanded choice and competition in the health care industry. To achieve an effective public health insurance option we must also take full advantage of this historic opportunity to overhaul America's health care system and fix the flaws that exist in the current health care programs like Medicare.

Like most Americans, I believe that we must work to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. Preventing unintended pregnancies through education and family planning will also reduce the health, economic and emotional struggles that can accompany them. It is vital that we repair our broken health care system and provide quality care to all Americans, and please be assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as I consider how reproductive services will be a part of this health care reform.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely, Maria Cantwell United States Senator

Drool worthy post over at Design Sponge

and tons of great resources for amazing furniture!

Centurymodern.com

Collegeclassics.com

Thisisnotikea.com

AmericanFurnishings.com

Geneology and Family Trees

I have always wanted to have a good family tree of my Mom's side of the family. I think family history is such a cool thing, especially when my Mom has 12 brothers and sisters. This company had a cool idea for new modern versions and I might try and DIY for christmas...

http://www.mytreeandme.com/

Old stuff found on the web

http://www.sheaff-ephemera.com/

Industrial Supplier - Cool stuff

These people have everything from stools to works benches and much more.

http://www.chdist.com/shop-equipment/shop-seating/d-421-678-769

Natural Cleaning DIY

Love this and will have to try some of them soon!

http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/10/clean-up-your-act-all-natural-homemade-cleaners/

Kayaking at Lake Quinault

I took a weekend and got out of town a few weeks ago to enjoy Lake Quinault with my Mom (in the middle) and sister Katie (on the left). We had a great time and had unusually hot dry weather (keep in mind this is in the Quinault Rainforest). We took the kayaks across the lake and got fried on the way back. Of course we forgot to put on sunscreen, and were in these weird kayaks that you sit on top of and as we came back across the lake, it got really sunny. It was super hard work to steer without rudders so we got a great workout. My grandparents used to own a cabin on the lake when I was young, and it was so good to get back out to the lake.

We drove around the North Shore of the lake, it is so beautiful! We passed by the newly remodeled Lake Quinault Resort and it was beautiful. And had very reasonable prices. On the last day we were there, we took a small hike and it was so different from all the other hike I have taken out at Lake Quinault. The trail went past a homestead from back at the turn of the century and then into the woods, but the wood were really open and spacious.

Austin, Texas

What a great city!!! I was in Austin a few weeks back for a friend's wedding, and had a blast. I had the worst time getting down there and found a great link to some great travel tips, but the city is as good as I have always heard. Just like my friend Scott said, the blue island in the red sea. And he wasn't joking!

We stayed in the coolest hotel in the city, Hotel San Jose, and were even thinking about how we could set up a hotel like it in Seattle. Any time you go to Austin, you have to stay here. And definitely order the room service breakfast, it is amazingly presented!

Oh yeah, and I also stayed at the Austin Motel for the first few days, it was ok, but I would definitely recommend the Hotel San Jose for a small splurge. I did a ton of shopping and ate too much bar-b-q and Mexican food - oh yeah and it was ridiculously hot and humid!!! And I even ran into a distant relative at the watering hole we went to to get some reprieve from the stifling heat.

I am back to blogging!

Ok, so I am finally back after an 11 month hiatus. Lots has happened since my last time posting, so forgive me for missing some things in the mean time. But I intend on keeping this updated in the near future and I look forward to hearing from my friends from near and far!

I took this photo when I was in Portland a few months ago and it kind of sums up tmy life as of the last few years. From Seattle, to Maryland for grad school, to Canada, to South Africa, back to Maryland, and then off to London and then back to Seattle. But now that I am back in Seattle, things are good, and I am finally settling in. Keep me posted on what you are up to when you have a chance and I hope you get a taste of what i am up to too!

Bonmahon - Where my ancestors are from

Just before I left for Ireland, I got an email from my Grandpa telling me about where his grandparents came from in Ireland. And it just so happened that I was heading along in that direction on my roadtrip. So we headed towards Bonmahon and I knew that it was a small village. But I didn't expect to drive through it without knowing that I driven through it! It was so funny, we had to stop and turn around to get back to the town! It consisted of about 6 houses, one shop and that is about it. I couldn't believe how small it was! But the countryside was so beautiful. And it was right down the road of the ocean! I had to get out and take a photo by the one sign that said the name of the town. The funniest part was that we had seen so many signs pointing us in the right direction, from both directions, and then when we got there, we had no idea we were there!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

It was surprisinly scary!! You have to lay down on your back, then scoot over to the wall and lean backwards, while being held in place by that lovely character there in the photo with me. I wonder how millions of photo he is in across the world... And it was over so fast, that guy has the process down pat! But the grounds of the castle were great too. There was the wishing steps, where you have to walk up and down backwards with your eyes closed. I was so occupied with making it up the stairs that i forgot to make a wish! It was so fun exploring the grounds. Giants were suppoed to live here back in the day sometime ago, and from the size of the plants, I think I might just believe it!

The Gap of Dunlohe

After a great night's sleep in the Neptune Hotel in Killarney (which I totally recommend to anyone passing through the city), we headed out to the Ring of Kerry for a hike. We did a 4 mile hike through the Gap of Dunlohe, a beautiful valley between two mountains. The scenery was amazing, and there were tons of sheep. The traditional way of taking in the views is by horse and buggy, but that option was a bit spendy, and plus, it felt so good to get out and have a hike after 2 days of sitting in a car for so many hours. It is so amazing that driving can be so stressful and exhausting!! The drive was so beautiful, but the roads were soooo tiny!!! And there were so many tour buses and they tend to take up more than their fair share of the road!

The Dingle Peninsula

After the trip to the Cliffs of Mohar, we headed south along the coast to check out the Dingle Peninsula, just north of the very popular Ring of Kerry. We opted for this less popular spot, and we picked right. It was beautiful and very picturesque. We stopped of at this pub along the side of the road when I saw the sign over the door - Micheal O'Neill, considering that is the name of my uncle! We considered stopping for a Guiness, but decided we needed to continue on our trip since it was almost dark and had to find our hostel which was still about an hour away in Killarney. Apparently the peninsula is best experienced on foot. You can walk around the place in about 7 days, mostly along the amazing beaches. Maybe next time I will try it out that way.

Irish Countryside!

For the following 4 days, Maria and I hired a car and drove around the south coast of Ireland. We drove from Dublin to Galway the first night, then continued on to the Cliffs of Mohar (the second photo). The stone walls in the countryside were amazing and the ocean is so beautiful.

Not sure what i expected, but there were so many people at the Cliffs of Mohar (or Mohair as Maria liked to call it). Loads of tour bus and the wind was insane!! We were warned before we got there not to get too close to the edge, as the wind was amazing!

Dublin!!!

The week after I was done working, I flew to Dublin to meet up with my friend Maria, who I met here in London. He is now living and working in Dublin for 6 months and we decided to go traveling around Ireland for a few days. I spent 2 days in Dublin and we attempted to go the Guiness Storehouse, but ran out of time to do the tour, so just went to the gift shop and took our picture outside. I got to see her life in Dublin, went to a party with her work friend and even had dinner with her new guy. We had a great time!