Sweetie Pig

little man

2009-09-02T10:11:00.005-06:00

where can you find 60's music humming from the speakers, a grown-up size slide on the patio, and the best ice cream in denver?

Little Man ice cream has all of the above, and so much more.

in addition to the requisite chocolate and vanilla, we tried raspberry love (raspberry ice cream with heart shaped chocolates mixed in) and tequila cream (no explanation necessary).
and it. was. good.

located in the highlands, this joint has good some serious atmosphere. good people watching, and great for dates. the ice cream is made just up the street in the Little Man kitchen and while it costs a little more than 31 Flavors, it's definitely worth it.

there is no need to feel guilty for indulging in a double scoop cone either; for every scoop of ice cream that's sold the owner donates a scoop of rice to a developing country. i'd say that is motivation to try every flavor they've got.

photo taken from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/accidental_julie/2640711614/

classy as always

2009-09-01T14:39:00.002-06:00

like most of you, when i think of franzia, i think of fraternity formals where one guy would hold the bag and walk around with the spout open, aiming the delish contents into everyone's mouths.

oh wait, you don't think of that?

anyway, i recently gave boxed wine another try and picked up 'black box' merlot. it was about $20, and held the equivalent of four bottles.

was it amazing? umm, no.
was it pretty good? yes.
would i get it again when i have those lushes i call gal pals over for happy hour? yes yes yes.

film on the rocks

2009-08-18T15:38:00.006-06:00

tonight we're heading to see Top Gun at Film On The Rocks!

Film on the Rocks in a Denver summertime tradition, where fun movies are shown on a big screen at Red Rocks Amphiteater

I feel the need. The need for speed.

the golden rule.

2009-08-04T14:42:00.003-06:00

i hold doors, i smile at people, i let people merge in front of me in traffic. i'm a pretty nice person... most of the time...
on sunday afternoon, i had a minor lapse of judgement, and did something that was not so nice.
a car was blocking the only entrance into my apartment complex. hmmm. this was not good. i had a carful of groceries and a little party to host in 15 minutes.
i left a note on this car, letting them know (as if they didn't already) that they were blocking the entrance. 'how rude!' 'how inconsiderate!' i thought.
while walking back to my own car i saw the apartment manager who informed me that the car was stalled.
gulp. i felt like such. a. jerk.
immediately i regreted my rash and rude behavior, and felt horrible about leaving the note on some poor person's windsheild, when they probably were already stressed out and feeling bad.

i decided that the only way i could feel better about this, was to do something nice. to put some good things back into the world, and maybe, improve my karma along the way.
and that's where Operation NICE comes in. it's a website started by a girl named melissa, who's on a mission to inspire people to be 'proactively nice'.

there are a lot of ways to do this, and here are some of her simple suggestions:
Put an extra nickel, dime or quarter in a parking meter for someone.
Clear the snow off a neighbor's car after a big snowfall.
When you see a mom with a stroller going into a building - hold the door for her. She'll appreciate it more than you'll know!

dana and zach, sittin in a tree...

2009-08-04T12:52:00.001-06:00

k.i.s.s.i.n.g.! who has been on cloud nine since friday night?
ME!

extra dirty. with extra olives.

2009-07-29T15:25:00.002-06:00

how cute is this? it's the madmen take on the 'elf yourself' promotion, and is about a thousand times better! i'm sure it's been around forever, but i just found it!
www.madmenyourself.com

i'm in quite the 'i'm soooo ready to get out of work mood' but i bet if we had 3:30 martinis and i was dressed up this chic, my mood would improve drastically!

hope your afternoon (and week!) is moving faster than mine.

guess where i am?

2009-07-25T09:37:00.000-06:00

at granny's house in grand lake!

loooooooooooove everything about this place.

the cool nights and sleeping with lots of blankets.

canoeing.

grand lake brewery.

playing board games.

taking walks.

taking pictures.

taking a break.

happy weekend!

happy tears

2009-07-24T15:56:00.003-06:00

Seriously, how cute is this?
A sweet little hanky tucked inside a wedding program.
I am such a crier at weddings, I would totally take advantage of it!

It's so thoughtful and original - a lovely addition to a program.
I found this on Bird and Banner, http://birdandbanner.com/happy-tears

They used a real hanky, but I think a cute kleenex would be just as sweet, and less expensive.

So.

2009-07-24T15:48:00.002-06:00

So. I'm back.

I don't even know what happened to this here little sweetie pig blog, but I need to give it a shot of life! I think I got a little too caught up in trying to categorize it - was my blog to be about cooking? decorating? me and my fabulous friends/fam? Oy! It got a little overwhelming!

But now I say, categorize? shmategorize. This blog is for moi!

Well cheers to that, and to that idea carrying over to my life in general.

puppy love.

2009-04-03T10:19:00.003-06:00

i guess i'm a creature of habit.

in the shower, it goes: shampoo, conditioner, face wash, soap.

when i get home from work it goes: pet cats, take off heels, pour a stiff drink ;)

and online it goes: email, bank balance, the daily puppy.

yup, you read it right.

the daily puppy.

every day, there's a new picture of a puppy.

that's it.

and they are so cute.

it is like, seriously impossible to be in a bad mood after looking at it.

people submit pictures of their pups, and write a little bit about them.

you can 'vote' for the dog by giving it 1-11 dog treats.

i always give 11.

lucky.

2009-04-01T13:45:00.007-06:00

Weekends are usually pretty booked up with plans, errands, sleeping off hangovers, etc.

But this past Saturday provided an entire afternoon that was free of all obligations, and we decided to bowl it up.

At first, Zach wasn't very excited.

Probably because when he thinks of bowling alleys, he pictures something like this:

And thinks of dark and smokey buildings, that smell like bowling shoes and old beer.

Ew. These things do not make me want to bowl either.

BUT, we dind't go to suburbia bowl-o-rama. Oh, no sir.

We went to Lucky Strike Lanes in the Pavillions, on 16th St. downtown.

And we loved it.

Housed in a huge loft-style space, there's room for about 12 lanes, a bar, and a restuarant.
Retro decorations adorn the walls, and projection screens serve as a backdrop to the lanes.

Between frames you can kick back on the low, lounge-like couches and order some pretty decent snacks and drinks.

Because what is bowling without a beer, right?
Our Bud Lights came in bottles that looked like bowling pins. ----SO exciting!

While it was a little pricey, I would definitely recommend it for a cute date, and we're planning on going again to take advantage of their $2 Tuesday special - $2 game, $2 shoe rental, $2 coors lights.

Etsy Obsession

2009-04-01T13:18:00.003-06:00

So I'm not exactly what you would call an, 'early adopter'.

One of the last ones to get an ipod? Check.

One of the final few still using a regular cell phone? Check.

Purchased something amazing from etsy? ....hmm....

Have you heard of etsy?

It's like the biggest arts & crafts festival you've ever been to, only it's all online.

There are TONS of talented artists with their own shops, offering everything your artistic little heart could desire!

Today, I made a quick decision, and caved to the addiction known as etsy.

It didn't even feel like a decision though, because I HAD to have this little elephant.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22819560

No, but really. I'm in love.
And I'm SO excited to get this little guy in the mail, and find the perfect spot for him on the wall!

This ellie comes from from Suspect Shoppe - check it out for all sorts of charming prints!

Brunch Munch

2009-03-25T13:42:00.001-06:00

Root Down.
SO GOOD.

Randee, Ash & I discovered THE most amazing brunch spot a few weeks ago.
Our entrees, the decor, and especially the bottomless mimosa (only $10) - It was all great.

Located in The Highlands and situated in an old garage, the restaurant is overflowing with character.
Decorated in 'mid century modern', the old fashioned telephones catch your eye, and the unique serving pieces (customized glassware) keep your attention.

Being 'Boulderites' at heart, we were impressed that the facility was powered entirely by natural sources (wind and bio-diesel) and changed the menu according to the season in order to use the freshest ingredients.

Definitely going back for seconds!

1600 W. 33rd Ave.
Denver, 80211

Peanut Butter Pie

2009-03-24T17:19:00.000-06:00

a really rich and yummy dessert i made for ash & zach in february.
take note not to overbake the cookie crust, otherwise after it’s been frozen it’s really hard to cut!

ingredients:
1½ cups oreo crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package cream cheese
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup milk
1 (8 ounce) package of cool whip, thawed

crushed reeses peanut butter cups

directions:
-Mix crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into pie plate. Chill until firm (or bake for 8 min at 350).
-Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in cool whip.
-Spoon into pie shells, garnish with chopped peanut butter cups, cover, and freeze until firm.

Yields: a whole damn pie
Time to make: 30 min . plus time to chill

Soooooooooo good! You're going to love it.
image courtesy of allrecipes.com

Red lipstick not included

2009-03-23T14:43:00.001-06:00

Z says he wants an office.

Sure, that seems fair.
We all need a place to collect our thoughts and call our own.

A place to relax and be ourselves.

When asked what I get if he has his own office, he responded, "the rest of the house".

Pish Posh.

If I were to carve out a space for myself, my hideaway would be a 'dressing room'.

A classic lady's lounge.

With the little mints they have at country clubs and good lighting.
Oh, and a place to put up all my inspiration.

Plenty of storage for all the essentials .makeup, shoes, clothes, accessories.

Oh and spots for champagne, notebooks & magazines, and plenty of comfy places for girlfriends to sit.

Fresh flowers?
A must.
I would decorate it with these posters - classic Vogue covers and photographs - to maximize the girly-ness, and kick up the glamour.

I'm ready to move in, please!

vogue posters courtesy of http://www.condenaststore.com/index.aspx
decor photos courtesy of http://www.dominomag.com/

if i had $7,000 worth of allowance i'd buy...

2009-03-20T13:56:00.000-06:00

friday march 20th, two thousand and nine - by DanaBerry on Polyvore.com

have you heard of polyvore? i am so in love!

and off we go

2009-03-20T10:48:00.000-06:00

well, how do you do? sweetie pig is a place for:

wishlists
recipes
not-so-secret secrets
daydreams
photos
inspiration
and me.

a kiss for luck, and we're on our way!