Ventage Tuesday: Gifts to Give

Today's topic: Gifts to give. 

1. A well-wrapped gift
My favorite gifts to give are in pretty packages - almost always.

2. Ideas from Pinterest
I keep a "Gift Ideas" board to pin ideas that make me think of other people. I also stalk other people's pin boards when I'm stumped on what to get a special someone for Christmas or their birthday.

3. A gift in the mail for no reason at all
One positive of having friends that live far and wide is sending fun packages. Maybe chocolate? Maybe a little notebook? Maybe just a card? Maybe some Lego Mini-Figurines? Small gifts in the mail for no reason at all are some of the best gifts to give (and receive).

4. Custom gift basket
Obviously, the gift basket needs to be wrapped in a very cute way (see item 1). Some favorite possibilities:

• For my friend's daughter on her seventh birthday: swimming suit, sunglasses, beach towel, and sunscreen.
• For a relative: fancy spaghetti sauce and fancy noodles packaged in a great strainer.
• For a friend who needs to relax: pajama pants, slippers, and a throw blanket.
• For my dad: ingredients for his favorite mixed drink (and a muddler) in a clear gift bag with some crunchy paper.
• For new parents: Gift certificates for Netflix and take-out pizza tucked into a six-pack of beer.

5. Plane tickets and a vacation rental
I'd love to whisk off my most favorite friends to a beautiful destination - a place where we wouldn't have to do anything we didn't want to, a place where we could cook and drink and visit and laugh and relax and enjoy.

Ventage Tuesday: Pinteresting Summer

*Title shamelessly stolen from Stephanie.

Turns out I am in good company offering Ventage Tuesday - the Wednesday edition. Several of my other Ventage buddies made similar posts today.

I shared my summer manifesto; today I am sharing five Pinterest ideas that will be part of my summer.

1. Pineapple, Chicken, and Spicy Peanut Salad
I think I could actually eat this as a summer lunch. Plus, I had a great dish at a local Thai restaurant with a peanut sauce. I've been obsessed with it.

2. Buffalo Chicken Salad
Good idea for a super hot day. (And a second salad recipe because what's coming next is not-so-healthy.)

3. Cheeseburger with Bacon Jam
Cheese. Yum. Burger. Yum. Bacon. Yum.

4. Chocolate, Banana, PB Pie
A dessert that doesn't have to bake and contains three things I love.

5. Blackberry Gin Fizz Float
Berries. Ginger ale. Ice cream. Gin.

Ventage Tuesday: Drink Up

What I will be drinking this summer.

1. Gin and Ginger

Gin and Cherry Ginger Beer. 

Or Gin and Ginger Ale. 

Or Gin and Ginger Beer.

Made with local gin from Death's Door.

No matter what - completely refreshing.

2. Bloody Mary
Is it a drink? Is it a meal?
Doesn't matter. It's delicious.

3. Hefeweizen
I'm always excited about New Glarus Dancing Man.
With a lemon, please.

4. Dark & Stormy
Made with local rum from Old Sugar Distillery.

5. Iced Coffee

And, a non-alcoholic option.

I prefer Pioneer Woman's Cold Brew mixed with a little sweetened condensed milk.

There has also been lots of talk (between a co-worker and I) about spiked Icees. A drugstore near work has an Icee machine. We could easily stop after work and have our own little happy hour. Hmmmm.

Don't forget to visit the other V-Girls to see what they are slurping down: Angie, Emily, Katrina, and Stephanie.

Ventage Tuesday: Weekend Hangover

Sigh. I miss these girls. They are in my life every day via the Interwebs, but this weekend they were in my actual life. We ate. We drank. We laughed. We (mostly just Em) danced. We talked and talked and talked.

And, today, there is a big hole.

How to recover from an epic weekend?

1. Water. Glasses and glasses and glasses of water. Drunk through a bendy straw.

2. Scheming. Inspired by Katrina to think about a summer manifesto. Dreaming about what will be the most excellent of Barb & Kat's adventures in 2015. Planning a fall trip to VT.

3. Perusing the photos. #averyventageweekend. All 77 photos.

4. A nap. Don't hate me, Ventage Girls who are moms (i.e. all the Ventage girls). I took a giant nap today.

5. Savoring new inside jokes. 
"Whatever question mark." A perfect response to anything ridiculous or non-sensical. "Don't be insulated." To be used in place of "Don't be insulted" - especially in situations where you very clearly should be insulted.

Ventage Tuesday: Ode to Stephanie

Happy birthday to a friend who. . . 

. . . is a great mama to two of my most favorite little men.

. . . can always be counted on to bring dessert.

. . . is the reason that the Ventage girls are finally coming together!

. . . is one of the friendliest, most out-going people I know.

. . . always lends a helping hand (or her husband's helping hand!).

XOXO, Barb

Dear Google,

Thank you for always helping me find just want I need. 

Well, that's not entirely true. Sometimes you help me find things I didn't even realize I needed or wanted to know.

This month, you've helped me learn about:

1. Lots of things for work, including: Common Core State Standards ELA, Dibels for PK, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, 2011 Wisconsin Act 166
Google is always watching. Didn't realize that when I'm signed into my home email at work (not that I ever do that!!) Google tracks all of my searches.

2. Style Your Life
Wanted to get caught up on some outfit ideas for summer.

3. Restaurants
I Googled "Trinity Fond du Lac" to meet up with Angie for dinner last week. And, I Google "Maharaja Madison" several times (in the past two weeks). Ordering Indian take-out is the new black. I also Googled "Purple Door Ice Cream." Cannot wait to try that.

4. OK Cupid Self Summary
Yup. I Googled to get inspiration to write a self-summary for my online dating profile. Hanging head in shame. More about that another time.

5. Camp Wandawega
A crazy vaca idea compliments of Kelly. Speaking of Kelly, I also Googled, "Neely bacon recipe" on her behalf.

And, as a bonus confession - I never realized that I sometimes use Google in lieu of a dictionary or grammar handbook. Between 9:10 and 9:11 PM on May 1, I searched for piqued, pekd, and pekid. Pekid must have been the word I was going for. The same night I also searched for ulterior and alterior and i.e. and e.g.,. I have no idea what kind of super technical and fancy writing I was doing that night.


Love always,
Barb

Visit Angie, Emily, Katrina, and Stephanie to see what they've been Googling. You might especially want to check out Stephanie. She's been nervous about doing this post; it must be because she Googles some juicy things. 

Summer Outfit

Today's post was my pick. Summer fashion must-haves. 

Summer is my least favorite season to dress. My legs are completely white - even at the end of the summer. My arms are flabby. My toes don't always look perfectly polished. It's harder to hide the things I don't like about myself in summer clothes.

And, this is the first summer ever that I will be working full time all summer. It means I will need to be dressed for work most days. 

Hopefully, an outfit like this will work at my work most days. 

Summer Outfit by barb-e-novak featuring a stripe skirt

Boden long sleeve top
bodenusa.com

Old navy top
oldnavy.gap.com

Gap stripe skirt
gap.com

Reef beach shoes
zappos.com

Orla Kiely leather handbag
$330 - orlakiely.com

Cord bracelet
etsy.com

Watercolor Painting Heart Art Print Pink 8x10 Fine Art Print Love...
etsy.com

Ventage Tuesday: Hobbies gone bad.

Today, we (Angie, Em, Katrina, and Stephanie) share five photos that are each a "blast from the past." 

Mine happen to all be about hobbies gone bad.

1983? There was that time I took dance lessons. It's recorded (on a Beta tape!!). The family legend says that everyone else danced right and I went left. It's shaped how I feel about dancing in public even as an adult.

1990? Then, there was that time my grandma learned to weave baskets. Of course, I had to learn, too, because what 12 year old shouldn't have the exact same hobby as someone 50 years her senior!??!

Circa 1992ish. Seventh or eighth grade. I was too cool to have a hobby. Or wait. Look at that flannel shirt. Maybe I was failing miserably at being grunge - especially considering those earrings appear to be small, gold hearts.

1995? Family Christmas photo. Remember that time I learned to race sled dogs. What? I hate the cold and the wilderness. Yeah. Another not-so-great idea.

1997. Yes. That's me with another hobby intended for people 50 years older than me. Plus, being a harp player (or the musician of any instrument that goes between your spread knees) seriously limits one's fashion options.

Love Letters

Dear Awkward People,
I love when you say strange things about my divorce. My favorites include: "Congratulations!" "Is it mutual?" and "I always thought you'd get divorced." It is about the only part of getting divorced that I find hilarious.
Too Sweet.

Dear Al Gore,
There are few people who have impacted my life quite the way you have. I do appreciate your warnings about global warming, and I definitely admire all you did as vice president. Mostly, though, my life would not be the same without your Internet. I love the Internet. I appreciate your uncelebrated genius, Al Gore. 
My Man.

Dear Walmart,
I love that walking through your doors (or even just entering your parking lot) is enough to make me feel good about myself. I feel beautiful and wealthy and thin and fashionable and successful in your presence.
Very Hot.

Dear MASH,
(Mansion. Apartment. Shack. House. = MASH)
I remember really loving you in middle school. You made the future seem so simple. You made me laugh. You made completely meaningless predictions.
(In case you were wondering, I will live in a shack in Paris with Bradley Cooper. We will drive a silver Land Rover. I will be a famous blogger.)


Dear Ventage Girls,
I love your humor, your eclectic-ness, your honesty, your fashion sense, your willigness to enable, your willingness to forgive. 
Will U B Mine?


For more love notes, read this hilarious Huffington Post article.
Or visit my Ventage Girls:
Angie
Emily
Katrina
Stephanie

A Ventage Girls' Take on Winter

Photo taken last Sunday in Chicago. 

Temperature = 14ish + Wind (aka cold)

It's easy to think friendly thoughts about winter today because the expected high temperature is 55 degrees. Not -55 degrees - actual 55 degrees. In Wisconsin. In late-January.

It doesn't get better than that, friends.

So, on this day when it's easy to be bright and shiny, I give you a special winter list.

Five Things I Actually Like About Winter

1. Needing lots of blankets on the bed.

There is something I totally love about snuggling into a bed filled with quilts and blankets. It's very peaceful.

2. Hot beverages.

Hot chocolate. Fancy coffee drinks. Tea. They all taste just a little better in cold weather. 

3. Tights.

Winter fashions, in general, are some of my favorites. Boots. Sweaters. Corduroy. Layers. Scarves. Puffy vests.

4. Big snowflakes.

Unlike Em, I'm not a big fan of snow. (Although, a year ago snow days would have made my list of favorite things about winter.) I do love the  giant, fluffy snowflakes that fall slowly. Those are pretty - from inside the warm house.

5. Television.

Cold weather and early dark nights make for great excuses for watching even more television than usual.

Ventage Girls: Reading is Sexy

Image shamelessly used from Brandon Peat.

Today we talk about books - specifically five books that are on the "to read" list. 

There are actually 317 books on my "To Read" shelf on GoodReads. There are cookbooks, children's books, memoirs, fiction, books about literacy, and a little bit of self-help. I went through that list to pick five to make priorities.

1. The Red Tent

One of Angie's favorites, it's been on my list of things to read for a very long time. I will make time for it in 2013.

2. Behind the Beautiful Flowers

Non-fiction about Mumbai. Totally intrigued. Something I know very little about.

3. The Round House

Every now and then I want to read something because it is beautiful writing and will give me something to think about. I can't help it. It's the English major in me. That's why this one made the list.

4. Firefly Lane

For when I want to read something completely mindless.

5. The Happiness Project

I bought a copy of this when it came out. I don't think I ever read it, though. I will soon. This is, after all, the year of "happy."

Visit my Ventage Girls for more recommendations:

Angie

Em

Katrina

Stephanie

Ventage: Soup's On

We Ventage Girls live in cold parts, and cold parts get a little more tolerable with soup.

Here are my picks - five winter soups I would like to try.

1. Zuppa Toscana
A recipe inspired by Olive Garden compliments of Annie's Eats.

2. Italian Chicken Soup
I don't normally like chicken soup; I've been spying on this one for awhile, though.

3. Sherried Tomato Soup
This would, of course, be served with a grilled cheese sandwich.

4. Brie Mushroom Soup
A restaurant in Oshkosh had an amazing mushroom brie soup. I'm hoping this recipe (from the late, Mr. Food) is as tasty.

5. Beer Cheese Soup
This choice is inspired by an amazing beer cheese soup from Minocqua Brewery.

I can't wait to see what the other Ventage Girls are simmering:
Angie
Em
Katrina
Stephanie

Five Awesome Things About Katrina

One. Katrina has an uncanny knack for quoting Grey's Anatomy and not the crappy, current Grey's of present - the Grey's of long ago. Katrina knows the right line for every situation.

Two. Katrina is a learner. Since I've known her, she's taught herself about photography, yoga, meditation, juicing, and social media as a marketing tool. This girl decides she wants to know about something, does the work to learn, and takes some action based on what she knows.

Three. Katrina wants to be better. She's searching for kale-filled ways to be healthier, happier, and more at peace. And, she doesn't just search. More than anyone I have ever known, Katrina does the work. 

Four. Katrina makes time for the people she cares about. She makes time for Skype dates and crazy travel adventures and encouraging emails and happy packages. 

Five. Katrina appreciates about details. Whether it is cooking meals for her family, simplifying her home, making her Project Life, or traveling - Katrina cultivates and notices beautiful details. 

Happiest of birthdays to you, dear friend. I do wish I was there to celebrate with you.

Ventage Tuesday: To Do in 2013

I have a love-hate relationship with new years. I want to feel bright and shiny. I want to embrace the idea of a clean start, a new page, a blank slate, a chance to be a better me.

I get over-whelmed, though. 

Maybe it's the all possibilities. Maybe it's the chance that I will fuck it all up. Again. Maybe it's the pressure to confess my flaws and make detailed plans to improve upon them. Maybe it's all the talk of healthy eating and fitness - you know how I feel about those.

Today all I can handle is planning to do a few things in 2013 that I know I will love. Nothing serious. Nothing detailed. Just things I know will make me all sorts of happies.

1. Eat cheese.
I will nibble my way through this list: 10 WI Cheese to Try in 2013.

2. Make macarons.
My summer list from 2011 included making macarons. I didn't do it then, and I haven't done it since. I will do it this year, though.

3. Ventage meet-up.
That's right, girls. Katrina. Stephanie. Em. Angie. Me. We will have a meet-up some time in 2013. That's all five of us. Together. It doesn't even matter where. It just needs to involve a giant group hug. Maybe a few giant group hugs.

4. Go to the movies.
At least once a month. Maybe I'll even see all the Oscar nominees.

5. Try new restaurants.
I live in a new place. I haven't found a favorite Chinese dish or the pizza I love. I will eat at a new place at least once a month.

Welcome, 2013. May I fill you with things that make me happy.

May my friends fill you with things that make them happy.
Angie.
Emily.
Katrina.
Stephanie.

Ventage Tuesday: Peace

It's Thursday. Have you heard? My concept of time has been completely thrown off by Christmas. 

And, I didn't manage to get this post up (even though it was my idea) on Christmas because I was busy eating and drinking and snuggling little people.

And, I woke up early this morning ready to conquer all sorts of unpleasant things on my "To Do" list and was derailed by technology.

And, I needed to feel a little peace in my life today.

So, I bring you the Thursday edition of Ventage Tuesdays: Things That Make Me Feel Peaceful.

1. Water
Ocean. Lake. River. Being around water makes me feel peaceful.

2. Pampering
Facials are my favorite right now but massages or pedicures will also do the trick.

3. Memphis
The unconditional love and the cuddliness and having a warm spot in the bed all made me feel peaceful. I miss him. A whole lot.

4. Doing Nothing in an Extravagant Way

5. Fresh Flowers in the House
No matter how chaotic the rest of my house or life is, it makes me feel good to have fresh flowers - preferably simple and in a Mason jar - on my kitchen table.

So, I may just get a pedicure and buy some flowers today.

Ventage Girls: Holiday Soundtrack

Confession. I didn't bust out my Christmas music until last Sunday. I thought about it the day we got a little bit of snow, but I didn't make time to do it. Deciding we'd all do this post today was what pushed me over into adding the Holiday 2012 playlist to my phone.

Here is what I find myself replaying this year.

And, there were some songs on my larger playlist that reminded me of my Ventage Girls.

"Elf's Lament" has Stephanie written all over it. She introduced the song to me.

George Winston's "Variations on a Kanon by Pachebel" makes me think of Em. I downloaded the album after she blogged about it. 

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" also makes me think of a particularly hilarious Em blog post about Grinch insults.

Willie Nelson's "Please Come Home for Christmas" seems like just the kind of thing that should be playing in Angie's kitchen.

And, last but not least, I'm going with "Mele Kalikimaka" as a song that remind me of Miss Katrina. Why? Because I'd love to be sipping drinks with her on a Hawaiian beach to forget about the crappy parts of 2012 in place of Christmas.