Let's Go Parking!

Living in a small town has some benefits.  Cheaper rents, accessibility to family, and knowing everyone in town (which can also be a detriment).  But one of my favorite things is the outdoor spaces.  Yes, I know there are great parks in big cities.  Central Park is the "backyard" of New York City and Millenium Park in Chicago is always hopping.  But I like my little small town parks.  Quiet, pretty, and plentiful. 

So today I got to start my day in one of our local parks.  I took my pup, Pip, and her best friend Saunders to a dog park about 3 blocks from my cottage.  This new park is still not that well known and it is kind of tucked away, making it a great place to go and relax.  And they have a dog park.  So the kids got to run and sniff and play and be silly, while I got to drink my coffee and play on my phone. 

I did a little playing with the dogs, too.  Chasing them around, throwing a tennis ball, and generally just making a fool of myself.  And it was fun.  It was quiet and relaxing and sunny and good for the soul. 

Animals have always been a part of my life, but sometimes I forget how necessary they are to my life.  Yes, I get annoyed at the dirty house, or the broken bowls, or the barking, but I know that there will always be a happy little soul that is waiting for me expectantly and is at their happiest when they are right next to me.  It's nice to feel needed.

So I will definitely be back out to the dog park with Pip, and my coffee, and maybe even a good book. 

For more information on Aesop's Park:  http://www.tavares.org/index.aspx?NID=954

Spring Forward? Yep!

My Darling Hipsters,
I have missed you terribly!  I am so sorry I was gone so long, but I am back, and hopefully better than ever!  This STH has recently moved, not far, but just the next small town over, to Tavares.  A little bit different vibe, but still a lot of the charming-ness and great people (many of the same people) as Mount Dora.  Tavares was actually my town for many years before I moved to Mount Dora.  (I even attended Tavares High School!)  So it's nice to be "home".  And my new place!  So cute.  Mid century fish camp cottage.  Totally vintage, teeny tiny, and so fun.  So my creative juices have been flowing.  And now I have internet!  So get excited about new, shiny changes to the STH universe! 

Anyways, enough about me.  I know some of you have been chomping at the bit for some new and exciting wisdom from yours truly.  LOL!  Seriously, though, I have been thinking and creating for y'all.  The recent rash of warm weather has turned my mind to important matters, such as beer cocktails. 

Now, I understand that some of you may be looking at the screen with a strange face, going "beer cocktails?  Has she lost her mind?"  I might have lost my mind, but beer cocktails have a great and storied past.  From a simple Boilermaker (beer and a shot of whiskey)  to the more extreme Flaming Dr. Pepper (Amaretto with a flaming top of 151 dropped into a lager), beer cocktails are fun, efficient (beer and shot in one?) and tasty.  While working at a few pubs, I was able to expand my knowledge of beer cocktails beyond that of a layman (Pond Water or Irish Car Bomb anyone?).  So, after much testing  (just a little), and hours (minutes) of work, I have come up with a tasty, light, fun recipe that would be great at your next pool party.  And you can make it in bulk, so its low maintenance too!


Based on a hybrid of a Daquiri and a Chelada recipe, I like to call it the Chillax.

You will need:

Limeade
Fresh limes
Bacardi Limon
a light island beer, such as Kalik or Presidente

To make:

Start with a glass of ice.  Pour in a decent measure of the Bacardi Limon, about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces, depending on how strong you like it.  Add an equal amount of Limeade.  Top the glass off with the beer.  Add a fresh squeeze of lime and enjoy.  For large quantities, I would mix the Bacardi Limon and Limeade together in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Add the beer to each glass individually to keep the fizz.  Refreshing and spunky!


Coming soon to STH:  Vintage cottage makeover!  I'll see you next time.  Stay hip!

That Holiday Feeling

I'm sick. Not sick mentally. Or emotionally. Just physically. A head cold has attached itself to me, parasite-esqe. I hate being sick, as I'm sure most people do. Those without munchausen syndrome, that is. It sucks, no way around it. I hate the laying around, the constant temperature battle, the crappy stuff on tv, and the general achiness. But it happens to me every year around this time. At least I haven't lost my voice yet this year.

It's also hard to be sick when you live in a little town that goes crazy over the holidays. I can hear the people walking around town, enjoying the Christmas lights. Smell the yummy smells of all the local restaurants. Mount Dora even pipes music around town and horse drawn carriages carry visitors around to enjoy the festivities. My friends are down the street, enjoying cocktails on this slightly chilly night. And I'm like Rapunzel in the tower, looking down and not being able to join in. That girl had it hard. All I can hope for is to be better soon.

But I do have something to look forward to, besides feeling better. The next installment of "Hipster in a Small Town" will be the moving edition. That's right, hipsters, this chick is moving! But no worries, just headed to another small town. The next small town over, to be exact. This hipster will now be posting from Tavares. So look for some new adventures, and a whole home improvement series. Until then, stay hip, my friends. And send soup!

Is that a magic eraser in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Hello, hipsters! It's been a few days since my last post. Lots of work and all that holiday shenanigans. A few bits of excitement in my little world. I have officially gone back to being a vegetarian. For health reasons, I have decided that I need to quit the meat. But no worries, my dears! I will still be posting fab recipes and yummy stuff. And I will probably eat some meat every once in a while.

Anyways, I got to spend a great day with some friends at my theme park the other day. It's so great to visit the park with someone that's never been. It's like seeing it anew. We had a blast, acting like goofy kids. So, while planning my wardrobe for a fun-filled day, I came up with a super easy solution to a true hipster problem. Dirty sneakers. I have lots of pairs of chucks, and anyone who has chucks knows that you can throw them in the wash a million times, but the plastic on the toes and around the edges never comes clean. I found the solution to this problem. Magic erasers! I took out my handy dandy magic eraser (honestly, I buy the generic Target ones), started wiping, and voila, super white shoes! I was so excited, I kept looking at them all day. It even cleaned the textured sides. It is magic!

Orange you glad its November?

Sorry guys, I know it's been a while. I don't really have any excuse as to why I haven't posted. Guess I just didn't have a lot to say. But we are well into November and I am enjoying this month greatly. Chilly weather, great specialty food and drink out on the market, and lots of thankfulness and family time. I'm not sure if I will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family (the give and take of working at a theme park that's open 365 days a year), but I am fortunate to be able to spend time with my family on a regular basis. But I will miss the food. Not the turkey, so much. Not really a turkey fan, but all the other yummy stuff that comes with a big family thanksgiving. Corn casserole, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with those little marshmallows on the top, pickle trays, deviled eggs, and of course, dessert! So to indulge myself in a little of the holiday spirit, I have created a side dish that is simple and tasty and very fitting for the holiday.

Orange Potatoes
I call these orange potatoes because of the beautiful color. Orange potatoes are simply sweet potatoes and some white potato (I prefer petite red potatoes) boiled and mashed together. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut into cubes. I like to leave a little skin in my mashed, for texture and nutrients. And because I'm lazy! So I don't peel the red potatoes, just throw them in the pot.Boil up your sweet potatoes and red skinned potatoes until they are fully cooked (i.e. mushy). Mash them up with a potato masher and add butter to your liking. I like a ton. Salt and pepper to taste and you will have creamy, nutritious and pretty potatoes to accompany any seasonal dish.

Oh, Happy Day!

So, after four months of driving my mother's truck (thanks mom!), I finally purchased a car today! That's a big weight off my shoulders. No more stress about borrowing someone else's vehicle, or worrying about it getting damaged, or scheduling problems, or just the uncomfortable feeling of not driving one's own car. Now my only worry is making that car payment.

Speaking of that car payment, that brings up another topic. Thriftiness. For the first time in a while, I will be watching my pennies closely. But that only makes me more crafty. Tonight, for example, is a foodie delight dinner with ingredients I had in the apartment. Bourbon marinated salmon with bacon in a roasted onion maple glaze. Yummy and cheap!

Perspective

So, I had a rough day today. Didn't sleep well, got yelled at by the boss, and hit a traffic jam on the way home, after I was thoroughly exhausted. So I was pretty aggravated. Then I realized, it wasn't these little, inconsequential things that were really bothering me. Instead, it was the big things. The fact that I've been driving my mother's car for three months because I can't afford a new one of my own, or the friendship that may or may not be over, I just don't know, or the fact that my grandfather has stage three lung cancer. Those were the things really bothering me. But I let the stupid stuff drive me over the edge.

And it occurred to me that everyone is like that. The rude customer at work may be dealing with the death of a loved one, and the guy that cuts you off in traffic might be rushing to pick up his sick kid. It's all perspective. So I'm sorry to anyone I might have pushed over the edge today with my stupid, silly actions. And I hope that things get better for you. We all need a little more good karma.