Friday Things
1. Einstein is slowly getting acclimated to the new house and finding lots of new sun spots. He’s also loved running around after tennis balls in his new fenced-in yard. Now we just need to get him to sleep in a little bit!
2. Now that most of the boxes have been unpacked, I’ve moved into organization mode. One of my favorite things that I’ve got so far is this Large Acrylic Makeup Organizer from The Container Store. Having all of my makeup organized and not having to dig through a bag has been awesome. I love it!
3. We have been knee-deep in flooring samples this week. House fun! We’re planning to pull up the carpet in our family room, dining room and den, and replace it with hardwood floors. The entryway, kitchen and breakfast nook have ceramic tile, which we’re keeping. Who knew there were so many different shades of the same type of wood?!
4. If you use Google Reader to keep up with your favorite blogs, you may have heard that Google is discontinuing it, effective July 1st. If you’ve been searching for an alternative, there is a great comparison of Bloglovin’ vs Feedly on Nosh On It. Based on your personal preferences, you might be able to figure out which will work best for you. I have jumped on over to Feedly; I like the customization of the interface, as well as the iPhone and iPad apps. Have you found an option you like?
5. If you watch Game of Thrones, how insane was that last episode?! Not only was I totally shocked by what happened, but wow was it graphic!
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6. Last Friday afternoon, the UPS man dropped off the best Friday afternoon treat ever – a cooler full of ice cream! Graeter’s, which is out of Cincinnati, OH, just released new flavors to be stocked in Giant Eagle stores in the Pittsburgh area. They sent me some of the samples to try out and I’ve been enjoying the Black Cherry Chocolate Chip, Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip and Salted Caramel for the last week. If they’re sold near you, definitely pick some up (and if it’s not sold near you, you can order online) – some of the best ice cream I’ve had in a long time!
7. Speaking of ice cream, don’t forget to enter the Ice Cream Extravaganza Giveaway – I’m giving away an ice cream maker, my favorite ice cream cookbooks and a fabulous ice cream scoop. You have until midnight tonight to enter… Good Luck!
8. On Tuesday, my best friend and I are going to “The Package Tour” – New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees all in one show! Our pre-teen selves are insanely excited! (Well, 98 Degrees got popular when we were in college, but the other two really take me back!)
9. We were originally worried that the concert would conflict with a potential Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals, which we would both not want to miss. However, it looks as though the Penguins are going to make it a conflict-free night for us… such a bummer!
10. TGIF! Enjoy the ride!
graeter’s is the yummiest! they’re all over the place here – including right down the hill from my apartment. fortunately i didn’t inherit my dad’s insatiable craving for ice cream. :) for anyone who hasn’t had graeter’s chip flavors – graeter’s ‘chips’ are more like chunks off of a solid chocolate bar. not like the chocolate chunks you buy for cookie making, i’m talking chunks like they took a solid bar of really good quality chocolate and broke it into chunks by hand. their peanut butter chip is my favorite chip flavor, followed by their caramel ice cream. so good.
Have I told you how much I love your Friday things posts and the Weekend Dish!
Ooh! I am originally from Cincinnati and Graeter’s is my favorite! I was so happy when our local Kroger in Virginia started carrying it a few years ago. Black Raspberry Chip is my favorite!
Love the pics!
I went to the Package Tour with a friend last week, and I was so amazingly excited. Seriously, it was one of the best shows I’ve been to. Prepare to be delighted beyond your wildest dreams. it’s also a really long concert, so be prepared for that, too.
Glad to hear Einstein is adjusting! My dogs would not! That ice cream sounds incredible!
I have never seen Game of Thrones, but I want to watch it! Just got HBO! Woohoo!
There’s a beautiful golden doodle on So Carolina poodle rescue….would make Einstein a wonderful companion!
Photos of Einstein always make my Fridays! Hope you are all getting settled well in your new home :)
We ,unfortunately, don’t have a Graeter’s store here, but when we get the urge for ice cream we go to the Soda Shop in Pittsboro. It’s wonderful and because of them my favorite ice cream right now is coconut with hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. So good. I recommend trying that combination.
Thanks for sharing Einstein’s smiling face. What a love.
It was a sad day in Lexington when they announced that they were closing all of the Graeter’s stores–but then they quietly came back and it was a year before I even realized it! I actually always choose their caramel sundaes–complete with the best kind of caramel topping, where you can feel the sugar granules, and whipped cream that they use an ice cream scoop for. :) My husband was always a fan of their mint chocolate chip. Graeter’s is awesome!!!
I live in Cincinnati and lOVE Graeter’s!! It’s some of the best ice cream!! My bf actually helps package those ice cream packages to send out… he just may have packed that one for you :)
I love Graeter’s!!! My boyfriend is from Cincinnati :) He claims he likes UDF better, another Ohio thing, and I would agree to get cheaper ice cream for the normal flavors, but you cannot beat Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. :D We just got it out in Maryland, and we are moving back to Indiana where they’ve had it for a while now. Score! (Indiana also has a place called Ritter’s, though, which is what I grew up with and I think it’s THE BEST, so someday you will need to try it too!)
When I entered your ice cream maker giveaway, I listed Black Raspberry Chip from Graeter’s as my favorite. So glad you got to try it! I love the huge chunks of chocolate that you sometimes get but that aren’t hard like some chocolate chips are in ice cream. I also love the creamy smoothness of the ice cream itself, it’s almost silky. By the way, 3 of 4 of the members of 98 Degrees are from Cincinnati. Nick and Drew Lachey are frequently seen here in Cincinnati.
I live about a block away from Graeter’s here in Cinci! I tried the black cherry chip a few weeks ago. I haven’t heard about salted caramel! Their regular caramel ice cream is already a favorite. MUST TRY!
I think that make-up organizer is the solution to my make-up disaster!
Feedly – I downloaded it, but I haven’t gotten acclimated to it yet!! I need to get on the ball.
Thanks for the feedly vs bloglovin comparison. Now that I”m done with school, my mission is to find something to replace google reader. I’m sad it’s going away because it’s worked perfectly for me!
Glad you got to try Graeter’s! We live in Northern Ky and have been enjoying their ice cream for years!! You must try the Black Raspberry Chip!!!It is wonderful!!
I guess I will half to try feedlyI heard it is a pain in the neck. I had Google reader but never really go into… He seems to really be enjoying the new house…
I was really bummed about the Google Reader news but I’ve transitioned over to Feedly quite painlessly. Thank goodness! I don’t know what I’d do without my daily blog reading! And, re: the Red Wedding…I was speechless! The icing on the cake was Grey Wind. :(
I need to try that ice cream! I have heard so much about it. Wish I was getting it shipped to my dour step!
Have a great weekend!
I’ve been using Feedly ever since they announced the discontinuation. I did a lot of research and I’ve been very pleased. I like the features and the interface. I use it on my IPad and it’s a breeze.
Enjoy the concert! I went last week when they were in CT and they were awesome! A little too much boy band for the hubs, but still lots of fun! (and ahem, I am a Boston fan and my son is a Pens fan – has made for some interesting evenings in my house!)
So nice seeing the shout out for Graeter’s, a Cincinnati based company. Living in Cincinnati I pretty much have access to this ice cream All. The. Time. I try to limit it to the months of July and August, the only months that they have Peach (my absolute favorite), but with one of the actual ice cream parlors being only a block from my office it is quite the year round temptation.
Game of Thrones! I’ve read the books so I knew what was coming but it was still hard to watch. So sad the season is almost over already!
Oh, Graeter’s! We literally lived next door to a Graeter’s when we lived in Cincinnati. Whenever we’re back in Ohio we make sure to get our fix. I do wish they’d bring back Amaretto Chip…that was always my flavor!
Yesterday, when I was walking my dog, we passed a baby Golden that was just 8 weeks old. I couldn’t resist and scooped him right up in my arms. Such a friendly, happy little fur ball. I wouldn’t trade my King Charles Spaniel for anything but I can see how I’d have trouble resisting this little guy if we were dog shopping and how easily I’d overlook the fact that he’d grow to be too large for apartment living. :)
LOVE that organizer! The container store is addictive… beware ;)!
Graeter’s is awesome, especially their Buckeye ice cream. Yum! You can order it, but it will cost you an arm and a leg. I have looked into it a few times and I just can’t bring myself to pay for the shipping, it’s insane. I wish they sold all over the US!
Looks like one happy puppy!
People rave about Grater’s and I’ve never even had it. Have to try it someday.
The makeup organizer is like a dept store counter. Nice! I could use that!
And I llooooveeee Mac’s Reeder as a replacement. It used to be a 4.99 app on itunes but I believe it’s now free. It’s the best RSS feed organizer I’ve ever used. I have tried the biggest 10 or so and it’s by far and away, my fave. Love it. Been using it for about 4 mos now and wish I would have switched ages ago!