Buffalo Plaid Vintage

They say that the Pantheon in Rome is an architectural marvel.  How is it still standing today? The most important problem the Romans faced during the construction of the Pantheon was the massive weight of the large dome. In order to support it without proper reinforcement as it is common today, the thickness of the walls gradually decreased as the height increased. The Romans also used a different type of concrete for the dome as for the walls.  The dome is over 140 feet tall!  At the top of the dome is a large opening, the oculus, which was the only source of light.  What happens when it rains?  I heard that water only comes through the opening if it is a direct downpour.  There is an area on the floor that is roped off and there are drains to catch any water that comes in. Michelangelo felt it was the work of angels, not men. Pantheon comes from two Greek words pan , "everything" and teon "divine".  Originally, the Pantheon was a ...

Ha, ha, love the name of this place and totally didn’t get it at first.  Duh, Beer and Food.   We took a chance on this place after reading a review on Trip Advisor .  I totally love Trip Advisor, this is my go to travel website.  The review said this was a great place to have a craft beer .  We love craft beer and why not try one in another country!  We took a cab from our hotel around 8 p.m.  When we got there, there was a one hour wait to eat….OK, this is a good sign!  We sat outside while we waited and in the meantime, two of our friends joined us.  Time passed quickly and before long, we were inside and ready to eat! We thought we would be getting typical bar food, but the menu was pretty extensive for a bar.  When in Italy, you have to have the pizza, so we ordered two different pizzas as well as bruschetta.  Our pizza had cheese, eggplant, and mushrooms and it was to die for!  I only wish I would have take...

How do you like the table display?  The table top is really an old medicine cabinet mirror that I picked up from the thrift shop for $3.  I sat it on top of TV/valet tray bottom that I also found at the thrift store for a few bucks.  Both had been sitting in the garage for a while when I decided to pair them up.... I like the reflection you get from the mirror I added a plant to the vase sitting under the table. This cute welcome sign was revealed in another project a few weeks ago.  You can read about it here. Flowers from Sunny Ridge Greenhouse in Nelsonville, OH. Love using old ladders for display!  This is the perfect size for a porch. Weeds pulled – check Edging – done 40 bags of mulch – thanks Brent and Mitch! I think we are ready for summer!

The other day, I was talking to a co-worker about my new ventures in screen printing and he asked me if I knew what a Hipster was? I thought about it and responded, “not really, what is it”?  He went on to explain and I later looked it up in the urban dictionary.   Hipsters are a “subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.” He told me about this new television show called “ Portlandia ” which is aired by the Independent Film Channel. Portlandia focuses on how life really is in Portland, Oregon and stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. The shows characters are all hipsters.  Still not sure what it is?  There is this really cool clip on You Tube (which has been viewed 1,432,560 times) where characters Lisa and Bryce put birds on things. This particular clip is from episode 2. W...

Twelve Discovery Drive is being featured at the Pickled Poppy , head on over and check them out -  Autumn has a great blog!  There's also an Etsy shop discount waiting for you....so go ahead, just do it :) I am also being featured at Three Years Down.   Check out Brittany's blog too!

First off, let me start by saying this place is free to get into!  I’m all about free stuff, aren’t you?  Also, we went twice.  The first time was a group tour with a combination Vatican tour.  I wasn’t feeling well that day, so we went back a second time and I’m glad we did. What’s the difference between a group tour and an individual tour?  The line.  If you go on your own, you will wait in a long line to get in.  But, it moves pretty quickly.   Peter , the first Apostle and the first pope (he reigned for 25 years) and leader of the Church was the reason that the most important basilica in the Christian world, the St. Peter's Basilica, was built in Rome. Peter was given his name by Jesus because he was destined to be the foundation on which the church would be built. Peter died by crucifixion in 64 AD on the Vatican Hills . Emperor Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, ordered a basilica be built on Vatican Hill. The loca...

If you visit the Colosseum, you have to see the Forum – it’s literally right across the street. The forum known as the Forum Romanum looks like a disorderly collection of ruins and rock that can make the imagination run wild.  Just look around and try to imagine what it looked like all those years ago.  Remains of many buildings from different periods are visible.  The forum used to house temples, basilicas and arches.  The area is massive and is a must see site if you ever get a chance to visit Rome. The forum is “ one of the most important archaeological sites in the world ." Three thousand years ago, this valley, which was to become the future social and political center of one of the greatest empires of ancient times, was submerged in marshland.  By an incredible invention of engineering, a canal that is still in function to this very day, allowed for the drainage of the land. The area soon began to develop and by the end of the 7th ce...

My almost 19 year old nursing student daughter just moved back home from her freshman year at college and somehow, she brought back way more than what she left with.  So, to make room for everything, she began cleaning her room.  This girl is a big time pack rat – the sentimental kind; one of those who have lots of trouble getting rid of things…..we all know someone like that! In the process of cleaning her room, she found a letter she wrote on April 16th, 2007 in 8th period middle school.  I am assuming this was some type of writing assignment geared towards Mother’s Day.   As a side note, she is not the writer in the family – she is more of a math and science kind of girl – hence, the nursing program of study.  Also, when she refers to “living with my mom” she uses this term because I was a single parent for eleven years before getting re-married. As a broke college student, I think this might end up being my 2012 Mother’s Day gift ( update:  LOL, s...

Street vendors in Rome selling fresh cut flowers.  A little eye candy for the weekend - enjoy :) Small front container garden we passed while walking back to our hotel

I had the pleasure of dining at a beautiful restaurant at the Piazza Novona .  It was a true 5 course meal and I was full after the third course which was pasta – I mean, who wouldn’t be full after a plate of pasta!  I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but we sat in outdoor seating and they served our group of about 300 people.  The service was exceptional and the food was amazing. Here’s a little sample of Course #1.  Does this make your mouth water or what? As I looked around the Square, I knew I was in a beautiful place full of history.  So, while waiting on the rest of the group to arrive and be seated, I wondered around the square and snapped a few pictures before it got dark. The square is built on the former Domitian's stadium, built by emperor Domitian in 86 AD. Hence the long, oval shape of the square. The stadium, which had a larger arena than the Colosseum was mainly used for festivals sporting events.  Source The ma...

After touring the Vatican, we had a chance to try some local food before hopping back on the bus.  What would you try if you were in Italy?  Pizza of course!  Let me just say - DELICIOUS! This is the restaurant we tried – Pizzaria Luzzi .  Note the dish called CANNELLONI which is next to last on the menu below.  Yep, my hubby read it wrong and thought he was ordering a CANNOLI as a dessert.  He ordered it, but the waitress never brought it out.  There was a waiter that walked by our table and Greg asked where our CANNOLI was.  The waiter looked at him kind of funny and said – “you want a CANNELLONI ,  that’s a meat dish.” Oops – how embarrassing!  Good thing the waitress forgot about it! Lesson learned:  Read the menu closely - if there are extra letters in the word, it's probably not what you think it is :) Instead, we ordered Tiramisu for dessert!