Golden Gardens + Paseo

On Saturday after an unexpectedly loooooooooong day at work we went out with our friends Mykell (she was my Maid of Honor) and her bf John. We had such a great time! First, we stopped by Paseo - this amazing walk-up Caribbean restaurant in Ballard. Mykell claimed that they had the BEST sandwiches ever. I was a little skeptical until she said it was cash only. If I've learned anything, cash only restaurants are usually pretty tasty. And she was pretty spot on. Both Zach and I got the #2, which we highly recommend (apparently #1 is the other really good choice). 

We took our sandwiches to go and went on down to Golden Gardens. I had never been before, but heard a lot from Mykell about how much fun it was (and how pretty). It's a really sandy beach and has a lot of fire pits where you can bring your own wood to have a bonfire! We brought stuff for s'mores but didn't get there early enough to grab a spot. Instead, we just laid out our blanket, popped open some brew-skis and ate our glorious sandwiches. They were so messy, but that's how you know they are so good!

We watched the sunset and then it got chilly so we went back to Ballard to Cupcake Royale! We each got something different and they were - you guessed it - delish. 

Clockwise from top left: "The Kate" - Chocolate with Vanilla (Pink) frosting; Chocolate with Mint frosting; Tiramisu; Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel. 

I can't wait to go back to Golden Gardens! I love the beach. Especially when there are bonfires involved. And s'mores. 

Have you been to the beach lately? Had any cupcakes? What's your favorite cash-only restaurant that you just know is the best place to eat?

Gettin' Our Bob Ross On

We had a blast painting one of our favorite landscapes last weekend - the Seattle skyline (although it didn't have any trees or little squirrels). Painting, combined with wine (and healthy appreciation for mustaches - ahem, Colleen, ahem) made for an awesome night at Canvas! - a paint & sip studio in downtown Kirkland! I'd been wanting to go for a while now and even though I'm not the best artist (I'm no Bob Ross - definitely far from it) I love being crafty and creative. 

We had Thai food before we went and then wandered down to the Kirkland waterfront for a quick photo. Sutira turned me on to Thai Iced Coffee! Have you had it? You MUST try it. It. Is. Amazing. I already decided I have to order it every time I have Thai food from now on. It's that good. Think sweetened (and strong) coffee with a dash of heavy cream on top (I never said it was the healthiest thing on the menu).

I really hope that is not a cat on a leash behind us in the above photo... kinda looks like it, no?

On to the wine and painting! It's a little spendy coming in at $40, but Sutira found a living social deal that ended up being about $27/each for a party of four! The deal included two bottles of wine between the four of us and painting, so it wasn't a bad deal at all. Plus, it's more for the experience, right?! And I'm all about experiences. 

We were the first ones there at 6:30, which meant we got the best spot with a view of the instructor. They had very light appetizers (think chips, salsa, grapes, cheese + crackers, pound cake) and a bar with beer and wine. Since we had wine included in our deal, I'm not sure if you have to pay extra to get a drink or not beyond the $40 regular price.

They give you four paintbrushes in various sizes, then you fill up on all your paint. The instructor then teaches you step by step how to paint! It's like a grown up paint by numbers. Pretty awesome. And as you can see, all of our paintings turned out pretty darn amazing (ifidosaysomyself).

Getting our paint on! Colleen is not impressed...

Ready to paint!

The sweet set up (Rule #1: Don't mistake your wine glass for the water glass to clean your paintbrush).

I don't remember what was so funny... but we sure had fun!

Here's a bigger and more elaborate version of what we were painting.

On all the walls they had inspiration of all the different painting they teach. You could actually paint whatever you wanted, but we all figured it would be better to just stick with the instructor. :)

Me and my masterpiece! Yes, my space needle is ginormous (that's what he said?). I just wanted to make sure if was the focal point... totally planned it that way. :)

Sutira and Colleen.

Colleen's masterpiece (can you spot the mustaches?).

Sometimes you just have to turn is upside down.

Ellie's masterpiece.

And here's Sutira's masterpiece already up on the wall at her place!

The whole group!

The whole process went surprisingly smooth since the instructor gives you each step. When you layer all the different pieces like they show you, it's actually pretty easy! Although, with two doctors-to-be and an accountant in our group you probably won't be surprised that we were the last group to finish up our paintings (perfectionists, much?!).

We had a blast, and I would highly recommend going if you want something fun to do with a group (and have the bones to spend). There was even a bachelorette party painting right next to us! I know there are a few other similar places around the Seattle area, too.

And one more time because we did so awesome.

Have you ever been to a place like this? If so, what did you paint? Did you find it easy? Challenging? Frustrating? Do tell!

Friday Harbor Trip

I want to share with you a little about our Friday Harbor trip. Last weekend we took a much needed weekend trip up North to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands for our birthdays and after busy season vacation. I had only been there once before when I was really young, and Zach had never been up that way. I found a Living Social Deal online for the Friday Harbor House, which worked wonderfully! I dropped off Buster Boo at my parents' house for the weekend (my Mom was so excited to babysit her "grand-dog":) and we were off!

We totally lucked out with the weather. I was fully anticipating it to rain all weekend long, but it was beautiful! Such a nice surprise that made waiting for the long ferry ride not so bad at all.

We arrived around six in the evening and got settled in our hotel - the Friday Harbor House. It was located right downtown up on a little hill with a great view of the harbor. I would highly recommend it! The rooms were really nice, complete with a fireplace and two person jet tub. It was so nice to have a really nice hotel room for a change. Usually when we travel, we skimp on the hotel since we would rather spend our money and time doing fun activities. This time, we decided we wanted a nice place to relax, read, and take naps. It was great. And had such a beautiful view from our room!

We had dinner the first night at The Bluff restaurant, which was in our hotel. We got a free appetizer with our Living Social Deal, so took advantage. The appetizer was "Chef's Choice" and happened to be a delicious flat bread with nettle pesto, smoked ham, and cheese. Apparently the chef went out and harvested some nettles that morning to make the nettle pesto. Like I said, delicious. After dinner, we took a nice little walk along the docks at sunset.

Our hotel had a great continental breakfast, then we ventured out to walk about town the next day. It's such a nice place to walk around and just enjoy the sunshine. We stopped in a few shops, including the Pelindaba Lavender Farm shop, a couple antique/thrift shops, and the Whale Wars museum/shop. There was even a little Farmer's Market we stopped by. We were interested to learn most of the local restaurants served organic and local food and ingredients. Did I mention all the food we had was amazing? Well, it was. 

We had lunch at the Rocky Bay Cafe - the sweet potato fries were so good, as was the club sandwich (which we both ordered). Next up a little nap, then we went out to explore the island.

First stop - Roche Harbor. On our way, we drove past the Duck Soup Inn, which came highly recommended by multiple people. Since it was husband's choice (his birthday was that Sunday), we decided to save this place for our next visit. Roche Harbor was a lot smaller than I had thought. I'd seen beautiful pictures of the harbor before we went (it was actually one of the places I would have a liked to have our wedding if it wasn't so far away) and it turned out to be such a charming little town. Although, not a lot was going on. We did stumble upon a wedding though. Such a beautiful venue! We also learned that Roche Harbor used to be one of the largest producers of Lime West of the Mississippi. We didn't stay very long since the only thing open was a furniture store (we didn't even see any restaurants open at 5 on a Saturday!). I did love the Hotel de Haro (where the wedding was taking place). Such a beautiful scene along with some other historic buildings and a quaint little chapel.

After Roche Harbor, we kept driving around the island to Lime Kiln State Park to do a little whale watching. Well, there weren't any whales, but we were hopeful! We did see a sea lion! We were so close to the Canadian border, we had to turn our phones off so we wouldn't get charged. It was so beautiful looking out over the water and seeing the lighthouse.

Next up, birthday dinner at Cask & Schooner back in downtown Friday Harbor. Zach had a yummy chicken sandwich and I had a clam chowder and caesar salad. It was pretty good. The restaurant itself was very charming, decorated as if you were on a big ship. The best part of the meal was dessert - a warm bread pudding with ice cream. It was delicious! And a Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband.

Sunday, we ventured out to the Pelindaba Lavender Farm. Although the lavender wasn't in full bloom (I believe the lavender blooms in the summer), it was still pretty and a great day to be outside. We even picked up a lavender chicken dog bone for the Buster Boy. :)

Back in town, we had to stop by the World's Skinniest Latte Shop and it was worth it.

While we waited for our ferry, we checked out the Griffin Bay Bookstore where Zach bought the book Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer. I have to say, I'm excited to read it too. Overall, it was such a fantastic trip. So relaxing, and just what we needed after an overworked and hectic busy season. I would highly recommend Friday Harbor for a little weekend getaway to relax and get rejuvenated! We can't wait to go back. We love you Friday Harbor!

2011 - Year In Review

2011 was a good GREAT year. Looking back, the husband and I got to see some amazing places and do some amazing things. So, here's an extra-long post about the Kane version of 2011. Let's start with the Grand Canyon...

January

The Grand Canyon // Being temporary Arizonians, the top requirement on my list was a visit to the Grand Canyon. It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world, after all. And boy, was it amazing. Buster even liked it (although he didn't want to get too close to the edge... the little scared-y cat). It was even snowy up there! Imagine - snow in Arizona?! I was baffled too. But there it was, and BBoy loved it.

Blogging! // That's right! In 2011 I started blogging again (check out my original blog from back in the day, Meg's Italy, about the summer I spent in Italy; and my first new post), and I kinda fell in love with it. What started as a way to keep in contact with family and friends while we were far away in the AZ, has turned in to such a great way for me to express some creativity and get back to doing some of the hobbies I love, explore more of my baking, share all of our fun and crazy Buster shenanigans, and honestly, fill a void that had been haunting me since moving to Arizona. 

And of course, a huge thank you to my loyal readers (all two of you!). Thanks for stopping by and sharing in the madness. You're the best!

Remember this? It was my "original" blog name, but after a few months I decided it was too hard to spell and/or remember and changed it up to what it is now, make bake & love. Ah, memories. For those of you wondering what a lilliputian is, here's the official meaning.

February

As we know, February is smack in the middle of busy season, so we didn't get out too much. But I did bake quite a bit (Sugar Cookies, PB + Chocolate Chip, and Gingersnaps). We got some tickets to a golf tournament (the Phoenix Open), started a spending diet (via And Then She Saved) and Buster chewed a lot of stuff... 

Hiking // We did discover how much we loved to get out and enjoy the sun with a little hiking on South Mountain.

March

Still knee-deep in busy season, I actually made some time to get out and explore. 

Flea Market // We took a trip to the Mesa Flea Market, where I got my very first cactus, that I promptly named Pokey.

Nerdy-ness // I tried out Warby Parker, an online shop where you can by glasses and frames for a fraction of the cost, and had a little fun with the home try-on. Update: still loving my glasses!

Ostrich Races // We saw some Ostrich Races (and enjoyed an Ostrich burger). 

Spring Training // The in-laws came for a visit and we got to see the Mariners at spring training camp (my first time!).

Buster learned to shake, destroyed his favorite toy (thrice), and took a lover. And we said Auf Weidershen to my bro as he started his professional career as a German Football player.

April

In April, busy season finally ended, my parents visited during their spring break and Zach got to witness some autopsies (creepy!).

Quarter Century // We celebrated Zach's 25th birthday with homemade chocolate cake!

Tombstone // With busy season stick-a-fork-in-it done, we decided we needed to see more of Arizona. On to Tombstone we went to experience the Wild Wild West and a little theater. 

Bisbee // We heard about this little town called Bisbee and had to check it out. We were so glad we did!

Buster Turns One! // Our little puppy is all grown up!

May

With May, came some good news (we were moving back to WA!) and some bad news (Carl, the Camry, died on me) and some more good news (we booked our trip to Europe!) and some more bad news (I got sick). 

It's My Birthday! // I celebrated my 26th with my very first piece of Emersonmade. And I love it.

Painting // I finally started painting again (for the first time since we got Buster). 

Sedona // We took a day trip and went hiking in Sedona. One of the most beautiful places. 

Jerome // We found this cute little mile-high town on our way home from Sedona. 

June

We celebrated our third anniversary in June and started getting ready for the big move (I finally shared a tour of our apartment, too). I even wrote a break-up letter to Arizona. Don't worry, we're still friends.

DIY // I did a little DIY project - my very own camera bag.

Buster Graduates // BBoy graduated from puppy school (with almost flying colors).

Moving Day // Buster liked helping us move... a little too much.

July

July brought travel. And lots of it. We moved across country and traveled through four different states and five countries in one month! 

Goodbye Arizona // We said goodbye to our home in AZ and started our journey back to the rainy Northwest.

Napa, CA // We stopped and said Hello! to Zach's grandma in Napa (and did a little wine tasting).

Redding, CA and Albany, OR //  In California, we saw Zach's Aunt and Uncle and in Oregon, we stopped and saw my Aunt and Uncle.

Vancouver, BC // I went with some friends up to Vancouver, BC for a bachelorette party! 

London, England // We flew across the pond and spent four days exploring all the history of London. (see more here, here, here, here, and here).

Paris, France // After taking the chunnel, we ended up in Paris (truly a romantic city!). Although rainy, we still loved seeing the sites (and getting soaked). (see more here, here, here, here, here, here, and again here)

Schwaebisch Hall, Germany // Next up was Germany to visit my baby brother, take in a Unicorns football game and fall in love with this small German town. (I'm going to post on this leg of our trip soon! Only six months late!).

Seaside, OR // We couldn't wait one day after getting home from Europe to see our Buster Boo, so we headed out to Seaside to do some camping with Zach's parents and the pup. 

Colville, WA // Then it was off to Colville (straight from Seaside) for one of my best friend's weddings!

Phew! July is finally done. Jam-packed, right?!

August

Coming down off of our July travel high, August was pretty slow. We got settled in to our new house and caught up with friends we hadn't seen in over a year!

Kim + Jake // We had back to back wedding weekends, this time in Seattle!

Seahawks Spirit // Buster proudly showed his team spirit!

September

Bainbridge Island, WA // For Labor Day weekend, we hopped on a ferry and went over to Bainbridge to do a little camping with the fam.

Crepes // I found a delicious crepe recipe and quickly became a crepe fiend! So delicious!

Ikea Hacker // I spruced up an ikea bookcase with some good old wrapping paper.

New Chairs // We finally got some new chairs (and I can't wait to do some re-upholstering).

October

Apple-Pears // We discovered the perks of having our own backyard and harvested some apple-pears.

We are the CHAMPIONS! // The Unicorns won the German Super Bowl and my bro was MVP!

Power Drill // I got creative with my power drill while carving pumpkins.

Pillows and Frames // I finally got to decorating the house with a wall collage and some pillows.

Cookies, Lots of Cookies // I baked over twelve dozen cookies for our work cookie decorating contest!

November

We celebrated Thanksgiving and spent time with family. 

DIY // I got bit by the DIY bug again and re-finished a thrifted side table.

Upholstering // I finally got up the guts to try an easy little reupholstering project.

Friendsgiving! // Food + Friends = Fun! 

December

December was full of Christmas fun. Decorating our house (our first time putting up outside lights!), putting up the tree, and trying to keep BBoy away from our Christmas presents. We rounded out the month with a lot of family time and celebration. A great way to end the year!

Projects! // Check out all my winter-y projects (snow globes, yarn letters, hobo mittens, and pom poms)

Ugly Sweaters // We hosted our first Ugly Christmas Sweater Party with great success! 

I hope your year was as great as ours! Here's to a happy, healthy 2012!

Happy New Year!

P.S. Don't forget to check out a year's worth of yummy cookies and treats here!