Tallahassee, FL to Syracuse, NY Road Trip

Big doings since I last wrote here.

The biggest being that the husbot and I sold our house in Tallahassee, FL late last year and took a four day road trip to our new home city, Syracuse, NY. Whenever I travel, I love to check in on Roadside America and see what kind of weird things are around me. Here’s a quick recap of the journey to our new home.

Day 1

That morning we sold the house and got on the road and stopped in Savannah, GA. What I liked about Savannah is that it’s very walkable and seemed really busy. It had great restaurants and shops. We had a great celebratory dinner at The Public [link] in Savannah, GA. I had the best lamb chops of my life, and some delicious cocktails. After dinner we went for a walk in Chippewa Square to check out the James Oglethorpe statue and stopped in a very fancy chocolate shop, Chocolat, with the most unique display cases. They chocolates were amazing.

Display cases at Chcolat by Adam Turoni

Savannah Theatre

James Oglethorpe statue in Chippewa Square

Lamb chops at The Public Kitchen & Bar

Day 2

We started with tea and croissants from Franklin’s and went to explore the historic Bonaventure Cemetery. I’d always wanted to visit this cemetery. It’s most known for being used as a location in the film adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I made it a point to see the grave of Johnny Mercer, famous composer and singer of “Personality,” one of my favorite songs. The most popular grave site is in the historic section. It’s of 6-year-old Gracie Watson, daughter of the opulent Hotel Pulaski’s manager. She died of pneumonia days before Easter, and is memorialized in statue dressed in her new Easter outfit.

After exploring the cemetery, we hit the road headed north and stopped at an AirBnB in Emporia, VA, just over the border from North Carolina.

Grave of Gracie Watkins

Taliaferro grave

I fell in love with this grave near Gracie Watkins’. The look on that angels face is so realistic I couldn’t resist trying to capture it with my camera.

Taliaferro grave detail

Day 3

We left Emporia early, headed for our final destination of Lancaster, PA. We left early because we planned to stop and spend a few hours in Washington, D.C. We took a long walk around the National Mall and saw the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the White House. Fiona dive-bombed every pile of leaves that we passed, which seeing as it was mid-November, was a lot. Being a Florida dog, she’d never seen so many leaves. She gives D.C. “five-out-of-five leaves.”

After a long walk around D.C. we got back on the road and stopped in Lancaster, PA.

Husbot and I at the Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

National Mall

Washington Monument

Husbot with the pups outside the White House

Day 4

Our last day on the road! We left Lancaster headed out for our final destination. Being that we were in easter PA, we had to get some Scrapple for breakfast. It was… salty. On our way out of town, we hit up Dutch Haven to snag a legit Shoo-Fly Pie and homemade Amish rootbeer. I even saw an Amish horse and carriage riding down the road. Achievement Unlocked. As we traveled north, we drove through Scranton and grabbed a delicious sandwich at Hank’s Hogie’s, the childhood favorite of Joe Biden. We also drove by his childhood home right around the corner. Husbot got Joe’s favorite Italian sub and loved it.

Just across the border in New York, we stopped by a visitor’s center with an amazing view in our new home state. We got some snow flurries on the drive, which we were later told were the first of the year. Our first night in Syracuse we ate at local favorite Heid’s of Liverpool. They make excellent hot dogs, the kind with pump-chili and cheese very similar to Tommy Burger where I grew up in southern California. I felt right at home.

Dutch Haven

Joe Biden's Childhood Home

I ❤️ NY sculpture at the Southern Tier Visitor's Center

How I transformed my office in 9 simple steps…

I’m sure after over a year and half of working remotely a lot of y’all were also thinking about ways to improve your work spaces and workflow. With going freelance full time looming on the horizon, I needed to have a comfortable and quiet place to focus and get work done. For me I need a spot that also inspires me. Being able to look around and see my “tray-sures” really motivates me. I knew I wanted it to be a celebration of all the things that have influenced my aesthetic, so: pink, retro, and cute. I have massive Sailor Moon and Hello Kitty collections, and this would be where I could showcase them artfully along with all the practical stuff like art supplies and a ton of books. I needed to make it happen quickly, so I came up with a game plan. I decided to break it down in a few bite sized pieces so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed with how massive it was going to be.

• Pick an aesthetic & inspiration

I find pink to be a really soothing and energizing color. Following that vein, I thought about some of my favorite pink rooms. The two that came to mind were Usagi’s bedroom from Sailor Moon and Clarissa’s from Clarissa Explains It All. The vibes are very different but they both are fun mishmashes of a lot of stuff. I decided my principle color would be pink, with black and white as accents, and for fixtures I’d try to stick to something brassy.

• Take everything out of the room

  We separated my stuff from Mike’s and moved all his stuff into his own space, which is now his home office. Eventually that space will double as a guest room but that’s a project for another day.

• Paint and purge

• Next I picked the perfect calming shade of pink to go with the new vibe. I chose Valspar Soft Pink. Between coats of paint I sorted through all my stuff and started donating old items that could be reused, and tossed the rest. I tend to hoard a lot of stuff for future projects that I never make time for. Other artists are probably pretty familiar with that trap. I tried to fight that urge and it served me well.

• Move back in furniture & arrange for good workflow 

• The previous step freed me up to rethink the entire layout and do something more in tune with my own workflow. I needed a solid storage system for my hoard of books and toys. Also a dual desk situation where I could work on my iMac and a big flat surface to draw at. Lastly a comfy chair that I’d be comfortable enough in to draw for hours, but also double as a quick fix for a guest sleeping over. I decided what pieces were worth keeping for my need planned workflow and moved those in. Then I sold the old stuff on Facebook marketplace to help cover the some of the cost for the next step…

I converted a 1930s kitchen table given to me by my mother into my new drawing desk. I had a drafting table but I’ve hardly used it in some time, it was huge and didn’t really go with the new aesthetic.

• Pick out new furniture

• This is a good point to start thinking about what additional pieces you would like, and start measuring. Think about your current workflow and what annoys you about it. I prefer to do most of my iPad drawing in a comfy chair. I found the perfect chaise lounge, measured everything up and made sure it ticked all the boxes. I’m a big believer in form AND function. Making it cute is how I trick my brain into loving spending time in this space. Exploit anything you can figure out to trick yourself into loving your workspace, as long as it doesn’t hurt your productivity. Here’s links to the pieces I ordered online if you are curious:

• Pink Velvet Chaise Lounge

• Cube Storage System

• Round Storage End table

• Pink Office task chair

Pro tip: Caster wheels!

I learned this life hack years ago and it has served me well. I love adding a set of caster wheels to certain furniture that I wanna move around easily like my end table. These casters fit perfectly, I had just had to pop them on all at once which might be a little tricky. You might want a second pair of hands to help but I did ok on my own. I got this set here.

• Get organized

Everything I moved back in had to find its proper home. I wanted my art supplies to be easily accessible and easy to clean up. I sorted all my pencils and drawing implements into old tea tins. I tried to match up the color of the tins with the colors of the implements to keep me sane. I was able to fit most of the other supplies into my art cart. I love this thing. I got it ages ago at IKEA. All my paper goes into my paper sorter. Without this item my office would be chaos. I also use a planner and a field notes journal to try and keep my schedule on track and to take notes. This is where properly planning furniture choices really pays off.

• Upgrade lighting & fixtures

  
  I had a creaky, loud ceiling fan from the 90s that had to go. My in-laws kindly gifted me the rad Sputnik with the swanky Edison bulbs. I wanted the big light to be something soft and cozy, while my desk lamps are cool tones. If you fancy a bit of mood lighting I highly recommend a dimmer switch. You can find kits at your local hardware store they are pretty simple to install.

• Research & Upgrade tech

• I already had my trusty iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, but I needed a proper workstation for some of the programs I use and what not. I also needed a good back up solution. In a past life I worked in IT, so that background makes navigating this stuff simpler for me. Be sure to read specs and ensure that the gear you are buying is compatible with each other. For me, one way to minimize headaches is to stick to Apple products. For the most part everything works and is well made. It can be a bit more costly, but if I don’t have to deal with Windows I’m willing to pay a premium. Also, with the new iMac being pink, what more did I need to know? Here’s a list of my tech gear if you are curious.

• iMac 24 inch M1 2021

• iPad Pro 11 inch (2nd Gen) & Apple Pencil 2

• Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB

• Add plants

• A bit of greenery really livens up the space and can help purify the air. I go for easy plants that don’t require much maintenance. Pothos, spider plants, and bamboo tend to work well for me. There are a few terrariums that I’ve made out of old spice jars too, just moss grows in them, mostly an excuse to show off cute figurines.

• I also love to bring in roses from my garden. They can make a simple day seem a bit more fancy. Plus it’s a good excuse to take a break and get some fresh air.

Final thoughts…

My biggest piece of advice is to try and set yourself up for success when it comes to staying organized. What I mean when I say that is, assume you will be lazy, and be realistic with yourself. Most of us are not firing on all cylinders at all times. Make it easy for you. I know I have a tendency to let papers get outta hand, so I try to circumvent this by using notebooks for daily notes, and a planner. I use a paper sorter and file folders obsessively. I also have had a long standing rule about not bringing in junk mail at all. I sort it on my way from the mailbox to the trash can. That was a game changer back when I first started it about ten years ago. Happiness is really just small positive incremental changes sustained over time.

I wanted my office to feel like a completely different space separate from the rest of the house. A true Amandaland. Somewhere I could put on some podcasts and focus for hours. I feel like I accomplished that and then some. Which is so satisfying knowing how intimidated I was by it all at the beginning. I hope by breaking down here maybe it’ll help someone else do it for themselves and make their own little work haven.

The pack approves.

Blueberry picking

As things gradually become what I’m hoping are the after times, we’ve been looking to have some socially distanced outdoor fun. Last weekend husbot and I went Blueberry picking at Jubilee Orchards. Blueberry picking is a fun date idea or a good activity to do w the kiddos. Here’s a few tips:

• Find out the prices before you start picking, that way you don’t deal w sticker shock at the till. Regardless most places you are still getting a deal. Blueberries be spensive. The cheapest grocery blueberries near me at Publix are almost $12 by pound, and they are in season. Our picked blueberries were $9 a pound.

• Look for blueberries that are full in shape and light gray-blue in color. They will be the freshest. Blueberries with a small amount of red can be picked as well. Avoid very red, white, and green berries.

• To pick the blueberry properly, gently take a bunch in your hand and rub the berries with your thumb. The riper berries should detach easily while the unripe ones will stay on the plant.

• Don’t wash the blueberries till you are ready to eat them. This will help them last longer and avoid getting mushy.

• Blueberries are great to freeze and they last a long time. We freeze them on an aluminum cookie sheet so they freeze faster. And then just store them in a freezer bag. Don’t forget to write the date on the bag, future you will thank you.

• Wear some Wellies type boots. They will be super comfy and you can tuck your trousers into them if you like to keep it neat. I got myself some cute little London Fog ones for a very fair price. And in my favorite color light pink. LINK

• A hat with a wide brim and that breathes well too, like straw or wicker.

• Protect ya neck, shoulders and back. I don’t enjoy the feeling of sunscreen so I opted for a slightly sheer cardigan, it being light and sheer was just enough protection but I wasn’t sweating to death in the late afternoon sun.

I hope these are helpful and get you to try it for yourself.

A Very Tiki Valentines Day…

Every year my husband Mike and I pick a theme for Valentines Day. If we are having a party, there must be a theme, we are just those kinda people. This years Valentine theme was tiki. I really love the Valentines we made each other this year. Husbot even ordered some leis to go with his pun.

Naturally tiki mugs seemed like the way to go with gifts. Husbot gifted me this set, “The Marvelous Mai Tai Machine”. I got to open it early because I am a child. For husbot I got him the Jaws tiki mug from Mondo that he’s been coveting. It’s pretty rad I must say. We are both film nerds and love Spielberg so this feels like a perfect addition to our growing collection. To keep the Jaws vibe going we needed to rewatch it and I still enjoyed it so much. I feel like Richard Dreyfuss must’ve implanted in my brain as a kid cause he’s definitely an archetype I’ve always found attractive. We also watched “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”. Completely worth the rental fee in my book. It’s completely silly and fun, it kinda reminded me of how I felt watching the first Austin Powers flick.

For dinner, we made the two Trader Vics recipes in Vincent Price’s cookbook, Butterfly Steak Hong Kong & Strawberries Puiwa. Pineapple rice and broccoli for sides. The Strawberries Puiwa ended up stealing the show, it’s a really decadent and different type of sweet, and very boozy. Vincent Price’s cookbook btw is one of my favorites of all time. I can’t recommend it enough if you want to try something totally different. We use it almost every time we have a special occasion to cook for. I found it on Etsy years ago and am so glad I got it. Clearly Mai Tais were in order as well, I’ve read over and over that Trader Vics recipe is the way to go. Here’s a nice read from Eater about them. They really packed a punch, I’m not the biggest drinker these days so I was really feeling bubbly after two.

All things considered this was one of my favorite Valentines so far. I always dread going out on Valentines, it’s kinda like New Years Eve for me, crowds everywhere and a lot of pressure to live it up. I much prefer some QT at home making tasty things with my favorite person.

Vintage Valentines Wreath…

I love me some retro Valentines. Especially ones with cute animals & kids. I bought some unopened Valentines from the 50s on Etsy, got a wreath form on Amazon and put this together. I wrapped a red ribbon around the frame, and lined it up to end in the cleft with a bow. I used a hot glue gun to help it stay put & get the desired shape. Pretty happy with the end result. Not that time consuming, or difficult and easy on the wallet. If y’all decide to make one I’d love to see them. 💖

Kitschmas wreath…

I couldn’t find a wreath anywhere this year that vibed with my Christmas aesthetic so I cobbled this one together. First I sketched up my initial idea. Then I started hunting for all the supplies I’d need. The little putz houses & bottle brush trees came from Target and I just painted them to my liking. The wreath & fairy lights came from Amazon. Some bits were delayed in arriving but I’ll enjoy it for a little bit before it goes into the attic. Really chuffed about this one, it actually turned out the way I wanted.