shapiro's deli

I recently stumbled across some photos of my brother-in-law's visit to see us in the fall.  Somehow they got lost once I uploaded them.  We ate at a great Jewish deli downtown and then went rock climbing (what?).  We went on an afternoon following one of the Indy marathons, and it was packed with runners! 

Any type of deli or cafeteria line makes me extra nervous.  I feel so much pressure to pick things up since there is no going back!  Thankfully - the guys always put more than enough food on their trays for me too.  For me, the best things in the line aren't always the deli sandwiches.  I get sucked in with the cakes, pies, mac-and-cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh rye bread, and Saturday's fried chicken special.  It is a dangerous place, my friends!

indy field trip

 

  

While Zach was away on a business trip, I headed downtown to the Midland Arts & Antiques warehouse for a fun distraction.  There are two factory floors filled with vintage and antique furniture, art, jewelry, clothes, and decor.  I love the abundance of industrial and schoolhouse items and the wide range of prices.  It provides easy inspiration and also some items that could be put to work in your home.

My favorite finds included:

• a educational wall map
• sturdy wooden dressers with glass knobs (true bargain pieces)
• a mirror surrounded by studded wood
• a plethora of vintage lamps and chandeliers
• science glassware collections, including cloches and amber bottles
• colorful globes

I walked away without any purchases (thanks to the spending freeze), and because I didn't see anything I needed enough to justify breaking the freeze.  Regardless of money spent, I love visiting a huge place filled with such unique pieces.

weekend list

1. birthday dinner for Zach's mama
2. weekend staying at my parent's house
3. campfire with roasted marshmellows and smores - thanks Mom!
4. snuggling with my puppy
5. celebration dinner for my little brother's college scholarships
6. meeting up with my best friend from school....love that we pick right up where we left off
7. Colts win!
8. seeing my cousin Alissa and her lovely family
9. a long drive with Zach - perfect time to talk and see the leaves changing colors
10. coming home to a clean house (one of my favorite things)



the birthday girl + Ryan + a big present

Sunday lunch at Casa's .... one of our hometown local favorites

fall at the farmer's market

Breakfast sandwich:  homemade bread, country sausage, brown eggs, and cheddar cheese

we stocked up on apples from Wild's orchards

 

Frilly sunflowers

treats from Renee's Bakery and Hubbard & Cravens

brugge brasserie

Zach and I are constantly impressed by the food dished out at our favorite local spot, Brugge Brasserie.  We don't use the word, "favorite," lightly...this is based on time-tested, consistent, delicious Belgian fare.  In fact we head there so often, some servers recognize us.  (I'm taking this as a good sign, and rolling with it...)

Without further ado....let me introduce you, friends. 

Zach's favorite drink - Triple de Ripple

pomme frites with a choice of sauces (house-made horseradish, malt vinegar, and ketchup)

Belgian endive salad - my favorite

Zach's crepe - this week he chose the pork tenderloin

p.s.  try the mussels too.

penrod art fair



Riding through Butler to the fair





we had the trail to ourselves, thanks to a rainstorm





i loved the colors in this trio, but now i'm loving the bigger painting more





people + mud





loved this artist from rural ohio





hello #87





our favorite of the day - Lindsey Tull



the county fair

Fiske fries + rabbit barn

One of my family's traditions is to head to the county fair every year in the little town where we grew up.  Although we moved when I was in middle school, I love coming back with my siblings.  We run into our extended family as we walk around the fair and hit all our favorite food stands.  For me, a state fair has nothing on a small-town country fair.

checking out the dairy barn with our homemade ice cream

Jordan and Kaytea's lemonade shake-up

the dairy cattle

Zach and Jordan by the blue-ribbon pumpkin

more vegetable winners

trying for $100 on the rock wall...

but no money this year...

penrod arts fair

Just a heads up Indy friends -

Saturday, September 11th, is the Penrod Arts Fair, and I'll be riding my bike over to check out all the booths and sample loads of tasty food.  I stumbled on this last year thanks to the street signs in my neighborhood (and the fact that Zach was working on a deadline).  It is held at the IMA, and I loved walking around and looking at all the local art.

finds: marble alabaster lamps

In celebration of my last few days of summer break, I decided to venture to a local spot I've been wanting to see for the longest time.  Midland Arts and Antiques in downtown Indy exceeded my expectations.  It is a massive converted factory/warehouse with two floors full of art, prints, furniture, collectibles, jewelry, lamps, tableware, etc...

Unfortunately in my haste to go, I forgot my camera and have no proof of my trip.  I plan to head back down again when it is a little cooler (read: no air conditioning in this old, old building).  One of the things I kept spotting in different booths were gorgeous, marble-alabaster lamps.  I first spotted these on Trina's lovely blog about her farmhouse.  I sort of love them the same way I love milk glass - timeworn, simple, shapely, and unique. 

But here are my questions: Could they work in a bungalow?  Would they need to be rewired?  How much would that cost?

A Country Farmhouse

A Country Farmhouse

Little Green Notebook

weekend of summer goodness

On my last summer weekend, we tried to load up on the goodness of being outdoors and indulging the carefree feeling of a break from work.  On Friday, Zach and I ate outdoors at our favorite sushi spot, Naked Tchopstix, since we were having the best weather (no humidity!).

We started off Saturday morning with a 19-mile bike ride up to Carmel and made a stop along the way at the permanent farm stand on 54th Street for a pulled pork sandwich.  Right as we pulled in to our house, my brother drove in to visit us for the weekend.  We all made deep dish pizzas together and then went to see The Other Guys.  As we drove back to our house, my cousin pulled in to our house with her two kids to spend the night. 

Since cousin Kristy was heading to a baby shower, we treated her kids, Caleb and Abigail, and Jordan and his friend Dave to some Sunday morning pancakes.  We headed to church and then got started on lunch.  I have a new-found appreciation for those of you who cook big Sunday dinners.  It is hard!  I don't think we ended up sitting down to eat until 2pm.  My big downfall was that the roasted red potatoes (from my Grandma's farmland) took twice as long as expected to get smash-able.  Thankfully everyone was pretty easy-going about it :)  After lunch, everyone said their goodbyes and headed out.  I was totally experiencing the joys of a messy kitchen after having your house full of people you love....it makes dishes so much more worth doing!

indy favorites

This summer, we've been lucky to have loads of visitors come down to check out our little house and neighborhood.  It has taken us awhile to accumulate our go-to local list, but slowly and surely it has built up (mostly by avoiding any chain restaurant and asking for loads of recommendations).  Here are some of our favorite things to do to show the flavor of our little corner of the city:

1. Stroll through the streets filled with historic houses. 
2. Enjoy an omelet and cinnamon sugar toast at Cafe Patachou.  If it is a girls-only trip, we'll head to PetiteChou instead (you may even spot Peyton here).
3. Pick up a box of Long's Donuts....easily the best bakery in town.
4. Go to church at Common Ground with us.  We love this community.
5. Bike along the canal to the IMA and check out the gardens.
6. Munch on french fries, crepes, mussels, and endive salads at Brugge Brasserie.
7. Visit the Broadripple Farmer's Market and load up on salsa ingredients to make at home.
8. Take little ones to the Children's Museum or the amazing downtown library.
9. For a fancy celebration dinner, we love Harry and Izzy's steaks and spicy shrimp cocktail (the kid sister restaurant of St. Elmo's - same food, but low-key atmosphere)
10. Go duckpin-bowling or learn to swing dance in Fountain Square.

We LOVE having visitors, so if you want to come down for a weekend just let me know or email me if you want more info on any of these favorites for a trip of your own.

{Harry and Izzy's feasting}

{IMA in the summer}

{Farmer's Market}

{duckpin bowling}

Indy Neighbors: What would you put on your list?