SUDDENLY ALL OF MY ADULT LIFE DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE!

I’m buying a HOUSE in my wonderful neighborhood! The inspection was today and there were no scary surprises so it seems like this is actually happening. :O

CUE SCARY MUSIC!

This homebuying process has been stressing me out. Not even Pierre has been able to soothe my worries. Even now that I found a house I love,  I can afford, and suits my needs, I am worrying about all kinds of things, like what if a tree falls on my roof the day I move in?! What if Pierre falls down the steps? What if the next door neighbor’s dog NEVER STOPS BARKING?

Anyway, I took no photos of the interior today because I am terrible at photographing anything other than Pierre, food (I know), and stupid, sometimes terrifying, stuff.

I will tell you that it is a fabulous Colonial with a nice bay window in the master bedroom, a clawfoot tub, slate roof, and pretty painted wood siding. Hardwood floors, a kitchen I’m designing myself, and a miraculously clean basement.

I’m searching for a cheap farmhouse/apron front sink, a Chambers stove (Model C), and other cool things. I’m scouring Craigslist, but if anyone has any leads through estate sales or whatever, you should TELL ME! Because I need to find some finds IYKWIM.

xo,

k

We started at 6:30 AM (!!!) downtown and traveled by bus over to 2100 Lakeside. For those who don’t know, this is the major men’s homeless shelter in Cleveland. It is run by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, an organization I have a ton of respect for, and serves between 400 and 500 people a night. We served breakfast to the men who were there.

It was certainly a powerful experience. It’s not every day that I visit a men’s homeless shelter and I was saddened, but not surprised, by how many young men I saw. Men (boys) who couldn’t have been older than 19. And the opposite end of the spectrum – men in their 70s or even older. Homelessness is sad when it exists at any age, but there’s something particularly dismal about seeing these two extremes in the shelter. I just wish our society would better take care of the young and the old amongst us.

We had the privilege of visiting the Green City Growers greenhouse over on West 55th and Kinsman. They are producing a million heads of lettuce a year to supply retail locations, hospitals, etc. AND they are a worker-owned cooperative employing people in the Central neighborhood, where there are few job options and many of them in the low-wage service industry. These are the kinds of solutions Cleveland needs in order to alleviate poverty in the inner-city, but there is no guarantee it will succeed. If you happen to be grocery shopping and see lettuce from GCG, make sure you buy it. The additional cost is minimal, the taste is better, and the social impact is extraordinary. Making social impact through purchasing a head of lettuce = sweet.

We did lots of other neat things and ended the day eating an amazing dinner catered by Pura Vida on the TERMINAL TOWER OBSERVATION DECK. Yes, waking up at 6:30 for a 14-hour day was so worth it. How lucky am I? Too blessed to be stressed.

Speaking of blessed, this little guy has been so amazing I take him basically everywhere.

xo,

k

Petal cotton dress

Amaryllis cotton poplin top

                                                    Protection printed crepe jumpsuit

xoxo,

krissie

Pierre came into my life on Monday evening and I haven’t stopped smiling. He is a little sweetheart and obviously the cutest thing on earth. He should become a meme.

And then I attended the Fantastic Cleveland Tweed Ride and I won best dressed lady (2 years in a row!!!!) and earned some fantastic prizes, including cosmetics from Saks (including a Kiehl’s conditioner that I love) AND a Forest City Portage tote bag that I’m obsessed with and can’t wait to take Pierre the doggy around in it!

More photos taken by Brian Fyfe:

THE SCENARIO

A few people have knee-jerk reactions, grabbing their pitchforks and promising to stop whatever it is they think is going to happen and claim it was “secretive.” Other people who are equally misinformed say HECK YEAH and follow along with their nonsense because no one bothers to “Google” anything. Typically, these are the same people who:

a) Never come to public meetings, block club meetings, read the news, associate at all with the goings-on in the neighborhood until it’s too late

b) Are not members of Ohio City Incorporated that would allow them a voice in some of the leadership of our neighborhood

While I recognize that not everyone is able to attend public meetings (I miss them sometimes and I almost never go to block club) or even WANTS to attend public meetings, the fact is: the information is put out there. It’s possible to get. If you are using Facebook, you have internet access and no excuse. The people I’m concerned about reaching are people who don’t use internet and/or are otherwise isolated from the general Ohio City news because they are low-income, physically isolated in CMHA housing, feel unwelcome at block club meetings, etc.

DEPRESSING.

I ran for the OCI board in an attempt to change some of this nonsense. I didn’t win (9 people running for 4 seats, I can’t be too sad). Civic involvement is the only way you can help make positive change. It’s just too bad Facebook is seen as a substitute for that.

a) I found the perfect green dress.

b) I’M GETTING A DOG!

OK, so. I’ve thought about a few names including Gary, Pierre, and Enrique. Vote on one of of those, or suggest another and if I choose it, I will glorify your name right here on my blog.

Go!

J. Crew Lady Jacket in Double-Serge Wool

Make Up For Ever – Coral Aqua Lip Liner with a clear balm

Unpictured: Uniqlo jeans, Frye Paige riding boots

The key is CHINESE CINNAMON!

For the dough:
1 pkg. active dry yeast (1/4 oz. size or 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground Chinese cinnamon (Urban Herbs from the WSM)
1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

For the icing:
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup (2 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the dough:
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
Mix together the sugar, butter, salt & eggs. Add flour and milk and mix well Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands lightly dusted with flour. Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough flat until it is approximately 21 inches long and 16 inches wide. It should be about ¼ inch thick.

Prepare the filling:
combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, and then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the surface.

Form the rolls:
Preheat oven to 400º F and position a rack in the middle. Working carefully from the top (a 21 inch side), roll the dough down to the bottom edge. Cut the rolled dough into 1 ¾ inch slices and place 6 at a time, evenly spaced, in a lightly greased baking pan. Let the rolls rise again until doubled in size (about 30 min.). Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden on top.

Prepare the icing:
While the rolls bake, mix the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then add the milk and flavorings. Mix on high speed again until the icing is smooth and fluffy.
When the rolls come out of the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes, then coat generously with the icing.

Here are some of my favorite little buddies:

This is Priscilla. She is my unobtainable doggy soulmate. She has just three teeth. She is perfect. Unfortunately, the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs has her listed on their adoptables page but notes she will actually be adopted by her current foster parent. So that means she’s not adoptable REALLY so they should probably take her photos of the page so I can stop looking and stop RUINING MY LIFE. Check out her page and watch the video of her on TV. Then cry with me because I lub dis babee.

This is Beanie, a 14 year old Maltese at the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County. They call him Beanie, but I definitely think he looks more like a Rhonda or Cher or Wanda, even though he is actually a boy. He reminds me of a middle-aged woman ready to get down with a bottle of Arbor Mist and then take it to the casino to get crazy on some slots. ADORABLE (Beanie is…not those behaviors, exactly).

This is Pierre who is available at Heaven 2 Earth Rescue (all PUPPPIIIEESSS!!!). He is a Shih Tzu mix and very, very handsome. There are a few of those adorable puppies but I chose Pierre because when Alex and I first started dating, he told me about a dog (I beliee a poodle) his family had inherited from an older person named Pierre. Pierre was naturally uninterested in roughhousing with young kids so he wasn’t very nice. In fact, they found is attitude so distasteful that he was put to sleep…Which honestly was grounds for me breaking up with Alex at the time and I still don’t feel over it. Pierrreee….Pieeerrreeee…

Say hello to Stan, a miniature dachsund from A1K9Rescue. Um, let me tell you. This rescue and the Heaven 2 Earth Rescue are probably the two cutest rescues I’ve ever seen. If they were closer, I’d sign up as a volunteer and hang out every day with their adorable little creatures. LOOK AT STAN. Can you STANd it?………………………….. ok, I need to step away from the computer for a moment…

Pete the Bichon Frise! Again, from A1 K9. Enough said.

So actually this entire exercise has just depressed because I want to adopt 3 dogs and I can’t afford to even adopt 1! I’m open for dogsitting anytime! BRING ME YOUR DOGS.

xoxo,

k9