Wine and Canvas

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see." ~John Burroughs

There just never seems to be enough time in the day! In one week we are going to be heading back westward and so I have been trying to squeeze in all the breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners, and linners I can!

Ch'en on the other hand has been reminding me not to stress and just smile!

Last weekend, the Luxe ladies and I went over to the Wine and Canvas, and had ourselves a little heyday! It's always important not to take oneself too seriously, and this is certainly the place to leave your ego at the door!

The place held about 40+ people in this little space, each with his or her own canvas and various paint brushes and paints. There was a bar at the front so you can have your choice of liquid courage, or a nice diet coke and get yourself seated and ready for some painting.

The girls needed to visit the front a bit to help them along their creative process. It was so much fun to just sit and chat with fellow "painters" there. There were dates going on, bachelorette parties being had, and just girls night out. I even saw a group from the humane society there!

The class was about three hours long and was taught by an instructor that would walk us all through the painting. Everyone was painting the same scene, but it was fun to see how everyone interpreted the piece differently. There was one lady across from us that did the whole canvas with her fingers. It was like an angry sea scene.

Perfect way to send out my love for the Luxe ladies before heading to Los Angeles again. I am going to miss those girls like crazy!

Acupuncture on a Rainy Day

It's been raining a lot here and cooling things off, it's been just the perfect hoodie weather! And perfect for trying new things. The other week on Groupon they had an offer for acupuncture at East West Acupuncture in Speedway.


I had never had a treatment before, so I was a little apprehensive about needles being poked around on me. I am not one for needles to begin with! Jennifer was my acupuncturist and she was extraordinary! Just in the first few minutes of talking with her, I felt entirely trusting of her and calm to be in her care.


In Chinese medicine, they check your pulse and examine your tongue to tell a lot about your body and what is going on. Right away she was able to tell that I was a vegetarian that ran and did not do a lot of upper body strength.

She had me impressed. She sat and talked with me longer, and more in depth than my normal family doctor! She got down to various roots of issues that I was having.


After our 20 minute therapy conversation, she had me lay down on the bed and get comfortable. She had a small heater in the room to help my body relax more, turned off the lights and had soothing music playing. Then she began to place the needles. My ankles and shins got poked first. Then two on each wrist, my chest and belly button and one in the middle of my forehead. She talked with me a bit to make sure I was feeling good. They all felt really well, surprising, I could definitely feel it in my wrists though, I am most sensitive there and she said I would be too. She checked on me after ten minutes, and then after twenty the needles came out. It was like taking a Valium. I just felt so relaxed and just a sense of peace. I am already scheduled to go back in two weeks!

Pumpkin Spice and Veggie Dog Treats!

I am officially declaring it fall!!


How it goes from being over 100 degrees to being a high of 65, I am not sure, but I will take it!

On the to do list: Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. After having worked there for more than six years, it is a bit of a punch to the gut when I ordered two venti PSL and they were more than $11, ugh. Oh well...I sipped on that deliciousness for the next 3 hours! Had to make sure I savored it all..



So in the beauty of being fall, I figured it was also time to start baking a bit more. And who is more grateful to get cookies than Ch'en? He was being visited by his cousin Theo, so he will have to share.

It's so hard to find vegetarian, let alone, vegan dog treats, so I just opt to make my own. Plus I can bake all I want and not be tempted to eat them all myself.


I don't want to feed my dog anything that I wouldn't feed myself or husband. A true vegan formula contains no dairy products or products derived from trace amounts of meat or dairy sources. So Ch'en's food is simply brown rice grain, oatmeal, green peas, and fresh potatoes..and no strange animal byproducts!


Now for the vegetarian doggie treats! Ingredients: Wheat germ, baby food, some good for the joints and hair oil (it's fish oil, I know. It was a gift for a foster dog we used to have and Ch'en likes the way the ladies notice the extra shine in his coat) and a little almond butter to enhance the whole flavor.



Mix em all up and then form little balls, and press them like you would a peanut butter cookie (which I ended up making after these were done..)

Theo was very patient while they baked.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 350* and then let cool before giving em to the fur babies! Easy peasy!

First Friday Food Truck Fest!

Since Brandon gets to have fun in NYC, I needed to keep myself entertained and so last night for Indy's 1st Friday event, there was a First Friday Food Truck Festival that Anna, Jesse and I needed to attend. It was held in the parking lot at the Murat, now known as the Old National Center.

I was not sure what to expect since I haven't really heard much about food trucks in the Indy area. It seems like a hipster thing that is catching on though..and food on wheels is a good thing by me. Especially when it comes in the form of a cupcake out of an airstream trailer!


The festival promised to showcase the best of Indy’s curbside vendors including, Mabel On The Move, Fat Sammies Ciao Wagon, and more! In addition to the food, there was a local dj and Hotfox. And to wash down all the delicious food, you had your choice of brews from MillerCoors or if you're feeling uber rich, $4 bottles of water. Gut punch..NOW!


The first truck in the line up was Scout's, a cupcakery and popcornery on wheels! One of the owners said that the maple bacon cupcake was the most popular...but I still went for the vegan chai, and it did not disappoint!


Next..the classic looking airstream, complete with red and white polka doted flags, and the ladies inside all wearing matching aprons! Too cute!




Mabel On The Move had Mabel in there whipping up berry cobblers and organic ice cream from Trader's Point. Unfortunately they were out of the ice cream scoops and I opted for the ice cream sandwich...and since it was Anna's treat, aka Phierogi!! Perfect for a 95* evening!



Anna did go with the homemade berry cobbler, still warm and still amazing on a hot night, while Jessie ate the grass fed hot dog...no surprise there.


So here was the truck line up:

Mabel on the Move
Fat Sammies Ciao Wagon
Byrnes Grilled Pizza
Edwards Dashboard Diner
New York Slice
Popcycle
Scout’s Treat Truck
Some of this Some of that
Slider Station
Summer Song / Goody Wagon

Perfect way to end the week!