PoSH Gallery Grand Re-Opening

www.PoSHGallery.etsy.com

First 10 sales will receive a 20% discount and free shipping.

In addition to this sale I am donating sales to 2 charities I support:

50% of each sale from the "In the Wild" Collection will go to the Defenders of Wildlife Organization.

50% of each sale from the "Stallwagen Bank Whales" Collection will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Coming Soon - PoSH Gallery Grand Re-Opening!!

PoSH Gallery will be having a Grand Re-opening on October 26th 2009. Some of the new features will be:

Rotating Photo Collections:

Most of my photographs are grouped into collections. The new website will display several collections at a time. Collections will be changed monthly to allow for a greater number of photographs to be made available.

New Print Sizes:

With the addition of a large format printer, I am now able to offer fine art prints in a variety of sizes. Each print is offered in a recommend size but if you don’t see the size you would like, please contact me and I will accommodate you!

Eco-Gallery:
I am please to offer a collection of animal photographs I have taken over the summer. The animals pictured in the photographs range from Humpback Whales captured feeding off the Stallewegan bank, to endangered Cheetahs. As noted in each of the description, a portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to charities supporting animal conservation and protection.

Two Hawaiian Islands

My husband and I just got back from an amazing trip to Hawaii. Of course there were a couple of hiccups along the way but any true traveler pushes through those and enjoys the rest!

Lately we fly only Jetblue airlines. Direct flights, low fares, more room, and personal tv's are hard to pass up. For this trip we chose to fly United - they are definitely no Jetblue! Between the time my reservations were made and we get to the airport United changes our seats around 4 times (3 times without informing us). I finally call to complain and get a very nice gentleman on the phone who tries to get me better seats as well as let me pay for our baggage online as their website wasn't working properly.

We arrived at Logan airport to find out that they had changed our seats again.......they were kind enough to put us in the more leg room area. Board our flight and off to Chicago we go. So there were are landing in Chicago when hmmmm ground getting close and we start climbing again......yes that would be a missed approach landing. Yay! Finally land and look for some breakfast. Board our next flight to Honolulu - rather annoying that the gate is such a small area but what can you do. Next problem - we were given a smelly, moldy, disgusting blanket!! Yuck!

AAAHHHHH land in Honolulu - lets get bags and start to enjoy.....oh there's my bag....what the ****. Yup my bag is destroyed! Handle ripped off, bag torn, stuff sticking out of it! Luckily, there is a nice customer service agent who looks at my bag and heads to the back room where she pulls out two similar suitcases like mine that I can choose from (hmmm does this happen often?).

Finally, we get to grab our rental car and head up to the North Shore of Oahu. Views of pineapple fields, trees, mountains, etc. lovely! Let's play tourist for a second and stop into the Dole Plantation. A must do for us is always to stop in there before heading to the hotel and grabbing some pineapple champagne (Tedeschi Vineyards) for our balcony. Next we get to pass Haleiwa, pipeline, sunset beach, Teds Bakery, and then we get to our destination Turtle Bay Resort!

We have stayed here previously and enjoyed our stay however, lately we read a lot of bad reviews and so we were a bit nervous that things have changed. Here comes the staff for help with valet and bags.....OMG is that.....yup it's Thomas who helped us during our last stay! In addition to being nice, friendly, and helpful Thomas was memorable to us because his brother lives in the city next to where my parents live. We head to check in, where we're still joking around with Thomas now the check in staff is laughing about it with us too. We're given a room on the 5th floor, room 565. The room is great for us. It has a large balcony with two chairs and a table, desk and chair, tv armoire, bed, 2 end tables, a dressing area with large closet, wetbar, safe, coffee maker, bathroom. Yes some of the furniture is scratched a bit and the tiles could be re-caulked but hello it's not the staff who makes pieces look weary that would be the guests who do that! So note to self, on your next vacation take a little more care with your belongs around the hotel rooms furniture etc.

During our stay we got to hike up the beach at the hotel, visit the horses at the stables, relax and swim at the beach (why so many people hung around the pool when there is a beautiful beach just on the other side of the hotel is beyond me!), hike Waimea Valley, watch the surfing all along the North Shore, shop Haleiwa, check out Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head Crater, Byodo Temple, China Mans Hat, and visit a Macadamia Nut Farm.

For us dining was a little more difficult as we are pescatarians (vegetarians who eat fish and dairy). At the hotel we truly enjoyed Ola! Some reviews we read didn't like Ola at all - the only thing I can say is that you're in Hawaii if you're looking for a steak go to Texas. During our stay we tried the garlic edamame, baby octupus, scallops, poke, and salads. Everything was delicious! We also used room service a couple of times - banana pancakes, homemade granola, salad pizza, and bruschetta were some of our favs! Off property we enjoyed the Shrimp Trucks - our favorite was Romy's, Ted's Bakery - can't go wrong with anything they serve, and Haleiwa Joe's. When we would go into Waikiki there aren't that many non-touristy restaurants so you do what you have to do.....Cheesecake Factory for salads, and Jimmy Buffets for Veggie or Fish Sandwiches!

We originally planned to do the Hawaii Foods Tour - Hole in the wall but decided it wouldn't be for us since we can't eat any meat and also didn't want to be disrespectful to the establishments if we chose not to eat something. We called and left a message for Matthew Gray explaining the situation (we also stated that we understood the cancellation policy) and never received a call back (poor customer service).

On Wednesday we flew over to the Big Island for the night. We didn't really have any plans for the day except to explore. This island is definitely not a favorite of ours but here are the things we did like. Greenwell Farms coffee plantation in Kona - yummy coffee, Volcano National Park - truly a must see, Volcano Winery - friendly staff, delicious wine, Hawaiian Vanilla Company - great lunch, fabulous vanilla products, nice staff, very informative tour.

We decided to stay at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott for the night (I had previously reserved a great special for an ocean view room). I called the hotel earlier in the day because we were going to arrive after check in and I didn't want to end up with a "leftover room." The valet staff were the first people we saw and they really weren't the friendly welcome one hopes for. We head to check in where Beau notices that I got the "special ocean view rate" and then proceeds to "sell" me on a room on the 3rd floor (ignore my request for a high floor room). We head to our room and look out our balcony and see nothing but a giant tree! We call Beau back up and explain the situation he tells us he'll try to find something else and finally gives us another room on the 3rd floor. The view is okay and the room is nice and new then the music starts! Apparently on Wednesday nights the hotel puts on a luau - - right in the middle of the grounds that the hotel surrounds (apparently this is the only place they could come up with).

This area is truly a tourist trap we prefer more of a natural area with local flair. You have two hotels, premium shopping, and all chain restaurants. To the left of this area is lava rock, to the right is lava rock, behind the area is lava rock, and in front is the ocean - there is no where else for you to go!

Thursday night fly back to Oahu - thank goodness all the wine, vanilla, coffee, etc. made it as checked luggage in my small carryon! Our last couple days on the island are just spent relaxing on the beach trying to get a bit of a tan. The morning we were leaving we decided to just go grab some coffee. Thanks to a fellow guest we were informed that a Hawaiian Monk Seal was resting on the beach. Grabbed my camera and were able to photograph a truly beautiful endangered animal.

Hopped back on United (praying for my luggage to survive) head to chicago and on to Boston. Luggage made it this time - woo hoo!

Great Aunt Aggies Chicken Wings

Last week my mother and sister went to see Lisa Williams. Lisa Williams is a medium and has a show on tv. While they were there Lisa Williams mentioned several people who have left us. One of those individuals was Aunt Aggie. Aunt Aggies name was directly mentioned as well as a story about me losing her wedding ring when I was in High School. In honor of Auntie Aggie I wanted to share her Chicken Wing recipe. I hope you all enjoy it!

12 large Chicken Wings
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp worcestershire
1/3 cup soy sauce
juice of 2 lemons
1 clove garlic (minced)

Marinate wings for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake chicken wings for 1 hour.

Featured Etsy Street Blogger: Lazy T Crochet

I would like to introduce everyone to a new shop I visited called theLazy T Crochet. Lazy T's shop is filled with everything from hats, and shrugs to patterns. In the shop announcement Tricia (Lazy T) invites you to look through her shop, sold orders, as well as send custom orders.

In her sold orders I found my favorite piece a Dark Charcoal Hooded Button Cowl. Just by looking at the pictures I could tell it would keep me warm during the winter months and I could still look fashionable!

Starting June 10th through the 14th Lazy T is also participating in the 2nd annual Yart Sale.

Congratulations again to Lazy T for being this months featured blogger on Etsy Street Bloggers.

Don't forget you should also check out Lazy T's Blog!

First Etsy Street Bloggers Post

I recently joined an Etsy team which helps connects our creative sides. This weeks theme for me is about the June birthstone. Pearls.

I was only 19 when I married so as you can imagine most people didn't think we'd make it. One person who believed in us was my favorite Aunt....Diana. As an early wedding present she had taken a strand of pearls to her jeweler and had the clasps made into earrings for me and the rest into another necklace made for her daughter. The earrings are beautiful four pearls in each earring surrounded by white gold and diamonds. 5 months before my wedding my aunt passed away after a long battle with cancer. I miss her terribly but felt so fortunate that I was able to have those earrings as a tribute to her on my wedding day.

9 years later I was able to give those same earrings to my aunts daughter as "something borrowed" on her wedding day. Forever linking the three of us by those pearl earrings.

San Diego - May 2009

Prior to leaving for San Diego we decided to purchase the even roomier seats on Jetblue. While it was an unnecessary expense it felt good during the 6 hour flight! The flight itself was normal the only interesting part was having Mitt Romney on our flight.

We picked up our luggage, met our family, and headed over to the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. Maybe the hotel is secluded, far away, or it was just because we were tired and it was late but seemed to take forever to get there. However, once we arrived we were happy with our stay. The front desk staff is very professional while still friendly and tried to find us a nice room (it was our anniversary). The room itself was nice, clean, and inviting. We had a king bed, flat screen tv, mini bar, seating area, and a balcony over looking the pool and marina. The bathroom had a large tub, large sink area, and a separate shower. The shower was nice (glass enclosure) however it was kind of like a cruise ship shower - impossible to shave in! After checking out the room we said goodbye to our family members, ordered some room service, and fell right to sleep.

Our first day in San Diego was "play the tourist day." We met up with our family and headed out to breakfast at The Mission - North Park. Yummy! French toast, pancakes, soy chorizo burritos, and awesome coffee! We drove over to Old Town (one of my favorite places) and purchased tickets for the Trolley Tour (like I said tourist day). We had a half hour before the tour so we visited the shops and purchased a few gifts. Once on board the trolley we had the pleasure of meeting Deb. Deb was voted as the trolley tour operator of the year in San Diego. The Tour brings you all over San Diego while the operators give you a bit of history and information on the stops. Some of the places you can visit are Old Town, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, Little Italy, and Seaport Village.

Balboa Park is filled with beautiful gardens, museums, shops, and restaurants. We didn't visit the museums while we were there but we did visit a few gardens, the outdoor theater, shops, etc. After our visit in Balboa park we hopped back on the trolley and headed to Old Town again. For lunch we decided on Cafe Coyote. Yummy! Carnitas tacos, potato tacos, rice, beans, etc. At this point the time change, early start to the day and our activities are catching up with us. We head back to our hotel for a quick nap and then get ready to head out for the night.

Dinner was enjoyed at Kensington Grill. Our waitress gave us a complimentary glass of champagne since it was our anniversary. We enjoyed a bruschetta plater (not your typical bruschetta) - Mango and Brie, Shrimp Ceviche, Pancetta, etc. Our dinners were good but our family did tell us that the experience was actually less than they had previously had there. After dinner we decided we weren't completely stuffed so a stop at HeavenSent Desserts was in order. Yummy! I loved the Mexican Hot Chocolate!

On our second day in San Diego (Anniversary Day) we had reservations for a VIP Tour at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. We met our guide Stacy (hmmm meant to be..... same name as me and even spelled the same way) who fit right in with the four of us! Stacy took us through the park (minus the Asian side) and told us all about the animals and how they're cared for as well as how the park is set up. Some special highlights were stopping at the elephant exhibit and going into the keepers area. We saw the different areas where the elephants get checked on and taking care of in. While we were there we got to see the adult male elephant be put back into the exhibit and checked on.

Another special stop was to the Okapi's. We were actually able to see into their beds and where the keepers take care of them. Then we were allowed to feed the Okapi's some lettuce. We fed Safina who is due to give birth to a new Okapi any day. At the last special stop we were brought to where the "performing" animals were taking a break. We peeked in on the cheetah, hyeanna, possum, kangaroo, etc. Stacy was able to bring out a snake and an anteater. We got to look at them up close and even pet them. After our tour we headed over for some "park food" - needless to say I had the fruit salad. After lunch we visited the gorillas, catfish, lions, and the baby cheetah. After all of this activity we were exhausted! We headed back into San Diego for some R&R.

For dinner we visited the Prado at Balboa Park for a romantic al fresco dining experience. Our service and our food were great. I will say that the mushroom risotto is more like watery rice but it was very flavorful. For dessert my cousin surprised us with a mini 2 tier wedding cake. The tiers were made up of our flavor wedding cake as well as their flavor from their wedding. How sweet is that! Now for the bad part. Do not order cakes from Flour Power in San Diego. My cousin had ordered the cake weeks in advance with instruction for it to be covered with fondant and have a a fondant bow (similar to my original cake). The bakery called to tell her that she wouldn't want that on such a small cake (this was the day before she was scheduled to pick it up). When she went to the bakery it didn't have the fondant, nor sugar flowers it was a plain white buttercream frosted cake. On top of that the bakery gave her a huge attitude when she complained that this was not what she ordered. My poor cousin was so stressed out from this that she was actually crying to them and they didn't care! We were all able to laugh it off in the end but be sure we are spreading the word not to use Flour Power.

On our third day in San Diego we all decided we needed to sleep in. We relaxed ordered some room service (yummy). Got ready and headed over to The Hotel Del. We walked the beach, played in the sand, and watched insane teenagers walk in the water wearing jeans! After we cleaned off a bit we headed to check out the hotel. The shops and restaurants look nice and the outside of the hotel is really pretty. The inside of the hotel is definitely not for me though. While it is historic and beautiful craftsmanship it's very dark and and feels like it caters to an older crowd.

For lunch we headed over to Tartine. Awesome panini's that come with a side salad! Very cute cafe! The desserts looked amazing too! We wanted to try them but were really looking forward to some Gelato. My cousin took us to Nado's Gelato and boy was it worth it! Amazing Gelato! The flavors were spot on, it was smooth and creamy, just delicious! I had the panna cotta and pistachio - yum! I told them it was my 2nd favorite gelato (right behind a small shop on Capri). After the gelato we found a little vintage store called “the attic” that had so many fun pieces of jewelry, housewares, and gifts!

We decided to head into little Italy where we found the most amazing clothing store. For Joseph clothing store. Scarves, Jewelry, Jeans, Shirts....Awesome! It was finally time to go to my cousin's place and rest for a bit. It was nice to just relax and hang out and play with the honey bear (they're adorable dog). It was time to change our outfits! 4 T shirts, 4 different colors and different colored lettering all saying......MAS TACOS! That's right it was time for a taco crawl!!

Our first stop was at the Blue water Grill. This stop was the winner for one of us. The rest of us though the fish was delicious (Grilled, great seasoning and perfectly cooked) but too much cabbage and not enough sauce. After we chowed one taco each ((as per taco crawl rules) we took a photo it was time to slam down the drinks and head on to the next stop!

Our second stop was actually a last minute entry (on the way to use the bathroom) Los Panchos. The tacos here were battered and fried, good amount of toppings but rather flavorless. This location was actually a drive through so there wasn't any drinks to slam down but we did get ready to move on.

Our third stop was El Zarape. This was the favorite of 3 of us. We each tried the fish taco as well as the scallop taco. Delicious! The fish was cooked well, just enough toppings and sauce, and fun atmosphere. At this point we were supposed to head to a fourth stop but we decided that we all really liked las Olas (from a previous trip and we couldn't imagine another place topping el zarape) so let's get some dessert! For dessert we headed over to Babycakes for some cupcakes. My red velvet cupcake was good but it's definitely not made in the southern tradition. Everyone else really enjoyed theirs.

On our last day in San Diego we decided to shop as much as we could. Our first stop was to Balboa Park to look at all the Native American artwork at the 25th Annual Indian Fair and Market. We met an amazing artist named Daniel B. Ramirez. His work is beautiful. I was only able to buy a couple of cards since we were flying home but I fully intent to buy one of his prints. http://sites.google.com/site/danielramirezart/

Our second stop was to the Little Italy Farmers Market. The produce looked amazing! The food stands smelled yummy! We ended up just getting a couple of things. First was Frogs Balls.....pickled brussel sprouts. This were actually really yummy! The second was a really cute purse made out of a coffee bag. What made the bag different from others I have seen was that it had added fabric inside and outside to add a splash of color. Later in the day we headed over to Mille Fieulle for some French Macaroons to take home. The cookies are for the most part delicious and made traditionally. However some of the fillings taste a little too artificial. I also wondered if they used egg whites or a substitute. For dinner (of course we had to eat before getting on a plane) we had yummy hamburgers at Crazy Burger. The burgers are large portions and are delicious. We had tried the regular hamburger, the veggie burger and a kangaroo burger (that one was my husband, definitely not me).

We dropped off our rental car at Budget Rental – and will never use them again! They're system was down so they couldn't check us out. Told us they'll email us our receipt. Upon receiving our receipt noticed we were over charged. Instead of checking us in when we dropped the car off, they checked us in a full four hours later, resulting in an additional days charges. It took 4 calls to they're office, the regular customer service office, and 2 managers to correct their mistake. We still await an itemized bill to ensure the correction is accurate. Finally, we jumped on our Jetblue flight, tried to catch some zzzz's, headed home and slept for most of the day - jetlag stinks!

Massachusetts

I occasionally complain about living in Massachusetts and sometimes I have real reasons to do so. One example is the extreme weather, over this past winter we received over 70 inches of snow - yes 70!! Summer can be just as difficult. I love hot weather, sunny days, and beautiful surroundings but as a woman with naturally curly hair I hate Massachusetts humidity! – (on a humid day my hair volume will double in size) But with all the things that annoy me, there is also plenty of things to appreciate.

Here are just a few of the things I love about Massachusetts

Downtown:
I love shopping on Newbury Street (boutique to high end), Harvard Square (funky, and laid back), and Faneuil Hall for tourist souvenirs.

I enjoy eating at casual places when I'm in town so I head over to Faneuil Hall and walk back and forth through Quincy Market eyeing all the places to eat. It can be hard to narrow down which stand I want to purchase from. Do I want fresh seafood, a burrito, a steak and cheese, or some pizza? Decisions, Decisions! If I feel like sitting down at a historic restaurant I go to Durgins Park, across from Quincy Market. They have the best corn bread I have ever eaten! Heading into the North End is a must for desserts, I recommend visiting Modern Bakery or Bova's Bakery.

For tourists I always recommend the Aquarium, USS Constitution, Swan Boats, Old North Church, catching a Celtics or Bruins game at the Garden, and of course a Red Sox game at Fenway.

North of Boston
I love Caribbean beaches but when I can't get away I head to Crane Beach in Ipswich. The beach is nice and wide, clean, has walking paths, sand dunes, and usually offers calm waters. If you love to hike, my new favorite is Weirs Hill in North Andover - Beautiful!!

My favorite "discount store" is Nordstrom Rack in Danvers. Where else can I get a juicy couture necklace, Dior sunglasses, and Michael Kors shoes and spend less that $300?! A new favorite of mine store is a store in Lawrence called Rose & Dove Gourmet, LLC. It's a home accents, fine food and wine store. I loved that Rose & Dove have organic wine, children's books, purses, and local artists’ jewelry.

If you want a gourmet meal in a casual and fun atmosphere definitely check out Evenfall Restaurant in Haverhill. A few other favorites are Glory's in Andover, Capitol Grill in Burlington, Nana's Steakhouse in Chelmsford, and Pho 88 in Lowell. All have excellent eats and great environments.

South of Boston
Shopping at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets (Wrentham) can be so much fun, even when I spend too much!

In May, a good mini vacation is to visit the Cape and the Islands. We make a stop at Ikea on the drive down (I am always in need of kitchen gadgets). Arriving in Falmouth, where we stay, we always grab some mussels and beer at Liam Maguire's Irish Pub. The next day we take the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard and rent a car for the day to visit all the different areas. Another favorite South Shore area is Chatham. The beaches are nice, the shopping is eclectic, and occasionally you can check out some surfing.

Disney World

I know that Disney World doesn't seem to fit into my travel lifestyle but I am just a big kid. I think part of it has to do with not experiencing Disney World until I was 9 years old. Since then I have been to Disney 8 times. I have tried many Disney vacation packages, including budget on property hotels, moderate on property hotels, downtown Disney area hotels, Kissimmee hotels, and vacation club rentals.

My favorite experience would be the complete Disney experience. This entails staying on property, using the shuttle services, the all inclusive meal plan, and going to Cirque Du Soleil. This package can be pricey so we balanced it out by staying at one of the moderate Disney hotels. Our two favorites are the Caribbean Beach Resort and the Coronado Springs Resort.

Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is nice because it's spread out. You have the option of being close to the main entrance (restaurant, pool, check in etc.) or staying away from the main area and having less noise. Each "island" (section of rooms) has it's own pool area and most have their own beach area along the river. The restaurants in this resort are pretty much cafeteria style and really only good for a quick bite.

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is similar to the Caribbean Beach Resort. This hotel does have the same type of layout, beach, 3 pools, and restaurant area. If you stay at this resort try the Maya Grill. We had a really nice dinner there - the chimichurri dip is a must try!

I love all of the parks in Disney World but here are some of my favorite attractions.
The Magic Kingdom - Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight.
Epcot - World Showcase - All of it!
Disney Hollywood Studio - Studio Backlot Tour, The Great Movie Ride, Rock N Roller Coaster
Animal Kingdom - It's Tough to be a Bug, Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids, Dinosaur, The Tree of Life

Here's a list of some of my favorite on property restaurants.
Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jiko
Magic Kingdom - Crystal Palace Character Brunch
Contemporary Resort - California Grill
Downtown Disney - Wolfgang puck, Bongos, Portobello Yacht Club, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain

Appetizer inspired by Italy

Arangini (Rice Croquettes)

1 LB Arborio rice
3 2/3 cup water
2 ½ cup chicken broth
6 - 10 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
salt, pepper, parsley to taste
¼ tsp paprika
3 eggs beaten
Italian seasoned breadcrumbs to coat

Combine water, chicken broth, and rice over medium – high heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook stirring frequently until moisture is absorbed. Approx. 15 minutes. When cooked cool completely.

Add next 4 ingredients to rice. Mix well by hand.
Wet hands and take a walnut size portion of the rice mixture. Roll mixture to form an egg shape (oval). When all of the mixture is formed, dip in beaten egg then coat with the breadcrumbs.

Pre-heat large deep fry pan, and then add 1-2 inches of olive oil (or canola oil). When oil is ready gently place the croquettes in the pan. Cook each side of the croquette until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels or a brown paper bag.

Optional fillings:
Hamburger
Peas
Sprinach
Mozzarella