Columbus or Bust!

This past weekend Hubs and I took a trip to visit his cousins in Columbus, OH.  They are some of the most awesome people ever and we always have a great time.  If you happen to find yourself in the Columbus, OH area, here are a few places we enjoyed while we were there.

Hound Dog's Pizza
   We felt like hibernating with a good movie (True Grit) and this proved to be an excellent opportunity to nom on some local food.  J & A suggested Hound Dog's Pizza, and it was a super tasty.  We opted for the Smokin' Joe's crust, which was thin, yet crisp and tender and coated with garlic-y, herb-y goodness.  Reasonable price, tasty pizza, good deal.
The North Market
   I am a huge fan of this place.  They have little shops with all sorts of foods from all over the world, as well as local merchants, bakers and flowers.   There is a lovely little Vietnamese food stand that is super tasty as well as my favorite of favorites, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  Seriously, there is no ice cream like this.  The flavors are just crazy good and you can sample anything that intrigues you until you settle on a flavor.  Queen City Cayenne, Wildberry Lavender, Reisling Poached Pear, and my favorite Salted Caramel.
Wholly Craft!
   You have probably gathered by this time that I am a big fan of Etsy.  This is basically Etsy in store form, without the "regretsy".  Awesome hand made everything!  Clothes, stuffed animals, accessories, home goods, and lots of great art.  It may be a physical impossibility to leave here without purchasing something, much less spending your rent money on shirts and art.  I refrained from that, but I did pick up an awesome little owl print from Candice Hartsough McDonald. The irony is she an Indianapolis area artist...But I digress.  If you are in the Clintonville area of Columbus, this is a must visit.

Kiwi...on a treadmill

Oh yes, that is what it is!  You cant help but love this little guy.

Completely self-indulgent spring post

I just wanted to post this picture because I thought it was adorable.  Yup, that is it.  It was in the 70's here today and nothing says spring time like seeing little animals frolicking in the fields.  Granted the little guy in this picture isn't exactly frolicking, but he probably was before this picture was taken, as you can see he looks a bit tuckered out.

Photo courtesy of National Geographic.

Friday Flix - My Neighbor Totoro

As long as I can remember I have loved animals and pretty much all things cute.  I also have quite an active imagination.  Knowing this, many years back Hubs introduced me to the wondrous world of Hayao Miyazaki.  All of his films have a certain wonder about them, but My Neighbor Totoro is my favorite.  The story is about two girls and their father who move to the country to prepare a new home while their mother is overcoming an illness in the hospital. Shortly after they move in to their home, they discover they are not alone and that there are Soot Gremlins in their attic.  They also come to find that there are Totoros in the near by forest.  Now a totoro is a wonderful woodland animal full of magic.  The two girls become friends with the totoros and have some amazing adventures together.
   The animation in this film is so beautiful and the characters are so charming you will be drawn in from the very beginning.  As you can see by the picture, this film features the voice talents of Dakota and Elle Fanning as the sisters Mei and Satsuki.  As you may be able to tell, I am not an Anime purist or I would have linked to the original Japanese version and told you that the only acceptable way to view this film is with subtitles.  I have done both, and I honestly prefer the English voice track with Elle and Dakota.
   This film is just enchanting all around, no matter what your age.  I have watched it many times and it never fails to bring a smile to my face, I hope it will do the same for you.