summa summa time

This weekend finally felt like it took the right amount of time because normally I find my weekends flying by between cookouts, parties and pool days. For once, I had to remember what we did on Friday night, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Friday night we were acting 10 years older than we actually are and had a drinking game night with friends where I kicked some serious a** at mexican dominos. It's all about the domino that you start your train with my friends....

the game that brings grown men to tears

strategizing with a baby and a beer

A few of my friends joined me at Made in the 216 held at the new Dredger's Union on E.4th but not before brunch at Vine & Bean in Shaker as a way to kick start our Saturday with omelettes, biscuits and coffee. Because nothing says breaking your diet like the biscuits with gravy but it is so damn good!

After seeing all the checkins from my fellow bloggers, I was dying to see the new store and check out what the private label looked like. From the tailored shirts and dresses I saw, ranged from $60 to $90 but fit really nice and I was sooooo close to buying a shirt but I stopped myself. It had my name written all over it so I'm hoping they have it available later this month.

Lia checking out the jewelry

My purchase

amazing candles displayed on a piece of furniture we all want

not your grandmother's apron

Sunday funday was lazy which included a car wash and laying out while reading the second book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Editor's note: I can't put those books down. We finished up the night by taking a ride to Chagrin Falls to wait in line for Jeni's Ice cream - it was jamming down there for a Sunday night complete with a kid rock band, lots of bikers and dogs.

Monday - Bring it on.

Summer Bucket List

With every summer comes a busy weekends filled with weddings. For the past four years, we've seriously had no fewer than five weddings, one summer we had 10 (some on Friday and Saturday of the same weekend) and this year from March to November we have eight to attend for friends and family. So, our weekends are filled with weddings or travel to weddings and nursing our hangovers from the weddings.

BUT.....

There are a few items I'd like to cross off my list this summer of places to go and things to do.

• Indians game - The BF and I went to a few last year but it has to be the right night because I don't want it to be a scorcher. Me + heat = not friends.

• A trip to East Harbor Beach - My aunt used to take me with her and I remember it being a nice beach. Could be a great way to relax on a Friday and read a few books.

• Read 8 books this summer - I've been keeping a laundry list of books to read including the Dragon Tattoo series along with Matt Logelin's Two Kisses for Maddie too.

• Night up at Put-in-Bay - Last year, I had a bachelorette party up there and it was a blast. Thinking about getting some friends and heading up there for the night again.
• Patio drinking - I would like to try some new restaurants and sit on the patios while drinking sangria or wine or visit a few favorites.  Places on my list - Reddstone, Dante, Market, and Metro Bar and Kitchen just to name a few. (Update: Apparently Metro is closed. Shows how often I'm down there.)
• Cookouts, pools and cornhole - Nothing says summer like a good tan, cookouts and cornhole games with friends

What are you doing this summer?

Jersey Shore coming to Cleveland

What? Your friends don't look like that?

In honor of the start of another horrendous yet highly-addicting show known as the Jersey Shore, my friend Lia is debating on having a party Thursday night to celebrate this train wreck of a show I can't stop watching. (Oh, and I think we should all dress up as the Jersey Shore for Halloween, but we have a few months to get that going.)

This is the same girl who threw a Gossip Girl party at the start of the season and will probably host another one this fall. She had "I heart NY" cookies, punch and we all had to wear headbands. Of course, right!

In case Lia feels like bailing with her party, I figured I'd help her plan it (with all of your help of course).

Some must-have's at this party:
-Hair gel
-Stilletos, preferably clear ones like you would find on a stripper's feet
-Shirts worn as dresses
-Hair extensions
-Poofy hair straightened
-Self tanner
-Black eyeliner and
-Fist pumping music

Oh, and let's not forget to use the Jersey Shore Name Generator. On Thursday, I will simply be known as "A-Scream."

What am I missing and what is your Jersey Shore name?

Dear Enrique: I still heart you.

sweet lady gaga

If you follow me on Twitter or ever read a single post, you know I love the artist known as Lady Gaga. So I don't bore you with my review of the concert (because you know I give it an A+++++), here is our night in pictures and a video.

With Christina, nine months pregnant and in a maternitard

With Gaga's number one fan (he had a picture with her from two years ago on his phone) and my concert BFF

 Start of the show

Boys, boys, boys

In a live dress, or at least it moved while singing

Put your paws up - Bad Romance Finale

For those of you who didn't attend, here is a taste of the concert where I picked my most favorite performances with the exception of Teeth. Somehow I stopped filming during Teeth and it was awesome - she rocked and sang her ass off.

Lady Gaga in Cleveland from Allison Peltz on Vimeo.

it's his vacation too

We survived our first trip to Lake Keuka.

On Friday, the BF and I took a 4 hour drive to what is a beautiful lake. As I said before, I'm picky about the lakes I jump in and this is one I would have no problem jumping in.

When we arrived, we met some extended family at their beautiful lake house where they live full time.

See the happy crew below.


I was soooooo looking forward to laying out on Saturday. I could just picture myself with my Monday morning tan walking into work and being the envy of my coworkers.

Newsflash: There has to be sun to get a tan. No sun on Saturday equaled a relaxed time at our house for the whole day.



And, it gave the BF plenty of things to do.

Like tackle his teenage cousin in the lake in her clothes


Scare a 5-year-old half to death of water.


Teach kids how a hood works


Take naps after too much swimming


Lastly, you can never say he's the party pooper

road trippin'

I'm not a camping person.

I'm not a cabin person.

I'm not a lake person unless I can see clear down to the bottom.

Apparently, that makes me a Lake Keuka fan even though I haven't seen it yet.

This weekend the BF and I will embark on a 4 hour and 45 minute drive to the Finger Lakes, but specifically the Lake Keuka area to stay for the weekend.

According to Facebook, my friends are already water skiing and we better add "wine tasting" to that by the time I get there on Friday evening.

I sent out an SOS on Twitter to determine which Keuka wineries to visit knowing we have a short amount of time in the area. (I heart Twitter.)

My Twitter friends recommended Dr. Frank wines, Heron Hill and McGregor Vineyard Winery. So many wines, so little time to taste.

Any recommendations for car games? It's just us on the way up and the way down. This car ride should be very interesting.

summa summa-time

Hello Summer!

This weekend I experienced two of my favorite activities of summer: laying out and parties. Nothing says summer than laying out and jumping off a diving board or two.

On Friday, a friend and I headed to our local city pool. I was so lucky to live in an apartment building with a pool for the last few years. It was actually a requirement when looking for places to live. If I can, I spend every weekend at the pool, relaxing and reading. I live for those days.

My friend and I knew it would be packed on a Friday afternoon, but we didn't quite expect the amount of kids that were actually in the pool. As we entered the pool, we literally stopped in our tracks and both said some version of "holy shit" at the same time. Kids were everywhere. Every age. Every size. They were were everywhere in front of us yelling, crying and screaming.



Told you they were everywhere. I learned a very valuable lesson while at the pool and it had nothing to do with raising children.

It had to do with tattoos. I have never seen more ugly tattoos in one place in my life. There were tramp stamps, old ragged roses on ankles, Italian flags on shoulders and biceps, Jesus covering one man's entire back with a patch of colorful daises to the right of his feet and all sorts of other terribly etched ink.

Note to self: think long and hard on the placement if I ever get a tattoo.

On Saturday, the BF and I participated in our first ever block party. We were the "new neighbors" and we met several new people.




Of course, we were asked if we were engaged or married but actually only by one person. That's some kind of record. The focus was less on us but rather on an interesting neighbor who appeared to be quite sloshed at 6 p.m. She had two dogs with her and one was a puppy running circles around everyone. She lovingly referred to as a "f-cker" then as "f-cko."

This neighborhood sure is interesting to say the least.

cheese, cheese and more cheese

When warm weather starts to grace Cleveland, I get particularly excited about flip flops, cookouts and dresses. I also love all the patios we get to enjoy at restaurants. I LIVE for eating outside after being cooped up all winter. The BF and I eat out quite a bit, which is mostly on the weekends with friends or just the two of us. If we get home late for work on Friday, I normally don't feel like cooking (yes, I do the majority of the cooking because if I didn't, we'd be eating pasta every night). There are a slew of restaurants I want to visit based on the patio alone, and I was finally able to get myself to L'Albatros after being invited to their wine and cheese tasting with my friends Michelle and Alexa.

I love cheese. I love all kinds of cheese. I could eat cheese, drink wine and sit on a patio for hours. Ask the BF - he personally gets annoyed, I'm sure.

Our cheese samplings (Starting at the top, the first three were my favorite (La Tur, Casatica di Bufala, Salva Cremasco) plus the orange-ish color (Monte Veronese Malga) one on the left.)


The menu with maps of the areas in Italy where we were eating from


Brandon sharing his knowledge with the group


Although we weren't on the patio, it was a great time and I learned about the age of some of the cheese, regions and some new wines. I loved the Kerner tasting so much that Alexa and I both picked up a bottle of it while Michelle bought the port. (It was a close tie but I went with the Kerner.) Nothing says summer to me than a crisp glass of white wine and cheese of course.

We didn't order anything off the menu but we will be back to try the pork two ways, chicken confit and maybe even the escargot, which were all recommended from Twitter.

for the love of summer

Living in Cleveland, everyone knows we get pounded with snow in the winter and grey clouds in the spring. It's no California, but we do have our bright spots in weather.

Summer.

Summer is what I live for. Give me a pool, a sunny 82 degree weather with a light breeze and a good book, and you have yourself one happy Allison. I love nothing more than spending one or both days of my weekend lounging by my pool. Although with this weekend's forecast, I don't think I'll be there at all which is kind of a bummer.

Here are my other loves of summer:

A delicious caprese salad with fresh heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella cheese with a balsamic drizzle.

Freshly sliced watermelon

Seamless underwear to go under jersey knit dresses to avoid lines.

Good old-fashioned cookouts with hotdogs and beer

Competitive cornhole games that go well past midnight and need a spotlight to finish

80 degree weather with a slight breeze. I can't stand humidity (I don't know who really can) but if I had 80 degree weather every day, that would be the perfect summer.

Flat irons. When you have humidity, this helps with the frizzy hair add a little Aveda paste and you are good to go.

What are your favorite things about summer?