the last bit of the ohioian adventures.

trips back to my favorite little city, chargrin falls!

a lot less snow and a lot more heat. but i still managed to find some nice little treasures in the darling boutiques. {thanks g-maaa for the seed money!}

delicious treats at CHOCOLATE BAR.

chocolate pasta? check.

chocolate martinis? check.

chocolate molten cake? check.

mini chocolate smore bar and campfire? check.

chocolate overload? you bet. and worth it too.

{this was the meal that led to the sugar rush insanity photos}

TESS LOST A TOOTH!

a giant molar as a matter a fact.

i tried shamelessly to steal it so i could put it under my pillow, and failed. something about putting a useless tooth under your pillow and getting money still mystifies me. darn it i wanna wake up with cold hard cash under my head!

TOTAL DOMINATION!

dots is one of the worlds greatest games to play when you have time to pass. i remember playing it on the o'charley's kids menu as a kid as i anxiously awaited my chicken fingers and fries. i'd like to say i was griff world champ but my sisters might say otherwise. so imagine my surprise when tess whipped out her itouch {kids these days} and had a dots app! so naturally we dueled. and i destroyed. complete wipeout. and the competitive side of me was overjoyed. people, its the little things in life. {i'll leave out the fact that tess turned seconds later only to annihilate me}

channeling our inner rachel zoe with shades&sterrbucks dranks.

what's all that inside the top of my cup you ask?!! CINNAMON OF COURSE!

beautiful airplane views on the way back.

i love the window seat!

have a stupendously marvelous day!

p.s. sometimes when you're feeling down and out and on the verge of a breakdown you can get the simplest of comments that sort of turn around your whole day around. and with that i'd like to say holly and becca, me oh my, thanks for making me smile! {as it turns out they both have magnificent little blogs that i love!} on a totally unrelated note, how great can the blog world be!

HOLY CATFISH!

what happens when my sisters and i go fishing?

complete and utter chaos. that's what.

to say we weren't expecting such a giant and ugly fish is the understatement of the year. and we might of freaked out a teeeeny tinnnnny bit. {where were all the men during this?! thats what i want to know!}

on a sidenote, i don't think i've ever said the phrase "oh my gosh" more in my life. maybe i'll stop. also we didn't end up keeping any of the fish we got. we untangled them and threw them back into the ocean to swim free! {is it obvious that we are a family of vegetarians?!}

hope your day is filled with laughs!

p.s. no animals were harmed in the filming of this video.

p.p.s. but we're still sorry peta.

sitting on the dock of the bay.

a day spent with sisters at the dock of the lake. {with the addition of hundreds and thousands of fish who just seemed to throw themselves at us...}

first catch of the day!

{DINNNNNER's READY}

followed quickly by catch number two. and some squirms.

bread, googley worms, nets, and night crawlers. yeah, i'd say i'm basically a certified fisherwoman.

major props to emma, who tackled all the grimey duties like hooking up the worm and detangling the fish. the gal's a beast. #don'tmess

hold the phone!?? are they, is that really.. THEY ARE NOT FIGHTING! oh sweet baby Jesus, it's a miracle!

old school vintage radio was the soundtrack to the day.

MONSTEROUS catfish!! with whiskers that were 5 feet long {or something like that}. after all the little fish we were getting we were not prepared for this monster. {insane video to come later}

hey girl hey.

i don't know if this photo conveys the fear i had of the squiggly worms getting near my space. because if i had to choose to fight a worm or a death eater... i'd choose the latter.

fish total: 9

most fish: tie between tessa&i.

biggest fish: emma

total time: who knows. it summer. the living is easy and the fish {apparently} are flowing.

after a stressful day of traveling hours spent at my grandmother's dock fishing was simply delightful. and hot dog, i didn't know my calling in life was to be a fisherwoman! somebody ring up Jonah, we're going fishing!

hope your day is filled with unexpected joys and adventures!

cafe du monde and sucre.

i know what you were thinking yesterday.. "chelsea, why was there such a strong absence of good from your post??" answer: because i have to dedicate a whole special post to it of course!!

my two most favorite places we went were cafe du monde and sucre. obviously they both are sweet treats places. who needs real substantial food anyway? not me. give me a muffin for breakfast, a piece of cake of lunch, and a fruit tart for dinner and i'm a happy gal {see, fruit tart.. healthy. how am i not the editor of woman's health yet??}

cafe du monde.

{as in its the only cafe the world ever needs.}

Beignets.

how do i even begin? no words can do this fluffy goodness justice. its like taking a bite from a cloud deep fried in the most pristine and richest butter and covered with the lightest, sweetest powered sugar ever. its heaven in food form. and it took all the will power in the world to stop from buying a life supply and getting them delivered to my house everyday {which i'm still considering} or signing my soul away to get the recipe. {which is the best idea i've ever had.}

no beignet is complete without a cafe au lait.

this cafe au lait was just as good as the ones i had in france. it was rich and creamy without being insanely sweet and you could taste how strong the coffee was. it was the perfect pairing. up there with pb&, ross&rachel, popcorn&butter, and dare i say pam&jim!!

SUCRE.

sweet is right. sweet success at all things delicious. {i asked the guy and he said they first named it franc succes a tous les choses delicieuses. but it didn't fit on the sign...} it was the cutest little shop filled to the brim with cupcakes, macaroons, tarts, gelato, and so much more!

SPARKLY MACAROONS?

i mean does it get any cuter?

{i think not.}

chelsea skye dug into these...

but i had to go with the award winning recipe of chocolate cake with a salted caramel buttercream! all i can say is RUN to your nearest car, airport, scooter, hot air balloon, trampoline shoes... and get to new orleans to get this cupcake!! it might be the best one i've ever bought {something about a homemade cupcake is always better to me!} but how cute is the fleur de lis? and equally delicious.

and they had the cutest easter decorations. which ultimately made me want to rethink the design of my entire room. {colorful flowers sprouting from the ground, offering chocolate to all who pass by!!? I'M IN!}

i want to go back and eat sweet treats with chels all day!

have a tasty day!

haus of cheesecake.

i'm back in nashville and all i can think about is how i want to flee to the cleve. i tried to convince Memo into getting a blog. no such luck. but before i jet-setted {i like to pretend i wear a creme suit with a giant pashmina and some sultry heels when i travel and i have long flowy hair, when reality i'm wearing a blue striped skirt with a t shirt.} we had to stopped at CHEESECAKE FACTORY {normally i don't like chains. oh wait, thats not true, i so do} why must their food be so decadent and so giant?! i love it. and the restaurants always look like castles. so i feel like a most important guest. {that is until they squish you so close between tables you can hear the old man two tables down chomping on his beets.} but i'll do anything for one bite of the heavenly cheesecake.

me and Memo got the same thing! {actually we got the same think every restaurant we went. too funny.} chinese salad with edamame instead of chicken. so light and fresh. and the leftovers are the greatest. {we might as well have been sitting on the highest tower of the great wall of china, watching jackie chan do insane stunts whilst sipping on some green tea}

caught Memo mid-bite.

"you'll thank me later for taking all these pictures!"

"oh i don't know about that. not if they will be all over your blog"

you can't go to the cheesecake factory and not get cheesecake. {its why you skip the bread, which i usually/always forget to do} i usually get CRAIG's CRAZY CARROT CHEESECAKE {seriously run to your nearest cheesecake factory and try this asap!} its layered with their carrot cake and classic cheesecake with dollops of cream cheese icing instead of whipped cream. but i was feeling like 100% cheesecake and something a little fruity so i got white chocolate raspberry truffle. deliciousness.

sadly now that i'm no longer in ohio its back to regularly scheduled meals. no more fancy meals complete with decadent dessert. it's back to reality where there is no shopping all day, no such thing as a 3 hour visit to adorable book shops like The Learned Owl, no more Smokey{Memo's cat}, no more wonderful stories of cupcakes and coffee, no late night crafting adventures. its back to my responsibilities. bleh. oh can't i go back!?

chargrin falls.

the cutest little town near cleavland. complete with its own mini waterfall, delicious food, and the cutest shops {where i picked up a ton of goodies for an upcoming giveaway! i can hardly wait. seriously tempted to keep it for myself!} the sun was shining and the day was glorious. it makes me kinda want to move in with Memo!

there was a popcorn shop! and this adorable purple house with the most cutest trinkets. we spent 5 hours walking around, soaking in the sun, spending too much money, and indulging in delicious treats.

look at the sun streaming through! oh how glorious. {yes, Memo indugled me and took this picture. isn't she simply wonderful.} she told me so many stories. and now Aunt Eda is my new role model. she was fearless and hardheaded. this woman got hit by a car when she was riding her bike and would get in the ambulance. she also showed up to a wedding wearing sneakers and a visor. she does what she wants! same with Aunt Edna's sister Kathleen {Memo's mom. they both came to USA from Ireland.} she was so stubborn and vivacious. full of personality. {i'm pretty sure they would of been my best friends} it was truly a gift getting to listen to all these MEMOries. {yeah, i just did that. i'm with my grandmother, i'm allowed to be corny!}

we went to this funky little thrift store where we dug through countless sequined bags, stained shirts, and faux fur jackets to find a few gems like my new gold acorn necklace {i'm in love} and a simple 1960s dark navy coach satchel. {yes, satchel!}
JOEYS for dinner! {bonjourno. says Aldo the Apache} this quaint little italian restaurant that was so reminiscent of italy. {they made sure of it with all the italian memorabilia on the wall. 6 foot italy-shaped clock?! check.} Memo told me stories of her travels to Italy {she is a world traveler. Italy, Istanbul, Greece, France, Scotland, England, Ireland, Austraila..to name a few} while we munched on the bread dipped in olive oil and parmesan cheese that was to die for. and we both got the eggplant parmesan. {new headline- MEMO, the newest vegetarian: inspired by granddaughter} Delizioso! but i couldn't help quoting quotes joey from friends said all throughout dinner. "You're so far past the line, you can't even see the line. The line is a dot to you.” "Don't you remember when your mom dropped you off at the movies with a spoon and a big jar of jam."

orange buttercream cupcake.
words can't express how delicious this was. enjoyed with two mugs of green tea and two forks. one bite and Memo and i were floating on clouds of florida oranges whilst george clooney repeatedly told us how beautiful we were.
we ended the day with inglorious bastards and a glass of wine. {we concluded quentin tarantino and brad pitt were absolutely robbed at the oscars!} could every day be as lovely as this one? i wish. i hope your tuesday is absolutely delightful.

reasons #21, #142, #86, #205, #298, and #56

I love my grandmother, Memo. and what a joy it has been to spend some quality time with her. her stories, her jokes {Memo is quite the comedian!} and most of all her love. two days with her and she's already worked her magic and has made me feel invincible. there is something special about grandparents and there unconditional love. "to make a long story short" {Memo's most favorite and most used saying}, here are a few reasons {from this weekend} why i love her.

she is absolutely stunning. and she has so wonderfully passed down her luscious dark black locks to me. {everyone always ask where i get it from. and i lucked out big time!}

she always has strange yet insanely delicious treats waiting for me!

dark chocolate edamame?! who knew it was so incredible. don't worry i've already almost eaten half the container. {we enjoyed them whilst dying laughing at Zach Galifianakis on SNL. "nice beard." "i'm greek. this isn't a beard, its part of my eyebrow."}

we have to most marvelous time watching the academy awards {complete with gourmet cheeses and crackers, grapes, and even a molten chocolate cake for my birthday!} and we filled out our ballots to play a little betting game. Memo won! {what can i say? i was rooting for avatar and they just didn't pull through!}

i love her home. its filled with eclectic treasures. like this cu-cu clock.

she takes me on most epic shopping sprees. {i hadn't been to H&M in over a year!} needless to say we did some major damage.

i find little chelseas everywhere.

a face only a grandmother could love.

{oh my beautiful buck teeth! and yes, thats an abcrombie shirt that says yummy. i'm pretty sure i though it meant i liked delicious treats. and my eyebrows are as crazy as ever.}

so excited for 3 more days with Memo!

do you have anything wonderful you love about your grandparents? do you have a memory or a story?

p.s. you might of won an award!!