The Lexingtonienne
  • A Good Cause
  • February7th

    1 Comment

    Hello, Neighbors!

    Did you know that Mister Rogers is, like, my most favorite person ever? I even own a replica of the Neighborhood Trolley that segued us from Mister Rogers’s living room into the super awesome Neighborhood of Make Believe.

    DSC_0001

    Read More | Comments

  • August30th

    3 Comments

    How was your weekend? Here’s what I did.

    Harlow 1

    On Friday I got to meet little Harlow Parker Baldinger.

    Harlow 3

    Harlow made her debut last Thursday, August 26, weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. She was 19 inches long, and I’m just so happy for her mama and daddy, Devon & Jeff. Harlow, I might add, looks JUST like her mama. Beautiful. 🙂

    Harlow 2

    On Saturday morning Hubba Bubba and I went out to run that 5K I told you about, benefitting the Bonnie J. Adarrio Lung Cancer Foundation. I had hoped to run most of it, and I expected to have to walk part of it. To my pleasant surprise, Baby Girl and I sailed through the whole thing, running like we were some kind of powered-by-two superwoman. “This isn’t bad at all!” I thought to myself with the finish line looming ahead. As I crossed over it, I heard my time called out. “Nineteen minutes!” Nineteen minutes?!

    chocolate chip cookies

    Now, I knew there was just no way on this earth that I had run 3.1 miles in 19 minutes. It turned out that the course hadn’t been mapped out correctly, and the “5K” had been a mere 2.1 miles.

    chocolate chip cookies

    chocolate chip cookies

    This not-so-minor snafu in course planning reminded me that we were out there to raise awareness for a good cause, and that that goal, at least, had been accomplished. My workout, however, had not been. So Hubba Bubba and I went back together and ran the course a second time in order to earn our brunch.

    chocolate chip cookies

    chocolate chip cookies

    I called Sister afterwards, giggling, to tell her that my “5K” time had been 19 minutes. That event was supposed to have been the pinnacle of my pregnancy fitness, I explained to her, and so I was feeling a little anti-climactic. Besides, I’d talked about it on the blog. Now what would I tell the readers?

    chocolate chip cookies

    Sister’s advice: “So go out and run a 5K and time yourself.” Hmm. I’ll have to get back to y’all on that one.

    chocolate chip cookies

    chocolate chip cookies

    On Sunday I went shopping and found some bargains on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica (not a usual spot for bargain shopping, so I was pretty excited). I also overheard a really loud guy with a seriously strong New York accent talking to his kids in one of the stores I popped into. “Man this guy is… northern,” I thought to myself, shortly before realizing it was Adam Sandler! Living in LA can be kind of fun. 🙂

    chocolate chip cookies

    Afterwards I came home and made chocolate chip cookies. Just the regular old Nestle Tollhouse recipe you find on the chocolate chip bag. But they were good.

    chocolate chip cookies

    Like I said, the recipe is on the bag, but I’ve listed the ingredients below so you can make your grocery list. These are particularly rewarding after you have completed a 5K, or a “5K.” 😉

    chocolate chip cookies

    NESTLE TOLLHOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
    2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
    1 t baking soda
    1 t salt
    2 sticks butter, softened
    3/4 C granulated sugar
    3/4 C packed brown sugar
    1 t vanilla extract
    2 large eggs
    1 11.5-oz package chocolate chips (I used semisweet chunks.)
    1 C chopped nuts (I skipped this, but it’s up to you.)

    Prepare and bake according to package directions.

    Have a great week!
    Hannah

  • June14th

    6 Comments

    Do you like PBS? I sure do. Not only am I the world’s biggest Mister Rogers fan, but also, my mama has worked at Kentucky Educational Television, Kentucky’s PBS network, for 25 years. Twenty-two years ago, she was one of the founders of Summer Celebration, a fantastic party KET throws every June to help raise funds for its programming. Mama says there were about 150 people at that very first party. This year there were 1200 revelers in attendance, and the party spun around a very festive Renaissance theme. Best Wench Friend Jenny was my date, so we grabbed our lutes, cranked up the madrigals, and got our House of Tudor on.

    The party was hosted at Donamire Farm, one of the most beautiful horse farms in the Bluegrass. Here’s what we were forced to look at on the drive into the party.

    I know, it’s hideous. I don’t know how we managed to stare at it with our jaws hanging open for so long.

    This guy greeted us as we entered the tent. I made Best Friend hop over and take a photo with him. I didn’t tell her to pose with her hand on his sword, but I like her style.

    Outside the tent, there was jousting.

    Things were buzzing inside the party tent too.

    At the buffet table (you know where to find me), I ran into my friends Linda Breathitt and Jim Gray. Jim is running for Mayor of Lexington, and if you are a Lexingtonian (or a Lexingtonienne), you should vote for him this fall. Hey, Linda and Jim!

    I also ran into The Lexingtonienne readers Meg (hey, Meg!), Kelly (hey, Kelly!) and Cheryl (hey, Cheryl!) I didn’t get their photos, but I did get photos of build-your-own cheesecake, obvi. Props to Best Friend for her excellent chocolate drizzle work. She used to work in a bakery, you know. If you’re nice, I bet she’ll give us her recipe for her banana chocolate chip muffins.

    The most exciting part of Summer Celebration is the Silent Auction. Hubba Bubba donated an item that sold immediately (if you want something so bad that the back-and-forth of the auction will give you a coronary, there’s a “buy it now” option, but you have to pony up).

    Uncle Josh will be going to dinner with the lucky winner of this auction item. He’ll probably cook the person an organic gourmet meal — hahahahaha! Ohhhhh, just kidding.

    I really wanted this painting by a local artist whose name I failed to get, probably because it was already out of my price range on my very first go around the auction circle. If someone happens to know who painted it, please leave a comment and let us all know!

    Have you seen Miss KET herself (a.k.a. my mama) yet? Here she is at the party with her friend Hilma. (Mom’s on the right, flashing the smile that says, “I have a cabinet full of Smarties, Hot Tamales, and Reese Cups at my house!”)

    As you can see, not only does KET know how to put fabulous educational programming on the air, but they can also throw one rockin’ party. I’m not sure how much this year’s Summer Celebration raised in total… if anyone knows (ahem… Mama?) please let us know in the Comments.

    And one last thing… I am thinking about my Seester today. It’s her first day back to work from maternity leave. Wish her lots of luck! Here she is with Cooper last Friday.

    Talk to you soon,
    Hannah

  • June11th

    No Comments

    If you like good music and good causes, AND you’ll be in Lexington on Sunday, June 20th, mark your calendar for the Junebug Music Festival benefitting Cardinal Hill Hospital.

    Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Food and drinks for sale. Music inside and outside. Tickets are available at www.bustersbb.com.

    Cardinal Hill is a rehabilitation hospital in Lexington that provides both inpatient and outpatient services to help people with disabilities achieve their utmost potential in leading an independent lifestyle.

    When we were in high school, a good friend of ours, Will, received wonderful care at Cardinal Hill following a near-fatal car accident. Last year, Will started the Cardinal Hill Junior Board, a group of young professionals dedicated to helping the hospital. The Junior Board is currently trying to raise $1 million to pay for a new therapeutic pool for Cardinal Hill’s patients, and Junebug is just one of their fundraising endeavors in attaining this tremendous goal.

    Sister is on the Junior Board , and she was in charge of putting up a few posters around town to spread the word. So we grabbed some tape, loaded ourselves and little Cooper into the car, and set out to post our signs.

    We went to Magee’s Bakery…

    … and a few of their famous iced cookies mysteriously hitched a ride with us. I do not know how those got into the car.

    But they did not make it to our next destination…


    … which was John’s Run / Walk Shop.

    Their across-the-street sister, John’s New Classic Shoes, also got postered.

    Belle’s Bakery was closed, but we left a poster rolled up in their mailbox with a note asking oh-so-nicely if they would put it up. I hope they do, especially because Belle’s Bakery has the world’s best strawberry cupcakes. It’s better they were closed, since I had already fallen prey to the iced cookies from Magee’s.

    We put up a poster in the video store near UK campus, then drove over to the Mouse Trap, stuck a poster on their wall, and left with turkey sandwiches and pasta salad. (Good thing we weren’t in charge of putting up posters at Donato’s Pizza or Graeter’s Ice Cream.)

    Cooper made a very helpful contribution to Junebug by being a good sleeper in the car. Where did he get those lips, I wonder? Not from his Mama or his Mamasissy. We have snake lips.

    I hope all you Lexingtonians make it out to Junebug! There’s nothing better than supporting a wonderful cause while you’re having a wonderful time!

    For more information, you can visit Junebug’s Facebook page, and you can also check out this article (featuring Sister’s photo) that just appeared in the Lexington Herald-Leader. If you’d like to find out more about the music that will be featured at the event, go here.

    If you cannot attend Junebug and would like to make a donation to Cardinal Hill Hospital, you can do so at www.cardinalhill.org.

    Thanks and love,
    Hannah