Black and White

The votes are in and we won hands down!

We are officially the most popular house in the neighborhood.

We have the "bestest" big dirt pile.

 Just ask this sweet 3 year old.

The little guys across the street offered to come help me plant seeds in my greenhouse for the garden.

They were gung ho until ...

they spied our mountain of dirt in the turn around.
{being used to fill in the areas that were washed away from the Great Flood of 2010}

So much for those extra sets of helpful hands for me.

Instead, my husband adopted dirt movers which helped him out ~ NOT FAIR!

If a gardening career doesn't work out for Tyler, he can always give plumbing a try ;)

No cuties were exploited in this photo. His sweet Mama knows about this photo. She thought it was awful cute until she got a closer look at how dirty he was ~ I did offer a few laundry tips.

Boys will be boys!

{and cute ones at that}

For more Black and White Wednesday
visit Lisa

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Me time

I’m a single gal this evening.

{and enjoying it!}

My husband is on travel which means …

I’ll be chatting with my girlfriends and catching up

I get to choose the TV program I want

There will be a long bubble bath in my immediate future

The entire bed is mine ~ I’ll be in the middle

The bathroom will be neat and tidy

Our home will be {really; almost too} quiet

And

A light girly dinner for one

I vacillated between the following dinner options:

Ben and Jerry’s with a glass of chardonnay

OR

Sushi, edamame and a glass of chardonnay

{I went with the latter}

Yum!

Have you tried 14 Hands chardonnay?
If not, you really should.
It's from Washington State and offers a slight buttery refreshing taste ~ just lovely!

 Cheers!

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Have you heard of ...

Demarle ?

To be honest, I hadn't heard of this product until my friend began raving about it a couple of weeks ago.

It's a home party ~ I know what you're thinking and I agree but this is FABULOUS!

A neighbor invited our entire subdivision over to her home recently to introduce us to this line of cook and bake ware. I'll be honest, I was more than a little skeptical. I didn’t really want to go and had a list of things I really needed to get accomplished.

Based solely upon my friends enthusiasm, I attended.

This line is amazing!

WOW ~ I was so impressed with the ease in which it handled, stored and baked!

Over the years I have tried and thrown away more cookware than I care to admit. It's run the gamut from cheap to expensive. If it doesn't do what it promises or it's a pain to clean, it is in the garbage. I just don't have the time, patience or energy.

During the presentation a quiche was made in this fluted pie mold. It popped right out and looked fabulous.

You don't need to prep the molds with oil or grease!

This little mini muffin pan will get a workout when it arrives. I use my old one all the time but only with liners since everything sticks without them. I'll be nice and not share the name of the so called nonstick product that didn't live up to its promise.

I was very impressed with this mat ~ sugar cookies were rolled out and not one sprinkle of flour was used and not one teeny tiny piece of dough stuck ~ sold!

This mat could be my new best friend. You can bake fish on it for dinner and then turn around and bake cookies for the children ~ with no lingering oders or flavors!

True to my nature, I was still doubtful.

What are these molds made of to make them so phenomenal?

Simple answer ~ woven glass and food grade silicone. I was ready to research the products when my friend assured me she already had (with paper in hand) and it passed!

Don't tell, but I did a little more when I returned home. I am a little on the nervous and anal side when it comes to food and beverage handling and storage these days. True to their word, Demarle molds are very safe.

Cooking and baking are more than just a task for me. It's really an enjoyable pastime. I so enjoy cooking while chatting with my family around the island. It is a great time to unwind and catch up with what is going on in their lives.

Not to mention, I live to eat and not the other way around :)

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A Few Favorites

I can't believe how quickly my spring break flew by ~ I think I need at least one more week to finish all the projects I started :)

One of the items on our “to do” list was to purchase a new home computer ~ I rank this right up there with car shopping. Bottom line is that no matter what you buy, it's out dated once you leave the lot. We now have the new computer home and my sweet husband is working on transferring all our info from the old to the new.

I'll have to wait to show you what I've been working on since I can't access any of my pictures. I am happy to share that I tackled something I've been waiting to do for the last couple of years.

So for now I'll just share with you some of my current favorites.

Lip Shimmer

Just the right amount of color and it’s a lip balm ~ double duty. I have them in several colors.

Thank you Bert's Bees.

  The hand washing I do in one day alone reeks havoc on my poor nails. I’ve seen a noticeable difference since I began using this two weeks ago. It speaks the truth when it claims to be a nail strengthener.

Nicole by OPI is found at Target

I've used (and loved) Crabtree and Evelyn for years. Gardeners Hand Therapy is one of my all time go~to for dry hands. I use it year round. The best part is that is ISN'T greasy. I order mine online since there isn't a store near our home.They have sales and special offers all the time.

Yummy!

 My husband and I tried this for the first time last night.

Mud Pie is one of their new flavors and it did not disappoint.

What's not to like about Ben &Jerry's?!

Me Too

Have you tried of pair of these on? The minute you put them on, your feet feel like they are walking on clouds.

I've been looking for cute shoes that are comfortable. Cute and comfortable are not often found in the same sentence let alone a pair of shoes. My feet and legs don't hurt from standing on a concret floor all day ~ dream come true!

I'm off to get ready for my week ahead.

It's always so hard to get back into the school swing of things when you've been off schedule.

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Reservations for Two

On the beach!

Is it just me or do you find that your marriage can get a little stale at times?
The weekly schedules are demanding, the household obligations daunting and by the end of the week you realize the only substantial conversation you tried to have with your husband was interrupted and never revisited. Please say you're with me on this and I'm not alone.

With this new found awareness, I'm trying to make more of an effort to jazz up our time together and get that "newness" we had so many years ago when we were dating.


Last week we had a peek at coming attractions.
The weather was so summer like and most enjoyable!

Over our morning coffee, I asked my husband to please make sure he was home from the office no later than 5:45pm (this is an early arrival for him). I offered him no other requests or information; just a wink.


After school, I ran to Mystic Market to pick up a few picnic like items and stopped by the package store. I rushed home to chill the wine, put together a small cheese plate and pack the trunk with beach chairs, table and picnic basket.


I was treating my husband to a romantic dinner on the beach.

We arrived and the entire beach was ours.
The scenery was tranquil and inviting. The ferry was arriving in the distance bringing tourists and loved ones home. The famed lighthouse was standing guard with years of pride.
It was a little chilly but we are coastal and it is April.


To add to our romantic ambiance, I lit a candle for our table and almost caught my pants on fire.
{this was only the beginning}


My husband poured the wine and we toasted to our evening together. Ahhh, romance!
We started with antipasto and cheeses.


Shortly after, the police arrived in the parking area.
Given that we weren't sure if alcohol was allowed on the beach, we put our glasses down on the sand to "hide" them.


Once the coast was clear, I reached for my glass and accidentally bumped it against the table and sand scattered all over my plate. A little added crunch ~ yum.


The gentle breeze that was so enjoyable quickly picked up and became gusts of wind.
{the windblown look wasn't exactly what I was working towards}

The sun began to set over the water ~ such natural beauty.
It was incredibly soft due to the haze that was coming in from the ocean.
Oddly, the sky darkened and was coupled with sharp squawking noises.
In unison, my husband and I jerked our heads upward to see the reenactment of
Alfred Hitchcock's movie


THE BIRDS!
I quickly took one photo but be assured, there must have been over 100 seagulls emerging upon us.

 In record time, we were packed up and running for the safety of our getaway vehicle!




So much for my sad attempt at a romantic (and uninterrupted) evening together :)

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It's beginning to look a lot like ...

S P R I N G

The last few days have been beautiful. The warm temperatures are a delightful reminder that summer is on it's way.

My sweet husband helped me put together my green house. Once it's up, it's officially spring in my book.

The warm sunshine on my face has been the mood booster I've SO needed. Not to scare you, but I actually had a skort on the other day ~ I think I may have blinded my neighbors with my oh so white legs!

Last weekend I picked up a few plants from our locally owned nursery. I have found over the years that it's best to purchase certain plants as soon as you see them because they usually aren't there when you return a few weeks later.

My first round of plantings included tomatoes, patty pan squash, pumpkins, morning glories and ranunculus. I hope to get a few more trays planted this afternoon while the warm weather continues.

Next week is Spring Vacation and we are due to be back in the 50's so I am trying to make the most of this week.

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Happy Easter!

Wishing you a glorious Easter!

We have a fun but busy weekend ahead of us.

This morning we have the annual Easter Egg Hunt to attend. It is so much fun and this year the sun will be out and I'll actually be able to wear spring clothing rather than a wool coat.

 Afterwards, I am meeting some ladies in my neighborhood for a woman's gathering.

My sweet husband is putting the finishing touches on our not quite finished pantry. Due to our unplanned water park in the basement this week, the pantry did not receive the attention it required. However, my engineering husband came up with a plan and no one will be the wiser ~ unless you open the door ... hope you have insurance ;)

This evening we will be enjoying our traditional deep dish Chicago style pizza. We've always had pizza on Easter Eve since I was a little girl. I love that I've been able to continue traditions that I grew up with and pass them on to my family.
This year we will be watching my MSU play ~
GO STATE!

Some of my family are lucky enough to be watching the game in person.

I'm so envious of you all!

Tomorrow while sitting next to my husband, I will be thanking the Heavenly Father for all that he has blessed us with and protected us from ~ this week alone.

We are so very fortunate.

As planned, we are having some of our good friends that have become our family, while we are away from home, for Easter dinner.

I'll share our menu with you next week.

I wish you all a Happy Easter filled with many blessings.

Thank you, for being one of mine.

Hippity Hoppity! ;)

Jo

Photo by Martha Stewart

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