Bountiful blueberries

It has been very chilly with yet another heavy dose of rain (several days long) here in my neck of the woods.

I've had to trade in my cute summer tops and sundresses for sweaters and layers. The weather is causing me to turn on the oven {for heat} to satisfy my urge to bake.

Blueberries are very plentiful in the market right now as well as in my frig. I also had a few oranges in the fruit bowl that needed to be used.

What does one do when they have fruit spilling out of their containers (and you're freezing)?

Make muffins!

Simple fresh ingredients ~ always tasty and so much healthier.



Can you see the fresh orange zest? Even the batter has a slight orange tint from the fresh juice.

The fragrance is amazing.



Fresh from the oven and ready to be sampled.



Recipe

1 cup quick oats
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 large oranges well juiced)
2 tsp grated orange zest (I add a pinch more)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs well beaten
3 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
31/2 cup blueberries

Combine oats, orange juice and zest. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Blend in eggs, oil and sour cream. Stir together all the dry ingredients. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the oat mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin tins and bake 18 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

 Enjoy!
{share if you're feeling generous :)}

Leave A Comment

A Change of Pace

I celebrated my first day of summer vacation by going back into school bright and early this morning.

Yes, you read that correctly.

 If you know me well, this doesn’t surprise you in the least. I just don’t do disorganized well … at all!!! This may sound on the edge of being committable but I cannot relax knowing that I have projects that are unfinished, piles, or shops half done. It drives me CRAZY. This in turn drives those in my life crazy.

Soooooo, back to school I went to put all to rest for the summer.

This is the second {or maybe third} load of “treasures” that I brought home this summer to clean, reorganize and store away. It’s a good thing my husband isn’t home to see this display ~ it spreads to every available surface in our living area.
He just doesn’t seem to understand the need for bins upon bins of classroom/teaching materials :)

Tomorrow morning I'll enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee with the paper on my patio and then I’m hitting the beach for some much needed quiet time. My beach bag has been ready to go for several days now. I can't wait for the change of seasons and a very enjoyable slower pace of life for the next couple of months.

*Is anyone else having trouble with blogger? I tried many times to post this last night and it wouldn't allow me ~ ugh!

Leave A Comment

A Day of Celebration

{This was taken while he was attending Montessori. He loved "his" school! They called him a miniature Mr. GQ ~ we still giggle over this and remains one of my favorite memories.}

Today my sweet boy {now a man} is celebrating a special birthday!

Regardless of his age or height he will always be my little guy.

I vividly remember the day he was born.

He arrived with a full head of white blond hair and the biggest blue eyes. Even the doctor comment on the amount of hair he had for a little blondy.

So sweet and cute!

Nicholas weighed in at 9lbs 2oz

They called him a moose {in a most loving way} in the nursery.

He loved to snuggle and the nurses were sad to see him go.

When they put him in my arms he had a smile on his face which remains in place to this day. Many compliments have been expressed at his happy go lucky, bright and smiling personality. This too is still in place ~ a delightful character trait.

Many of the characteristics have remained while other wonderful qualities have developed. It's been a delight watching him evolve into the person he is today.

The time has gone by so {too} quickly. I've barely had time to catch my breath from the non~stop activities of raising a child.

Today

On this very special day I wish him much happiness, loads of love, and lots of hugs and kisses.

Nicholas reads my blog while he is away at school {so sweet!} to see what we are up to here at home.
Today, Nicholas,  we are celebrating your special day made just for you!

Love you tons and tons~
Mom

I wrote Nicholas a letter to commemorate this birthday that I will share soon. Because it is personal, I wanted Nicholas to read it first before I shared it here.

Leave A Comment

I'm still here ...

{Garden Party Arrangement}

 

I have so much to share with you but no time to get the pictures uploaded or a post prepared.The past three weeks have been crazy busy and the end isn’t insight until next week.

For those of you already enjoying summer vacation, I’m wishing you sunny skies, relaxed schedules, and fun family times! I’m almost there as the light at the end of the tunnel is finally visible :)

A few highlights of what’s been going on in my corner of the world...

~ The Child and Family Agency Wine Tasting and Auction was a HUGE success! We had a sold out event with fun for everyone. On top of that, we raised a record amount for our cause which will be greatly appreciated and go to very good use.

~ An evening of celebration was enjoyed at the Coast Guard Academy to honor a few fellow teachers in their amazing accomplishments ~ these women are so dedicated and have hearts of gold!

~ It only took me a solid week but I finally distributed the 5 yards of dirt and 8 yards of mulch around our yard {this isn’t including the original 8 yards that were already laid} that were delivered the week of solid rain. This was an incredible workout/ weight loss plan but next time I’m hiring someone to take on this task.

~ My garden is planted despite the torrential rains and now record heat ~ I’m ready for some normal weather.

~ The Garden Party I hosted in my home for my sweet friend was not only fabulous but we actually surprised her! You have no idea the difficulty behind this task ~ a  true miracle

~ The end of the year is here and over the next 2 weeks I’ll be busy with those activities. We are kicking off the fun with Field Day tomorrow. I’m happy to report that the sky will be blue and the sun will be out in all its glory ~ the recipe for a fun filled day at play!

Leave A Comment

Life in Progress

When my son was in first grade I quickly realized that May was going to be the busiest month of the year ~ December didn't have a fighting chance even with all the holiday hoopla and prep. Well, once again May hasn't let me down. I feel like my body and mind are being stretched as thin as possible and going  in all directions.

The weather here in Eastern Connecticut has been ... challenging. Yea, we'll go with that since it's a little nicer than what I'd really like to say. Soon I'll have to move into my own personal ark if this nonsense keeps up. Yes, it has rained that much AGAIN this year. I wish I were kidding but sadly I'm not. However, a sweet friend reminded me, when I had to take the morning off to pump water out of my basement, that I have a home to return to at the end of the day. Thank you for keeping my whining in perspective. With that said, I really have nothing to complain about!

The ground is SO wet that my poor plants have been living in a continuous spa treatment which is causing them to soak themselves into an unhealthy state. The weather is turning warmer this week {accompanied by showers} so I rescued them and began the laborious project of planting. Why does this step always take ten times longer than I anticipate?!

The window boxes are completed ~ one check off my list!

A little refresher after working hard in the yard and basement. My favorite ~ lemon and lime.

I have been waiting {not so patiently} for these to arrive. They are the reason I have not shared my kitchen remodel. It's a little naked without the back splash. Long ago I saved a picture of this tile in my inspiration binder. I was knew EXACTLY what I wanted when it came time to choose the tile for our kitchen. Done! Or not so fast ~ I didn't have a name or style and no tile place around here ~ from Greenwich to Providence ~ recognized the image in my picture. I knew I would have great regrets if I settled for something else knowing what I was looking for was out there ... somewhere.  After many hours of research on the web I finally found what I was looking for. They are all handmade which means extra turn around time. When they arrived one of the three boxes was damaged so I've had to unwrap each individually wrapped tile to make sure they aren't broken or chipped.

Source unknown

I'm hosting a garden party in a few weeks to celebrate a very dear friend. Keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that our wetlands will dry up and my yard will have a chance to bloom.

The other morning I had to laugh at myself as I was spreading mulch at 5 am before getting ready to head off to my classroom. Why ? Because it was the only window of time with no rain in the forecast!


I'm ready for summer break!

Leave A Comment

Brimfield ~ a true field trip!

This is an event I look forward to for months in advance. It's held 3 times a year but we always hit it in May. We leave bright and early for the all day adventure. This year my husband was home for a couple of days and was able to tag along for the fun. Fortunately, we both enjoy this trip so it's an opportunity to spend some time together {one of my goals for the year} as well as find a few new treasures for our home.


Brimfield goes on for miles and miles and miles! The fields are amazing with their showcases of treasures and trash ... you know the saying. By the end of the day I'm exhausted! You simply cannot view it all in one day. Sadly, I never have enough time to allow myself two days for this treasure hunt.



There is one way in and one way out of Brimfield. If your arrival timing is off just a tad, you wait in line and end up parking in the back 40. This is the hardest part ~ almost there, yet still so far away. Ugh!


I've been going to Brimfield for several years now. I always go with a list in mind and always come home with everything EXCEPT what I was looking for :) That's part of the fun.



How about a sweet little chair for my desk? There were SO many to choose from at this tent. I fell for the back on this little beauty and it's carved design.



Madhtr ~ love the name and oh so fitting!

This vender was amazing! It is a little {or big} girls dress up dream come true! The hats were gorgeous and his display was just beautiful. It really belongs in a high end boutique. He was quite the character with very charming qualities. I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed that hats make a comeback ... love them so!

Over the years I've found dealers and vendors that I really like and make a point of going to their booths first to see what goodies they've brought to the show.
The displays are becoming more creative {selling point} and intriguing. There was more than one time I felt the "need" to have it all. Not to worry, my well grounded husband was there to bring me back to reality. **Note to self: leave husband home next time** :)



This is one of my favorite booths ~ always find a few must haves.

A nap would have been nice ;)





A few trinkets that made it home with me. I actually had this antique secretary on my list and much to my surprise I found one! I think this may be a first for me. These sweet little pictures will look great in our hall and I quickly grabbed the ice bucket when I saw the unique shape. It's a good thing I eyed it when I did since two other women were on my heels.  I'm going to use the silver in my picnic basket. I thought the butter knives would make perfect spreaders and can you see the serving spoons? They are monogrammed! :) I'll put these new lovelies to good use during the spring festival at Jonathan Edwards Winery in a few short weeks.

I have a few more fun finds to share with you but I'll save them for another day.

Leave A Comment

Spring Break

We had a very late break this year. With that said, we still don’t get out of school this year until late June. My social calendar was light with hopes of tackling a few home projects. After all, doesn’t the word project just scream rest and relaxation? Yep, thought so! I started off in the right direction. Day one was spent with these fine fellas. The family room was getting a much needed face lift.



We were primed {pun intended} and ready to go until I felt a gurgle in my stomach. Oh joy, I was treated with the horrid stomach bug that ripped through my school. Trying to keep an upbeat outlook, I managed to get through my stack of magazine and drop 5 pounds in a matter of a couple of days. Talk about a diet plan that works!Once I was feeling better, I finished the family room and few other cleaning projects on my list.



One afternoon I treated myself to a much needed pedicure ~ raspberry fizz. A little pink always makes you feel better!  Love my monogrammed Eliza B's and so happy to have ditched the socks for the spring and summer season.



I enjoyed a few of these. I may have a slight addiction to ice coffee. Once I switch from hot to cold, I know that summer days aren't far behind and that always bring a smile to my face.





Spring doesn’t really begin until my visit to Eliza B. The choices were over the top and I came away with these lovelies. I love supporting family businesses. Yes, there really is an Eliza. I’ve met her on more than one occasion. Not only is she a brilliant business owner but she is as sweet as sweet can be ~ not to mention beautiful! Her mother and father are just as warm and kind. The shoes are made right here in Essex Connecticut not far from our home. They also make belts, bags and dog collars and leashes. Bentley and Bozley sport the USNA fighting rams collars. Funny enough, we bought them in Annapolis MD while attending my husband's Naval Academy reunion.




The highlight of my break was having my son home. I was armed and ready for his arrival. Can you see how excited he was to see me {and my camera} as he approached my SUV? :)


Let me just say that having a college student in your home is exhausting! I’ve forgotten the hectic schedules they keep not to mention their hours. Since Nicholas hasn’t been home in a while he tried to reconnect with as many friends as possible. This meant I didn’t get much sleep.



Nothing like multitasking while dying Easter eggs. It wasn't top on his list but he was a good sport and carried on the tradition. Deep down, I think he really enjoyed himself :)


I was able to get some work done in my yard. I planted these last fall and was SO excited to see them pop up this spring. They are a frilly tulip with layers to them ~ very pretty! I like them so much that I'm going to plant more this fall. That is if I can remember the name. I put a marker next to them but during the raking, it has disappeared. If you happen to know the name, please share.



Since we were all home on Saturday morning we had a pre-Easter breakfast. Growing up we called this monkey bread. For the life of me I have no idea where the name came from or why but it is a family favorite. We had a relaxing morning lingering around the breakfast table. One of my favorite treats is not having a time schedule that has to be met. It doesn't happen often but when It does, I enjoy every second of our time.



Before I know it, the week was over and I was back in school. Nicholas is in North Carolina where it is 85 degrees with perfect beach weather. I know this because he reminds each time we talk. Is it possible to ground your college age son for rude comments? :) I'll admit I'm VERY envious!

Leave A Comment