Is It Just Me??

Is it just me or is the summer flying by?????! I keep thinking there is one more week left in June and there's not.....it the Fourth of July weekend this week people! WHAT? It feels like we're just getting on a roll over here...getting in the groove of no schedule, staying up late, doing whatever we want...and for me, mentally, summer vacation is almost over in three weeks when football camp starts July 26th. YIKES!! And look at this pile of reading I'd like to do! The magazines keep coming, and I keep adding books to my pile...that doesn't include the list I have in my Blackberry, or the ones Cindylou has read and still has on her desk....like Dear John and the Blind Side....or the DVD's I want to get from Redbox, or the scrapbooking and knitting I'd like to sit and work on.....or the cakes I'd like to try from the Sky High cookbook, or ice cream flavors I want to make....cookouts and fun day trips with the kids....visiting with friends and blogging..... Can you feel the panic? I'm feeling very overwhelmed with fun stuff. This is a really bad feature I have about myself....I have that summer to-do list swirling around in my brain and I feel like I have to get everything done or some how our summer won't have be fun enough! Oh, and did I mention the trip home to Buffalo for a week...and that the kiddos are going to Vail AGAIN...without me... to stay with Auntie M.....you may be thinking this would be the perfect time to get a bunch of stuff done that the Treatgirl has on her list...but Chip is going away for three months to Atlanta and he's like me to come visit him for the week the kiddos are gone..........hmmmm, would it sound bad if I said I'd like to stay home for a few days all alone???? Let me know.........

Favorite Friday

This week my most favorite thing is this A.MAZ.ING picture I got of Cubby on vacay last week in Florida!!!!!! I just love everything about it...the way his two little front teeth are just barely showing, his look of total excitement, the way his goggles and Spongebob bathing suit match his boogie board....I took it at just the right exact moment!



And I have to mention the shells we came home with. We always come home with treasures and shells from the beach. I string a few on a ribbon and hang them on my christmas tree every year with a tag with the date on it....I have a whole collection of them.



Look at this little display on the window sill in my kitchen. I treated myself to this little jar a few weeks ago (and yes, I've toyed with the idea of doing another "What is it Wednesday" in this little jar....but I'm not sure) and I put the pieces of coral I found in there. And how 'bout the other three shells???! Aren't they terrific! Our good friend at my mom's beach club gave one to each of the kids one morning. They are truly the most beautiful shells I've ever held. The next morning when we saw him I asked him where he found them....did he have to snorkel just off shore? What time in the morning does one have to get there to find something like this? Can you believe he had a whole bag of them from the Pottery BARN???!!!! I couldn't believe it! I'm glad he fessed up, because I would have ran myself ragged trying to find more.....but for reals? The Pottery Barn?! Oh well.....shhhh......don't tell anyone :)

Homemade Ice Cream!

It all started when I actually sat on my patio in the middle of May for an hour....I read a magazine that had a big huge article on homemade ice cream and I was obsessed! I started doing my research on which ice cream maker I should get...which actually means I quizzed my friends :) And a BIG HUGE thank you to my super amazing friend who told me about the attatchment for Minnie, my pink Kitchenaid mixer. I asked for it for my birthday and have been looking at the box ever since. Can you believe I was actually afraid to try it out? At first I was really busy, then I blamed it on not being able to decide which recipe to try...I know, stupid. But in reality I knew once I got going on it I would be CRAZY for ice cream...and I have NO willpower and can't really go to the gym anymore than I am now. But my son has been pestering me ever since we got home from Florida, so today was the day I broke down and made our first batch. OMG!!! It is A.MAZ.ING! Truly!! It's soooo good.



I started out with basic vanilla...but I can easily see how many yummy things I can add to it......and other flavors to try. Here's the page I ripped out of the magazine.



It only takes a few ingredients.....and I couldn't believe egg yolks!!!!? And you cook the whole thing on your stove first....I would have never guessed. But it only takes a few minutes.....then the chilling time...about 2 hours.



20-30 minutes of spinning around and you have soft serve. We all had a taste and agreed to stick it in the freezer until after dinner to see how that was. HEAVEN! A big huge treat :)

Happy Father's Day!!

We'd like to make a big shout out to Chip who couldn't come to Florida with us...."HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!" We love you and we'll see you sooooooon!

Scrapbook Sunday

Yep...more chipboard letters to stash away in the Treatgirls craft room. I picked these up when I was home in Buffalo over the Memorial Day weekend. On clearance. With rhinestones. No question....they were mine :)

A Cupcake Shop in Delray Beach!

Look what I found! An adorable cupcake shop in my mom's town...Cupcake Couture.



A cute cupcake welcome on your way in.....



All of the cupcakes have witty designer names......



And then there's the CANDY!!!



Bins and bins of jelly beans, chewy things, sour stuff and chocolates....all of those nostalgic things that you'd forgotten about are here. The decor was art deco-ish with mirrors, chandeliers and glossy black and white tiles on the floor. There were cute cupcake t-shirts with rhinestones for sale.



Rainbow colored bottles of pop in a cooler.



And a cupcake and candy mural decorated the wall....I just kept wandering around wanting to stay all afternoon. The perfect get away for the Treatgirl :)

Favorite Friday

The Soul Sisters got together to celebrate my birthday last week...here is a picture of us in our "nook"....it's the back booth in a local restaurant that we have claimed for ourselves. We may even bring our sewing machines in here some day. And no, I didn't do my hair like Princess Leia from Star Wars, I think that's my purse on the shelf behind me. Anyhoo....click HERE to see the complete hysterical rundown of the evening from my real-life friend Jennifer Juniper. I promise, you won't be disappointed.



Which brings me about to my featured item for Favorite Friday. The coolest letter "M" Jennifer made for me. I hope while you were visiting her blog you noticed how amazing she was and stopped by her etsy shop. I TO.TAL.LY loooooooooove my "M". She was apprehensive that it was a bit too pink....she decoupaged a piece of scrapbook paper to a wooden letter and distressed it a bit. simple and cute. The M is supposed to stand for my last name......but I propped it up next to my mixer Minnie and it's doing double-duty!! M for Minnie too :) Thanks again Jen!!!

Delray Beach....a little shopping

Okay...with the temperature soaring above 95 degrees today and factoring in the heat index thingy...it felt like 11O...can you believe it was too hot to go to the beach???? So we had lunch and did a little shopping. Our first stop was the Nomad surf shop. My sister and I have been going here since we were little....almost every trip to Florida included a stop to check out the latest in surfer dude stuff. Now my boys have continued the tradition.



Surfboards.



Lots of flip flops...



... board shorts and sunglasses.



Of course a few tacky t-shirt shops with the usual pre-packaged shells from China and wierd alligator heads.



And look at this cute coconut that's been painted and embellished. I know if I was here with my soul sisters we would certainly be whipping up a few of these as a little craft on the beach some morning :)



Here's a little view up Atlantic Ave. heading toward the beach.



And the Snappy Turtle has been famous in Delray since before we started coming here when I was in high school. My mom, sister and I have always made sure we stopped in...and have found the best treasures...Lots of Lily Pulitzer and my favorite Jack Rodger sandals. Here's hoping there's a little bit of a breeze tomorrow!

Delray Beach

I had been planning on bringing the kiddos down to see my mom for several weeks...but up until the day before we left I wasn't 100% positive. You see we were going to "non-rev", which in airline terms means flying completely stand-by after all of the paying customers get on the plane. You see I was a flight attendant for about 17 years before I retired after Cubby was born. And unlimited flying benefits for myself, Chip and the kiddos was my treat! But can you believe this is THE FIRST time I've ever taken all of the kids??? Every other time we've wanted to come to Florida was at holiday times and the flights are always full with no chance of getting on....And actually I only found out the day before this trip that Cubby wasn't even on my pass! I called to "list" us for the flight and he wasn't even there....major stress and panic ensued while I called and faxed for hours getting him officialy put on....but we made it! We didn't get on the first flight we tried for to Charlotte...but got on the next one an hour and half later....then hopped a flight to West Palm from there....it all worked out great. We may have to try it again sometime :) Anyhoo....we are enjoying some wonderful days here in Delray Beach. It is EMPTY at this time of the year now that "season" is over and the snowbirds have gone home.



We spent our first day at my mom's beach club...it's just a block up the road from her house...the ocean is like bath water...almost 85 degrees. There is a pool too and to keep the water temperature cooler for the summer months there is a chiller for it! I've never heard of such a thing. Here's Cubby walking up to the club for lunch...they even have a mister hose to walk along because the sand is burning hot! We feel so pampered here....the guy carries your stuff down to your chairs, brings you towels and puts up the umbrellas for you! What a treat!!



And look at these faucets where you rinse the sand off before going into the pool...aren't they the cutest????? Perfect for a beach club!



We ate lunch out on the veranda with a cool breeze....look at this view! This picture doesn't do it justice...and see those blue spots way out there...those are our umbrellas :)



What a beautiful way to start our vacay!

Scrapbook Sunday

I came across this in Chip's office the other day....a "card" I made him for our anniversary three years ago. I hadn't gotten him a card and there was a huge snow storm that February 13th, the kids were home from school...so I got crafty and made him a scrapbook size page card....I intended to frame it at some point, but I never did...maybe I'll put that on my summer to-do list. We loved to watch 24 together...so that was the theme of the card and I came up with 24 things I love about Chip....I know this may sound kind of mean...but when you are trying to write out 24 specific things you love about your hubs, when you get down into the 20's it's kinda hard to think of some stuff!!! Just sayin'.

Favorite Friday

This is my latest favorite flavor of Mike and Ikes.....you may recall from last summer THESE Well...this summer it's Italian Ice....The Treatgirl just loves her chewy candy and I can't resist these. Don't get me wrong....I'm still in love with my lemonade blend, but these make candy twice as much fun!! Try some :)

I'm a Winner!

Yep, you heard me right.....the Treatgirl is a winner!! I won the giveaway at my bloggy friend Wendy's blog... Ordinary Miracles of Life. Click HERE to check out her cutie patootie kids, great recipes, inspirational posts and awesome ideas...I'll know you'll looooove the way she re-did her laundry room....I may have to spruce up my craft room soon??? But anyhoo....here's my box that arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. On the dreariest of rainy days look at the wonderful treats Wendy bestowed on me....all wrapped in my favorite color....PINK!



I can't wait to relax on the beach next week when I visit my mom in Florida with my new book...I NEVER get a chance to read anymore and this looks like a great one to jump into summer with...and where was this super great ceramic coffee mug this morning when my power was out and I couldn't warm up my coffee in the microwave???? It has a nifty silicone lid and gripper....a Starbucks card to fill my mug up with...and some YUM.MY chocolates to nibble on while I'm sipping and reading!

OOOOHHH! And how cute are these stickers for scrapbooking??? Does my friend Wendy know me or WHAT?!! Just wait to see these pop up some Scrapbook Sunday :) Thanks again Miss.....can you feel love swirling through bloggville over your way?

I Can't Wait to Get Started

I can't wait to get started making amazing cakes with Minnie! I got my new Sky High cookbook yesterday and every recipe looks greeeeaaat!!!!! My real life friend Marzipanmom just put a post up today that features some recipes from it. Click HERE to check them out......this may be where I'm starting :) YUMMY.YUM.YUM

Scrapbook Sunday

This week I wanted to share with you the project I've been working on for Cubby's kindergarten teacher for several weeks now. I am the room mom for his class and in charge of the gift for the end of the year. My older two children have had this teacher as well....and now she has become a dear friend....so needless to say I am soooooo sad that Cubby will be moving on to first grade soon :( I decided to make a cookbook for her...she is VERY practical and I thought it would be a quick, easy and inexpensive thing to put together for her.....well, I was pretty wrong all the way around!

It took a TON of emails, notes, reminders and phone calls to gather up all of the childrens favorite recipes. Then I wanted them to draw a picture to go along with it.....another big deal. I've been working on it for over a month now...and I also decided to make 22 copies of it so all of the kiddos could have one too...WHEH!! Here is Cubby's page.....



THEN I decided to put some pages at the back with pictures of all of our events and parties from the past year........and you know the Treatgirl just can't slap them on a page!!! Of course she got into scrapbooking them!!! Ordering the pictures, a trip to Michaels and Joannes for some cute supplies and doo-dads.....afternoons and late nights of scrapping....but it has turned out soooooooo cute!!! I know she will love it when we present it to her at the class picnic on Wednesday.




And WOW! What a difference it is to scrap on 8 1/2 x 11" pages! I've never done it before.....you can only use 4 or 5 pictures at the most...but you can crank them out quite quickly.



It seems like Halloween was just a few weeks ago!!!



And how cute are all of the pilgrims and indians for their Thanksgiving Feast????
Well.....gotta run...a few more pages to finish by Wednesday :)

Favorite Friday

This Friday I am featuring my favorite baker/cook/foodie Marzipanmom....I was just raving about her the other day....but I have to acknowledge this yummy cake she made for our real life friend Jennifer Juniper's birthday a few weeks ago...it is a Devils food cake with cookies and cream buttercream frosting. It was sooooooooooo good....and being so thoughtful as she always is, she sent us all home with a cupcake sized version! Check it out HERE and make it yourself....you will looove it too!

Silly Bandz

Have these hit your area???? They are all the rage around here.....I even saw a thing on Yahoo's homepage last week that some school districts around the country are banning them....Cubby looooves them! He started out with a few from some friends, but shortly he had the Treatgirl on the hunt for packages of them for himself! They are rubberbands that hold their shape when you take them off.....



They come in tons of different shapes....and when I headed up to Buffalo last weekend I called ahead to see if my little niece needed a few. So we grabbed a few more packs to share. It's always SOME.THING.....I just wish I was the one thinking the "something" up!!!!!!!!!

The Treatgirl Celebrates

The Treatgirl celebrated her birthday this past weekend...yep, you know it! 29!!!! .....she loooooves that her birthday falls on a long holiday weekend here in the States....loaded with picnics and parties.....she just thinks it's all for her! It was a gooooorrrgeous weekend weather-wise....and Treatgirl headed up to her Dad's with a few of the kids...Chip joined them a little later....but before she left, Chip just came right out and asked her what she wanted for her birthday this year....apparently the 85 hints I dropped about the ice cream maker attatchement for Minnie, my pink Kitchenaid mixer fell on deaf ears????! When I told him, he commented that he didn't really like ice cream....uh, and your point is??? Whose birthday is this? And why did you ask?????



Then I mentioned I had been wanting the Sky High Cake cookbook FOR.EVER.... and he said he thought I had enough cookbooks, why would I want another one????? ummm.....Treatgirl just sipped her coffee and said, Well....I'd really like a bike so I can go riding with Cubby, and I would share it with Cindylou, because she needs one too...I even sent him a picture of the pink one I saw at Target to his Blackberry.....his comment was that he really didn't think a bike was such a great idea either....Would you really even ride it???? ....At this point Treatgirl went in on the computer and looked up the ice cream maker and cookbook on amazon and put them in the shopping cart and left it up on the screen for Chip to see. Then on my drive up to my Dad's he called and said he ordered the things from amazon.....Happy Birthday!!



I spent most of the weekend hanging out here.....



Or floating here....drinking my favorite summer-time drink....Coconut Rum and limeaid.



Here I am with my Dad.......enjoying dinner and the cupcakes I made for myself....yep! I dragged Minnie, my mixer up to Buffalo so I could make my own cupcakes!!! They were amazing!



And I guess Cindylou got on the phone with Chip to stress that I REALLY did want a bike....but since we would be sharing it, could he please not pick out a pink one...that would be way too embarrassing! So when he got up to my dad's he surprised me with a bike too!!!



Then there was one last treat.........my real life girlfriend, Marzipanmom knocked on my door with THIS!!!!!!!!! I got goosebumps! I'm not even sure what it is called....it is french pastries and starts with a "P"....they are like little creampuffs and are piled on top of each other....then held together with spun sugar!! I was hoping she'd have her post up on this so I could link to it....but check her out! SHE ROCKS!!!!!!!! Click HERE to see some of her super great recipes, you WON'T be dissappointed!