A Son is a Son 'til He Takes a Wife...

I received some exciting news last night! My oldest son asked his beautiful girlfriend to marry him. They were at EPCOT in Orlando, and he got down on one knee in front of the big EPCOT Christmas tree, held out her ring and asked her if she would be his princess. How sweet is that? We are all so happy for them. As his mother I'm over-the-moon to be able to witness the man my sweet, beautiful boy has become. Congratulations Justin and Melinda!

A girl can dream...

Little by little we are beginning to make little updates and upgrades to our 13-year old home. For years we have lived with the builder basics, which was fine at the time and fit within our budget. But frankly, I'm ready for a change. Since I can't move into a new home, I'll have to make do with what I've got. We've started our updating with floors. Fantastic new floors! We have beautiful new tile flooring in the foyer and front bathroom. This weekend I'll have new tile flooring in my kitchen. I'll post pics of that project when it's done.

There's only so much I can do with my 150 sq ft kitchen, but soon I want to add some trim and new cabinet knobs. I think some new counter tops would be great too. The appliances will be next, but I'll just leave what I have until the current ones die. 

I think I've narrowed down my favorite style to Country French. I like Tuscan and Traditional too. I like a lighter cabinet - think lightly glazed cream or a lighter wood color like pecan. If my budget was unlimited, I would have one of these beautiful kitchens below. Hey, a girl can dream!

Country French - My Favorite!

Tuscan Beauty - Love the contrast of colors!

Traditional Style - Light and Bright!

So what style are you? Does your current kitchen reflect your favorite style? Leave me a comment below.

Images from Better Homes & Gardens

Communing with Mother Nature

I forgot that I enjoy camping. I say that because it has been a while since I've been out with the guys in the camper - at least a year, maybe more. We made plans during Tropical Storm Andrea, and took advantage of some cancellations at the often booked-solid-forever Fort Clinch State Park. I love Florida state parks, and Fort Clinch is one of the best. Plus, it's not too far from home.

The weather was super. The partly cloudy skies lent to decent June temps. My sister-in-law and her husband and my mother joined us. It's so relaxing to sit around a campfire and enjoy the evening. It's invigorating to go for a sunset stroll along the river's edge. This morning, we all enjoyed some time at the beach and acquired some awesome shells.

Some great memories were made to laugh about for years to come: Philip forgetting the keys to the camper and having to make a trip back home to get them. We will also never forget about the tomato-hating raccoon that stole Lillian's buns!  :)

Amelia River

I wish I could have taken this home!!

Fort Clinch

Horseshoe Crab. They look like Alien creatures!!

We only went for  one day/night, but it felt like we were gone for an extended weekend. Now that I've been bitten by the camping bug once again, it's time to start planning more trips! 

PS: Bounce dryer sheets ABSOLUTELY WORK as a mosquito repellent!!

A lump in my throat

It's over. One of the most emotional weeks since 9/11. It started on Monday in Boston, peaked Wednesday in West, Texas, and ended on Friday night in Watertown, Mass. 

God bless all the victims and their families. West - we continue to hold out hope for you to find all of your missing loved ones. Stay safe out there everyone, and Peace Be With You.

It's Not All About the Zombies

Let me begin this post by stating that I am not a Zombie fan. I am, however, a big fan of The Walking Dead TV show. I didn't watch the first season, even though my boys encouraged me to. I had many good reasons not to: Too gross! Stupid! Not hardly! Then one Sunday night, I finally relented and watched an episode with them. It was the Season 2 episode when Carl was accidentally shot by Otis. Fuggetaboutit! I was hooked from then on! I still have to turn my head when Zombie heads are squished (hurp!) and guts are eaten (ack!), that much will never change. And I don't know what it is about Daryl Dixon, but honey....Anyway, I came across this article and thought it was funny. It's a comparison between Toy Story and The Walking Dead. I just had to share. Click the link below: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/undeniable-proof-that-the-walking-dead-and-toy-story-have-th

It's really cute. I hope you enjoy it, TWD fan or not!

Playing Dress-Up

I signed up for Polyvore a while back after seeing all of these fashion creations on Pinterest. I poked around the site and stuff, but not much else. Tonight I decided to get more involved with it and created my first few "sets". Just simple outfits that I'd pick out for myself to wear - my tastes and style. The one shown here is called House O' Mouse. I love me some Mickey Mouse!

I think that creating these "sets" and "collections" in Polyvore is a lot like window shopping at the mall when I don't have money to blow. Grown-ups playing dress-up. Except with Polyvore, we are playing dress-up at home. We don't have to drive anywhere or fight crowds! We don't have to fix our hair or put on make-up! We don't have to get out of our comfy jammies or put on a bra!

The creative part of me - advertising artiste extraordinaire ;-) - is shouting "Yayyy, this is fun!". Designing these sets is sort of similar in the way I go about designing my ads at work. And I do sometimes shout "Yayyy, this is fun!" when I'm at work too - in my head of course. Oh, did I mention I love my job? Anyway, I hear a tangent calling my name.

So get thyself on to Polyvore! You deserve a little creative fun. Besides, what red-blooded woman doesn't love to shop?

House O' Mouse by crosspack featuring joseph pants

In Like a Lion...Happy March!

Mother Nature is having a moment and cannot decide whether she wants it to be Winter or early Spring around here. It's 79 one day and 59 a few days later. I think this weekend is a good one to bring out the Crock Pot - it's going to be cold outside. Well, what is considered cold for the Deep South.

Here's a recipe for Paula Deen's Slow Cooker Ribs. Perfect for a weekend meal.

Slow Cooker Pork Spareribs
pauladeen.com

Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 6 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients 

4 pounds pork spare ribs, back membranes removed and cut into individual ribs
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Directions

Liberally season ribs with salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; pour sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Please leave me a comment with your favorite Crock Pot recipe! 

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen

News & Press - Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen

http://www.jbjsoulkitchen.org/about

So tell me, what is better than Jon Bon Jovi, food, and love?

JBJ has a restaurant with no prices. Guests make their selection and pay the minimum suggested donation. That's right, donation. 

If you pay a little more, you are helping to feed someone else. Those who cannot afford to pay for their meal can volunteer to work in exchange for their meal. Whether you can foot the bill or have to work it off, you are all seated family-style. It's about people helping people.

"At Soul Kitchen the main ingredient is Love, with a large helping of you." 

How awesome is that?

Love and compassion. Doing the right thing. I was so moved by this, I had to share.

I love you even more Jon. 

Peace & God Bless.

When Life Gives You...

This morning I set out to make a Coconut Cake. I baked my two layers of white cake, as 

I've done many times before. They had cooled long enough for me to frost them. 

Everything was right with the universe. 

That is until I decided to remove the cake from the first pan. 

Seems as if the cake decided it wasn't ready to leave the pan. Not as a whole piece anyway.

Arrgh!! Messed up cake!!

Ok. Ok. I have another layer. It will just have to be a one layer cake. So, I invert the other layer to remove it and....arrgh #@%&** stupid cake!!! Slow breaths. In, pause, and out, pause. Now what to do?

Aha! Got it! I'll make a trifle, of sorts. Let's call it:

EASY LAYERED DESSERT

So, we already have our cake, mostly crumbled and in pieces. Time to make some pudding! Since I have white cake, I used vanilla instant pudding. The photo shows 1, but I used 2 boxes (5.1 oz size/large boxes) of the vanilla pudding mix. Made the pudding per the directions in a large bowl. 

 









 Then I brought out my 13x9 glass Pyrex dish. Let the layering begin!

Ingredients: Cake, pudding, whipped topping

Crumble the cake. Add it to the dish. This was one of the pans of cake (or one cake layer).

Add half of your pudding on top of the cake layer. Next, add the
remaining cake and layer of pudding.

Add your whipped topping, and you are done!

Yum! Time to dig in! 

 

I'm already thinking about other combinations. Pound cake and chocolate pudding. Strawberry cake, strawberries, and pudding. To make it easier, used a bakery-made cake. 

I imagine that Angel Food cake would work well too.

This made quite a bit! But, with 2 teenage boys in the house, it won't last long. 

As I get older, I'm starting to get that whole adage about not sweating the small stuff, and 

working with the hand I've been dealt. I'm getting there...

 

Love is in the Air

With Valentine's Day soon here, I've been looking at some cute, simple, and quick recipes to make some goodies for the family. I'm thinking of either a cake or cookies. Or both!

I haven't made a heart-shaped cake before. This photo makes it look pretty simple. 

You can't go wrong with Duncan Hines!

@ Baking.about.com

And these darlings are cake-mix cookies: Strawberry cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/3 c of oil. Form into balls and shape into hearts. 350 degrees for approx 10 minutes. Frost when cool. I think these would be cute decorated with little conversation hearts with frosting to match. Just tint vanilla frosting with food color to match the hearts.

@ MaryJanesFarm.org

I'll post some pics later with the results.

Should be a pretty "sweet" Valentine's Day. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!

St Johns and Sugar Gliders

My family spent some time outside on a gorgeous Saturday, Groundhog Day 2013. We started out early to go junking - what the boys call it when I drag them out to the garage/yard sales. 

I'm looking for an old desk to re-hab. No luck on finding one today. 

After a yummy Hardee's breakfast, we headed down to Jacksonville to check out a home show expo, the highlight of which was playing with a couple of Sugar Gliders a guy was selling.

 I can imagine the "fun" my cats would have with one of those adorable little creatures! 

Precious! Sugar Glider
Photo from nhsugargliders.com

The temp warmed up quite nicely, so we decided to head over to Metropolitan Park. The park is mainly used for concerts and other events. There's open fields for pinicking, docks for boaters,

 a playground, and a stage. The best part was we had the place to ourselves.

 After enjoying the sun, water and scenery, we headed to Riverside to a couple of our favorite hangouts. 

St. Johns River & Boat docks at Met Park

 Ol' General Beauregard Lee saw his shadow this morning, meaning 6 more weeks of Winter. 

That's just fine with me as long as the Winter Days are as gorgeous as today was! 

I hope your day was fabulous, too.

CATMOJI!

I was reading a blog earlier today (for Kirby Kangaroo - it's a work thing), and there was a post

about Catmoji.com. Of course I was intrigued and just had to check it out.

How stinkin' cute is this?!

.

It appears to be a share site, set up quite similarly to our fave Pinterest, for all things feline. I Googled

Dogmoji, but it didn't come up with anything about doggies.

 So I'll join Catmoji just for the cuteness factor. I know a few others that will find Catmoji "too cute" as well. Please leave me a comment to let me know if you join. 

And while you are here, please follow my blog. Thanks!

So, it is Winter after all!

What a difference a week can make! Seven days ago we were sitting on the beach soaking up the rays and enjoying the near record high temp.

We were still enjoying the warmth until a couple of days ago. As a matter of fact, on Wednesday a nearby city had the warmest temp in the nation! I was loving life on the coast. The best part? The sand gnats were not out at that time!

View from Georgia to Florida

This morning we are waking up in the upper 30s! Yes, it is still Winter after all. And this is how we "do" Winter in the South. I expect to be out on the beach again soon.

Today, it's a beautiful sunny and windy day. A let's-stay-under-the-covers-a-little-longer kind of morning.

I hope your day is beautiful too.

"You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat!"

Miss Mary Lee has come to town. I am so glad that Miss Mary Lee decided to visit in the winter instead of the summer. She is definitely not a guest you want hanging around for long. Or stopping by at all.

You see, Miss Mary Lee is a biter. She has way too many teeth for my liking. I know she is just minding her own business, doing her own thing, but it's a little too close for comfort.

The ocean temperature is probably 60 degrees off of our coast right now, so I am totally safe. I do not dip even a painted toenail into the water if it is under 85 degrees. Nope, nada, not this girl. So what does water temperature have to do with Miss Mary Lee?

You can hear more about Miss Mary Lee here. Seems she's getting her 15 minutes of fame. Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. In the meantime, stay fabulous!

Where's Captain Quint when you need him? Oh. Yeah.

The King's 78th!

Happy Birthday, Elvis Presley!

(Image from elvis.com)

Though Elvis has left the building, he left behind Graceland. I have never been to Graceland, but it is on my Bucket List for sure. 

Graceland. (Image from wikipedia)

Until I get there in person, come with me on an online tour courtesy of Huffington Post.

Elvis, 1968. That was a good year! ;-)

A Hunk of Burning Love

Have a good one, y'all!

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?

We have a new member to our home! She's a pound kitty - truly a pound kitty as she was born there. (Around here, we call it "The Pound". Where ever you're from it may be called ASPCA, Animal Control, Humane Society, etc..)

 I wanted a little white one. She's close enough:

    Prudence aka Prudy

She's 4 months old and has my heart already. 

I wouldn't say that our 11 1/2 year old Zoe cares for her the same way: 

       Zoe aka The Cat from Hell

Zoe has made clear in hisses and guttural growls exactly who's the Queen in this house. She's very indignant. Like it wasn't bad enough when we brought Winston, our 12 year old Dorkie, home 10 years ago! We have the nerve to bring in a PYT?! (Ha! Who remembers that song ;-)) 

Zoe was a street kitty. My oldest found her in a parking lot on September 9, 2011. She barely fit in your hand. As you can tell by her coloring she is quite a mutt. The feral never left her despite our efforts to socialize her. She is known by all as The Cat From Hell. 

That cat whisperer guy on TV, he'd NEVER break Zoe, that I'm sure of. 

I doubt Zoe will ever like Prudy, but I'm sure at some point she'll adjust and tolerate her the same way she learned to tolerate Winston and the rest of us. 

Giddy-Up Little Seahorse

Isn't this the cutest thing? It was made from a wood pallet! I have one in the garage now. I hear a weekend project calling my name. Not this weekend, though. But another one soon most definitely!


(Image from Kari @ The Sunset Lane)
The Sunset Lane: Twinkle Twinkle little seahorse :)

Search for Real Treasures on Jekyll Island!

"Beginning New Year’s Day and continuing through the months of January and February the Jekyll Island Authority hosts “Island Treasures on Jekyll Island,” a unique treasure hunting experience on Jekyll Island.
The treasures are handcrafted glass floats called Island Treasures."

This sounds like fun. I can't wait to go on a search!

If you haven't visited Jekyll Island, it is one of Georgia's Barrier Islands. It was the winter resort of the super wealthy at the turn of the 20th century and some of their "cottages" are still there. It's a beautiful place to visit.

I just came across this article on jekyllisland.com and had to share!

http://www.jekyllisland.com/island-treasures

10 Tips for Refinishing Furniture – Daily Catch | CoastalLiving.com

Thinking about painting some old furniture? These tips will come in handy. I have a few pieces I've been wanting to re-do. Have you completed a furniture makeover recently? I'd love to see it.

10 Tips for Refinishing Furniture – Daily Catch | CoastalLiving.com

Happy New Year!

This was posted by a Facebook friend. I like its simple yet grand statement.

My life has, to this point, had many chapters whether by definition (child, student, lover, friend, mother) or by the date on the calendar. Today is day one. There are 364 more days for me to write in my life Chapter 2013. To experience. To live. How exciting!

Happy New Year! How will your Chapter 2013 read?