Bathing suit dilemma ♥

Can I let you in on a little secret about me?

I haven't bought a new bathing suit in eight years!

Mostly because of the horror I endure shopping for one.

This.is.real.life.

Every year I say I will get one.  I browse the stores.  I see something I kind of like. But when it comes time to actually try it on I run from the store screaming.

We are going to Florida next month and prepping for my trip I have accepted the fact that I don't think my haggard old suit can survive another summer. 

I've never really loved that suit.  I remember buying it in haste because it was the only one at that time that fit me.  This was right after John was born and I needed a bathing suit for a mommy/baby swimming class.  He loved it.  Me? What was I thinking?

So what do I do now? Shopping it is!

Here we go again....

I've never been a bathing suit person. I am that lady who always wears shorts and a t-shirt over her suit. Mostly because I have never found a bathing suit I've felt comfortable in.

 Not since I was six and I actually looked cute in one....:)

I love the vintage styles of the 1950's. 

The bottoms ride a bit lower on the legs and cover more upper thigh, which I for one really appreciate!

I also like the halter style tops. Most of them had a sweetheart neckline and are so darn cute I can't even stand it ♥

Is it possible for me to find one of these? Does this style still exist?

I am going bathing suit shopping today and I'm hoping to find a diamond in the rough! Something that I won't feel I have to cover with a t shirt.

My dream is that Liz Taylor will jump out from behind the racks and hand me a vintage baby pink suit with sparkles that's just my size. 

Wouldn't that be perfect....♥

...but I'll probably just end up running and screaming!

Wish me luck!

♥ p.s. all these gorgeous pictures are courtesy of Pinterest ♥

Chocolate dipped frozen bananas ♥

This was me this morning.  I got my first pedi of the season (picked a cute purple sparkly color) and out came all my sandals from last year. They had a heap of dust on them, but happy to find all are in great shape.  With the school year winding down (John could give you the exact number of days) I'm starting to feel the summer coming. The arrival of my toes is the first sign!

 

My lazy weekend was such a success (you have no idea! zzzzzz... ) that John and I never made chocolate dipped bananas.  We made a lemon cake instead which was just as good and a lovely end to the weekend. 

 

 

 

 

I did the bananas on my own this morning and surprised him after school today.  

 

They are nice and cool and totally reminded me of a summer treat ♥

Here's an idea for you.....you're gonna love this!

 

 

On Sunday I peeled 5 ripe bananas and put them in the freezer.  Have you ever frozen bananas?

 They are so delicious frozen!  You can blend them in a food processor and make ice cream, add them to smoothies, or dip them in chocolate which is what I did today. 

 

 

 

 

This is probably the easiest thing you will ever make ♥

 

Take two frozen bananas and cut them into bite sized chunks.

 

 

 

 

Take one cup of chocolate chips and two tablespoons of vegetable oil and melt in the microwave. 

 

I melted mine on defrost in 30 second intervals. 

 

 

 

 

Let the chocolate cool a little bit, for just a minute or two...

 

 

 

 

Now dip the banana pieces in the chocolate.  I dipped mine using  two forks. 

 

 

 

 

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

 

 

 

 

Put back in the freezer to set. 

 

 Once frozen, store in the freezer in a sealed bag or airtight container. 

 

When you need a little deliciousness, just pop one in your mouth.  Caution: They are addictive!

 

You can share these with your family, however it's perfectly acceptable to hide them in the back of the freezer.  Not that I've done that. 

 

 

You're Welcome ♥

 

this made me laugh...lol :)

 

 

Have a nice week, my friends! xo

 

 

Summer is coming! Yippee!

Lazy weekend...the best kind ♥

Welcome to Friday! I’ve been waiting for you since Sunday night!

I have nothing exciting planned this weekend.  Actually it will just be a very lazy, ordinary couple of days and to be truthful…those are my favorite kind ♥

for you...

Lazy weekends are the best.  We can sleep in without waking to the sound of an annoying alarm clock, slowly sip our coffee (maybe on the deck if the weather cooperates) and not get dressed until we are darn good and ready.  I hate rushing in the morning and this past week has been extra rushy. John had to be at school early twice which completely threw me off, and one day I woke up a half hour late!

It was not pretty…and neither was I : )

this was not me...not even a little bit...

On the weekends we need not worry about those things.  I love it when Rob asks me “what are we doing this weekend?” and I get to say…”nothing”.  

Bliss! ♥

John does have one activity planned at the library Saturday afternoon.  He’s taking a pop up art class.  Every month the public library sponsors two art teachers to come in for an hour and a half to do art projects with the kids.  They focus on a different artist every time and do a project based on that artist. Oh, and it’s free! : )  Last month he did a still life based on Van Gogh.  This time they are making animation flip books. John loves it and so do I because I get to lose myself in the library for 90 minutes while he’s taking the class.  I’ll find a quite spot, curl up, and read.  

If only I could bring my slippers ♥

On Sunday we’ll go to church and then have the whole day to ourselves. If it’s nice I would like to go down to the beach for a few hours or maybe take a walk.  There will definitely be ice cream involved.  Oh, speaking of sweet treats there is something I want to make this weekend.  I saw these chocolate dipped frozen bananas on line the other day.  They look delicious and easy to make so I promised John we would try them.  

They look  yummy! 

(via pinterest)

I’m also starting to think about flowers for my flower boxes.  I’m getting the itch for planting but I didn’t want to do it too soon because it’s still been very cold at night.  It looks like my peonies are just getting ready to open so that’s a good sign that maybe it’s time!

she's almost ready to open....

Also, my friend Shireen recommended an old movie that she thought I might like.  I’m a lover of old movies and I’ve never seen Portrait of Jennie (1948) so I’m going to look for it at the library this weekend. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten and looks just lovely.  I looked it up on line and all the reviews called it “enchanting” which is pretty much what Shireen said about it too.  Enchanting is right up my alley. It will go well with my Saturday evening latte. 

Hopefully Rob won’t mind ♥

Well, that’s just about it around here, folks.  Nothing terribly exciting but that’s real life and I like it ♥

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back soon! 

PS...

I had to laugh at myself the other day. I looked in the mirror and noticed that my desire to morph into a 1950’s housewife was greatly enhanced by this collar! 

If only all my shirts had one this pretty ♥

Happy lazy Spring! xo

Mother's Day 2016 ♥

Another Mother's Day has come and gone and mine was so nice I couldn't wait to tell you about it!

 

 

 

 

On Saturday my Mom and I went out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Strawberry Fair.  It was just the two of us and it was delightful!

 

We don't get the chance to do it as often as we used to so it felt extra special.

 

♥

 

We've been coming here ever since I was a little girl.  They serve strawberry ice tea in mason jars and warm bread with strawberry butter.

 

Need I say more?

 

 

 

 

The entire restaurant is decorated with strawberries, including this tree which they keep out all year. 

 

 

There are little knick-knacks to look through while you are waiting for your food.  Years ago my mom took painting classes upstairs from the owner.  Unfortunately they don't do the classes anymore, but overall the place hasn't changed since it opened in 1975. 

 

Rob takes me here on my birthday every year ♥

We had intended to go for lunch but when we got there we found out they were serving a special Mother's Day brunch for the weekend so we changed our minds.

 

 

 

 

I got the crème brule French toast and mom got the spinach quiche....we shared ♥ 

 

It was so good!

 

 

 

 

After lunch we did a little shopping at Home Goods!

 

Love.This.Store.

 

 

 

 

If only I had a house big enough to keep all these things! 

 

 

 

 

Cuteness on every shelf!

 

My mom and I were joking we would need a storage unit to hold all our goodies! LOL

 

 

 

 

And my favorite section....the candles!  So many to pick from (and great prices too!).

 

We had a lot of fun browsing (and buying) that day!

 

 

Sunday morning I woke up to flowers and cards from my boys! ♥

 

 

 

 

We had a LOVELY brunch with my mother in law, father in law, and sister in law ♥

 

 

 

 

We reminisced about all old times and ate a lot of cookies and cinnamon rolls!

 (which clearly shows on my face....: )

 

 

I felt very blessed to be having such a nice day! ♥

 In the afternoon the sun came out for about 5 minutes! 

 

That was a treat considering it's been raining for over a week. 

 

 

After an afternoon rest we headed over to my parents house for take out dinner from our favorite seafood place.  I got the fresh fish sandwich. 

 

It was so good! ♥

 

 

 

 

 I had to leave room for banana cream pie! ~YUM~

 

After dinner John asked if we could play some games, so we all played his version of The Match Game, which is pretty hilarious!

 

 

 

 

Just as we were leaving I snapped this picture of the sun setting. 

 

A beautiful sight and lovely end to Mother's Day ♥

 

 

 

 

Why I love Mondays ♥

I don't know if I ever told you this before but I really like to stay home.  There are days when I would prefer above all things to be cozy in my house then to venture out into the world. Get dressed? Put on makeup? Take off my slippers and put on real shoes? Sigh.

 

 

{via}

 

It takes me forever to get myself together in the morning mostly because a. I'm not a morning person and b. I don't really want to go out at all. That's why I need a bucket of coffee to get me going every morning.  Please don't talk to me until I'm at least on cup 2.  

 

The struggle is real, ladies.

 

 

 

 

I've always been a homebody.  Even when I was little I wanted to be home with my mother all the time. I haven't really changed that much.  I work out of the house Tuesday - Friday but Monday is my day off.  It's my favorite day because I get to be home all day doing what I love best - cooking and taking care of the house.  It's my one day to pretend I'm the 1950's housewife I've always wanted to be. While the rest of the world grumbles on Monday mornings I'm ridiculously happy because I have the day (and the house) all to myself. 

 

 

{via}

 

If possible I try to get my food shopping done on Friday nights so I don't have to waste my precious Monday at the grocery store.  After I drop John off at school (which is usually in my pajamas) I do a food prep for the week, so once Tuesday - Friday comes I don't have to stress too much about making dinner after work.  This past Monday I made chicken Parmesan, pasta, baked pork chops, salad, and roasted veggies.  That ought to hold us for a few days. 

 

 

 

 

I wrap each meal up so all I have to do is reheat it when I get home from work ♥

 

 

 

 

 I also like to throw in some sweet treats too.  

 

This week I surprised John with his favorite...

 

Brownies!

 

 

 

 

After I get something in the oven and the house is starting to smell good I do my cleaning.  I vacuum the floors, scrub the bathrooms, and dust the furniture.  I don't want you think I'm super crazy about cleaning....I just do what I feel needs to be done. Some weeks it's not as much as others. 

 

I don't mind the work as I always have either my IPOD on or a good movie playing in the background.  This past Monday Marilyn, Lauren, and Betty kept me company!

 

I love this movie!

 

 

 

 

After all that it's time for lunch.  I make myself something yummy and take a rest before it's time to pick up John.  If it's a nice day I'll go for walk or take a bike ride.  If I'm into a good book I might curl up on the couch for 30 minutes and read a few chapters.  It feels somewhat decadent reading on a Monday afternoon but I'm crazy like that. 

 

 

 

 

There is something about having my house cleaned and fridge full of food ready to eat that makes going back to work on Tuesday a little less stressful.  I enjoy homemaking - pottering about the house, lighting my candles, and picking flowers from my yard for the kitchen counter.

 

 

 

 

Because once Rob and John get home the house isn't quiet anymore.  I lose control of the TV and someone always seems to blow out my candles....grrrr. 

 

 

 

 

However, even though there is homework to be done and lunches to be made, all my prep work makes time for fun things like after dinner games....

 

We are heavily into Bananagrams and Headbanz (Disney edition) right now : )

 

 

 

 

And that's why I love Mondays. 

 

A good one will put me in good stead for the entire week!

 

Now if I could only find time to squeeze in a nap, life would really be good!

 

♥♥♥

 

 

 

 

 Happy May my friends! xo