Scenes from a weekend (i.e random photos from my phone : )

Hello Friends! ♥

Happy Memorial Day!  

I hope you all had a wonderful 3 day weekend!  The weather here was perfect.  Not only is Spring in the air, but I guess now that we've passed Memorial Day the official kick off to summer is here.  I can hardly believe it.  This year is going by so fast!

♥

I didn't do anything too exciting this weekend, but it was so nice to be off from work an extra day and catch up on things at home.  On Saturday morning I took advantage of a gift card and did a little summer shopping.  I took an hour (or 2?) to myself and stocked up on a few summer essentials....2 pairs of capris and a few tops.  It feels good to "restock" things for the season doesn't it?  I also treated myself to a stroll in one of my favorite town squares and got a coffee shake along the way.  Well, it's a holiday weekend, so why not?! That afternoon I made grilled us cheese sandwiches for lunch.  It was a little bit of heaven. (seriously, I love grilled cheese! ) 

♥

On Sunday Rob, John, and I met Rob's aunt and uncle for a delicious breakfast at our favorite little restaurant down the street.  They have the most delicious blueberry pancakes that I cannot resist.  We love spending time and catching up with them! It was such a nice morning!  That afternoon I promised to take John out  to run some errands.  We hit the mall which was pretty much dead.  Probably because the weather was BEAUTIFUL and everyone was home having cook outs : )  It was nice for us because we had the stores all to ourselves. 

We came home and I made steak and garlic bread for dinner.  I've been buying the frozen Texas Toast at the grocery store lately. All you do is heat it up and boom!  The best garlic bread ever!  

♥

Yesterday John and I met my friend Julie and her boys Sean & Michael at the movies and saw the new Aladdin.  I really enjoyed it!!!  There were mixed reviews from the peanut gallery but I thought it was very entertaining!  I loved the music and the costumes and I thought Will Smith did a great job as Genie!  Such a fun film.  I highly recommend it!  Let's face it, Disney will never let me down.  John is getting a little annoyed with me singing "You Aint Never Had a Friend Like Me" but I can't help it.  It's stuck in my head!  

♥

The other highlight of my 3 day weekend was the Hallmark Channel was having a summer movie marathon!  Here and there I was a able to catch 3 or 4 movies that I hadn't already seen and I LOVED them!  I just adore Hallmark movies. The Christmas ones are still my favorite but I do really enjoy the other ones too.  If you aren't familiar with Hallmark, they theme their movies to whatever season we are in. Next up in June is wedding themed movies, because after all June is wedding season.  Come on, how can you not love that! The movies are so cute and quaint, all neatly wrapped up in 2 hrs. Everyone owns a bakery or book shop with twinkling lights in the window and there is always, always a happy ending!   I want to jump into my TV and live there! : ) 

♥

And that's pretty much it, friends.  Nothing too exciting.  Just the way I like it!

The only thing that was missing from my unofficial kick off of summer was sitting around a fire and making smores.  I was craving them so badly this weekend!  Someday my wish is to have my own fire pit so I can roast marshmallows whenever I want.  It's things like that I wish for ♥

Have a great week everyone! It's the last one in May!

Summer is almost here! xoox

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp ♥

Hello Friends!  How are you?  ♥

It's been an exciting week in our house!  For one - the Downton Abbey movie trailer was released today.  I have watched it at least 5 times already and I am so excited! It's going to be an eternity until the movie comes out in September. I literally cannot wait!! 

Hearing the theme song gave me chills! 

John is over the moon because the final Toy Story 4 movie trailer also came out today.  Although, he's lucky - his movies comes out next month.  We are super excited for that too!

And then there's Rob who's happy because the Bruins have made it to the Stanley Cup finals, so next week will be exciting and stressful at the same time. 

I think I need to bake some yellow and black cupcakes to celebrate!  

I always say it's the little things, and as you can see it doesn't take much to make us happy around here! : ) 

♥

I can hardly believe that Memorial Day is this weekend!  How did we get to the end of May so quickly?  On the way to school this morning John and I were saying how all of a sudden it feels like it's almost summer.  The school year is winding down, which I always have mixed feelings about. 

(Yup, I'm that mom who always cries on the last day of school.  Another year gone by, another year older, another inch taller....but that's another post entirely! lol ) 

♥

 Not only that, it got HOT!  Here I am complaining all spring about the rain and yesterday it was 85 degrees! Time to get a pedicure, asap!  

I continually have to remind myself to enjoy and be present each and everyday - rain or shine - because they pass so quickly.  

And so with that, and with Memorial Day coming up I wanted to share with you one of my favorite spring/summer dessert recipes.  I've posted this recipe before but because it's so tasty and maybe some of you might want to make it this weekend I thought I would repost it.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp!  ♥

After all, what else to you do with all the delicious rhubarb that's in grocery stores right now?  Bake away, my friends!  It's so sweet and yummy! 

*Recipe from Martha Stewart ♥

2 cups strawberries - hulled and cut in half (quarters if large)

2 cups rhubarb - cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

For the topping:

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

dash of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In an 8 inch baking dish combine fruit, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Toss until all the fruit is coated.

In a medium bowl combine oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, and salt.  Stir until combined and sprinkle over fruit. 

Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. 

The juices will be bubbly and delicious!

I like to serve mine with ice cream AND whip cream! Rebel that I am! : ) 

This dessert is definitely on my menu this weekend! : )  ♥

And in case you're wondering - if  you are weird like me and like to eat desserts for breakfast, this is amazing cold at 8am with coffee.  Just so you know  ♥

I hope you are having a wonderful, sunny, blue skies kind of week!

Thank you for visiting today! I'll talk to you soon! xo 

Weekly wrap up ♥

Hello Friends!

 

 

 Friday already! I hope you all had a lovely week.  It's been a busy one for us.  John has about a month of school left and they've just started preparing for finals.  Finals in the 6th grade? Can you imagine?  Things have definitely changed since I was in sixth grade : )

 

We've been having a mix of sun and rain all week.  One day rainy and gloomy and the next sunny and beautiful.  It's crazy, but that's spring!  I've been binging on a new crop of Hallmark movies, all spring themed (gotta love Hallmark for that!) aaaand I just got a haircut which I'm not sure I like yet.   I need some time to warm up to it.  My hairdresser went rouge on my head and cut a little more that I would have liked. Don't you just hate it when they do that? 

 

Anyhoo, here are a few random pictures from my week ♥

 

 

John and I planted some flowers for Mother's Day. 

 

We had fun working in the yard together.

 

 

 

On Sunday we had cake and I was very grateful for time spent with my family.

 

 

 

 

This is my 11th year celebrating Mother's Day as a mother. 

 

Time goes by so quickly.

 

 

 

One of the advantages to all the rain we've been having is the flowers are loving it. 

 

My mom's lilies of the valley are blooming!

 

 

 

It's so nice to finally see and smell all the spring flowers.  I've been taking walks at lunchtime (if it's not raining) and it's felt wonderful to be outside.

Getting away from my desk for a quick 15 minute walk makes a huge difference in my day.  Luckily we have some nice walking paths around my office.

 

 

 

 

Spring is finally here! ♥

The other day my friend Billie Jo wrote a post on her blog about how she visits with us.  Have you ever wondered about that?  I have, so I wanted to show you where I am most of the time, when I blog. 

 

It's here. 

Sitting on my bed, with a cup of tea on the nightstand, and the TV on. 

 

It's where I am right now....♥

 

 

And finally, a car selfie because I just discovered portrait mode on my phone!

This was before the haircut...lol
 

 

 

Have a great weekend! We don't have much planned and I'm quite happy about that! 

 

I know I'm making pancakes in the morning and that's about it ♥

 

 

Thanks for stopping by, friends! Talk to you soon! xo

 

 

Doris Day ♥

Yesterday heaven gained one of Hollywood's brightest stars. 

Doris Day ♥

One of my all time favorites, I've loved her ever since I was a little girl saw her and Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk on TV one Saturday afternoon.  I thought she was so beautiful and funny and I loved how she sang.  I grew up listening to "Everybody Loves a Lover" and "Secret Love". "Que Sera Sera" became my life's motto.

To this day I still love those songs and whenever I hear her voice it makes me happy.  She was a role model to me and so many others.  Lover of humans, protector of animals, and might I add fashion inspiration : )  

Throughout my life I've always dreamed of being a  modern day Doris Day.

I will continue that dream ♥

~ Rest in peace ~ 

Love,

Danielle 

Easy Weeknight Meal: Chicken Piccata

Hello There! 

I used to love Rachael Ray's cooking show "30 Minute Meals".  This recipe reminds of me of something Racheal would have made back in the day because it really does come together in under 30 minutes.  I got the recipe many years ago from my friend Lynn.  I loved it so much and it's been a favorite of mine ever since.  Letting the chicken simmer in the chicken broth makes the chicken tender and gives it so much flavor.  Lynn served hers over rice but I usually prefer pasta.  The broth and lemon juice make a delicious sauce that is so yummy!  Good for leftovers the next day too! 

This is perfect for a busy weeknight, when you want something hearty and homemade but you only have 30 minutes until your hungry hubby comes home... : ) 

Here's how to make it ~ 

2 eggs

2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I always use tenders)

1/4 cup butter

2 cups chicken broth

salt & pepper

herbs to garnish

Beat together eggs and 1 tbs of lemon juice.  In a separate bowl combine flour, garlic powder, and paprika.  Salt & pepper the chicken. Melt butter in a skillet or electric fry pan over med-high heat. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then the flour mixture. Brown in the butter, about 5 minutes on each side.  Add the chicken broth and remaining tbs of lemon juice.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Garnish with fresh herbs and serve of rice or pasta. 

That's it!  (in under 30 mins....Rachael would be proud! ) 

Enjoy!  XO