Easter is Coming~

Hello Friends! Happy Easter week! 

I hope you all had a nice weekend.  Mine went by too quickly as usual.  I'm happy to have all my Easter decorating done though because it makes everything very cheery.  It's a bit chilly and windy today, but inside it's warm and springy ♥

 

It's hard to believe Easter is upon us.  Last year we spent our holiday in quarantine.  This Easter we have been invited to family's house for dinner, which is very exciting for all of us.  We will celebrate happily and safely.  I'll bring the trifle! I just have to decide if I want to go the chocolate cake & pudding version OR the angel food cake and fruit version.  Angel cake and fruit is nice and light but everybody love chocolate. Which do you like better? 

Until then it's business as usual.  Working from home, coffee, texts from friends, tv shows that I love, and cozy nights on the couch. It's not so bad : ) 

Seeing my little Easter treasures make me happy.  Like this music box. A gift from my mom.  

It's it darling? ♥

Eggs ready to be filled.  We'll also color real eggs on Friday.  

One of our favorite traditions ♥

Bunnies everywhere! 

I've had this Easter village for years.  When John was little he LOVED it.  I think of him every time I set it up.  It's hard to believe he's going to high school next year.

(Can you tell I'm still trying to process that?!) Eeeek! 

Also praying no one knocks over my egg tree. 

(by no one I mean my husband...it's happened before! lol)

Precious : ) 

I hope you all are having a great day and a beautiful start to Easter week. 

I'm off to fill refill my coffee and get some work done.  Tonight's dinner is BBQ chicken on the Forman grill because it comes out sooooo good that way.  I have plan to make mini cherry pies for dessert.  We'll see how much motivation I have this afternoon.  Fingers crossed!

Thanks for popping by today! ♥

Byeeeeee! xo 

Relatable Humor ♥

Hello Everyone! How's your week going? 

Just for laughs I thought I'd share some relatable humor today ♥

 

Me...every time! 

Ya...why???  

UGH! 

Truth. 

My usual routine.... ♥

Sometimes 4th cup... : ) 

Every. Day. 

Just another day in paradise around here : ) 

Can you relate? 

Happy Wednesday Friends! 

I hope you are having a great day! xo 

Spring has arrived ♥

 Hello! ♥

Spring arrived in full bloom this weekend and blessed us with some beautiful weather.  Yesterday I had all my windows open and enjoyed fresh air wafting in and out throughout the house. I love that smell the first days of spring bring.  I'm not breaking out my shorts yet, but it's coming!  

Goodbye winter! : ) 

I pulled out some of my spring and Easter décor and packed away the last few bits of winter.  It's such a nice feeling seeing all the pastel colors.  It's very cheery and we need cheery right now.  I heard on the news this morning that the travel restrictions in my state have been lifted and that gave me a sparkle of  excitement for summer plans.  We are moving forward cautiously, but in a much better place than we've been.  Feeling blessed about that ♥

I managed to check most things off my to do list this weekend and whatever didn't get done (like paperwork!) will just have to wait.  My local Dairy Queen opened on Friday and well...that's priority! Crock pot pulled pork sandwiches were a hit on Saturday and Sunday I tried out a new Pinterest recipe for a baked garlic chicken.  It was delicious and I'll share the recipe soon!  

A good weekend, indeed! 

And now it's Monday and I'm back to work.  

Coffee, work, coffee, work...ect.  

Have a happy day friends!  Wishing you all a beautiful first week of springtime!  

xoxo 

♥

Weekend Plans & An Easy Meatless Meal ♥

~Hello~

Happy last day of winter! Today's "snowstorm" ended up being just wind and rain so my prayers were answered!  It's cold and blustery outside but I'll take it over snow in March any day ♥

It's sunny & bright and I'm happy : )

This week really flew by, didn't it?  Some weeks I feel like my days are a blur and this was one of them. Looking back,  the highlights the week were getting a new pair of slippers and a shamrock shake for St. Patrick's Day.  Yup, it's very exciting around here friends!  I guess I'm easy to please. But like I said in my last post, I try to appreciate every little thing.  A new pair of slippers can be life changing.  And mine are very comfortable! LOL 

This weekend John and I will surely go out tomorrow for a little ride.  I have to make a Sephora run and pick up a few things at Target. I desperately need a new pillow!  Mine is flat as a pancake and driving me crazy.  It's time for an upgrade. I'm planning crock pot pulled pork sandwiches for Saturday dinner.  I haven't made them in ages so I'm very excited!  I might make some cornbread to go with them. Sunday I have to finish filling out John's paperwork for high school registration.  I've been putting it off all week.  UGH.  And then I'm hoping to have some cozy couch time with my a book and my favorite TV shows after I do some cleaning.  

Sunday is actually my favorite day of the week because we are all home - all day - and it's nice.  

Anywhoo....what's for dinner tonight? 

Since tomorrow officially starts Spring I thought I would share with you a nice colorful meal, perfect for the season.  It's also vegetarian so if you aren't eating meat on Friday's during lent or just want a meatless meal, this is perfect.  

Actually pasta anytime is ok with me.  Am I right? 

This is an easy one....but soooo good! 

8 oz. pasta (I use thin spaghetti)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or you could use fresh cherry tomatoes, halved)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

fresh basil (optional)

 

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Place hot, drained pasta, tomatoes, and peas in a large bowl.  Combine oil, cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add to pasta and toss to coat.  Top with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

 

Yum!!!!

Feel free to swap out the peas for another veggie if that's what suits you.  I've even made this with no veggies at all - just pasta, garlic, & cheese!  Nothing wrong with that either : )  

Have a lovely weekend friends!  

I hope you all get some cozy couch time with your loved ones too!  

See you on Monday! ♥

Bye! xoxo 

10 Things I Love ♥

 Hello Friends!

Happy St. Patrick's Day 🍀

Can you believe we are half way through March already?  Saturday is the first day of Spring and guess what?  We are expecting snow on Friday.  UGH.  I'm hoping it's all a big joke and we'll just get rain, but such is life in New England.  Anything is possible.  Fingers crossed! 

It's been a while since I did a "10 things I love" post so today I'm bringing it back.  It's very important for me to remember these little things each day, especially on days where I'm feeling a bit low.  There is always something to smile about.  Albeit small, sometimes the smallest things are the ones that mean the most. 

With that being said, here are 10 random things I love: 

Fresh sheets on the bed

new cozy slippers

my little houseplants that I'm desperately trying to keep alive

texts from friends - just because 

more moments of sunlight in the evening

morning prayers (how I start my day)

sweet memories of Disney World vacations - I miss it so much! 

4:00 tea & afternoon snacks

sparkling china tea cups (I dusted this week...it had been awhile! :) 

fish filets and shakes on Fridays 

Wishing you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day and a happy Wednesday! 

Remember to appreciate the little things every day ♥

(and go to McDonald's and get a Shamrock Shake before they are gone!!) 

Love you! xo 

Happy Monday! ♥

 Good Morning Friends! Happy Monday! ♥

This morning I'm still feeing the effects of losing an hour sleep to daylight savings. I'm slow moving but the coffee is helping : ) 

We had a nice weekend.  On Saturday we celebrated my nieces confirmation.  We were not able to go to the church because of restrictions, but we were able to attend a socially distanced dinner afterwards.  It was the first time we had been to restaurant to "eat in" since the summer.  It was wonderful to see people and it almost felt like normal times again. I had the salmon and it was delicious! 

Yesterday I did some chores in the morning but mostly had a lazy Sunday.  I had a craving for soft boiled eggs so I treated myself to brunch for one.  I love eggs this way and always forget how easy they are to make.  I especially love the toast "soldiers" to dip.  I took my plate to the couch and had myself a lovely morning. I've discovered something new on my TV.  PlutoTV.  Do you have this?  I didn't even know it was there since TVs are like computers these days with too many options.  I found it by accidently hitting the wrong button on the remote. There is a classic TV channel I have been enjoying.  It plays all favorites from my youth.... Happy Days, Lavern & Shirley, Threes Company, and others.  They don't make them like that anyone, do they?! Happy me! 

I supposed the biggest thing that happened this weekend was I started the process of registering John for high school next year.  I can hardly believe the time has come for this.  I am both excited and heartbroken at the same time.  I know I am not the first mother nor the last to feel this wave of emotions, but I have to do this process in baby steps because I'm just not not ready.  John on the other hand is excited and ready to go!! It's a rollercoaster ride around here lately and I wanna get off 😜

Right now I have a banana bread baking in the oven while I am seated at my kitchen table working.  I'm about to heat up another cup of coffee (thanks daylight savings!) and as soon as that banana bread is ready I'm cutting into it!  One of the many perks of  working from home ♥

Have a happy Monday friends! 

I hope you have a cozy day :) 

xoxo

**update**

jump to a few hours later....  it's goooood! : ) 

Let's Take a Walk ♥

Good Morning Friends!  How's your week going? 

Yesterday morning I went for a little walk.  

And it was nice ♥

We are experiencing some warmer temperatures and the sun seems to be shining a little more brightly lately. 

 I have been anxious to get outside and experience it.  

20 minutes is all I needed ♥

It felt good.  I'm happy winter is over and warmer days are ahead. 

 

                                                                                    

Deeeeeep breaths..... ♥

I love the ocean ♥

It's good for the soul ♥

The warmer it gets the more walks I hope to take.  

Thanks for coming along with me.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

xoxo 

Lasagna ♥

Good morning friends and happy Monday!  ♥

I hope you all had a nice weekend! 

To start the week off  I wanted to share with you an easy weeknight meal.  Lasagna!  I've been making this recipe for a while now and in our house we all love it.  What makes it so quick are the oven ready noodles.  You don't have to precook them.  Just layer them up and you are in business. 

~These are the ones I use~ 

♥

Also, here's another tip.  You can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta.  I know,  I was skeptical at first too, but honestly once it's baked you can't tell the difference!  It's a lighter way to enjoy lasagna and it still tastes just as yummy.  I don't skimp on the mozzarella though...just sayin! 

I use this recipe, right off the back of the box : ) 

John isn't a fan of of meat sauce so I usually skip that and use plain sauce.

It's great for Friday's during lent or when we want to do a meatless meal.

♥

Yup...I used fat free! ♥

And there you go!  I served with garlic bread and a side salad.  YUM! 

So now you know what I'll be having for dinner tonight because there are plenty of leftovers and that's ok with me.  It means I don't have to cook tonight and I appreciate that on a Monday! 

♥

Before I go I wanted to show you this lovely sight I caught out of the corner of my eye this morning...

Green shoots of life spouting up from the Earth! It means spring is coming and everything is coming back to life once again.  Yay!  I'm so ready.

Have a wonderful Monday friends!  Let's make it a good week ♥

xoxo

PS did you watch the Harry & Meghan Oprah special last night? Oh Dear... I'm still trying to process it!!!  😮