Good Morning Friends~

Hello Friends!  ♥

We are in full blown spring in my neighborhood today and I am soaking up every bit of it.  

There is still a slight chill in the air, but the pear tree confetti and pretty colors of pansies and tulips make up for it.  

I still prefer Fall, but Spring is my second favorite time of year.

I'll enjoy this until the heat of summer arrives. (that's when I start complaining again....haha) 

 

I had a rather busy weekend.  On Friday morning I went to my first doctor's appointment in over a year! I know....too long.  Its was the first of many "make up" appointments that I missed last year.  This was body scan at the dermatologist and I'm happy to report that all is well! She said keep doing what your doing...so for me that means SPF 50 and staying out of the sun.  Will do! 

It was also a weekend of celebrations.  On Friday we were able to watch a dear friend's wedding virtually which my heart so happy! Isn't technology GRAND!  And on Saturday I attended a small celebration for Rob's sister, who is getting married in June.  Love is all around and life is happening.  

 

And yesterday this happened....

Next one is scheduled for May.

Hugs for everyone!  : ) 

Today I'll be spending the day working, meal planning for the week, watering my plants, and trying to get my act together.  I'm also thinking this might be the week to return to YouTube. It's been a while since I posted a video.  I am going to pick a nice recipe to share with you all, so stay tuned for that ♥

Have a lovely day friends! Thanks for visiting today.  I will see you on Wednesday! xo 

ps. This is the expression I had after putting on a dress for the first time in over a year.  I couldn't wait to get back in my sweats! LOL 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake ♥

 Good Morning Friends! Happy Wednesday! 

It's a beautiful day here today.  I'm enjoying it immensely because we have another round of heavy rain and cold coming tomorrow.  I know I will enjoy that too, but in a different way.  You know what I mean. I love a good, cozy, rainy day as much as a beautiful, sunny, spring day ♥

Today I'm still a bit sleepy because I was up late last night.  After a couple of frustrating days online I was finally able to book my first Covid Vaccine appointment for this Sunday.  The only way for me to do it was to go online at midnight last night.  I was literally clicking on the site at 12:00 on the dot. I'm happy to say it worked and I have a time slot at a CVS right down the street.  

I'm happy to be crossing that off my to-do list! 

For my afternoon treat today to celebrate (and really...to use up some sour cream I had in the fridge) I decided to whip up a coffee cake.  I got this recipe from my mom, who used to make it all the time when I was growing up.  She doubles the recipe and bakes it in a 9x13 pan.  I only had one cup of sour cream so I stuck to the original.  The best part (beside eating it!) about baking this cake is the way the kitchen smells while it's baking.  Its literal heaven.  I will enjoy this today at 4:00 with a cup of tea and it will also be perfect for tomorrows rainy day snack.

Yup, always looking ahead! ♥

1 cup sugar

1 stick softened butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

2 cups flour 

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp baking soda 

cinnamon & sugar 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer on med speed until well blended.  

Add in sour cream.  

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended. 

Pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan.  Sprinkle the top (liberally :) with cinnamon and sugar. 

Bake for 1 hour.  Let cool before cutting. 

*You could also add 1 cup of fresh blueberries to the batter, which is very lovely in the spring* 

Noted for next time! ♥

The cake is super moist, but the cinnamon sugar top is the best part.  If you are a dunker like I am, it's what I love to dunk in my tea.  I'm just that way ♥

3:55 pm.  Time to put the kettle on.  

By the way, my electric kettle is still hands down my favorite appliance I've ever owned. 

A new favorite.

Yum ♥

And here I be.  For at least 60 minutes or until someone discovers me! 

Have a lovely day friends.  It's already started to rain here and I just heard thunder : ) 

Byeeee xoxo 

Catching up on a Monday :)

Good Monday morning friends! I hope this new week finds you well.   We had a nice weekend here in New England.  Saturday was rainy which we desperately needed and Sunday the sun came out! Spring is always a mixed bag around here.  You never know what can happen.  One thing always remains....

...and that's coffee ♥

Last week seemed to have gotten away from me.  It was a week, let me tell you!

  Within just a few days my coffee pot died, my beloved George Foreman Grill that I've had for 21 years finally gave out, and I dropped the cover to my favorite frying pan and cracked the handle.  I felt like I was walking around with black cloud over me for most of the week.  Luckily I still had a stash of Easter candy that helped me get through it! That candy is now gone! LOL  

I replaced my coffee pot ASAP and yesterday I picked up a new grill, so I'm feeling better.  I use my grill at least once a week and I didn't want to be without one. I think I can repair the frying pan handle which it on my to do list for the week.  

Hopefully things are looking up now!

Can't wait to christen this baby tonight!! :)  

All of my mom tulips out front are about to burst open and that makes me very happy to see.  The buckets of rain we've had has turned everything outside from brown to green and I hear birds chirping every morning which takes me back to my old house. We had a family of birds that would build a nest on our deck every spring.  I loved to watch them and hear them sing.  I have been wondering if they are still there and if the new owner has noticed.  The things I think about...I know, I'm crazy!  : )  

But I digress...

Yesterday morning I watched a darling movie on Hallmark.  For all my Hallmark lovers out there, have you seen this one yet?

It takes place in Ireland and totally sucked me in with it's beautiful LUSH scenery and charming Irish brogues.  I loved it!!!  Yup, that's Alan Leach from Downton Abbey, who is just as adorable in this as he is in Downton.  This movie made my morning. I think it's on again this weekend so if you want to escape reality for a few hours, give it a watch ♥

In other news, I made quiche! I wanted jazz up our Friday night breakfast dinners so I made quiche instead of scrambled eggs.  The best thing about quiche is you can use anything you have on hand for the filling.  For mine I added chopped onion, cubed ham, and cheese.  It was yummy!

This is a crustless quiche recipe that I've made several times and it always comes out great! 

 

Here's how to make it if you want to give it a try:

1/2 cup ham cubes

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups milk

1/2 cup Bisquick

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Sprinkle ham, cheese, and onion evenly in lightly greased 9" or 10 " pie plate.  Place remaining ingredients in a bowl and beat on high for 1 minute.  Pour into pie plate (over ham, cheese, and onion).

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Easy peasy! 

I had the last piece for breakfast this morning.  It was just a good.  Leftovers always taste better for some reason : ) 

Also I have to share with you a tip I saw on Instagram. 

If you have hydrangeas that are wilted (and that's so disappointing, isn't it?!)... well, here's what to do:

Snip the bottoms of the stems and put them in scalding hot water.  

Wait about an hour...

 

Viola!   

They spring back to life!!  

Yaaaay! It actually worked! 

I wish I knew this a long time ago, but I'm sure it will come in handy this summer! ♥

And that's all I have for you today friends.  For the rest of the morning I'll be busy working and enjoy my new candle I got a Target.  It's Tangerine Ginger and is so wonderful! 

Wishing you all a happy new week! I hope I have better luck! Fingers crossed! 

Byeeee! xo 

Hello New Week! ♥

Good afternoon lovely friends! 

Isn't it nice to see all the forsythias booming?! They are always the first pops of color I see in my neighborhood.  I don't have a forsythia bush in my yard anymore so I took the liberty of snipping a few branches from a friends house.  It certainly cheered up the room.  Especially since I put all my Easter decorations away over the weekend. I still have some candy I'm snacking on, but that's hidden in a secret space...just for me ♥

On a quick stop to CVS I also picked up this cute little Aloe plant.  It was on a 75% off table... all by itself.  I couldn't let it go.  As you know I am no not good with plants but I'm trying to be better.  I've always wanted to have an Aloe plant so here goes nothing.  I asked my Instagram friends how to care for it and basically all you do is NOT water it!  I think I can handle that.  LOL 

Wish me luck! : ) 

This week is going to be rainy.  It's cool and damp today and when I got up this morning I was wishing I had soup in the freezer to defrost.  Unfortunately not, BUT I did have all the ingredients for sweet & sour chicken so I pulled out the crock pot and in everything went.  It's been simmering away for a few hours now and the kitchen is smelling yummy! I have some leftover cornbread from last night's dinner and I'm going to whip up a quick cole slaw as a side dish.  Dinner tonight will be a cinch.  I love it when I have all that sorted by 10 am! haha. 

Ooohhh and speaking of food, did you know today is National Grilled Cheese Day?  As soon as I heard that I knew I couldn't let it go uncelebrated.  So here we are. The best lunch ever invented!  

I'm not kidding you when I say I could live off of cereal and grilled cheese sandwiches.  

It doesn't take much to make me happy!  : ) 

My plan for the week is to be productive but be easy on myself. I have a to-do list a mile long, but everyday I set aside the hour between 4 and 5 to sit on the couch and rest.  I make tea and either watch a tv show or read a few chapters from my current book.  Sometimes I doze off.  That time out is such a stress reliever. I never used to take breaks like that so I have to force myself to slow down and recharge.  It makes cooking dinner and the rest of my evening go much more smoothly. 

I'm learning the older I get the kinder I have to be to myself ♥

(especially on a Monday!) 

Have a wonderful day friends! Be kind to yourself today.  You deserve it! xo 

Where does the time go? ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Friday! 

Can you believe it's Friday already?  We have all the windows open this morning because the spring air is so nice.  I'm sitting at my kitchen table, working away, enjoying my coffee, and breathing in all that fresh air. Something I could never do at the office.  Working from home has so many perks! : ) 

Anyway, earlier in the week I mention John was going to be shadowing another student (his cousin!) at the high school for a day.  Well, I'm happy to report that he loved it! He was able to experience what a typical day would be like for him, going from class to class, lunch, vocational programs, band, etc.  

To put into context, John has gone to a small Catholic school since preschool.  His school (sadly) only goes up to 8th grade so the time has come from him to graduate and move on.  He'll be attending our towns public high school.  This is the first time he will be experiencing not only public school but also a much bigger environment.  I have been so nervous about this (because I'm a nervous Nellie!!) but thankfully he's much more laid back than I am and his first comment to me was "wow, there's so much freedom!"  Oh boy.  I think I'm in trouble! 😂

 

I'm happy he's made this decision and is excited for the next chapter in his life.  If it were up to me we've be moving backwards....back to preschool to do it all over again. 

I know that's not possible but I can dream, can't I??? ♥

What I really love is so many of us in our blog community have watched our children grow up.  I have friends here whose kids are graduating high school, heading to collage, getting married, and having babies. We start new jobs, lose loved ones, share vacations, and every day aspects of our lives.  

I love that we can share these experiences together and have that connection.  Many have reached out to me and said when they first started reading my blog John was just a toddler. They have watched him grow up.  I feel the same about your families.  

Yay for blogging! ♥

Time really is a crazy thing.  I wish someone would figure out how to slow it down ♥

I hope you all have a wonderful April weekend!  My weekend plans include chicken tacos for dinner tonight and Saturday something yummy in the crock pot.  Tomorrow is errand day.  John needs new pajamas and we NEED a new coffee pot!  Ours is on it's last legs.  Now that's an errand I don't mind doing! haha.  Sunday I'm planning a day of deep cleaning.  I will pack Easter away, wash floors, and dust window sills. I also want to bake a fresh loaf of bread for the week and maybe if I'm ambitious a new dessert.  I've been pinning recipes like crazy lately.  Which can be good and bad....all depends on how you look at it : ) 

Enjoy your day, friends.  I hope the sun is shining on you today!  

See you Monday! xo

Strawberry Jam Muffins ♥

Hello Friends!  

Since I've never met a muffin I didn't like, today I'm sharing one of my favorites.  I've posted this recipe before, but since we're coming up on strawberry season I thought I would share it again.  I'm planning on making a batch of these Saturday morning.  They are just the right amount of sweet and everything I love in a muffin.  Perfect for spring time! ♥

This recipe makes 6 muffins.   

You could always double the recipe if you want to make a full dozen.

To make the muffins you will need:

 

3/4 cups flour

2 tbls sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 egg, beaten

2 tbls vegtable or canola oil

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with non stick spray.  I only had a big tin so I used the middle 6 cups : )

In a medium size mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients. 

I always use a whisk to get out any lumps in the flour ♥

 

Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil.  Mix until just combined. 

Fold in the jam (stir it around 3-4 times).  Don't over mix.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.

 

*reserve a little bit of the jam to add to the tops of the muffins.  I held back about 1/4 of it and then swirled it on the tops with a fork *

 

Bake 15-17 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden and the tops are springy to the touch. 

 

Let cool on a rack.  Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Would be a nice little addition to your Sunday brunch or with a steaming cup of 4:00 tea ♥

Now that I think about it, I may not wait until Saturday to bake these....and I will definitely be doubling the recipe! : ) 

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  We are half way to Friday! 

Woo-woooo! 🎉

Good Monday Morning! ♥

Good morning friends and happy Monday ♥

This morning I'm enjoying a leftover cinnamon roll from yesterday's breakfast with my coffee.  Its a gray and windy day here today and a warm cinnamon roll is really hitting the spot. 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and Easter Sunday.  We had a beautiful day at my mother in laws.  It was the first time we've gathered as a family in over a year.  It felt great to talk and catch up while enjoying delicious food! Even though it's been over a year, it felt like no time had passed at all. 

Naturally I ate too much but that's allowed on holidays : ) 

This week will be a quiet week filled with leftover Easter candy and hopefully some outdoor time to walk and check on the blooming forsythia.  On Wednesday John is spending a day at the high school "shadowing" with his cousin (who is a sophomore) to see what a typical day will look like.  

He's very excited!  ♥

Have a great Monday friends.  Thanks for stopping by today.  It's time for me to pour a second cup of coffee and get some work done.  The days go by so fast lately.  I wish I could slow them down.  

Byeeeee! xo 

Happy Easter! ♥

Hello Friends! ♥

I just wanted to wish you all a beautiful weekend and a very happy Easter! 

Last night we colored eggs and watched It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! 

Growing up is not an option around here : ) 

Delicious chocolates from dear friends and filled Easter baskets make our days & nights sweeter! 

Tomorrow will be a day of family, food, and blessings!  

Dinner is at one.  I hope to be back in stretchy pants by 4 : ) 

Last night out of the blue Rob thanked me for making our home cozy and festive.  It was the best compliment he could ever give me ♥

However you celebrate I hope it's peaceful and happy!

Have a great day, friends! I'll see you all on Monday ♥

 

-PS I decided on the chocolate trifle for dessert in case you were wondering! lol