Author:Lori

Holiday “Honey Do”

September 4
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Our plans for the holiday weekend were altered the other day…after much debate, we chose to stay put and give our attention to some home projects that had been side-lined for too long!  With our weekends pretty much consumed with kid activities and games, our poor old house has been severely neglected!  So our thoughts are with all of you who are basking in the sunshine, enjoying a reunion, watching sunsets over the water, firing up the grill, and relaxing with family and friends…while we don our paint clothes and roll up our sleeves preparing to get down & dirty!  But don’t feel too sorry for us…spending time doing projects together is often an enjoyable task!  And the best part?  We can still hang together at the end of each day, savoring the results of our hard work!  (and maybe sneak in a cocktail or two with neighbors!)  When we returned from our quick trip to DC a couple weeks ago, we walked into our kitchen which was filled with the odor of natural gas…not a welcoming scent!  It turns out that we had a faulty valve in our oven…and are still without it today!  Obviously one of the projects on the “honey do” list is to replace the valve with a new one so I can actually cook.  In the meantime, I hauled out the slow cooker and have been searching for alternatives for our small collection crock-pot recipes.  Well, I found some that not only sound delicious but will cook themselves all day while we scrape, paint, clean, weed, and fix ovens!  And after checking off the long list of “honey do” projects, we’ll serve ourselves up a “honeydew” treat!  I’d like to share where to find these yummy recipes–and after a long weekend of work, or play…serve up a meal that cooks itself!

slow cooker=more time for the “honey do”

Spooktacular Favorites

September 2
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It’s no secret that I LOVE fall…especially Halloween!  I can’t help but start swirling ideas around in my head as early as late August and begin searching out wonderful inspiration for decorating and party possibilities!  Not wanting to waste the last days of summer consumed with the seasons to come, I do try and refrain from moving ahead too quickly–but sometimes that’s a hard little thing to do!  I don’t really want to jump the gun on another holiday–but since these great goodies I found at Home Goods may not be around very long…I feel the need to share sooner than later!  You know the deal at store like these–if you see something you love you’d better pounce!  If you wait to think about it…you’re little discovery may sadly be long gone.  On one of my regular trips to this favorite store of mine, I unintentionally discovered some Halloween treats that I just had to have.  And in my searching, came home with not only my goodies but tons of inspiration for the autumn season!  Have a peek at some holiday favorites…and then, maybe plan a trip to the store!

splendid, spooky supplies…

Movie Night!

August 31
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I love late summer and early fall!   And even though it can be pretty hectic with the start of school and all the activities that go with it, I have to admit that I really look forward to the arrival of the new season!  I think what I like most is that you get a taste of the best of both seasons…warm, sunny days that morph into slightly crisp nights still filled with the sounds of summer.  Warm enough to be perfectly comfortable and yet a soft sweater can tag along like a welcomed friend.  So about a week ago, my family got to attend a fun event that combined the seasons…an outdoor movie viewing right in the middle of a football field!  The University of Toledo held a family movie night…celebrating the last days of summertime activities AND the beginning of much anticipated fall sports!  Families were invited to bring their own blankets, munchies, beverages, even footballs…and pick a spot on the field to enjoy the show!  And on top of that–they had games & activities for kids of all ages…and the football & volleyball teams were there too!  Did I mention it was free!?  I have to say that I was pretty impressed to be out on the field…a fun perspective of what the players experience.  But the best part of the evening was spending time with family and friends…enjoying some of the last moments of summer together!

another evening under the stars…

First Day Back!

August 26
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Yesterday was the first day of school…and WOW how the summer flew by!  I can’t really believe that the school year has begun and I’m not quite in the swing of all the activity that will come along with it!  Even though the lazy days of summer can get a bit monotonous by the end…I wish we could slowly wade into the hectic school schedule rather than diving right in–sometimes feeling the sting of a full on belly flop!  But regardless of how you feel about the first day of school–it can’t be avoided!  I decided to embrace it this year and send the boys off with a hearty and fun breakfast surprise for their first full day back!  Since breakfast isn’t usually elaborate in our home on school mornings, I knew it would be a treat to wake up to a build-your-own breakfast sandwich buffet…

simple “first day” celebration…

Texas Bound!

August 24
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Some dear friends were temporarily “home” for the summer after moving last year to Texas!  So fun for me to hang with my pal for a short while…like she never left!  But all good things must come to an end and as the summer is winding down, it’s time for them to get ready to head off to their new home…but not without a proper send off!  Being that this would be the last few days in their Toledo house…they decided to have one final gathering on the patio to say their goodbyes!  And since their new home is in the big state of Texas…this would be an event speckled with “Lone Star” touches & whimsy–and lucky me–I got to help!  Not only did I have fun hashing out ideas, I got to spend quality time with my friends getting ready for the event!  And on top of all the fun with the preparations, we got extremely lucky…I think the evening was quite possibly the most perfect night of the summer!  With mild temps and soft breezes–we couldn’t have ordered up anything better!  So today I’d like to share this lovely celebration…it’s a little long…but I think you’ll enjoy it!

a Texas-style send-off!

A Girl and Her Truck!

August 21
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Earlier this summer my dad asked me if I was interested in the old Chevy truck that belonged to my grandfather.  The answer was undoubtedly YES!  I have such vivid memories of the old jalopy on my grandparents farm…riding on the back of the open tailgate with my cousin as it rolled along the bumpy gravel lane. (something I would’ve never let my kids do!  it’s illegal now anyway, right?  …life was certainly different then!)  And my favorite funny memory…when my dad had it restored some while back, my first question to him when I saw it in it’s new shiny glory was…”why is it red?”  I grew up thinking that old truck was pink!  Faded from many years of use as a utilitarian machine on the farm, it never occurred to my young brain that the truck had ever been anything but that soft faded hue!  And though that revelation was shocking at first…red really suits the old gentleman!  So my parents took a pit-stop to our family’s Indiana farm to pick up the truck and transport it here to my house for the remainder of the summer and fall!  I could hardly wait until they arrived…and my brain has been swirling with ideas of how to enjoy his stay with us!

oh, the possibilities of tailgating fun!

A Taste of Italy!

August 19
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On our recent trip to DC, a quick stop into an eatery for lunch turned into an experience above expectation!  Not only was the food absolutely delicious but the marketplace–filled with Italian meats, cheeses, wines, and sweets–was a treat in itself!  I adore snooping through shops like this one…and the only thing disappointing was that we don’t have one near us!  Before my browsing, I was treated to a freshly made sandwich topped off with piles of olive tapenade and roasted peppers!  And after completely gorging myself I really needed the “exercise” of shopping so I could make room for what else?  Gelato of course!  So today I’d like to share this fun little market…and if you’re ever in Arlington, VA–a stop at The Italian Store is highly recommend!

a little Italy…

Capitol Crush!

August 17
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My family spent a long weekend visiting our nation’s capitol…and even though it was a pretty short trip, spending time in DC is always a treat!  Having in-laws living on Capitol Hill makes it easier for us to pop in for a short visit…spending time with family as well as taking in the vibrant city–from monuments and museums to the eclectic flair of common markets and street vendors!  We’ve visited several times but this is the first trip that the boys really enjoyed the little everyday moments of being in the city!  Walking to street fairs and playing ball in the park that’s nestled between brownstones, eateries, and capitol buildings are experiences very different to our everyday life at home!  The consensus is that Washington is a place my boys would like to spend an entire summer…and I really can’t blame them!  We barely scratched the surface this trip and the city didn’t fail to enamor us all once again!

everyday excitement in DC…

Diggin’ Taters

August 14
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One of my favorite things during spring & summer is planting and harvesting our vegetable garden!  Even though it’s pretty small…over the years we’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with new things and enjoying our tried and true favorites!  There’s nothing quite like savoring a dish with veggies you actually picked that very day!  And since we started planting we’ve always tried to make the vegetable garden something our boys could be involved with.  When they were little it was so much easier to get them to try new veggies…especially when they chose what to plant and helped it to grow!  And to this day, we all still take part in choosing what we’ll be planting–and picking–or digging up!  One of our all-time favorites that we plant every year is potatoes!  Our family preference is the red potato…and it always amazes me how they grow!  I can’t get over that you can take some chopped up sprouted spuds, bury them–and they turn into mounds of beautiful potatoes that almost burst from the soil!  Professional gardeners we’re not…but after a few years of potato planting we have cultivated some pretty nice crops!  Unfortunately some of our other plantings weren’t as prolific this year…but the season must have been right for potatoes…or maybe we do actually know what we’re doing after all!  They never go to waste ’cause we all LOVE eating them!  Mashed, baked, in soup or stew, fried, hashed, or waffled…you name it, my family would probably like it!  But our ultimate favorite…simply roasted!  it seemed a bit early this year but our potatoes were practically screaming to come out of the ground…so we did a bit of digging and then went directly to the kitchen and roasted up some tasty taters!

from the garden to the table…

Under the Stars

August 12
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Last weekend was very busy!  It really seemed like it was just one thing after another!  I know that’s not unusual for many of us…but for my own sanity, I do try to space things out–if at all possible–so that life isn’t a constant rush!  But on occasion everything comes on us at once and you just have to deal!  So after my adventures on the road at the yard sales…it was my son’s birthday!  And with so much going on this year, we decided to keep it simple!  With family here already I thought we might try our outdoor movie projector for the first time!   A Christmas present to both the boys, this projector has been waiting a long time to light up the night…but a rainy start to summer and kids at camps have left the poor thing unused–until now!  Without much time to prepare for the evening, I still wanted to share how easy it was to pull off a no-frills movie under the stars!  And even though our projector can’t compare to the quality of expensive models or to the television…it’s slightly grainy version was still a delight and got me motivated to have many more evenings like that one!

snuggle in for movie under the stars…