Category: Celebrate
Celebrate, Holidays

It’s Cocoa Time!

October 12
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The second cool breezes begin to blow I’m haulin’ out the hot cocoa fixins!  My boys have always been partial to the steamy chocolate with piles of gooey marshmallows melting on top…so I guess I get a little excited and nostalgic about serving the stuff!  Even on a cool summer evening we’ve been known to break out the mugs to take the chill off!  And since we had a very busy Saturday this past weekend…I thought a piping cup of cocoa around the fire might be a wonderful treat for the boys after a LONG day of activities! (and a great excuse to keep everyone around for a minutue to talk about their day!) I’ve been waiting to use my Home Goods skeleton mugs for just such an occasion…and since Halloween is just a couple weeks away, I found just the right treats to make some fun holiday brews!

holiday hot chocolate!

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Celebrate

Late-Night Tailgate!

September 23
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Last week I got to have a load of fun with the old Chevy truck!  We finally got it back after a lengthy stay in the shop getting a leak fixed…and I’d been patiently waiting to put it to some festive use before good weather is gone!  So a couple of my girlfriends were coming over for a visit–and I had a plan!  Some tailgating, some catching up, some movie viewing…all snugged up in the back of the truck!  After I stopped at the video store to pick up several “chicky” choices, my husband had to help me a bit by backing the truck out of the garage…I’m not sure I can drive it yet, it is an OLD stick shift after all!  He stalled it many more times than he’ll admit, but eventually he got it in perfect position in our driveway…with plenty of helpful guidance from me which I’m POSITIVE he appreciated!  And then it was time for me to play…piling on the pillows and putting out some simple decorations & munchies!  All I had to do next was  sit back and wait for my friends to arrive!  As soon as the sun started to set we popped some corn, kicked off our shoes, and piled in the back of the truck…

a little tailgating, a little movie watching…

a lot of fun!

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Celebrate, Holidays

Get a Little Corny!

September 18
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It’s that time of year…you know, time to indulge on a traditional Autumn treat…CANDY CORN!  I happen to love the stuff!  It may not be everyone’s favorite, but my kids have always looked forward to its sugary entrance! (and I guess you can imagine that I do too)  While I was grabbing my first bag of sweet goodness I spied some other “candy corned” items of interest.  Knowing it would be a fun after school snack for the boys, I decided to set up a treat table filled with these goodies to welcome a new season!  Even though autumn doesn’t really begin until the 23rd…I’m guessing my boys won’t care that I’m a titch early!  A sugary snack table inspired by those silly little candy corns…a sweet surprise for my boys and maybe a friend or two!

getting “corny” with candy…

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Celebrate

Scream for Ice Cream!

September 9
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Summer made its presence known in a big way this past holiday weekend with HOT sunny days, a little pop-up rain, and plenty of humidity to go around!  I guess it was fitting for a weekend full of festivity to celebrate the final days of the season!  And maybe we made a mistake picking this weekend to fill with projects…especially since many of them took place outdoors!  But we did get a lot checked off the to-do list and still managed to squeeze in a fun evening…serving up some summertime sweets and sips to try and squelch the oppressive heat!  Following an evening game, some fellow soccer families stopped by for a treat in our backyard…and a serve-yourself ice cream sundae bar was a welcome sight for exhausted players (and parents too!)  A sweltering summer evening made us all screaming for ice cream! (or a cold cocktail!)

icy treats beat the summer heat…

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Celebrate

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…

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Celebrate

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!

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Celebrate

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…

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Celebrate, Savor

Pizza…French Bread Style!

July 27
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Over the weekend we shared a lovely evening and a casual dinner with some friends…who happen to be hosting an exchange student from France!  A perfect opportunity for trying some simple recipes from a favorite blogger, writer, and cook…the Pioneer Woman!  I love her wonderfully casual recipes that are many times simple, quick and always tasty!  Seriously, I want to be her when I grow up!  So I’ve been wanting to create her individual pizzas with delicious toppings piled on some crusty French bread!  Yum, right?  And how fun to have my family and guests create their own mini pizzas…following the recipe or whipping up their own unique combos!  We had a wonderful time, and even though communication with our young visitor from France was at times confusing…it made the evening even more special to have him with us!  So today I’d like to share our simple fun…

building our own pizzas!

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Celebrate, Favorite Things, Savor

Berrylicious!

July 17
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Dropping my son off at the airport for his long flight to China proved to be a little stressful for me!  Luckily, one of my favorite places was just around the corner for some retail therapy to take my mind off the fact that my household will be one person short for the next two weeks!  I love Ikea for so many reasons…the prices, the large array of goodies to look at, and always some inspiration to take away!  So that said…I’ll share what inspired my menu (and decor) for a tiny gathering to celebrate a special day!  It’s summer…so for me the thought of bright, colorful flowers and fruity desserts and cocktails are so festive…and perfect for the season!  I’m sharing the site for a “favorite thing” and have two recipes to offer up via links today–one for a “sweet” & one for a “sip”–and since I had a stressful week, my husband and I had a trial tasting of both…you’ve got to sample what you serve, right?   Take a peek at this very-berry inspired treat…

summer berries…summer treats!

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Celebrate, Savor

Good Fortune!

July 13
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Last evening my family joined three other families for a Chinese stir-fry dinner to celebrate an exciting trip that all of our boys will be taking…an adventure in China!  This wonderful opportunity is offered to students through the Chinese Bridge-Summer Camp–sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in cooperation with Confucius Institutes in the US.  Our kids will explore China, learn some language skills, and enjoy many cultural experiences…I’m so excited that our University takes part in this program!  An opportunity that otherwise might not be experienced within our family!  But as fortune has it, our oldest son and several classmates will be taking this trip of a lifetime!  One of my friends (who has a son also traveling) decided to host a celebratory dinner…with Chinese food in mind!  This gave me the opportunity to try something that I’ve always wanted to do…make home-made fortune cookies!  How festive to make over-sized cookies with personal messages inside for each boy!  Fun, right?  Well, let me tell you after several attempts I quickly realized that if you can bake a fortune cookie that looks and tastes like what you get in the restaurant…you are seriously talented!!  I’m a decent baker…not professional by any stretch of the means…but I have been known a time or two to bake up some tasty treats.  But this trial in the kitchen was a true disaster…however, from every mistake comes enlightenment!  So today I will share what I learned…

semi-home-made fortunes…

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