Friday's Finds

I love mason jars. 

They remind me of 

jam, lemonade,and 

an impromptu vase. 

Today I found these

mason jar treasures

from BootsNGus

Aren't they wonderfully

unique?  

(photos courtesy of:BootsNGus)

Feeling Brave

Last night I went to see one of the movies on 

my Summer Movie Reel list; 

Pixar's Brave...

I loved it. 

I loved that I got to watch it 

with my 8 year old friend

I loved that it was funny

I loved it was about a girl

I loved it was about family

and I loved the lesson it 

taught about relationship

with your loved ones. 

(photos courtesy of: google image) 

spec·ta·tor

spec ta tor

a person viewing anything; onlooker; observer

[from the Latin word spectare to watch; see]

My older brother, Michael, was in his 3rd 

triathlon this past Saturday. 

He did the swimming...

He did the biking...

He did the running...

And he called home to his 

lovely wife. 

Note: My role in this event was to

be an enthusiastic spectator! 

(photos by: me) 

Dinner's Colors

Sesame Soy Green Beans

Cook the green beans in 1 cup of water 

until tender. Add two cloves minced garlic, 

1 tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce. 

Cook for 1 minute. 

White Rice with Sesame Oil 

Cook white rice per instructions

Drizzle 1 teaspoon sesame oil over 

cooked rice. Gently toss the rice.

Grilled Lemon Salmon

Ingredients

3 Salmon Fillets

1/2 cup of mayonnaise 

1/2 squeezed lemon

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Olive Oil 

Heat stove top grill with olive

 oil on low-medium heat. 

Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice and parsley 

together in a bowl, then spread on top of the 

salmon fillets. Cook fillets 5 minutes each side. 

Enjoy! 

(photos by:me)

Thank you, Mr. Chesterton

One of my favorite quotes is by G.K. Chesterton. 

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist,

 but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

I also found others by him that I liked so much 

that I wanted to share them with you. 

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought;

 and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” 

“Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.” 

 “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” 

“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate 

more and more. The other is to desire less.” 

“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing 

must be loved before it is lovable.” 

(photos courtesy of:we heart it)

Trifle

tri fle

1. Something of little importance

2. A small amount

or

3. A dessert typically consisting of

plain or sponge cake,

topped with layers of jam, custard,

and whipped cream

Today was my day off from work. You know how
 muchI love to cook and bake so I picked out a
summer dessert: Berry Trifle. 

Ingredients

• 1 angel food cake, baked and cooled
• 1 pint fresh blueberries 
• 1 pint fresh raspberries (or 1 bag frozen) 
• 1/8 cup white sugar 
• *1 batch homemade vanilla pudding
• or
• ( 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions 
Wash blueberries and raspberries and sprinkle them with sugar. 
Cut the cake into 1 inch cubes. Use half of the cake cubes to line the 
bottom of a large glass bowl. Layer half of the berries. Spread half of the 
pudding over the fruit. Repeat layers in the same order.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks and spread over top of trifle. 

*Homemade Vanilla Pudding 
Ingredients 
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar 

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• Directions 

•  Place 3 cups milk in a saucepan. Sprinkle sugar and cornstarch. Stir on medium heat until it becomes bubbly. Pour 1 cup of milk mixture to the egg yolks and mix well.Turn heat down to low, gently stir in the egg yolk mixture to saucepan.  Pudding will begin to thicken. cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla extract and butter. Chill for 2-4 hours.

   

This Week's Favorites

I realize more, and more that often it's the "small"

things that can bring us joy & happiness.  

For me, these are a few of the things

that have brought me that! 

Emma's sleepy look 

Remy watching for squirrels

out my window.

My own personal coffee cup,

sent as a surprise from my friend.

Receiving my favorite magazine,

and waiting until the evening

to slowly look through it.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back

 and realize they were the big things." 
~Robert Brault

(Photos by: Me) 

Hey, Pretty Girl (Song of the day)

Hey, Pretty Girl

by Kip Moore

Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way

Love's in the air tonight

Bet you could make this ol' boy stay

Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way

Hey pretty girl, can I have this dance

And the next one after that

Gonna make your mind there's a real good chance

Hey pretty girl, can I have this chance

Hey pretty girl, it feels so right

Just like it's meant to be

All wrapped up in my arms so tight

Hey pretty girl, it feels so right

Life's a lonely, winding ride

Better have the right one by your side

Happiness don't drag its feet

Time moves faster than anything

Hey pretty girl, wanna take you home
My momma's gonna love you
She'll make me sleep on the couch, I know

But hey pretty girl, wanna take you home
Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams
A house on a piece of land
Plant some roots and some apple trees
Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams
Life's a lonely, winding ride
Better have the right one by your side
Happiness don't drag its feet
Time moves faster than anything
Hey pretty girl, you did so good
Our baby's got your eyes
And a fighters heart like I knew she would
Hey pretty girl, you did so good
Hey pretty girl when I see the light
When it's my time to go
I'm gonna thank the Lord for a real good life
Pretty little girl and a beautiful wife

(Beautiful photos courtesy of: this modern romance)

Please Pass the Crepes

Yesterday morning my family and I

drove downtown to try a new french

cafe; Crepes & Croissants.

After ordering, and watching the

owner make the crepes practically 

infront of us, he delivered them

to our table hot and fresh. 

We tried the Norway Crepe 

(smoked salmon, topped with

 a lemon sour cream)

 the Paris Crepe 

(filled with ham, swiss, and 

cracked cooked egg) 

and ended with the Cinnaple

(filled with sugar, caramelized 

apples & cinnamon).

It was a simple, and fresh meal

and it reminded me of how many

different types of delicious foods

there are to find, if you just look...

and of course taste! 

Thank you Crepes & Croissants

for a lovely meal. 

(Photos courtesy of: Crepes & Croissants)

Summer Movie Reel

The Dark Knight Rises

*Christopher Nolan has

become one of my 

favorite directors 

The Bourne Legacy

*Please be as good

as the Bourne Trilogy

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

*It almost feels sacrileges to 

be wanting to watch a movie with

 the words "Abraham Lincoln" and

"Vampire" in the the same title but...

I do.

Brave

*I have a soft spot for

anything by Pixar

(photos courtesy of: google image)

A Walk in the Park

My

walk 

in 

the 

park. 

I saw: 

A 

heron 

A 

baby bird

A

 mama

and baby turtle

A

 baby squirrel 

(meandering 

in front of me) 

And

 one 

small 

mouse. 

(Photos by: Me) 

A Glimpse of Me

1. I love to cook

2. I cry during movies and T.V. shows 

(for some reason I press my lips together when I feel I'm about to).

3. I like action movies more than romantic comedies

4. My favorite color is soft pink

5. I don't like shopping for long periods of time

6. I am VERY afraid of snakes 

7. One time I took care of 5 fish for two people...they all died

8. I use to talk in my sleep if I went to bed upset 

9. I wish I knew how to sing Jazz music

10. And I love almost all things vintage

*Thank you Jenn (wuthering iris)

for this idea. 

(photos courtesy of: weheartit)