Foodie Penpal Reveal July

Time for this month's Foodie Penpal reveal. 


I received another amazing package! This time my goodies came from Kiersten at this fabulous blog .  She spoiled me by sending me some delicious treats from the great state of Main. 

I picked up my package and couldn't wait to open it.  See it calling my name from the car floorboard? ;) 

Here are all my treats!

I couldn't wait to try everything.  The popcorn was olive oil and sea salt.  This stuff was gone in a matter of days, it was so good!  My husband and I were fighting over the last bit of the bag!

My other favorite this was a special chocolate potato candy with coconut inside called Needhams.  Again, there was a bit of a battle over these.  It took serious restraint to keep from eating them all at one time. 

The honey is blueberry flavored and tastes great on yogurt. 

Finally, let me tell you about these cookies. 

They all natural chocolate triple chocolate chip cookies from Dancing Deer Baking Company. Kiersten said the company was started by friend of hers from college.  I thought that was so neat and that made them that much more special.  I have already been online eyeing what I want to order from this awesome company.  They have so many amazing sweets to chose from. 

If you want to try new foods and be spoiled by a sweet person either far away or close to you, then you NEED to go and join the Foodie Penpal program.

And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

Florida or Bust

I am all packed and ready to go!  I can't wait to land here

So my mom and I can visit my wonderful grandma!

Besides shopping and eating (a lot!) I can't wait to do a lot of reading by the pool on this



And take quiet walks here

I will miss these two guys lots :(

But I know that superstar hubs will be here holding down the fort and everything will be just fine :)



Back in a few days with a recap, have a wonderful weekend!

Foodie Penpal Reveal Day

I joined the Foodie Penpal program this month and couldn't be more pleased!!  Thank you Lindsay for setting it all up and allowing me to participate.

Not only was I spoiled by my penpal, I had a blast sending my match her box of goodies!  I was matched with Alexis from Fit-Possible. You can find her awesome blog full of exercise and healthy eating information here.  I recommend you check her out :) 

This was the package I recieved, decked out in zebra tape and a beatiful handmade card.  My dog, Rufus, was dying to know what was inside.  Me too!

Alexis was headed home to Pittsburgh and told me she was excited to send me some goodies from her favorite places. First up, were these delicious coffees and biscotti from the Presto George coffee shop .  I had to ration this biscottis out, they were so good, pefect with the coffee. 

I had seen these peeled snacks before, but never tried them.  They are organic, nothing added.  These bananas were great by the handful and on my Cheerios a few mornings.  I think I will be purchasing other varities

I'm always so jealous of blog posts full of goodies from Trader Joes so I was delighted to see a gem inside the box.  These Roasted Wasabi Seaweed snacks are out of this world.  They are spicy and crispy and really addiciting!  Alexis suggested trying them out on shrimp and rice, I think that will go on the menu this week.

Last, but not least (by any means) this bag of chocolate chip zoo cookies from an Italian import store.  I have never been to Pittsburgh, but I might have to go to check out this store.  If these cookies are any indication of what the store holds I can only imagine what other goodies are inside.  These cookies are so good!  They are thick, buttery, chocolatey.  Did I say they are good?  The great thing is you just need one or two, this helps the bag last longer.

  

I have to say how awesome Alexis is for including something extra in my box.  I have a travel theme set up for my classroom next year and when I saw Alexis is a teacher I figured she would understand my request for postcards.  She sent me several from her road trip and even offered to send me more from her next trip to NY later this summer.  See, I told you she was great :)

Do you want to join the Foodie Penpal Program for next month?  Here's all the information you need:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

Go here for more information

Honoring a wonderful man

It is unbelievable to me to be writing a post that honors and remembers my grandfather's life.  A man I have loved and admired is no longer here.  Although I knew my grandfather had been having health problems recently it is still hard to say goodbye. 

I am the oldest grandchild of the five on my mom's side and I was adored and spoiled by love from the moment I arrived.  Both my grandmother and grandfather loved having me around and I would spend half a summer for many years as a kid with them.  They would take me to their jobs (an antique store and a dressmaker) which I thought was so grown up, signed me up for camp at the local rec center, took me to visit family, allowed me to rent the same two movies OVER and OVER from the store up the street, took lots of walks to Carvel for icecream and much more!  Summers in Long Island, New York were full fun and adventure and I loved all the time I spent with my grandparents.  Halfway through my time there my grandpa would drive me to the Seven Stars Diner to be picked up by my dad's mom who would would keep me for a few weeks.  I was one lucky kid!  We would sit at the diner counter and enjoy a glass of oj and chat while we waited for my other grandma.  As I said, these were great summers. 

Since we didn't live in the same place as any family travel was necessary.  I am jealous of those who grew up with lots of family around.  As I got older I didn't spend summers there anymore, I still saw my grandparents, but we weren't as close.  I grew a lot closer to my other grandma, my dad's mom, because of how similar we were.  Flash forward a few years and my dad's mom passed away.  I was devastated, but it also made me realize how important it was that I soak up my mom's parents and not take them or their visits for granted. 

The summer of 2001, in between my sophmore and junior years of college my best frind and I went to work at a week day sleepaway camp ten minutes from my grandparents.  On the weekends the kids would go home, it's a sweet deal for the kids and counselors.  My grandparents would pick up my best friend and myself on Friday and return us Sunday night.  During the weekend we would eat ourselves silly, relax on the beach, float in the pool, shop, listen to fun family stories and just enjoy our summer.  They live across the street from a private beach and you wake up and see the ocean everyday!  This renewed my relationship with my grandparents and I was hooked!  My best friend and I went back together for a week for the next three summers and I squeezed in extra trips when I could. 

This is why it is extra hard to say goodbye to my amazing grandpa.  I feel like I have a lost a dear friend.  He was one of the finest men you could ever meet, he was honest, hard working, a wondeful husband and a loving grandfather.  He was remembered last Sunday in a small, private service and I had the honor of speaking about him.  Although he is not here, he will always be a part of our lives and he will never be forgotten.  I can't wait to have children one day and tell them all about their great grandpa.  Hopefully the stories and memories I share will have a special place in their heart like they do in mine. 

I know this post is long, but it's important to me.  There is much more I could say, but I will leave you with these picture from the last few years of visits.  I love you grandpa!

Homemade Donuts

True to the "summer to do list" I whipped up some delicious homemade donuts last week.  As I had mentioned I had been eyeing multiple delicious donut recipes found here  and here.  I marched off to Bed, Bath and Beyond with my 20% off coupon in hand to buy the much needed donut pan.  I debated between buying the little one or the big one.  Both are the same price, $9.99, but the big one produces six donuts while the baby version creates twelve.  I rationalized that eating several smaller donuts was surely better than gorging on six BIG donuts.  You agree, no?  Husband later voiced his concern over my not buying the larger one, so who knows, maybe I will end up with both! 

I created the recipe from the first link.  I spent quite a while during the gathering ingredients step searching for the baking powder I KNEW I bought.  While scouring the haphazardly stocked shelves in our pantry I was shocked at the hidden treasures I found.  I had several thoughts of "I told him it was in here." and "Yes, a can of garbanzo beans!".  I almost got sidetracked by a pantry organization project, but my desire for tasty donuts prevailed!  The list of necessities is short, the prep time a breeze and the bake time quick.  The best part-you can glaze while the donuts are still warm, heaven I tell you! 

Later I added some chocolate glaze to a few I had left plain, but sorry no picture.  Let me tell you this recipe, is divine.  You will want to put it on everything, tastes just like the stuff on donut shop delights.

I have lots more varieties I am excited to try out, including a batch with toasted coconut.  If you are still reading then you are wasting valuable donut baking time, get to it!  Happy donut making :)

Sweet Summertime

I'll spare you the jibber jabber and excuses on why this blog lay dormant for another five months.  Let's just say, "third time's a charm"!

This was the what I posted yesterday on Facebook, "Finished unpacking the new classroom. Bring on the pool side sitting, book devouring, concert going, cupcake baking, girlfriend lunching, Florida visiting, bad reality tv watching, baseball game attending, dog park playing SUMMER!!"

All of those and more are exactly what I plan on doing.  In fact, I have already checked one item off the list and am currently checking another one off right now!

One of my coworkers and I took our dogs to a new, beautiful dog park that opened close to us.  The dogs had a lot of fun running in the open space and then conked out in the shade for a while.  We agreed to make this a weekly occurence and throw breakfast on a patio (so the dogs can come along) in too.  And as I write this I am watching an episode of RHONJ (already watched RHONY and The Bachelorette over coffee). 

Let's look at some other items on the summer to do list,shall we? 
1) Baseball Games-not usually a huge fan because I tend to get bored and it's HOT, but my brother has been going to a lot of games lately and really enjoys it.  I figued this would be something fun to do together.  So I picked games that had fun giveaways (bobbleheads and t-shirts) naturally ;)  Go Rangers!

2) Lunch with friends, husband, mom-as a teacher I don't get lunch out much (only on Professional Development Days) so being able to go sit and relax while enjoying a meal is a treat.  I already have a few lunch dates planned and can't wait for more!

3) Florida Visiting-no words can express my love for seeing my family and putting my feet in the sand in Boca Raton.  My grandfather has been through a lot lately and I can't wait to hug his neck and catch up.  My mom and I are going together so it will be a quick trip (she can't take a lot of time off work), but there will still plenty of time for eating ourselves silly, shopping and beach walking.

4) Poolside Sitting/Book Devouring-I have never ventured to the pool at my apartment complex, but it is really nice.  I figure if I go down before the kiddos jump in it will be quiet and relaxing.  I have a HUGE stack of books on my shelf and a list a mile long my phone of books to read, I better get busy.

5) Cupcake baking-Make that doughnut baking.  I have been wanting a doughnut pan for a while now.  I think this is the pefect time to pick up a mini version and try all the yummy recipes I have had my eye on lately.  Thank you Kristin, these are the first two I am making

http://iowagirleats.com/2011/03/06/new-baked-doughnuts-recipes-free-chipotle/

Other items on the to-do list include-attending the AVID Summer Institute since I will be teaching the class next year (very excited about this opportunity), substituting for a summer program called Junior Inventors, handing out free lunches to children in our district, creating a Pinterest project or two and maybe just maybe some home organization (we'll see about that one).  

Happy Summer!!

A renewed zest for blogging and a little dabbling in the arts

OK, let's give this blog thing another try shall we? 

I slightly freaked out when I realized that I had written one thing for three weeks.  I was all pumped up about starting a blog and cranked out a few posts, then bam-nothing!  At first it was a lack of blogging material and getting back in the swing of things at school.  Then, I thought maybe the blogging thing wasn't a good idea and that I would shut the whole thing down.  Lastly, I realized that no one was probably reading this so who cares? 

So, I stopped and thought it through.  I do want to blog and I am sure there will be plenty of life things to write about.  I originally thought I would just use this little carved out space of the Internet to document crafts, cooking and the like.  Then I realized I am ok with chronicling everything, it will be good to look back on later in my more grownup life ;) 

Now that we have that cleared up let me share with you a masterpiece I recently brought home by a local artist.  Ha ha, just kidding!  A few weeks ago I made a trip to a local painting place with friend to spend some time flexing our paint muscle.  Ummm..thing is, I don't have a painting muscle to flex.  These places are popping up all over and have become really popular as of late.  You choose a class to attend based on the picture you would like paint, when you show up everyone in the class is guided by the instructor(s) to paint the picture.  In the end everyone goes home with the same picture with slight variation depending on your skill, artistic eye and personal choice/style.     

Since a friend and I have a shared love of Audrey Hepburn movies we were ecstatic to see a Breakfast at Tiffany's painting on the schedule.  We forked over our $45, downed a margarita and noshed on Mexican food and then jumped in.  Overall?  It was fun, I learned a lot and I was fairly pleased with my final product. The parts I didn't like, I spent too much time being critical of my work, the lead instructor moved too fast throughout the class and it wasn't as relaxed as I thought it would be.  I would be happy to try it again sometime, maybe a less detailed painting and on a weekend afternoon, not a Friday night after a loooooong week at work. 



This is what I started with, they sketch it in pencil for you (thank goodness, otherwise the end product would be taking up space in a landfill right now)

Here it is starting to take shape

A little more than two hours into the three hour class, it was almost done

Then, I tried to fix the hair and add the bow

Here is the final product.  I am not thrilled with the hair still, but I am proud of my efforts

If you have a place like this I encourage you to go check it out.  It's a great way to hang out with your girlfriends and try something new.  The class taught us how to shade and mix colors, apply different brush strokes and TAKE RISKS!  If you try it, I hope you have lots of fun! 

 



My 2011 List

This is not a resolutions post.  There are of course things I hope to improve or change, but that is not for this post. 

I have an incredibly long list of books I want to read on my IPhone, a stack of free paperbacks picked up from a local warehouse under my coffee table, two unread titles on my reader and lots of recommendations from other bloggers' 2011 reviews. 

Since I have so many titles I would love to dive into, but it won't be possible to to read them all (this year) unless I quit my job to do so (an option I don't think would be warmly received by my husband) I figured I should to narrow down THE LIST.  Here a few I want to check off my list in the first few months of 2012. 
,

The Necklace.  This is a true story about  thirteen women who go in together to buy an expensive necklace and share its beauty.  Each chapter is told by a different woman, sharing their experience while wearing the necklace.  I call it the grown up version of  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  It is short, should be a quick read. 

 

  Venus Fixers An art/historical fiction mix.  During WW II the Allied forces appoint Monument Officers (a hodge podge group of people with varying background in art and history) to make sure that European masterpieces are not damaged or stolen.  The story chronicles the group's struggles to protect the art.  I picked this up when I was visiting my grandparents in Florida.  Their local library sells books for a $1, this one looked too god not grab.   

Winter Garden-I have been told to read this by several people.  A story about two sisters who return home to help care for their dying father.  The sisters have lived very different lives and their mother is distant.  Before the father passes he asks his wife to share a story with the sisters.  A story that bridges the past and present, and supposedly changes who the women considered themselves to be.  The reviews on the back include words like, "gripping", "powerful story" and "breathtaking" so I am very excited about this one. 

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman -Years after giving her all to her job, kids and husband Rose Lloyd is suddenly starting over.   This book chronicles Rose's journey with her new found freedom.

 The Good Wife Strikes Back-this one is by the same author as the book above, Elizabeth Buchan.  In this story Fanny Savage considers leaving her current life to pursue the one she gave up years ago (a partner in her father's wine business in Italy).  Both of these look like fluff reads, but still should be entertaining. 

 A Year in Provence-This is a true story of what the author, Peter Mayle experienced when he and his wife moved into a 200 year old farmhouse in a little country called Luberon.  I can't wait to read this one, I think it's going to be quite the story.

Do you have some "to reads" for 2012?  Anything I should add to my ever growing list?

Birthday Celebration

December 27th marked the start of my 31st year! 

Wow, it's almost hard to believe!  Thirty seemed like such a big milestone but I almost feel as if this is where the REAL journey begins.  I have lots of hopes of what the next few years will have have in store. 

I started off the day by putting on a new tunic top from H&M and my favorite scarf.  I made a quick run to Starbucks for a Gingerbread Latte (yum!) and then curled up on the couch with my current book.  By the way, this book is great!  If you have the opportunity to read the Piano Teacher (and enjoy historical fiction) you will not be disappointed. 

I went out to breakfast with a great friend, she gifted me these adorable owl salt and pepper shakers! Then, we did some shopping at Kohls.  I scored this pretty necklace with my Kohls cash :)



I had lunch with my mom, dad and brother.  Obviously the theme of this birthday was eat as much as possible ;)  My dad, brother and myself were all lucky enough to be off work. My mom wasn't, so we met her there.  When I looked down at my phone to see what time it was I happened to catch the time and date on my phone (12:27 on 12/27).  This coincidence made me smile (then laugh at my silliness). 

We had a family picture, but it was less than flattering, such a shame :(  The owners of the pizza place we went to know (and love) my parents, so they gave me a cannoli at the end of our meal, so sweet!  It was delicious! 

Later on I read birthday mail from my extended family and opened gifts from my parents and brother.  I was more than spoiled and am so grateful for all of my nice gifts!  I fell in love with Le Mer watches after reading about them on http://www.keepingupwithkellyandco.com The Coach purse was from my brother (my mom helped him pick it out). 

  The birthday celebration ended with a dinner out on Friday night with the family, hubby and a good family friend.  We went to a fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot.  I had never been before and I was so amazed!  The service, the food, the presentation; it was all fabulous!



Birthdays are always a big deal in my family.  My mom always planned fun parties and made sure we had special dinners.  I love that even though we are older and busy with our individual lives, we still make time to celebrate all of birthdays together in a fun way.