Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends. This week was a lot of fun.  I did a few fun things after work and   Ava was in Phoenix enjoying her spring break with her Grandma Jan and Brock.  Today I’m linking up to Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites.

1.  Ava has spent the week with her grandma and Brock in Arizona.  I am SO thrilled she got to do something fun on her spring break!  They explored Phoenix, she went to class at ASU with Brock.  They had a great week.  Ava comes home today and I can't wait to see her and give her a big hug. 

2.  Walmart has the cutest galvanized metal stuff for spring.  I have so many serving dishes, platters, plates and more but I always love to get a couple of new things.  I got the utensil caddy this week and I think I'll use it all summer!

3.  I've been in the mood to play in the dirt and it's still too early in NY so I was thrilled this week when someone called and booked a private craft party with me for Branch and Bloom.  She wants to make terrariums in the class which will be so fun!!  We did three terrarium classes last year.  They are quite popular for us especially in the spring!

I am so happy it's Easter weekend!  We have a few fun things planned plus Church and a big Easter dinner on Sunday.  I hope you have a fabulous Easter weekend with your peeps.

Xoxo

What's Up Wednesday? {March}

Today I'm linking up with Shay for What's Up Wednesday.  Just like February March flew by for me!!  You can can what we've been up to below!  Happy Spring

What were eating this week...It's just Graig and I think week so I made a big Italian Beef so we've been eating that.  I'm going out with friends the next two nights so no cooking-yay!!
And we've been eating the delicious Salted Caramel  Bars I made on Saturday. 

What I'm reminiscing about...our Ava turned 16 in March!  That is definitely something I've been reminiscing about. Our baby girl is almost all grown up.  She got her permit on her birthday and we've been taking turns giving her driving lessons. 

What I'm loving...the warm weather!!  It finally feels like spring in NY and I've been getting outside to take walks every day after work.  Also Brock and Ava are together this week in Arizona with Grandma Jan!  I love that Ava and her grandma could spend their spring break with Brock.  They have been having a blast.  Ava even went to classes with Brock yesterday at ASU!!

What we've been up to...Work has been busy for both G and me, and we are in the process of buying a second rental house (we close on Friday) and we have been looking at new SUV's for me-yay!!

What I'm dreading...nothing too crazy at the momemt

What I'm working on...I need to start working on three family memory books-one for 2016, one for 2017 and one from the tree.  I planned to do them as part of my Happiness Project for March.  I still haven't started.  I hope I can start on them this weekend.    And  we are buying a second rental house on Friday so updating that is going to keep us very busy!!  It needs new paint, two new kitchens, and a ton of other little things.  

What I'm excited about...I have lots of fun things planned for April and May-including a girls trip, a concert and a trip to the spa!!!  I love the spring and I also hope to do a lot of hiking and working in my flower beds.  

What I'm watching/reading...I did my March book review on Monday.  You can read that here.  I just started reading Red Notice.  A true story about Vladimir Putin's biggest enemy.  It reads like John Grisham book but it's all true.  I am only a few chapters in to this book but I am hooked.  It is so interesting.  Here is a recent article about Bill Browder the author of the book 

What I'm listening to...I downloaded the best library app called Libby and you can listen to audio books.  This week I started listening to The Goldfinch   I listen to this when I'm doing things around the house and getting ready for work in the morning.  and the Libby app is fantastic!  They have so many books you can check out and you can listen or read them on your device.  All you need is your library card.  The best part it's free!!!

What I'm doing this weekend...It's Easter weekend!!  Our niece and nephew are visiting from Colorado so we will spend time with them, we are going to color Easter Eggs, go to Church and make a big Easter dinner!

What I'm looking forward to next month...everything spring-cute dresses, flowers, hikes and walks!  Bring it on.


Happy Wednesday!!!

Sunday cooking class {Caesar salad and Shrimp Scampi}

I LOVE learning to cook new things and my friend V loves cooking and we have learned to make a few things together.  We have made eggplant parm together, we also have made homemade pasta together which was really fun!!

A few weeks ago we got together and she taught me to make shrimp scampi and homemade ceasar salad.  Both turned out so good!!  

In Ceasar salad dressing you use both anchovies and a raw egg  and both of those things gross me 😝 but I tried to put the grossness aside and they both worked so well in the dressing and it turned out so good!  After my first bite I didn’t think about the egg or anchovies I just enjoyed one of the most delicious salads I have ever tasted!!  

Ceasar Salad Dressing

1 tin anchovies cook on stove until they turn into a paste 

1 clove garlic chopped

I t Grey Poupon mustard 

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

2 coddled eggs (cook in boiling water for one minute)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 splashes Worcestershire sauce  

I cup grated Parmesan 

2 T Romano cheese 

Mix all together and add olive oil until the dressing reaches the desired consistency 

We made homemade croutons by cooking thin slices of French baguette drizzled with EVOO, salt and paprika in the oven for 10 minutes.

We used romaine lettuce (we kept the leaves big to really soak up the dressing) and added big pieces of shaved Parmesan cheese.  

The shrimp scampi was so easy to put together. We used a Barefoot Contessa recipe  

I will definitely be making both of these recipes again and I can’t wait for our next cooking lesson. 

Xoxo

Book Review {March}

This month I read three really great books. They were all different and unique but I love reading different kinds of books about different kinds of people so I really enjoyed them all.

 Two were fiction and one was non-fiction.  I have SO many books I want to read.  It's a good day when I can spend a little time at night reading.  I just love it.!  I am so happy I got through three books this month.

My library has a new online app  called Libby that you can borrow books from. It is fantastic!!  And it's really changed the way that I read.  It's a reading app like a kindle and you read books directly on the app.   You can check out books for two weeks and audio books for one week.  At the end of you time they disappear from your bookshelf in the app.  You can also place holds on books that you want to read.  My actual library has many more titles than what's available in the app but I always check the app first to see if the book I want is there and then I check my library.  If I can't get the book I want from either of those places then I buy the book on amazon.  I honestly am so excited this app is free. All three of the books I read this month I got from the Libby app.  

This month my bookclub read The Last Painting of Sara DeVos.  This book was about the Sara DeVos a painter in the 1600's in Amsterdam.  The book alternates between her story and the story of the couple that owned the painting in NYC in the 1950's, and a art historian who in the year 2000 was living in Sydney Australia.  In the late 1950's the art historian was a struggling art student who painted a forgery of Sara's original painting.  After that her life became intertwined with the painting and the husband whose family owned the painting.  The plot is complicated but the author did a great job of juggling the three story lines.  I honestly loved this book so so much!!  

The next book I read was called Rich People Problems and was the third book in the trilogy of books by Kevin Kwan about crazy, rich Asians.  All three books were so funny and highly entertaining.  There are also a ton of footnotes in the book where the author explains all of the Asian references and phases that he uses throughout the book. This third book starts when the matriarch of the family Sun Yi becomes very ill and the family gathers at the giant family home to say their goodbyes to their beloved grandmother and to jockey for position to see who will inherit her amazing house.  The first book  in the series Crazy Rich Asians is being make into a motion picture that will be released on August 17. I can't wait to see the movie!!

The third book I read this month was a memoir by Jillian Lauren.  It was called Some Girls: My Life in a Harem.  She was paid many thousands of dollars to live at the Palace and party with the Prince of  Brunei and  his friends.  She spent time with the Prince in the mid-1990's and this book talks about her life at the Palace and back in NYC where she lived.  In this book she puts everything out there and I thought she did a beautiful job telling her story.  It wasn't always a pretty story but she told it in her own terms and in her own way.  This month for book club we are reading her second book Everything You Ever Wanted and I wanted to read her first book first before reading the second one.  If you love memoirs I highly recommend this book.  




That's it for me this month.  I have some fabulous books picked out for April and I can't wait to start reading!!  What are you reading?

Xoxo 

Saturday Snack {Salted Caramel Bars}

My friend B makes cookies and cakes for people for parties and events.  She is so talented and is always coming up with yummy treats and new recipes.   She made the adorable ball jar cookies for tme for the favors for my fall brunch. Everyone loved these cookies!  

Recently she’s started making salted caramel bars and they are SO good!!   I found a recipe online and tried making a batch for myself.  They turned out so good!  I took them to work and everyone loved them.  It’s an easy recipe to make and they are perfect for potlucks and parties.  

Happy Saturday!!

Xoxo

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends. This week FLEW by.  I’m so happy it’s Friday!!  I’m actually working a lot this weekend because I’m coordinating a leadership conference on campus.  Sunday Graig and I have a full day of worked planned around our house to get ready for our summer baseball renters. Today I’m linking up to Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites.

1.  My absolute favorite from this week is Ava’s birthday!   Her birthday was on Monday and she got her drivers permit. She has been driving all week.  It’s crazy to think we are going to have another driver in our family!  We celebrated by having a quiet dinner at home. 

2.  Next week Ava is on spring break and she and grandma Jan are headed to Arizona to see Brock!  I know they are going to have the best time and I’m so happy they get to go and see him.

3.  I love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and last weekend we did a few fun things to celebrate the holiday.  Friday night my students and I volunteered at a mother/son dance called the Shamrock Swing.  I was on the committee that planned it and my business Branch and Bloom did the centerpieces.  My students helped by making popcorn and cotton candy and they made treat bags for each of the kids.  There were 300 people at the event.  It was a great night!

Saturday morning Ava and I went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Utica with my friends Sabrina and Rachael.  It was a fun morning but it was freezing cold!! The good news is we got our picture taken with St.Patrick 😉

4.  I’m in a women’s community service organization in our town  and this week we put together 40 cancer care kits for people in chemotherpy.  In the kits we included a blanket (handmade by my students), a journal, lotion, lip balm, hand sanitizer and a water bottle.  I am so glad we did this project.  These kits will help so many people!  It’s a favorite from this week for sure ❤️

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Xoxo

Crafty Wednesday {March Craft Class}

I own a small craft business called Branch and Bloom with my friend Rachael.   Once a month we have a craft class and teach people to make a craft.  We try and choose crafts that take about an hour to complete.  People come with their friends and have a good time while creating a craft to take home.  We provide all of the supplies and give them step by step instructions at our class so they can make a beautiful craft.  

Here are some of our past craft nights

February {Rustic Photo Galleries}

January {Date Night Jars}

December {Personalized Signs and  Christmas wreaths}

November {Thankful Trees}

October {Succulent Centerpieces}

August {Bathtub Tea}

This month we created reversible signs one side says Hey Spring and the other side says Hello Summer.  This class was also a fundraiser for an animal rescue group in our town so $10 from each person's ticket went to the animal rescue group.  We were so happy to be able to raise some money for them!!

We got our wood at Lowe's and had the boards cut down from 15 feet to 5 feet lengths.  I swear the Lowe's employees hide when they see us coming.  We are always needing wood cut.  Rachael and I both have saws that we can use at home but it's so much easier for us if they cut the wood for us!!  This picture is from our February craft night but it shows you how much we need for our classes.  

The first thing we had people do when they came to class in March was to brush white paint on their board.  We wanted these to look old and distressed so we had them brush it off with a paper towel to give the wood a distressed look.

The next step was to have each person cut out their stencils for the craft.  We printed SPRING and SUMMER on individual sheets of paper and then had each person cut out their own stencils.  We thought about emailing this to everyone ahead of time but decided just to have them cut them out in class.  We did SPRING in Georgia font size 640 and we did SUMMER in Mongolian Baiti size 500.

After they were cut out everyone added their stencils to the sign with a little tape on the back and traced the letters with pencil.  After the traced their letters in stencil they painted their letters with black paint.    They did one side in class and then took the other stencils home so their side would have time to dry before they flipped it and did the other side.

We printed out Hey and Hello in vinyl lettering using my silhouette machine.  

It was a great night!!  It is STILL snowing in NY but we hope everyone can use their Hello Spring signs soon.

Xoxo

 

Ava is 16!!

Yesterday was our Ava's 16th birthday!!!  I can't believe our girl is 16.  I know everyone says this but our sweet girl has grown up so fast.  I am amazed at the young woman she is becoming.  I am so proud of her and I'm so happy to be her Mom.  

Yesterday Graig took her to get her permit.  She can officially drive with an adult in the car.  In NY at 16 1/2 you can get your full license. She was so happy to get her permit and drove three times yesterday.  Once with Graig, once with me and one time with her Grandma Jan.  I left work to pick Ava up after school she drove us to do some errands.  My car is a stick shift (she is still learning to drive a stick shift) so we took Graig's truck which is an automatic so it was easier for her to drive.

At the Mardi Gras Gala I won a catered dinner for four people at the silent auction.  My friend Heather is a chef and donated the meal to the silent auction.  I thought last night would be the perfect night to have it!  At Ava's request she made us chicken parm, pasta, salad, homemade bread and an amazing ice cream cake.  It was amazing.  Grandma Jan came over to eat with us.  We all loved the meal and were SO stuffed after eating.


Here is the delicious ice cream cake Heather made for us. 

And here is Ava with Grandma Jan.  

She had a great birthday!  Here are links to some of her past birthday celebrations.


Ava's 7th birthday


Ava's 8th birthday


Ava's 9th birthday


Ava's 9th birthday party


Ava's 10th birthday


Ava's 14th birthday


Ava's 14th birthday part two


Ava's 15th birthday




We had a great day celebrating our Ava!
Xoxo

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday friends.  This week FLEW by.  I’m so happy it’s Friday!!   Today I’m linking up to Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites.

 1.  Our Ava is turning 16 on Monday!!!!  I can’t believe our baby girl will be 16.  We are going to celebrate this weekend and have a nice dinner together in Monday.

2.  Last week I went to the Philadelphia flower show with my friend Jenn.  It’s the oldest flower show in the country we had a great time looking at all the exhibits.  It is one of my very favorite things to do in the spring.

3.  Last Friday we had our monthly craft class for Branch and Bloom.  We made reversible signs that said SPRING on one side and SUMMER on the other.  It was a fun project!  Our craft night was also fundraiser for an animal rescue organization and I’m happy to report that we raised $160 for it.

4. Saturday I went to an outdoor winter festival in our town. It’s called snowmegang and it’s held every March.  It was a fun afternoon. And yes it’s still snowing here.

5.  My students are volunteering tomorrow at a mother/son dance in our town called the Shamrock Swing.  On Monday we got pizza for dinner and made 300 party favors for he moms and their sons.  Tomorrow night at the party they will be making cotton candy and popcorn and putting temporary tattoos on the kids.  It should be a fun night!!

6.Sunday night I got together with my friends Vicki and Rachael  and we had a cooking class together and Vicki taught us to make homemade shrimp scampi and homemade Caesar salad.  Both were amazing and I’m going to post the recipes next week.  

This weekend we are going to celebrate St. Patrick’s day and Ava’s birthday!!  

Happy Friday❤️

Xoxo