ahhh! friday eve!

well hello bloggies, blog land and blends! it seems so long since i have posted ANYTHING. i could be a dork and apologize, BUT  a GOOD blogger would never just leave her bloggies hanging for 2.5 weeks, now would they??? but you see, i am a dork and i truly do apologize. this crazy thing called life has just been so busy that i have ignored, forgotten,  just been lazzzyyy about blogging. well, not really lazy, just doing things around the house and family things. we have been over inundated with baseball and now soccer has begun..... baseball season is finally wrapping up but seriously, it's CRAZY. i have seen my fair share of little league games. soon, more fun stuff like football and 2 and 3 soccer games a week will invade our schedules.
 
i did have computer issues (my monitor D-I-E-D)....my car needed new brakes, rotors, oil change all in the sum of just under 700.00 and work is busy. (but as i always say, i am not complaining about it....at least i still have a job!....that i hate,  er, i mean LOVE! (it's really not bad....) i have a new boss who is a good friend that i love, so super pumped about that!

ok, i am rambling....i hope all of you have been busy filling your summer lives with fun, exciting, super faaaannntabulous things! i would love to hear what y'all have been up to?! what's your fav summer activity?

that boy of mine has to work this weekend, so i think we may have a somewhat lowkey few days. i have a birthday party for my nephew and that's about it! looking forward to some rest and relaxation.

ok, besides wanting to know what fun stuff you have been doing, i also want to know how you find time to read all of your fav blogs??? i am finding it so hard to keep up with my own, let alone read all the exciting things in the blog world??? how many blogs do you follow? i have so many favorites! i always stumble across new ones, which makes my list longer.....

i want to try my hand in the next month at this:

hand stamped jewelry.....has anyone tried?? i love lisa leonard designs....her work is amazing!

and i would like to attempt these for a labor day cookout????

i know the pic is jaded and blurry...but arent they adorable??

i have to run to frost some baptism cookies, but i pinky promise, i will be back.....SOON! i have a delightful pumpkin turkey sausage soup recipe i made tonight....(yes, i know its 90' outside, but it was a craving.....LOVE IT!)

big hugs, and lovies,
xoxo
t

p.s. (i won a giveaway, i will be back to brag about.....thank you GUSSY!)

happy thoughts on a rainy friday!

helloooo bloggies and friends!

it's rainy and friday in cleve town. normally i would be sad that it's pouring kittens and puppies, however, our grass is D-E-A-D. seriously like yellow dead. the boy is one of those crazy lawn people who takes pride in having one of the nicest, plushest (is that even a word?), greenest lawns.....but with the heat being in the 90's and no rain, makes for an incredible amount of dry, brittle, yucky GRASS!

ok, computer techies. HELP! i am trying to do some new stuff with the blog. one being 3 columns. yikes. liz, over at sunny bug has a tutorial link up and apparently, i am not sure of what version to use with my template....there is one called denim....one called minima....rounders....arrrgghhh...i got the one to sort of work, but i dont know how to change the columns.....then i am trying to download new fonts and my piece of crap, wonderful computer will not allow me to do this. anyone have any tippies to help a somewhat dumb blonde,  computer illiterate girl out? i keep getting either an error message OR unable to open files. c'mon peeps, this is not rocket science here.

what is everyone doing for the weekend? we are (well, i mean the boy), is organzing a 5k race tomorrow. neither of us are running because we, (yikes, there i go again....)(he) has to be able to do all the behind the scenes fun stuff. this race is for jp's friend who was killed in the line of duty 3/15/2010. the race will generate funds that will go to a police memorial scholarship fund for police officer's children. read all about it HERE.

rest in piece 177.....you are missed by many many people.......


i just realized i am having flight of ideas. i have discussed grass, computers and weekend plans in like 30 seconds.....i think because i am overwhelmed with the second topic.....i HATE when i cant get something to work....

ok, soooo i wanted to share my latest creation. no~etsy shop is still not unveiled. do you ever wish the day was longer? do you ever wish you had just an extra hour? even though we have been on vacay this week, i feel like i got NOTHING accomplished. a few small things like these, but for the most part, not nearly everything i wanted to......

let me know what you think:

it's a yellow BEACH bag......to go with my yellow polka dot bikini. um, kidding about the yellow bikini!

up close for your viewing pleasure. yes.....MORE of those darn,  i mean precious flowers!!! ( i told you i was obsessed with them!)

ok, i have to jump in the shower. um, yes, it is almost 1:00pm and i still havent showered. please let me know your fun weekend plans and any and all techie help would be oh, so, so, greatly appreciated!

sorry for flight of ideas.....think happy thoughts!

love,

xo

t

happy 4th of july blog land~and a smiley sunday!

happy 4th america!

i am so excited to be heading over to my mama's a wee bit later for some of her yumminess! (the sad part is that there is usually NOTHING healthy on her menu.....EVA. she rolls old school, cooking with real butter and drowning in  FAT. oh well! it's a holiday. back on track tomorrow!

we started out the day with a morning little league game. (jp has 3 wee ones. i dont think i have ever shared that).....well, they are not so wee anymore. they are 10,9 and 6. his middle was in a baseball tournament this weekend and sadly for us, they lost. boo hoo. (well, actually i am elated because we would have had to sit thru another game in stifling 97 degree HUMIDITY.) needless to say,  bad hair day for me.

we went out to watch some fireworks last night and stumbled upon this beauty!

i love watching the sunset! we may or may not have snuck some corona lights into our cups! (shhhh.....it's legal if nobody knows!) sealed with a lime. (i packed a little cooler complete with lime wedges to watch the fireworks.)

what else is making me smile today?

HIM! i am so proud of him. he had to work for a few hours today.....and i always get a little butterfly in my belly watching him walk out in his police uniform! handsome boy! but it is so hot here and i know this is not one of his favorite jobs....but the money is really good~and it's only for a few hours....(suck it up soldier!) we will be on our way soon to more fireworks and yummy drinks and food! xo

these also make me smile:

i am still on the flower making kick. in fact i made the cutest black headband to wear out last night and i apologize for no picture.....but it flipping broke already. i cheated and used an old headband and it must have been brittle when i wrapped it, because not even half way thru the night. bam. i was so angry, cuz it was so darn cute!!!

but these kind of real flowers can make me smile too!

i hope you are all finding yourselves enjoying things that make you smile on this smiley sunday! enjoy your holiday and LONG weekend! be safe!

hugs and lovies,

t

happy vacation to us~~oh, and a cupcake recipe for you!

yes! it's vacay time AGAIN. i am thrilled. elated. i got to check out of workie at 1:30 today and could not have been happier! i got a little bit of pool time in before heading out to get some din with the boy!

he was starving.....he had to fast in order to have some lab work done for his life insurance policy. so needless to say, he was cranky pants. he gets that way when he is hungry. like a bear. maybe worse. i don't get it.....it's like that's all he can think about when the hunger pains strike.....

we headed over to 'the pub'...yes, that's the name. i had a sam adams 'summer ale' as well as a corona light to top off my roasted red pepper and goat cheese burger......hello deliciousness. sorry no pics. i have been bad about carrying the camera lately.....

soooo what y'all got planned for this festive 4th of july weekend??? we are chillin out! we are going to get up in the am and go for a run and stop at the cutest little cafe we just discovered for some blueberry cinnamon coffee.....then i think we are going to lay by the pool before heading to a party and baseball game! i love parties. i love baseball. heck, i love LIFE. seriously.

i wanted to share a delcious but simple cuppie recipe i have been using for years.....i found these and thought they were adorable,

um, hellooooo zebra and cheeta print cuppie wrappers! so cute....so i just had to fill with some yumminess!

cream cheese chocolate chip filled cuppies

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix prepared according to directions. set aside.
1 8 oz. package cream cheese ( i used light)
1 egg
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350'

whip together egg and sugar and cream cheese.....stir in chips! fill cupcake wrappers about 1/3 full of cake batter. drop about 1 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture on top. cover with additional cake batter.

bake for approximately 17 mins. or until you feel they have reached your level of doneness! don't overbake! there is NOTHING worse then a dry, burnt cuppie!

here's a pic before adding the last layer of cake batter!

allow to cool and frost with your favorite buttercream frosting! these will not disappoint. i have taken them to work soooo many times and have always received rave reviews! kudos for filled cuppies!!

i am working on the boy to buy me a new camera.....a nice......expensive quality, really good camera! i think i can talk him into it! he's easily persuaded....a few good back rubs and a pedicure...(yes, he loves pedis....) and i can't coerce him into ANYTHING! ha!

i want to know what everyone is doing for their holiday weekend?!? fill me in! quickly!

have a great day/night blog land!

love and hugs,

t

p.s. my frosted cupcakes seen above were baked on a different day then when i made the zebra print ones....fyi....i didnt take any pics  of them, but i managed to find a pic of some other ones....just to give you an idea or what the finished product looked like!