Favorite Little Princess

For the past month I have been dragging my feet about buying a new refrigerator. Ours was still working, but just barely. The ice machine had broke, again, for the umpteenth time. I was getting tired of storing bagged ice in our already too small freezer and we go through too much to just keep up with ice trays. Plus, we could not keep the temperature regulated which resulted in me losing produce on a regular basis. It was 15 years old, so I couldn't see repairing it once again when there was nothing I liked about it anyway.  I finally gave in and decided to pick one out. We had been looking for a month, but it was still hard to narrow it down. I narrowed it down to three, but what I really wanted was parts from each of them. After making the final decision, we were quite happy with our choice. That is, until the Great Fridge Fiasco really got under way.  Arrangements were made for delivery of the new refrigerator and removal of the old (yay!) and I took the day o...

I was talking to someone about Thai food the other day when the Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen was mentioned. K1 and I had a mother/daughter day planned, so this was the perfect time to check it out. We opted for their lunchtime buffet so that we could try everything out. I'm sure glad we did. There was lots to choose from and everything was so fresh! Plus, the whole place was really clean. Even the windowsills were free of any dirt or dust. A+!  I don't typically eat fried food, but they had fried sweet potatoes that were just amazing. Notice the lack of sauce dripping around the plate? I was take that as a good sign on a buffet - I hate food cooked in bulk. However, this was not. They made it in portions and just kept bringing it out. This made it hot, fresh, and perfected cooked.  For dessert we mainly stuck to the fresh cut fruit, but we did try these little sweet cookies. They were pretty good, but my favorite part of the meal was the Thai tea. I'm so addicted! ...

I like learning new crafts, but as a perfectionist, the initial process is very nerve wrecking for me. I have to constantly remind myself that it's ok for it to not be perfect - at least for the first time, ha! Onto getting this project started. You can check out my initial post about this project here . Since I work full-time, I can only do a little at a time. Quilting actually is pretty perfect for this. It's all just piece work. I started by laying out my 2 inch wide strips and then pinning two together at a time, matching up the long edges and the right sides facing each other.  Time to sew together after pairing all the strips up. This went rather quickly since it's just a straight stitch. See how easy that is? If only sewing clothes were this easy. Then I repeated with the rest of the paired strips. After sewing all the pairs, it was time to pin together the strips again making it into one large strip of the four 2 inch strips. Another easy ...

Ready for some cheesy goodness? This is it. I found it on the Eating Well website. I like trying different cheeses. They all have their own unique little flavor. This recipe calls for nutmeg and I keep finding recipes which pair this spice with non-sweet foods. It never sounds like it would work, but every time I'm surprised at how that spice brings out the other flavors. Ready to try this yourself? Cheesy Tortellini Ingredients 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk, heated 1/2 cup grated fontina cheese, divided 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Put a large pot of water on to boil for cooking pasta. Heat oil in a large...

Back in June (I know that was a long time ago) I found out about Quilts for Kids on the Make it and Love it blog. I really fell in love with the idea of making one of these quilts and Ashley makes it look so easy that I sent off for my free kit right away. I've never made a quilt before, so this will be a new adventure. Well, this weekend my kit arrived! It was all packaged up in a clear Ziploc bag. All the material is pre-cut and it includes instructions for sewing together. The only thing that isn't included is the thread and batting. Lucky for me that it was coupon commotion time at my local Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store .  Now I have all my materials and I plan on referring to Ashley's post to help me though this. I'll keep you updated as I make this little journey and maybe you'll want to make one of your own.

Tower of Terror 10 Miler Down to 10 more weeks until the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 miler .  I know last week I said I was contemplating joining a gym so that I could use the treadmill indoors, but I'm thinking that won't happen. The rain is supposed to be letting up, so it will just be the heat that I have to contend with. Not fun, but it's not going to be that much cooler in September, so I might as well learn to deal with it...for now.   I did run on the treadmill last weekend when I was visiting my parents. I had forgotten how different it is. I still prefer to be outside. It's easier to push myself further. When you have no choice but to finish, you do.   After the one day on the treadmill, K1 and I decided to get up early and hit the road. I needed to get a long run in after the week off for our beach trip. Hubby decided to sleep in, but after our run later in the week, I think he regretted that decision. It's so much harder to get back into th...

There are so many really good food blogs out there today that sometimes it is hard to choose which ones to follow. However, one in particular has caught my eye. Good Life Eats has some really good dinner ideas which are usually simple enough for me to make. I had my eye on this particular recipe for awhile, but thought it might be too difficult for me to just whip up for dinner. What was actually the most difficult was finding all the ingredients. It must be popular, because the yeast was sold out. I think even with my substitutions, this turned out pretty good and I would even make it again. Even though I couldn't find the pizza crust yeast, I found that Chef Boyardee has a pizza mix which worked out perfectly in a pinch. This particular recipe is also perfect for freezing. There really wasn't enough with the shortcut mix to freeze, so I just halved the recipe. This was also my first time working with sun dried tomatoes, so I really had a lot of experimenting to do with ...

There are so many really cool web sites out there. A little something for everyone. Every once in awhile, one or two of these niffy little places fall into my lap. I like finding stuff that I didn't know I was looking for. www.sewset.com The first one was for SewSet . It's like it's own Pinterest board for sewers. You can free and near free patterns for lots of different projects. It's still new, so it will be growing quickly.  www.pinalerts.com Speaking of Pinterest, the other site that came to me today was about that. PinAlerts notifies you when someone pins from your website or blog. Cool, huh? It's not particularly useful for me, but it is neat to see that people are pinning my stuff. I guess it does help me see what my readers are interested in. What the best part about these sites?  Go check them out!  They are both FREE. My favorite word. What cool sites have you found?

Here's a cute, simple pattern that works up quickly and makes a great gift! You can get as creative as you want and this is a good way to use up that leftover yarn. Plus, this cozy give you a built-in coaster. Materials: - Cotton yarn - Size H8 - 5 mm crochet hook - Button that is 1" in diameter - Needle Rnd 1: 6 sc into an adjustable ring and pull the ring closed (6). Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12). Rnd 3: [Sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc] 6 times (18). Rnd 4: [Sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc] 6 times (24). Rnd 5: [Sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc] 6 times (30). Rnd 6: [Sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc] 6 times (36). Rnd 7: working in back loops only, sc in each sc around (36). Rnd 8: sc in each sc around (36). Row 9: ch 1, turn, sc in next 32 sc, ch 1, turn (32). Rows 10-19: sc in each sc across, ch 1, turn (32). Continue to sc evenly along the opening for the handle until to reach the top of Row 19 on the other side of the opening...

I can't believe there are only 11 more weeks to go until the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 mile run . I'm feeling more confident in finishing now, but how strong of a finish is still up in the air. The weather in Florida has been hot, humid, and WET. Running in the rain isn't a big deal, but our rain is usually accompanied by lightening. Luckily, this has only meant me missing a few runs or just going out later.  Briefly I have even contemplated joining the gym to use the treadmill, but it hasn't come to that yet. I don't mind the treadmill, but it's not my favorite. It's too easy to quit or get bored. If I force myself away from the house, then I'm forced to find my way back again. I fall for that trick every time. During week 13, I completed a new DR (distance record) of 6.26 miles. Not only did I complete it, but I did it alone. My running partner bailed on me half way through and even though I wanted to quit, I'm proud of myself for finishin...

If you are on Pinterest, you have probably seen this one many times. I know I have.  "According to many pinners-THE BEST white chicken enchilada recipe ever!! And no creamed soups" is what the comments read. Ok, it caught my attention. So I decided to give it a whirl. If anything, this was super easy to make. I already like to put sour cream on my enchiladas, so this recipe puts it in the dish which helps me not overdo it on top. I was expecting this dish to be spicier than it actually turned out to be. I may even try kicking it up a notch next time. As for the taste, if you have ever has the white queso dip at a Mexican restaurant, this is a very similar taste. It’s very creamy. If you don’t like a cheesy taste, then steer clear of this dish. This is NOT a problem in my house. You can find the recipe on Pinterest here , or you can head over to Joyful Mommas Kitchen blog . I’ve made it even easier on you and posted it below. Chicken enchiladas with green chili...

And now  (In my best Paul Harvey voice) for the rest of the story. Low tide is the best time for shelling, so we were determined to get out early to meet the tide and beat the other shell gatherers. After a quick breakfast and some strong coffee, we walked through the marina to see the boats. There were boats of every size docked here and each one looked like so much fun. A few were already out and ready to hit the open sea. Who can resist when you have beautiful waters like this? This is why I prefer the Gulf waters to the East coast. I like to see what I'm stepping on before it gets me. I'm only partially joking. I did happen to step on what I think was a stingray on a previous trip. Scared the living daylights out of me. Aren't we cute? My hubby is always humoring me with my photos for this blog. He's good sport. I thought I would surprise him with this sand art while he was out gathering shells since this was supposed to be a romantic getaway. He did...