"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I've been shopping recently for a cocktail dress for an upcoming event in September (more on that later !), and struck gold yesterday . . . a great little black dress, for a great price !!

It was so much fun trying on "fancy" dresses ! I can't recall the last time I went shopping for a more formal dress . . . prom ? the Crimson Ball during college ? You know you're getting older when . . . . !?!?!?!!!! I'm so used to business/professional attire . . . it was refreshing to look girly and feminine for a change . . . sometimes you forget you can actually still look that way ! It was a let-down to put my tank top and capris back on . . . I do believe I could happily wear dresses just about every day !! God knows they hide all the flaws from the waist down . . . that alone is worth a huge smile !!!
I wish my pictures had turned out better . . . doesn't do the dress justice. Hopefully it'll look much better on me . . . !!! Cheers for the LBD !!!

P.S. In previewing this post, I realize that the pictures make it look a bit lingerie-ish . . . it is classy, I swear, and it comes to the knee !!! Better pictures to come !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

I'd been struggling all last week to come up with something for today's post . . . the craziness and stress of the past week or two has created more headaches than smiles !! But, a trip to Michael's and the release of the new Harry Potter book over the weekend helped ease things a bit. . . .
. . . nothing like a new knitting project with pretty new yarn (those colors remind me of the lake !), and a good new read (still reading . . . no spoilers, please !) to calm what ails !!

I also read this sweet story while perusing the web, and it definitely brought a smile !! Happy Monday !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

Since Jack & I got married (almost 10 years ago !!), I've always made homemade meals . . . not much pre-prepared or frozen food in our kitchen . . . and I've always enjoyed it. Lately, though, I've found myself really appreciating and finding joy in the process, not to mention the outcome !! I made these two lovelies yesterday for a family gathering:

trifle . . .

and tollhouse pie !

I've decided that I could just cook/bake all day long, and be quite happy ! Definitely smiling !! YUM-O !!!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

New porch furniture is making me smile today !!! We'd just had a small table and chairs on the porch before . . . but nothing so comfy as all this !

Apparently Tibbs agrees . . . he's made himself right at home on the new, previously fur-less cushions !!! Looks like the perfect place to be on a balmy 90+ degree day !!!

Time to Play

In a very last-minute kind of way, I was able to take these last two days off of work . . . and have been having the best time playing !!!! There are so many places to go and things to do in our area that I never seem to get to . . . never enough time ! So, I decided to fix that a bit . . . and I took my trusty camera with me so I could play tourist, too !!

Lately I've been looking for a new haunt: all of my usual antique/craft/thrift stores have closed recently, leaving me without my "go to" places for goods and inspiration. This place is way on the other side of town and a little bit of a jaunt, but it's one of the largest in the area, so of course I had to check it out . . .
Most of the booths in the co-op were filled to the brim with wootsies (my family's word for tchotchkes) . . . from candles to Care Bears to Nascar stuff . . . a little too much for my taste !! But a few of the booths broke out of the mold, like these two:

Seems to be a taxidermy theme, huh !?!?! Add a chandelier, and that stuffed ram's head on the wall becomes classy . . . !!!

They did have a small section of put-together rooms, with more furniture and less wootsies . . . a little more of what I was looking for !

Not exactly going to be a new haunt, but if I ever find myself needing a deer or moose head to hang above the mantel, I'll know just where to go !!!!

Today I decided to head east, deeper into the country and Wayne county. I ended up in Sodus Point, probably about 20 miles away, and right on Lake Ontario. I took Lake Road, or the Seaway Trail as it's also known, which takes you right along the lake . . . amazing to see both farmland and the lake at the same time . . . best of both worlds !! I had been to Sodus Point before, probably about 6 or 7 years ago, right after we moved to the area . . . took a little drive there with my parents during a visit. But I really didn't remember much about it, and decided to do the tourist thing on this beautiful, clear summer day ! Here's the Sodus Point Lighthouse area:

Gorgeous view, gorgeous flowers, gorgeous weather !!!!

On the way back home, I stopped at this cute farm market for some lunch . . .

. . . and had this amazing Strawberry Tortellini Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette ! I'm not usually one to mix fruit with my veggies, but this was great . . . a perfect meal to eat by the water !

Soooooooo much better than being at work . . . I could get used this whole "day off" thing !!!!

Happy 4th !!

"Makes Me Smile" Monday

It's so refreshing (and a relief !) to see things growing, and dare I say thriving, in my yard today . . . and it makes me smile !!!

This is a picture of one of the planters outside our porch. Last year I was a bit too eager and threw a whole bunch of different annuals in the planters, aiming for the cottage garden effect . . . bad idea. So this year we tried to keep it simple, and I'm happy with the result . . . it's the one spot of color so far in the yard !!!

And this is a picture of my soon-to-be-lettuce . . . the only thing really taking off in my veggie garden at the moment ! A little disappointing that things are taking their time sprouting . . . I'm wondering if I waited a little too long to plant things, and if I erred in starting things from seed . . . but I'm realizing that gardening is a learning process like everything else, all about trial and error !

Even if it's not the cottage garden of my dreams, or the bountiful veggie garden I envisioned, these little victories give me a bit of hope that maybe someday it will turn out the way I see it in my mind's eye . . . and that definitely makes me smile !!!