Monday, July 30, 2007

"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 !!!

Monday, July 23, 2007

"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 !!!

Monday, July 16, 2007

"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 !!!


Monday, July 9, 2007

"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 !!!

Friday, July 6, 2007

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 !!!!









Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Monday, July 2, 2007

"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 !!!