Thursday Latelies – April 26, 2012

Happy Thursday! Sarah (aka Baby Mama), my older sister, is in town tonight b/c we’re flying to Los Angeles tomorrow to be Cate, our middle sister, for Sarah’s 30th birthday! :)

Here’s what we’re loving this week:

EMILY

1. Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits Peppermint – So good! $1.50
2. Birthdays! Mine was last week, Sarah’s is next week so we’re celebrating! Also, freebies from Sephora don’t hurt! ;)
3. My hair! I’m loving the new color. LOVING it.
4. 100 options for eye color from ELF! I’m so excited to dig into these with inspiration from my Pinterest page.

SARAH

1. Jerry making dinner! (I concur!)
2. Mad Men – Doesn’t everyone love this show? Or is it just us?
3. $8 bathing suits from Children’s Place – Really cute and really well priced! It was like only having one child with prices that good! They’re $15 online!

I’m signing out for the week! Have a wonderful weekend – I’ve got my fingers crossed for sunshine for everyone. :)

PS Don’t forget to check out the other Thursday Lately ladies on Bex’s page!

New Look

Another surprise for this gross Tuesday: I had a little work done.

Is that why I’ve been missing from the blog? Maybe. Let’s say it was that. Can you tell what it is?

No, no, I didn’t get my lips done…that was to throw you off. I know, it totally worked, right?

Actually, I’m a redhead now!

I didn’t go into the salon with intentions of becoming a redhead though I have always thought about it. I went in thinking I’d go a little lighter for summer but the main point was to cover up all of the gray hairs my parent’s have so politely passed on to me at the ripe old age of 27.

I’m told it’s not bad but I’m sure my stylist tells that to all the girls in her chair complaining about grays. She said I have less than 10% but now I have 0% and that makes me much happier.

Also, I’m sorry for the lips and the silly faces. I have pretty much no control over my facial muscles once that camera goes up. Loving to take photos of my family and friends, you think I’d have this under control about myself.

Clearly, that isn’t the case.

Have a good haircut recently? Did you go red? Or blonde? Or something you weren’t before? Spill!

Pop Quiz

What is wrong with these pictures?

Before you give your final answer! There are things that you should know:

• Thing 1: They were taken yesterday, April 23, 2012.
• Thing 2: I live in Western NY and not Alaska.

Well, here it is folks…several people told me to expect snow yesterday and even today but I refused to believe it. Refused. It is APRIL. It is nearly MAY. That’s it…we’re moving.

Easter Break: Family Trip

Oh yeah, I was telling you how my Easter went. When we left off, I had a bunch of friends over and we were all in sugar comas mostly due to this:

And since we were all on a serious sugar high, my last guests didn’t leave until midnight. Did I mention I had to wake up at 4:30AM?

Yeah…I really love my friends so even knowing I would get max 4 hours of sleep, I loved every minute of them hanging around. :) Awr, shucks…

I also had to drive 3 hours once I woke up. See, I’m actually really good in the morning if I have something to do. If I have nothing planned that’s another story completely and I’ll flip over and fall asleep faster than you can hit snooze on your alarm clock.

Naturally, Jerry decided to pull an all nighter. He wanted to get the dishes done and the house mostly picked up from the party so 1) The house didn’t stink when we got home in 2 days and 2) The cats would have less to get into while we were gone. Of course, that didn’t take him 4 hours so he helped me finally complete a top secret project for the twins I had been working on and still had time for some computer games. This also meant, of course, that he would be sleeping while I was driving.

Where were we going? 3 hours to my mother’s house to jump into her car and drive 4 hours to the Island of Long (aka Long Island). Not so fun. The drive. The actual being in LI is always a blast.

We spent Saturday afternoon with my Grandparents – lunch before a stop at Trader Joe’s (I get it where I can, peeps)! Then we had dinner at my Aunts where I got to hang out with the first set of twins introduced into our family in 2001, Alek and Grace. Pardon the iPhone pic but you have to see this:

Yeah, they’re 11. I’m 27. Alek is 5’6″ and Gracie, whoa nelly, Gracie is 5’8″. And 11. Did I mention they’re 11? I’m sorry, it’s really hard for me to get over. I babysat them for the first year of their lives and held them both football style in my arms – I have pictures of it – and they’re already taller than me! Ok, so my Aunt and Uncle are both well over 6′ so this was expected but…sheesh. ;)

That picture was actually taken on Easter at my other Uncle’s house. They do a big Easter dinner every year. The last time we were there was 2 years ago.

As we do every time we head to Eastern LI for Easter, Jer and I snuck away to Port Jefferson.

We walk around but the main attraction we go for is the beach.

It’s a little beach. Not much to speak about but it’s always so beautiful. The weather is gorgeous and if you get their at the right time, you get to watch the ferry go out. This year, we got to watch the ferry. :)

Do you see how clear that water is? Growing up, I always thought the sound side of Long Island was the pits. I guess I never actually went there b/c it’s beautiful.

Port Jeff = Boyle Approved

Do you have any Easter road trip traditions?

Thursday Latelies – April 12, 2012

Tomorrow is my birthday! And I’m still sick! UGH! All I can think about is what I have been needing to get through these past few weeks. Here they are:

1. DayQuil & NiQuil – I really need NiQuil to have more meds in it so I don’t wake up when the medicine wears off and my symptoms come back. Get on it, NiQuil!

2. Advil Cold & Sinus – I really think it is the best for sinus nastiness. Thanks, Andrea! :)

3. Ricola – I’ve had so many I’m getting sick of them but they do such nice things for my throat and cough.

4. Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Tea – My absolute favorite tea – sick or not!

5. Stash Merry Mint Tea – My runner up for mint tea.

6. Bath & Body Works Congestion Ease Cubes – These cubes are awesome. They really helped clear out my head, soothe my throat and relax me just before bed. I found bath salts on Etsy from BodyLuv and Village Naturals has Cold & Allergy relief products. Even still, if you want to, you can try to make your own. I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy.

7. Parenthood on NBC – I’m only slightly obsessed with this how and the characters in it. Slightly. I dream about working on this show. ;)

I hope you all have a wonderful week and celebrate my birthday with me tomorrow and have a drink with friends! :) Don’t forget to check out what Bex is loving this week!

UPDATE: I forgot to tell you about my birthday shirt! It’s from CakeSpy several years ago. It doesn’t look like they do shirts anymore but the prints, stationary, magnets and everything else is just too cute not to check it out! :)

Easter Break: Friendly Dinner

Where the heck have I been? No posts in over a week? Not even a Thursday Lately? Buh-nanas. Let me catch you up.

Last week, I spent most of my time preparing for the arrival of some great friends of ours, Jaime and Bob. They crashed at our place for two whole nights while making their rounds to other family and friends.

I love being the house where people stay when they’re in town. I feel like you get really good QT as the days start up and wind down even if they have to travel here and there throughout their days. Do you agree?

While Jaime and Bob were here, Jerry and I decided to host “A Very Friendly Easter Dinner.” We hosted “A Very Friendly Christmas Dinner” just before Christmas but Easter had a much better turn out. What the heck is “A Very Friendly ___ Dinner,” you may be asking? We pick a night just before a holiday when friends will be visiting with their own families and we invite everyone over and have a night filled of eating, shenanigans and just plain hanging out before the craziness of our families take us over.

For Christmas Jer and I took charge of the whole meal (there were only 4 of us in attendance – a good 4 but…whomp, whomp). For Easter, we hosted a pot luck style get together once we realized that we were going to have a crowd of about 15 fine folks. This meant I got to focus all of my energy on desserts. :)

So I made 4.

YES! I love to bake! I made 4 desserts when any one of them would have been just fine to feed the crowd. God love Pinterest and my inability to be rational.

After a quick read through my 4 recipes, I knew I wanted to make at least one ahead of time. I decided the only one that would really keep was a recipe for Bunny Bark. I went in to this with the understanding that I wouldn’t eat any – b/c I don’t like white chocolate – but came out of it with a stomach ache. You can piece together what happened.

Mine didn’t come out as pretty as the recipe. While pouring the chocolate over the vanilla oreos, pretzels and most of the M&Ms, it was clear the chocolate wouldn’t cover everything by lightly spreading it.

So I folded it in. And folded it in. And folded it in. Until ever bit of choco-nilla-pretzel was covered. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and cracked the heck out of it the next morning. Now that the word is out there, this deliciousness should really be called Bunny Crack. I dare you to try to stop eating it.

The next dessert I made was the Lemon Icebox Cookies.

There was about to be a bit of chocolate overload so I decided a nice crisp citrus cookie would fit the bill nicely. These did not disappoint. They may be my new favorite cookie. They’re not too sweet at all and the lemon isn’t crazy tart, either. Simply perfect.

The cookies actually finished last since the dough had to be frozen for a few hours. While it was firming up, I whipped up some brownies. NBD…

…since I used boxed mix. SHHHH!!! Oh, please do not tell my mother! I just really wanted to try out this concoction where you smother the brownies with marshmallows and Easter colored M&Ms and since I had a slight inkling that I’d be in the kitchen all day with my other desserts, I figured cutting the corners with the brownies wouldn’t be a huge deal.

I used a Ghirardelli boxed mix so you know they were awesome even though not homemade. ;) My mouth is watering just thinking about them now…

If you follow me on instagram, you may have already seen the last dessert. The dessert to end all desserts! I bring you, Easter Pizza!

AKA Diabetes Pie. I used this recipe but omitted the chocolate chips in the cookie base. Really…is it necessary? I made all of the desserts ahead of time but warmed this one up just before serving.

Here’s what it is if you can’t make it out:

• Skor Bar
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Symphony Bar
• Cookies ‘n’ Creme Bar
• Kit Kat Bars
• Butterfinger
• M&Ms
• Peanut Butter/Chocolate Sauce
• Cookie Pie

It’s disgusting and amazing at the same time, right?

Since you’re probably in a sugar coma from just looking at all of that sweetness, I’m going to save the rest of our Easter weekend for tomorrow. Don’t worry – there are way fewer calories to consume. :)

Have a peaceful day!

Just Do It: April Goals

March was a bust for me. You see, the last week of March I was a sick sick-o and that’s when I get the stuff on my to do lists dizone. So…it didn’t happen. And…this months to-do list is going to look a lot like last months. Check. It. Out.

1. Run 3x/Week – I did pretty well with this one last month but let myself slack a bit too much. I’ve devised a schedule (everyone needs a little structure) so I’ll be running – still following the Couch to 5K plan – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m already a week into this plan and I’m liking it.

2. ZWOW 2x/Week – Ever heard of bodyrock.tv? If not, I suggest you check it out. Those work outs are so deceiving. They look simple enough but then you give it a go and BAM! Your behind is on the floor and you have no idea what just happened. Zuzana is now doing a new work out once a week (I couldn’t get into the new girl who does them every day – I just couldn’t) so I’m doing her weekly work outs 2x a week – Tuesdays and Thursdays. Oh yeah, I get weekends free from work outs. That’s a major bonus to this plan. :) Also, I started on Week 1 even though she’s currently on Week 11. I need the build up. You do, too. Don’t fool yourself.

3. Finish the Living Room – Trim still needs to be painted, the little nubbin’ still needs to go into the banister, and I need to seriously deep clean this place. (A new coffee table would be kinda awesome, too, but let’s not push it).

4. Finish the Dining Room – Thanks to my lovely inspiration photo, I have a much longer to do list in the dining room including painting the built ins and making new shelves for it  since the ones that are currently there are covered in faux bois contact paper. Awesomesauce.

5. Start Listing the Items in my “To Sell on Ebay” Pile – I have a rather sizable pile in my bedroom of barely/never worn clothing items that always fit me a little weird of that I never got around to wearing b/c I changed my mind on the style (or missed the return by date) and they need to seriously start moving their way out! Stat!

So only a couple of new things this month but I’m a little more confident that they’ll get done this time around. Why’s that? Well, honestly, my slight embarrassment of having to tell you all that they didn’t get done is a major factor and adding structure to my work outs gives me a little more sight as to what I’m doing with the rest of my day. Does that happen to you? I get these bursts of “get it done”ness right after a good work out…except after the ZWOWs…I can’t move after I finish those.

What are your goals this month? Wanna join my work out routine!? I’ve dragged Jerry into running most days but I still sometimes find myself running to the sound of my thoughts. How do you run?

Oh yeah. I would also like to have an amazing birthday on April 13th. ;)

Thursday Latlies: March 29, 2012

This may be the weirdest video yet. I’m like one of those people who says goodbye but then starts a new conversation so you’re stuck standing like weirdos in the foyer while you discuss really nothing at all. Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel today.

What I’m loving!

1. My water bottle – again.

2. My eye mask – again.

3. The whistle my iPhone makes when I have a text message (it’s kind of the greatest thing, ever).

4. Green Works All Purpose Cleaner – is it a legitimate reason to love something b/c it smells like a margarita? B/c I think I just did. I swear I’m not a lush it’s just that Irish people love tequila. True story.

5. Falling in Love by Philosophy – I have the roller ball b/c I can take it anywhere. Oh yeah, and I’m cheap. Roller balls are a great way to try out a new fragrance without all of the commitment purchasing a full size bottle brings on!

6. My Clarkson Hoodie – Let’s be real, 10 years in the same hoodie doesn’t make me sound like a commitment phobe at all. Which I’m totally not. Obviously. I’ve been with the same gentleman as long as I have loved this hoodie! How unreal is that? Also unreal, the price of my hoodie has DOUBLED.

Linking up with Bex! Love ya’s!

St. Patrick’s Day Continued…

Can you hardly stand it!? Do you know which movie home I went to?!

I was about to be the DD for the gentlemen so I made them take a pit stop first to here:

It’s the Marley & Me house! I did a little detective work and found the house 15 minutes from where we were staying in PA! I pulled the car over, jumped out and then Jerry took my picture from across the street…and then I booked it out of there.

I was so nervous (since someone was clearly home – note the car in the driveway) but that didn’t stop me from turning the Jeep around in the next driveway (of an even bigger beautiful home) and we did a drive by again…b/c I’m awesome.

And Jerry’s awesome. He took all of these photos. He even tried to take some when we drove by the second time (none of which came out). Jason was sitting in the back seat laughing his face off. He really couldn’t believe I was making them do this and Jerry was playing along. What can I say? We’re special people.

Through this entire excursion, I was singing every line I was trying to speak and I generally looked like this:

No worries, I am belted in. ;) Next was dinner and drinks at McKenzie’s.

I’m pretty sure he was still laughing at me when I took this photo. I was certainly still coming off of my high.

Pardon the crazy frizz. That happens when I run like an idiot away from a private residence that I’m photo bombing. :p

No trip would be complete without a way-home pit stop here:

Maybe I was still on my, “I can take a photo of anything I want anywhere I want” kick but Jerry wasn’t having it. I believe he muttered, “You are not going to – yup, you are..” while he walked away from me. Hahaha – he should know better by now that yes, yes, I always am. :)

That wraps up our trip to the Philadelphia/Wilmington area for St. Patrick’s Day! What did you guys do?

Leprechauns in DE

I guess the only person in this situation who might be considered a Leprechaun would be myself so really I should change the post title to “Leprechaun and 2 Gentlemen in DE” but somehow writing all of this out is easier than moving my hands from the keyboard to the touchpad then back to the keyboard then back to the touchpad to finish writing the rest of the post.

Excited yet? Me, too. ;)

As I mentioned in last week’s Thursday Latlies, Jerry and I hitched it down to Philadelphia to spend some QT with our Best Man, Jason (who actually lives much closer to Delaware than Philadelphia so that would help explain why we ended up in Wilmington).

Before that, we started the day with a Blueberry Breakfast Bake. Jason is always bugging me to bake him blueberry muffins so I thought this was a good compromise. I also made Peppermint Patties the night before. They were pretty decent but I shouldn’t have been drinking in the kitchen. :p Also, I don’t have any photos, I’m writing this mostly so I remember that I seriously need to stop trying to bake in other people’s kitchens – they just never have what you’re looking for.

Quickly after breakfast we headed out to Delaware! I think the only time I’ve previously been to Delaware was when we were driving through it on our way to our wedding. I really didn’t know what to expect but the riverfront sounded like it could be awesome.

I was not disappointed. The weather was gorgeous (we were even in danger of breaking a sweat once or twice) and the path is just long enough for a leisurely stroll. They even have 1/4 mile markers in case you’re moving with a purpose which we were not.

The scene was a bit…brown…but it’s just the very beginning of Spring so it was to be expected. There were some fun pops of color here and there, though. Plus the sky was the perfect shade of blue. For whatever reason, I was absolutely fascinated by the light posts with the “W”s on them (the cotton candy clouds didn’t hurt, either). I wish Rochester was this cute!

The length of the walk was pretty quiet. Only a few microbreweries with sizable crowds but no one was as rowdy as we were expecting being it was St. Patrick’s Day. At the end of the walk there was this little park/wild life preservation area that was pretty cool. It has all of these little stone orbs with peep holes in them. I’m told they’re some sort of shrine to Viking heritage but don’t quote me on that.

It’s sponsored or owned or represented by DuPont. Who knows. The building and end loop is cool and I’d bet this place is bumpin’ once it greens up in the Summer.

That’s where I finally got a group shot:

 Gotta love a self timer and no one around to steal your camera. :) After trekking back up 3 flights of stairs to the cross walk and stopping to take some pictures of random things that caught my eye, I met my new bestie.

He lives here:

I seriously wanted to take him home with me but I don’t think I’d be able to bring him in the house – he’s quite large.

Did someone say ice cream!?

It was near 70 that day so you know we all needed a little refreshing of the iced variety. I got Mango gelato and have no clue what anyone else got b/c I quickly ran outside to rub my face in it. How’s that visual for you?

Wilmington has some really great birdhouses. That’s right. Birdhouses. They’re pretty steller and LARGE. I totally didn’t see it coming. Actually, I didn’t see this coming either:

A groundhog?! Or a gofer?! Is it a beaver?! I was both excited and scared for my life to see this little ball of round. I even risked my camera and my left arm to get a shot through the gate.

Excuse me, little buddy, I think you’re lost. Immediately after my camera snapped this photo, he came running for me. I’m. Not. Kidding. I screamed like a little girl and ran as fast as I could for Jerry and Jason who had already given up on me. How this wasn’t exciting for them I have no idea.

We ventured over to this side of the river front…but quickly turned around. It was cover with bird pooh and homelessness.

It was bringing us down so we backed up the train and headed to Firestone Grille.

We sat by the bar to enjoy the view and b/c all the outdoor seats were taken but I think it was the better choice anyway.

I highly recommend the buffalo chicken pizza. Sooo goood.

That pretty much sums up our quick trip to Wilmington and since this post is verging on a novel, I’m gonna stop it here. What we did next just might blow your mind…if you’re a homes in movies kinda fan. (Hint: the movie may be based on a book about an adorable yellow lab). :)