I have really been enjoying the local green beans here in our new town. We bought some from Whole Foods and gobbled them up in one night! So yesterday I went to Shaw’s and bought some more. They are sitting in the fridge, calling my name… Growing up, my mom had a great big garden… Read More Green Beans

Wow! That was what I was thinking when I saw this picture of my mom, Mary, taken in front of the sunflowers in her garden. “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silverbells and cockleshells, and sunflowers all in a row”!

Here is a list of things that Chris and I have done since we moved into our new home in MA: 1. Unpacked the cars – what a job! We had packed the Bravada and Malibu to the tip-top of their capacity. All of the boxes and things were brought in, and I set up… Read More Settling In

I just saw the cutest cupcakes designed by Hello Naomi over at Hostess with the Mostess. It makes me wish I had a little one that I could throw a birthday party for and serve these! Puccho Japanese candy cupcakes Ice Cream cupcakes

I have a new favorite cookbook – Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth, by Jill O’Connor. Doesn’t that sound just exactly like what a good cookbook should be called?I found out about it while perusing Hostess with the Mostess, one of the blogs that I check out on a fairly regular… Read More Hello, Gorgeous

I love this recent picture of my sister, Valerie. It was taken on my parents’ property, outside the front of the house. Doesn’t she look great?!

Chris and I are moving to MA in less than 14 days – gulp! It is intimidating, exhilarating, nerve-wracking, and exciting all at once! I never thought that I would move to New England, and was not, I’ll admit, entirely thrilled at the prospect when I first found out. But, I have determined to enjoy… Read More Things I Want to do this Coming Year

OK, so I have to share this yummy dish that I made. My friend Erin posted it on her blog Blue Eyed Bride, and it looked so good that I decided to make it over the weekend. I modified Erin’s version of the recipe by using chunky peanut butter and putting pecan pieces on top,… Read More Chocolatey Cream Cheese Peanut Buttery Deliciousness

I have found a new favorite website – Hostess with the Mostess: It has such cute ideas for all sorts of gatherings! I really liked one of the sites they posted – Rosanna, Inc. It has some really fun dishes and collections. I really liked the “Darjeeling” set and the “Cin Cin!” glasses… “Darjeeling” at… Read More Hostess with the Mostess

Chris and I drove to Mom and Dad’s house on Thursday last week for the July 4th weekend, arriving around about 11am. I was excited about the project I was going to work on while there – learning how to change brake pads! The brake pads on the SUV had been squeaking for about 2… Read More Jenny the Mechanic

A few posts back I wrote about Monsterpiece Theater. I found this clip from the Colbert Report, and it’s hilarious 🙂 Enjoy!

I got this anniversary card for my in-laws, Tom & Janice. I found it while at PetsMart with Bear & Chris, and thought it was so cute that I had to scan the picture in 🙂 The inside reads: “Another Year, Another Magic Moment. Happy Anniversary!”

Many of you remember our Westie, Tobey, and how we had to give him away. It was really hard for us to do so, but we knew it was for the best. Still, I would think about him from time to time and hope that he was doing OK. Today I got an email from… Read More Update on Tobey

In the state of Indiana, the combined cost of licensure and taking the NCLEX-RN is $250 – $200 for the exam and $50 for the license. In the state of Massachusetts, however, the combined cost is $385. Why is that? I’ve also been learning that it is not cheap to move across the country. We… Read More Moving Expenses… and God’s Provision 🙂

We’ve settled on a place to live for the next year while we are in Massachusetts, and I am relieved to have that over and done with. The location is a group of town homes. The majority of people in the development own their townhomes, but we found one for rent through a realtor. If… Read More Our New Place

Does anyone remember Monsterpiece Theater from Sesame Street with Alistair Cookie (aka, Cookie Monster)? I couldn’t believe that Chris had never heard of it! Anyway – I started looking online and found some on YouTube that brought back memories of being a little kid 🙂 Enjoy! 12 Angry Men1 Flew Over the Cuckoo’s NestThe 39… Read More Monsterpiece Theater, anyone?

Anyone interested in free magazine subscriptions? A few months back I found out about this website, www.adperk.com, where you can watch brief videos to earn credits for free magazine subscriptions. I checked it out and was surprised that some of the videos are pretty interesting and are not long. It took me about 15 minutes… Read More AdPerk.com

Today is Chris’ birthday, and for his special dessert I made Chocolate Death. It is the perfect blend of under-baked brownie chunks, whipped cream, chocolate mousse, and toffee bits. You layer them in a clear trifle bowl, refrigerate, and serve! Easy, delicious, and very pretty. Unfortunately, our trifle bowl is in storage 🙁 So, Chris… Read More Chocolate DEATH!!!

Growing up in the rural Midwest, I’ve been around my fair share of animals and farming. My husband, on the other hand, is from one of the Georgia barrier islands and had no idea what a combine was (we had to explain it to him when he saw it while driving down the road –… Read More Culture Shock and Goats.

I love vanilla chai – for those of you who have not had it, imagine drinking pumpkin pie from a cup. It is spicy, flavorful, and tastes good hot or cold. I recently found a can of vanilla chai mix at Sam’s Club, and was a bit reluctant to try it, I’ll admit. I’ve tried… Read More Vanilla Chai Freeze