just cruisin'

my new wheels. i've managed to bike a couple miles around the neighborhood every evening. let's hope i can keep it up. i'm looking for a basket and a bell and then maybe i'll haul her to charleston and cruise around looking fabulous in a pretty dress. ;)

in a baking mood

i'm not really that good at baking....well, i should say i'm not good at making baked goods look lovely. my pies, cakes, desserts and such may be really tasty but they are usually lacking in the presentation part. for instance, in my two attempts over the years at making a strawberry cake with starwberry cream cheese icing, i have successfully screwed it up. the first one i made i followed the recipe to a T, and some home how forgot to butter the pan the cakes where in. so none the less when i went to turn over the pan, there came the cake, in crumbles. this was my sisters birthday cake too. sigh. my second attempt i remembered to butter the pan. A-HA! that wasn't the issue this go round. this time it was the frosting. it never thickened. i added 2 WHOLE boxes of powdered sugar and it was still a runny goop. so i slathered it on and we ate it quickly before all the frostings ran off. this was mother's day last year. hmph. today i decided to make a homemade, from scratch blueberry pie. i had about 4 cups of blueberries that were from my mama's bushes and i didn't want them to go to waste. so i whipped up this beauty above. it's not the most beautiful thing, but OMG is it good! go ahead, stare at it...it will make you drool, right?? recipe can be found here. although i cheated and used ready-made piecrust.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

saturday morning. homemade banana bread. coffee. what will i get into today. maybe a stroll downtown. possibly hit up the farmers market. what will you do today?

Miss Kitty

this is lulu. she is such a big baby. she likes her tummy rubbed and the top of her head. she has morning chats with me and the birds. her favorite snack is marshmellows and she would really like it if we had chicken at every meal. spoiled rotten.

Summer to-do list

okay. so. it's summer. but it doesn't feel like summer except for the heat. oh gosh ...and the humidity! so long to good hair days for a while. hmph. oh well...the past few years i have lost touch with the summer i used to know. the summer where i felt free and had no curfew. i giggled...alot and didn't seem to mind the mosquitos.
with the job i have, we are at our busiest time of year. the stress level runs high. i want to do nothing more than come home to the couch and comfort myself (and the never-ending headache) with unhealthy foods and doing absolutely nothing until bedtime. i live for my weekends, might i add. all 3 days. i don't like to share them too much either. they're mine. all mine.

i need to get out of this rut. i always tell myself when spring rolls around that i'm gonna make the best of this summer...but honestly, i hardly ever do.
so with that said, here's my to-do list, for THIS summer:

• master my camera
• slip 'n' slide with my nephew at least once
• relax
• squirt my hubby with the water hose
• buy fresh and local veggies
• take a picnic
• bike around town
• buy bicycles first
• go camping
• catch lightening bugs
• lay under the stars
• make homemade ice cream and eat it on the porch on a sunday afternoon
• turn off the tv and finish at least one book
• pick wildflowers
• take an evening drive with the windows down
• listen to tree frogs and crickets sing to me
• be happy and enjoy every minute of my life

Growing up

this fine young man is my nephew and he just celebrated his TENTH birthday! 10 years. why does time pass so fast? i barely remember being 10 myself, but i always wanted to be older. now nearing the big 3-0 i really wish i could go back in time and enjoy all of lifes frills and be a youngster again! oh how i miss those days!

Back to reality

we're back from our holiday and slapped in the face with life! it's been a whirlwind week. work has been busier than ever and my evenings pass by so quickly. is it too early to be looking forward to fall?