First Spring Walk

Hello All! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We had a crazy Saturday. It snowed all day, yep I said snow. We probably ended up with about 1". Most melted as soon as it hit the ground. Man, winter does not want to give up here in New England.

The weather goes from freezing to almost 50 degrees. Most days we are 10-20 degrees below normal. It was been a wacky winter here.

For example, last Wednesday was an incredible day, it was partly cloudy with temperatures reaching 50. It was cause for a little dance and an opportunity for Otis and I to take a walk. Our first walk of the spring. It was like discovering a whole new world. 

Most of the snow is melting, there are just the big piles left, like to one on the corner of my walkway. Go away we are tired of you being around!

Otis had a blast sniffing, sniffing, and more sniffing. He was so happy, he actually got to walk on the grass. Tho the land still has that brown tone to it. 

It has yet to awake from its winter hibernation. The only green to be found is on the evergreen trees.

This is such a great time of year to get out and walk. Streets feel wider, the days are longer, and the world feels like it is starting anew.

As we finished up our walk, there is a tree on the side of our condo. It blooms white flowers first before the leaves come. As I looked at the tree closer, I could not believe my eyes. Are those buds I see? I think they are.

Oh Boy! Let spring begin!!

Have an awesome day!

Friday's Fancy

Hooray!

Our first walk of the season that we are not freezing cold.

Snow is melting and Otis can actually sniff and romp on the grass.

Wishing you a fantastic weekend!

For the Love of Donuts!

Doughnuts have taken off in popularity in recent years, and new "doughnut makers" have inspired some bakers to make them at home. I must confess I have not met a doughnut I did not like. 

While walking through Big Lots, I came upon Pillsbury Funfetti Lil' Donut Kits, a donut box mix that lets you make fresh donut holes right in your home kitchen, no deep fryer or donut pan required! How cool is that!

The first thing I noticed was how few ingredients you need to make the donuts! Besides the box kit all you need is milk, water and butter! The kit also comes with glaze and sprinkles.

Here is what to do:

Step 1 

Turn on Your Oven. Set your oven to 375°F. Coat baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray or use parchment paper. Make the glaze, according to the directions on the box and set aside. 

Step 2 

After making the dough according to the directions on the box, you just roll them into teaspoon size balls and place them on a cookie sheet. 

Step 3 

Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes and then allow them to cool for 2 minutes. 

Step 4 

Next, you will dip each donut into the glaze and coat evenly. Remove the donut and allow excess glaze to drip off. Place the donuts on wax paper-lined baking sheet or cooling rack. Be sure to add the sprinkles right away while the glaze is still “wet” on the donut. 

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. If you happen to have any left, store the donuts in an airtight container. 

The mix comes in three flavors — vanilla, chocolate and maple, each with its own glaze flavor and multicolored candy bits. They had that distinctly pleasant doughnut taste, a nice texture, and they're not excessively sweet. I hope they continue to carry these is the supermarkets as they were a cinch to make.

                Enjoy your day!

Decorating with Chalkboards

Hey There! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Last night I went to see a High School production of Les Misérables. My longtime girlfriend's son, who is a senior, was playing the part of Javert. Can I just say OH MY WORD! It was the most amazing, stupendous, awe inspiring play I have seen. Now mind you I have seen the professional production and TV version. It was the kids that made it so special, they were amazing! It was truly Broadway worthy. I am sitting here this morning still marveling at the fact of how talent these kids were. I was brought to tears a few times throughout the production and was left breathless at other times. I had to keep reminding myself that these were high school students and I was not alone, many in the theater were saying the same as me. If you have the opportunity go see a high school play, I am sure, like me, you will be taken away!

Now onto a new project, I did last week, that I have been wanting to do for a while now. Lettering a chalkboard.

Chalkboards were found at Decor Steals

Still one of the latest home decor trends is the chalkboard. They are no longer just for schoolrooms and since they are associated with nostalgia, chalkboards add a vintage or retro touch to a space. Chalkboards can be both functional and decorative, the possibilities are endless since you can so easily change the message. Chalkboards are great for kitchens because you can write down groceries and to-do lists. They also look great in entry ways because you can write on them welcoming messages to your guests. 

This project is nothing new – I’ve seen it done so many times before. You can find step by step instructions on Pinterest or the internet. But this is my first go at this, so I thought I would share what I did. 

1. Create a design and print out.
2. Cover the back of your paper with chalk. 
3. Tape your printed type just as you would read it (chalk covered side down) to your chalkboard. Using a pen or pencil, firmly trace the type with a pen or pencil. 
4. Remove the paper, and you should find a fine chalk outline. Using chalk (or a chalk pen), you can trace and color in the lettering. 

Chalkboards are still going strong in their popularity—and for good reason! They are the perfect marriage of beautiful and inspirational, they allow for creativity and add a personal touch to any space. Keep chalkboards in mind next time you are looking for home decor.

                  Be Creative!

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