Highlights of the Week (#19)

we made playdough this week at school. the kids absolutely loved it! it's definitely something we'll do again throughout the course of the year. we chose to make our first batch of playdough yellow and lemon-scented. unfortunately I don't think we added enough flavoring so the scent didn't last very long. lesson learned: it's okay to go a little heavy on the scent. regardless, it was another fun activity to do with my 4-year old students.

I met a friend for lunch on friday and we stopped by a new frozen yogurt place. I'm so glad we decided to try red mango because it was delicious and absolutely worth it. I had a combo of raspberry and nutty potion. good stuff y'all. 

some family members and I are heading to disney in a couple weeks and we've been trading emails all weekend. we've been discussing what things we want to bring to eat and drink and let's just say the list of libations is quite a bit longer than the list of food stuff. my cousins really know how to make some good drinks so I'm definitely looking forward to that. and spending time with them of course. ; )

another week come and gone...have a good one!

Highlights of the Week (#10)

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. seriously, huge. while I would like to watch all 8 movies back-to-back at some point, I'm not quite ready to do that yet. however, I did watch the last two movies (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1 and pt. 2) back-to-back one night this past week. and that was fun. as I was watching them I realized what a great job the filmmakers truly did. they took a massively detailed book and split it at just the right point. both movies pack an emotional punch and it just feels complete when you watch them. Harry Potter is a highlight for me always.

I started work (finally) on my applications for grad school. while they are time-consuming, as well as stressful, it was definitely a good feeling to get going on them. and while working on the essay/personal statement questions I realized what a good choice my chosen field is. it feels really right for me and I think my work and personal experiences over the last several years have been leading me to this decision. educational psychology for the win!

my mom came home from visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews on Friday...yay! after picking her up at the airport we stopped by our favorite cupcake place on the way home. seriously, this place makes the best cupcakes I've ever had. my personal favorites are the black and gold, and the white raspberry. for real though, they're all good. you just can't go wrong. we always get the minis and split them in half. this way we get to enjoy double the amount. I like them best with an ice cold glass of milk. sooooo good. 

do you have a favorite bakery/cupcakery?

Highlights of the Week (#9)

I have to say that this past week was probably one of the more relaxing ones I've had in awhile. in fact, there were a couple days I didn't even leave the house. ; ) I don't believe that'll be the case for my upcoming week. at any rate, let's get down to business and discuss my HotW:

1. met a friend at the movies to see People Like Us. I liked it. I absolutely love Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pine in pretty much anything they do so I had a feeling I would enjoy that movie. 

2. tried a new recipe using wonton wrappers. I made a version of these mini tacos. they were super yummy and incredibly easy. I think wonton wrappers might just be my new favorite thing to use in the kitchen. in fact, I'll be trying this recipe sometime in the next several days. I definitely think you should give this product a try. I promise it's worth it. 

3. my mom was having her house painted and yesterday I got to see the finished product. it looks soooo good. I love the colors she chose. it's pretty unbelievable how a fresh coat of paint can really make all the difference in the world. the house went from being a boring light beige, with even more boring off-white trim, to a beautiful blue with bright white trim and a cranberry front door. it looks super sharp. the front door color definitely has a richer tone once it's painted.

I plan on working on grad school applications this afternoon. although it's looking kind of stormy out right now so we'll see what happens. when it's rainy all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch and watch movies. 

have a good one!

Highlights of the Week (#7)

wow. so another week has come to a close. and it's the first of July. complete. craziness. 

the weather has been just wacky all over the place the last couple weeks. I am so thankful for the modern convenience of A/C and hope everyone that is currently without power and suffering in these out-of-control temps remains safe and have their power return soon.

last weekend I fell down the stairs when I was getting ready to take the dogs outside for their final walk of the day. I sprained my ankle pretty severely. it was definitely not fun. but, I am thankful I was able to pack up the dogs and myself and head to my mom's for the rest of the week. she has a huge fenced-in backyard so being able to rest my ankle without having to walk the dogs 4 times a day was a big highlight for me. 

sadly today was my last day watching the "boys"...but I'll get to see them again soon. if you follow me on instagram (pendygal80), I hope you've enjoyed seeing pictures of the dogs these last 3 weeks. I just love them!

another highlight of this past week was making these. not only are they completely delicious, but they are a healthier alternative to the standard version. and because they are petite, they're just plain cute! you should try them. immediately.

I think the final highlight from this past week was working in the garage with my mom. see, the thing is, her garage is jam-packed full of stuff. there's no room for one car, let alone two. our goal this summer is to remedy that and at least clear out enough stuff to get her car in there. and I am happy to say we are slowly but surely starting to make some visible progress. I must admit, there is a lot of stuff in that garage that belongs to me and she is graciously storing it for me. she's a good mom. 

so there you have it. another interesting week in my world. I must say that this week is shaping up to be super busy. I'm going to see Magic Mike tomorrow and I'm uber excited! a couple years ago when I was in Las Vegas I saw the gorgeous men in Thunder from Down Under and every. single. time I see the preview for Magic Mike I relive my time at that show. so much fun! 

have fun!

Highlights of the Week (#6)

so let's see...the last couple weeks I've been pet/house-sitting for some friends of mine. they have three dogs and they are just the cutest, sweetest things. I love being able to hang out with them. I keep taking pictures of them and posting them to my instagram account. do you have instagram? I wasn't sure if I would like it but I'm finding I really do. come find me @ pendygal80 

I've also been trying new recipes with great success. so far I've enjoyed everything I've made. probably my favorite recipe I made recently was these orange rolls. they were great for breakfast and even better warmed up for dessert with a few dark chocolate chips. I froze about a dozen so I'll be able to enjoy them at a later date. because I sell Tastefully Simple I'm used to making things with relatively few ingredients. so I must admit I took a shortcut and used pre-made crescent rolls for the orange rolls. I mean, talk about a quick and easy, as well as tasty, treat to make for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert! you should give them a try!

Pretty Woman was on tv last night and I loved watching it. I haven't seen it in so long; I forgot what a classic it truly is. my favorite scene: when Richard Gere's character Edward takes Julia Roberts' character Vivian shopping. I mean, what fun would that be! 

and on that note, I think I'll take a nap and dream about being able to shop, shop, shop! have a good week!

Highlights of the Week (#4)

this past week went soooooo fast. anyone else feel that way?? my most favorite thing that happened---I got to see my cousin and her husband! they flew down for the weekend because E is in a wedding. before they drove down to Vero Beach though they spent a couple nights at her parents' house. my mom and I drove down after work on Friday to meet them for dinner at Disney. I love seeing them and wish it happened more often. *sigh* 

at any rate, another HotW was trying a new restaurant. I had a coupon for a fondue place so last night the family went with me to check it out. basically it's just like The Melting Pot restaurant except way cheaper and not-a-chain. oh, and it's fantastic. we all ate way too much but it was seriously good stuff. I love trying new restaurants and all the better when they're local, non-chain places. 

and oh yeah, I finally upgraded to an iPhone. I've been wanting one forever but the timing was just never quite right. but, I finally made it work and I picked it up on Thursday. I love it!

have a great week!

Highlights of the Week (#2)

it was an interesting week for me. glad it's over. wouldn't want to repeat it anytime soon. among my favorite things this past week: claiming my free birthday cupcakes from my absolute favorite cupcake place, Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly. if you live locally, you should totally check it out. follow the link for all the important details. 

Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly

let's see, I also enjoyed listening to The Hunger Games soundtrack on repeat. like, a lot repeat. it kind of makes me want to watch the movie over and over again. either that or read the book yet again. it's just so good. wanna listen? check this out:

The Hunger Games soundtrack

and finally my definite favorite highlight from this past week: going to a local blueberry farm to pick some berries! I brought my mom with me today and we spent about an hour there. between the two of us we managed to pick about 3 and a half pounds of blueberries. I also sampled a glass of fresh, homemade blueberry/orange blossom lemonade. it was outstanding! I would love to find out the proprietor's recipe. at any rate, my mom also bought a homemade blueberry pie and I enjoyed a warm slice tonight as an after-dinner treat. so delish! again, if you live in the area you should definitely take time (soon though) to check out this local blueberry patch!

Lake Catherine Blueberries: Groveland, FL

enjoy your week everyone and I hope you have plenty of highlights come your way!

delicious-ness...

so I had my Spring open house yesterday for my Tastefully Simple business. I made lots of yummy things...and remembered to take pictures of a few of them. our product line for this Spring/Summer season is pure amazingness. I truly love our products and it is so much fun to be creative and try new things with them. I made cookies with our Classy Chocolate Pound Cake Mix, put a twist on our Bountiful Beer Bread Mix by adding Spinach & Herb seasoning, and made Strawberry Swirl Buckle Cake. well, that's just three of items I made...delish!

Love Day!

it's Valentine's Day...I made a special dinner. and I meant to take pictures of every facet of the meal but only managed to remember to take pictures of the appetizer *Hot Pizza Dip* and dessert *Chocolate Heart Peanut Butter Cookies*. oh well...maybe next time. so for now...enjoy! 

happiness is...

special holiday treats i.e. chocolate peppermint swirl cookies and chocolate gingerbread 3-layer cake with fresh mint and cranberries. yum!

 

helping a friend...

so my friend Kate is starting a new business venture in the near future. while having breakfast one morning last week she mentioned that the pictures for her website were not pictures of her actual product (shortbread...yum!). I said I would be happy to take pictures of her shortbread for her to use. I believe it's important to show people the product they are actually buying! long story short: I spent almost two hours taking lots of pictures and here are some of my personal favorites! doesn't the shortbread look delicious?!

30 Day Photography Challenge: days 21 - 25

I think this is the group of pictures I've had done the longest. I had pretty much forgotten what they even looked like; good thing I'm satisfied with what I took. My favorite picture in this group is probably my animal shot or maybe it's the sunflare. I love taking pictures with sunflare...they almost always turn out stunning!

Day 21: faceless self-portrait

White Peach - day 21

Day 22: hands

White Peach - day 22

Day 23: sunflare

White Peach - day 23

Day 24: animal

White Peach - day 24

Day 25: something pink

White Peach - day 25

Yes, that is pink ice cream. Actually, it's fat-free frozen yogurt: raspberry pomegranate. So delicious!

World Photography Day!

so apparently today is "World Photography Day" which is kinda cool. I haven't taken a lot of pictures of food yet so I thought I'd give it a whirl. first up: my super delicious thai basil chicken and rice dinner. and of course, it's always important to save room for a little dessert. in today's case that would be bite-size s'mores (made using a couple of my Tastefully Simple products). yay for yummy treats!