Cheesecake!!!

Ok...so we were supposed to take in the free

movie at the Cobb yesterday, but we went

to the Cheesecake Factory instead!!!

Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory

 for only $1.50 a slice...

can you even believe it!!!

It's even better with friends...

Ann & Courtney...

Silly girls...

Girls with the giggles, an empty plate & Dude...

I love this picture of the girls!!!

Vikki & Me!!!

We were full of cheesecake and on our way to...

Old Time Pottery

Check back to see all the treasures I picked up!

Happy 2nd Birthday Raegan!!!

Raegan is the youngest of two girls & just the 

sweetest thing.  We went to their house to

celebrate her 2nd birthday!!!

Courtney, Raegan & Logan

Raegan with the Care Bear from her cake...

Before the cake cutting!!!

Great ending to a great day...

So I have been hanging out with Curtis today.  A spontaneous trip antiquing to Wauchula, Arcadia, and Ft. Meade.  I came home to find that Rachel... a beautiful very creative mother of an adorable little guy, Noah, has given me an award.  Check out her site... she has a smile that will brighten your day!

There are specific instructions that must be followed in order to maintain such status in blog world though, so here they are:

1.  Put the logo on your blog.

2.  Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3.  Nominate at least seven other blogs.

4.  Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5.  Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

The best of the best... check them out...

1.  My Beautiful Mess Vikki is one of my dearest friends...the kind of friend everyone should have.  One of the greatest blessings in my life and one of the most beautiful people I know!

2.  Through An Aud Window Audra is Vikki's niece, recently graduated, and is going to be a kindergarten teacher.  That deserves an award!

3.  The Exciting Life Of The Barber Family Karissa & Craig are two of the most creative people I know and are going to be awesome parents...soon!!!

4.  little momma & co. One of my absolute favorite blogs!  Beautiful creative momma of two handsome boys!  

5.  Harrington House I have looked at this blog so many times and really enjoy it.  Such a cute family!

6.  Empty Nest Full Life A simple creative person who I really enjoy!

7.  More Than The Mulberries Just one of the sweetest people.  A talented mom with three adorable children!

Rachel... thank you so much for the award!!!

I am so excited!!!

Courtney has been wanting a stereopticon for probably three years now.  We've seen a few when we were out antiquing.  Some were in poor condition, some over priced, and one that was perfect.  We didn't get it!  Why?  I bought something for myself instead.  We went back maybe a week later and...it was gone.  That has been a nagging thought in my mind for quite some time now.  I've tried bidding on a few listed on ebay...something I have no patience for.  Well finally...we have a stereopticon on it's way...I was able to get one on ebay with 86 cards.  Yeah...I am so excited...can't wait to give it to her!!!

Happy 11th Birthday Dominique!

Courtney tied ribbon to decorate a

tin to hold manicure supplies...

Inspired by a post on Reminisce Heirlooms

Courtney made exfoliating hand & foot

scrub to go with Dominique's gift.  If

you're looking for a great gift, check out

Reminisce Heirlooms...Tabetha is an

amazing talent...love her stuff!!!

Courtney measures out the ingredients

for the hand & foot scrub...

1/2 cup ground coffee

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

5 drops vanilla

3 tbs honey

Our kitchen smelled so good!!!

Courtney put the scrub in a little mason jar.

Courtney made a CD with her favorite

music..."Manicure Music."  It made a

great birthday card and Dominique

can enjoy it after her special day!

Emily, Dominique & Courtney

Courtney & Ann Spend Monday Morning at My Covert Kitchen...

Amazing Neighbors

From the moment we met them we loved them...The Murphy's!  They love our children like grandparents love their grandbabies.  Our other neighbor is a home in foreclosure...not so amazing.   The kids had wanted to watch a movie marathon today and why not...one day of nothing but movies never hurt, but as soon as they saw Mr. Murphy nothing would do but for them to be out there with him.  He was working in the yard of the foreclosed home.  We got our shoes on and went out there to pick up sticks then got the mower and off went Logan & Mr. Murphy.  When the tree fell a few months ago the city and bank both refused to do anything about it.  Mr. Murphy and one of our other neighbors were kind enough to cut it up so it would no longer be a danger.  Much of the tree has been hauled off...that thing was huge!

We are praying for a nice family with nice kids that are polite and well behaved to purchase the home and clean it up!  It will need a lot of work since the last owners gutted it completely of copper, cabinetry, doors, frames, oh and the list goes on.  There isn't enough blog space to tell all the stuff these people were in to.  The family that lived there when we moved in was so nice.   The last set of neighbors...not so much!

  

Kids with Cameras...

Photos compliments of Courtney

Ok...so with the humidity...it's like 500 degrees!

That's Mrs. Murphy & me.

Logan & Mr. Murphy mowing.

All the sticks the kids picked up out of the yard.

The tree that's been down for months.

Our treasures...

My Hobby Lobby treasures front left.  The frame &

2 whatnots & 2 curtain holds where a whole $19.63.

The crock, planter & iron fleur de leis came from Rennigers.

That was quite the experience and we are totally going back

for the extravaganza in November!!!  All of our other

treasures came from 1 of the 9 antique shops we hit up on

our trip.  We found so much we wanted, but we went with a

budget.  Gotta save some cash for November!!!  We talked

to a lot of dealers & got some good tips for shopping the

extravaganza.  My all time favorite treasure of the day was...

the time Curtis & I got to spend together.  It is so fun to just

look and dream and plot the next adventure...possibly...

St. Augustine!!!

You'll have to check back...you might know my treasure hunt

produced a project.  The foot stool is getting a redo!!!

I'll also be adding pictures of where I put my treasures!!!

We had the best anniversary...

Check back to see all of the treasures Curtis & I found on our 16 hour shopping trip yesterday!!!  I'll have photos up tonight!!!

I'm going to meet my in-laws to get my most important treasures back...the babies (ok, so they're not babies anymore, but they will always be to me)!!!

Even when I'm only loving my feet, he loves every bit of me...

Celebrating 14 wonderful years with...

the man of my dreams,

the love of my life,

my best friend!!!

Even when I'm only loving my feet, he loves every bit of me...

We look so young...we were so young...

One of the best days of my life...

I was being nice...

He'll never tell what I was saying...

It seems to have made both of us smile!

We went to elementary school together...

 started dating January 1991...

Married July 19, 1994

& here we are!

Sweet Potato Dumplings

This is a favorite of our family and friends!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (sweet cream butter...salted)

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

5-6 small or 3 large sweet potatoes, uncooked

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cut sweet potatoes into squared strips.

-Melt butter in a separate container.

-Divide crescent rolls into triangles.  Triangles come apart easier if left in the fridge until you are ready for this step.

-Wrap 3-4 uncooked sweet potato strips in each triangle.

-Dip in melted butter and place in a 9 by 13 pan.

-Pour remaining butter over dumplings.

-Boil water with sugar and cinnamon until sugar dissolves and mixture blends together.  It will not thicken...but will boil over into a sticky mess if not stirred constantly!

-Cover dumplings with 1/2 of cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake for 35 minutes.

-Leave remaining cinnamon-sugar on lowest temp to keep warm.  If mixture is not kept warm, and you are using glass or stone bakeware, it could shatter your bakeware on the following step.

-Remove from oven and pour remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.

-Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

Enjoy!  This great as a side dish or as a dessert with vanilla ice cream!

Our Entry Way

Planter repurposed...

Ok...I have started and completed a project!

I'm not sure how much I like it yet.  I think

the sideboard needs to be decorated  which

may help me to like it a little more.  The

old window is waiting on pictures we're

having done at the beach.  The best one will

be blown up for the window.  Can't wait!!!

But until then...

Before...

After...

Logan's Trip to Urgent Care

Little man found the only toy on the floor as he was getting off Courtney's bed.  They had been playing so sweetly...Courtney was teaching him how to play the game Life.  She loves that game so much we've been through two of them since she started.  Let me tell you though...he is good...he bled everywhere but on her Vera Bradley rug.  The nurse we got at urgent care was so sweet & gentle.  It took us 40 minutes to get to urgent care because we came to a road construction detour & then hit a ton of traffic.  By the time we got there the thing had bled so much his little toes were all stuck together so she got him all cleaned up good.  Luckily he didn't need stitches.  His half moon cut went about 1/4 inch in but wasn't deep so no stitches needed.  He just got a pressure bandage and we got to go home, but no swimming for about two days :0(

On A Sunday Afternoon

Sunday afternoon Courtney & I went to see Kit Kittredge with our good friends Vikki & Ann.  Courtney has been so excited about seeing the movie with Ann.  She has read the book twice and poured over everything online.  She came up with a recipe for fudge from the movie website and wanted to make it to take the the movie...yes that would be movie theatre contraband.  She also made some for our nana and neighbors.  

The recipe...

Measure everything out...

The pecans came from the farm that has

been in the family for over 100 years...

Once they are gone we will have no more.

The family member that the farm was passed

to has succumbed to many of the struggles that

families in 1934 experienced.  The farm has

been taken over by the bank as of this month.

Pan prepared, everything measured &

we are on our way to a delicious treat...

The girls with their Kit dolls...

That was the best movie!!!  I would highly recommend this movie to anyone with or without kids.  We will definitely be adding this movie to our collection of American Girl movies.  The fudge was great...one of the best recipes I've ever tasted...great texture.