Cabinet BBQ sauce

When I was shopping last week, chicken thighs were on sale.  I was craving BBQ chicken,but I knew that my husband would balk on the thighs. I would have to kick things up a notch to make this good.  Enter Google Search for BBQ sauce recipe...

Forever Strawberries

Earlier this year I set a goal to try and take advantage of all the local fruit and produce that I could, and get my girls to enjoy it as well.  So far, the garden has been a group effort that I've decided to enjoy rather than worry about, and we are several weeks into the CSA- eating fresh picked beans &  greens as much as possible.  The local seasonal berries are high on my list of sweets for the summer, and so I had my heart set on getting my hands on some fresh strawberries this season. Tougas Family Farm  in Northboro, MA was a great place to visit on one of the cooler late June days this year. Fresh fruit finished with wagon rides, playground, farm store, and farm animals makes a recipe for sweet memories.

Crafty Case for Scratchless Shades

I had been meaning to do this for soooooooo long!  So many pairs of sunglasses were left ruined to senseless scratches at the bottom of my purse over the past few summers, that I finally decided that something must be done.  Alas, it was the night before our vacation departure, and what better time to avoid packing than that 10-o'clock hour, when eureka- a moment of creativity came to life!

A Semi-organized Date Night

What makes a date night great?  It's a little bit of everything...The struggle, the sitter, and the success, for starters.  Our sitter is so fantastic that she sacrificed her first Friday of freedom to allow us one last night out with ease.  Further, it was a Super Moon over Boston, co-workers who care enough to get me out on time, and the delights of Dawes to seal the deal...

Did I mention the beauty of the first night of summer?

Each of the captions is a link to a song by Dawes.  I'm just giddy over this band this year.  Click on the captioned links and enjoy the music! 

Dawes- "A little bit of everything"

Carnival Party Make and Take Prizes

Carnival parties are perfect for a backyard birthday.  Try a Google or Pinterest search and you'll be surfing some eye candy forever!  I think at this point I have spent more time getting ideas ready than I actually have spent doing any real work to get the party started...Alas, the party is this Sunday, and it's time to get the ball rolling.

An Affection for Collections

A collection should be meaningful.  To have items gathered into a mass of accumulated artifacts takes away from certain appeal, and brings to mind the term "hoarders". But not all collections should be viewed as obsessive.  Last week, I found a way to display a nice collection at home:

The Compost Post

The day has finally come!  We have put together the compost tumbler that we purchased 2 years ago, and it is ready for use.  We wouldn't want to rush into a project like that!  Finally, just like the picture on the box, this is what it looks like,

Lifetime Model No. 60021