One Sizable Egg

And some people say size doesn't matter. Oh, it sure does when it comes to Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs! Isn't Husband a doll for bringing this home to me? I think I might need a knife and fork. Yeehaw!

Have a wonderful Easter. Hug your family, eat lots of chocolate (preferably with peanut butter inside) and don't leave any eggs left unfound!

Laugh Out Loud Funny

Have you seen the new SNL cast? My favorite addition is Aidy Bryant. She is hilarious! She's from Phoenix and daughter of my favorite local shop owner, Georganne Bryant of Frances. Her dad, Tom Bryant is a highly regarded Phoenix real estate agent and just a very cool guy. Aidy comes from good stock!

I follow Aidy on Instagram. The other day she posted this photo that she had taken a few years back. It made me laugh out loud. I kept showing it to Husband and laughing. It is still making me laugh. Some things are always funny. This is one of them.

Thanks for making me laugh, Aidy!  Keep up the funny. We need it.

Spring . . . at the Market

I have never been so excited for Spring than this year - my first year in the East. I think snow in March should be illegal and Spring should appear on the date it's listed on the calendar. I know, I know, you can't control Mother Nature but I really don't know any mother who would tease this much!


I was at the Lancaster Central Market yesterday and couldn't help but snap a quick pic of this little hint of Spring. How cute are these little creatures in front of the happy, yellow pansies?

Bird House for Rent

Husband drove me out to Amish country this weekend promising me a milk shake in Strausburg if we could stop at this knife store he had heard about. Milk shakes make me move and he knows this. I hopped in the car right away. Make a long story short, the knife store was not close to the ice cream store so Meya never got her milk shake and Husband never heard the end of it.

Husband was savvy enough to stop at the Bird In Hand Farmer's Market and made up for the ice cream debacle by buying me this heavenly creation:

One of the other Amish vendors at the market was selling the coolest little bird houses. They were made of recycled material and came in a variety of shapes and colors. My new Amish best friend told me that a Blue Bird family was most likely to nest in the type I bought and for sure by mid-spring I would have my own little birdies living on my porch. I made Husband mount this little house as soon as we got home. I hope the Blue Birds come soon. Maybe I should put a "Vacant" sign up or maybe I'll just leave the light on for 'em.

On the way home from the market, we drove by an Amish family in their horse and buggy and I snapped this picture of the horse. We see these on the road all the time but I will admit these horses impress me each and every time. Isn't she gorgeous?

Spring Snow

I woke up to this:

And then I had to melt snow balls off my dog's paws:

So, I think this is a totally acceptable breakfast for today:

Farmer Meya

Yesterday we did some Spring planting which is hilarious because this morning its snowing.

Sigh.

We had to take out of my favorite little plants because it had white flies. So, we planted lettuce!

I'm farming!!!

Here are my little lettuce plants. They are just babies now but I'll keep you posted on their growth and the salads we make from them. I'm really excited about these. I've never grown anything edible. I think my Amish neighbors' traits are rubbing off on me.

The Art of Shopping

Mom taught me how to shop. It's an impressive skill that you just can't teach everyone. I'll also say that not all students might be as interested as I was at age 5. Mom was a superb teacher and learned from the best, her own mother who not only shopped like a super star but sometimes just went home and whipped up on her sewing machine whatever she saw in the windows.

I know Husband is impressed with what I can find while I'm out and Dad has always been overwhelmed by Mom's and my accomplishments. Even Cousin J will call and remind me, "just by two of whatever you find - one for you and one for me!" Friends call our skill inherited, I call it mastered.

When I lived in Phoenix Mom and I used to shop with each other for each other. Some of my best shopping skills are shown when I shop for Mom. I think she would say the same about her own skills when she shops for me! Now that Mom and I live 3000 miles apart, we've had to change our shopping habits. When I'm out or get a catalog at home and I see something that I know she NEEDS, I take pictures of it and text her. It's important for her to be on her phone when I do this or she could miss out on a very important item.

Yesterday, while I was in Philly, we showed how well our new technique is working. I found the perfect iPad case for her. I sent her this photo.

Then we text.

Do you want it?

Yes!!!!!

What color?

Orange!!!!!

It's on sale! :0)

Thanks. Love you.


Our shopping is done quickly, effortlessly and always with style. I'm sure Grandma is so impressed with her two students.

LOVE + Philly

Off this morning on an impromptu trip to Philly with a friend. We're hopping on the train for a little shopping, a little lunch, and a little sightseeing on the first day of Spring. Did you know the LOVE statue was in Philadelphia? Well, it is the city of "Brotherly Love"! Hope your first day of Spring is as fun as mine.

Confusing

Pansies are in bloom and I had to grab two of them last week to add a bit of color to our post-winter patio. I found these giant, gorgeous purple pansies that are perfect in our two little yellow pots. They have been the one hint of Spring that Husband and I have been able to enjoy at our house. Until yesterday. WHEN IT SNOWED ON MY PANSIES!!!!

Spring, where are you?

Dreaming of Funfetti!

I have been missing Miss E lately (ok, ok, I'm always missing her!). It seems like everywhere I go I see a little girl who reminds me of her and I want to call her right that second and tell her I love her. Then I go on Pinterest and I see this recipe! Pancakes + Sprinkles + Whip Cream = Miss E! So now I cannot wait for her to come visit me so we can make this together. She will love it and I think her little brother might too!

I wonder if her parents will ask to eat something else? Probably.

Holy Day of Green Obligation

Sunday is St. Patrick's Day. In my house, it is a holy day of obligation. I am sure Pope Francis I is already planning his sermon for the big occasion. I wonder if he'll dye his new white garb green! Or maybe he'll scratch the red shoes and wear green colored Pope shoes! One can only hope!

Husband and I now live in a town that has three Irish pubs, all in walking distance that are opening by 10:00am. It's gonna be a great day.

I am hoping I may even be lucky enough to find Beamish. Beamish is my favorite Irish Stout and it's now very difficult to find in the States. Wednesday night Husband and I met some friends for a beer at a pub in our town and I saw this sign. I screamed with delight, walked up to bar, and ordered a Beamish with a huge smile on my face. This is what I heard:

Oh, we don't have that beer.

SERIOUSLY? You have a GIANT mirrored sign with the words Beamish on it and you don't serve that beer?

No.

I'm sorry, but do you see that sign over there? It's huge!! You have to have that beer if you have a sign taking up that whole wall in your pub.

No. We don't anymore. Can I get you something else?

No.

Really?

And with a tear in my eye, I ordered some fancy cream ale thing. It was tasty but don't think that I didn't cry a little in it for my long-lost Beamish. Sigh.

And, can I just say, no bar or any other establishment should have a GIANT sign in their building and not serve what that sign advertises. I mean it's like putting a huge CUPCAKE sign in a 1st grade class room and then telling all the little, excited children, "Oh, sorry kids, we don't have cupcakes, I just thought the sign was cute."

CRUEL.

San Miguel de Allende in NYT

The NY Times showcased San Miguel de Allende in their travel section on Sunday. Every week they create a master plan on how to hit a cool town or a hip city in 36 hours. It's always an interesting read and this week was especially fun for Husband and me since San Miguel was the venue for our wedding (almost 2 years ago!). I was so happy to see that they had mentioned my favorite little accessory shop, Mixta. I could spend 5 hours, not to mention $1000s in that shop! After reading this, Husband and I decided that we need to go back VERY SOON! Who's in? Dying for one of their magical mango margaritas.

Read the article here.

A Baked Treasure

During our wedding year we received some fabulous gifts. Some we registered for, some people just knew we wanted, some were sentimental and others were treasures. One of my most treasured wedding presents is a recipe.

My very dear friend from 3rd grade gave me her famous chocolate chip cookie recipe as a present at one of my bridal showers. This recipe wasn't just for chocolate chip cookies, this was for her FAMOUS chocolate chip cookies. When she makes these, people surround her and drool. These cookies are big and moist and chewy and filled to the brim with chocolate. They are in one word : divine. When she gave me this recipe, I teared up.

The other day I had the urge to make them and take them to a friend's house for a little girls night. Needless to say, the girls were drooling.

Thanks C, for the treasure!

Here's a picture for you to drool over!

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

One day while I was home Miss E was over at my parent's house. I walked into my mom's office and this is what I saw. It's not a great photo. The lighting is awful and the composition isn't perfect but I just think it's so darn cute. Look at Miss E's outfit - could there be any more color on her? I wonder what they are talking about. Whatever it is, it seems to be very important.

Diya and Miss E working hard

Longwood Gardens

Husband and I took an adventure this weekend. A friend told us about the Longwood Gardens about an hour south. It's home of the DuPont house. Mr DuPont bought the grounds to save the trees - maybe he was officially the first Tree Hugger! Well, I'm glad he loved those darn trees so much because the gardens he established on his acreage are amazing. This time of year they host an orchid show. WOWZA! I've never seen so many orchids. Husband and I were in awe. Here, take a look. . .

Oh, and that was just the orchids. Here's some other florals I sniffed along the way . . .

And the end of the walk through the Conservatory, I spotted a gardenia bush. I found this little friend sprouting. My grandma Lori's favorite flower was the gardenia so I think she might have popped this one open to say "hello" to me. XO

Puppy Love

Miss E and Mr P made a beautiful Valentine for my dog, Penny. They love Penny so much they included her in the long list of their Valentine recipients. They even put a puppy on the front of it so Penny could relate.

When I got home from Phoenix, I gave Penny her Valentine. She loved it so much she licked it.

The sweet love these two kids have for my furry little puppy makes my heart swell with happiness.

Spring is NOT here

So, we have this major storm here on the East Coast. It was said that we may have between 6"-12" of snow. March is definitely not Early Spring as mentioned to me by some friends here who I think we're just trying to make me feel better about my first East Coast Winter. So, I'll keep my giant Eskimo-like coat out for a a few more weeks and hunker down until I can walk outside with no socks on!

Philadelphia Flower Show

Husband and I had heard the Philadelphia Flower Show is amazing. So we went. Here's what we saw. I wish I could put the scent in with the photos - it was delightful!!

White Table

It's cooler in person!

Great color!

Love the mix or orchids and succulents.

A rainbow of round vases!

What a sweet little birdie.

A taste of home.