Cheryl's Shells

A Trip to Fort Lauderdale

2012-01-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

We went to Fort Lauderdale this weekend in order to find the perfect Bridal Shower location for the little sister. We had much luck! And we were able to stay in the condo on the beach again. We are so fortunate to be able to have this place right on the water...I can't wait to go back!

I also took the opportunity to play with my camera.

I love Florida.

Teresa lookin' pretty.

This will be me in March ;)

I stood in front of this gate for about 5 minutes thinking I was locked out.
Turns out someone had propped it open with a rock....pay attention Cheryl!

I always called this sawgrass but my awesome book - Florida's Living Beaches - calls this Saltmeadow Cordgrass.
Pretty.

I practiced nighttime photos on the balcony. I had a beautiful subject to work with.

Out the front door and from the 10th floor.

The next morning I looked for shells. Don't worry. I found lots!

It was a stormy day yesterday.

I think there was a Mrs after this heart at some point but it was gone when I got there.

On our way home across Alligator Alley - all the gators were sunbathing. We saw at least a hundred of these guys. I made Husband stop so we could take pictures like tourists.

This is our gator we got from the zoo. He is a lot smaller than the real thing.

A Boardwalk Engagement

2012-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I traveled to Orlando to take engagement photos of my baby sister and her fiance.
This was a first for me but I think we got a few good ones...
We had so much fun taking photos and playing in Disney with our good friend and Maid of Honor Angela. She came all the way from California to be with us!

We always have a great time in Epcot ;)

We took most of the photos at the Boardwalk hotel.

Brittany had a good time.

That was fun - lets do it again!

Christmas in the Country

2011-12-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

We saw these guys on our way to church Christmas Eve. I love them. I think it's a great idea to put Santa hats on your animals, whatever they may be!

They headed right over to see me.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas at our Crib

2011-12-20T05:13:00.000-08:00

Decorating is a lot of work. I take pictures so it'll last longer ;)

I made this ornament wreath a few years back and it's still not broken!

Poinsettias in the kitchen.

Trees in the bathroom.

The cats have their own Christmas tree but they have been too lazy to put lights on it this year.

The village.

I love mercury glass.

Citrus is Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

5 Years

2011-12-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend Husband and I celebrated our 5 year Anniversary. Time has gone by so fast!
He went all out for our special day. I love you so much Husband!

We spent the weekend in Fort Lauderdale with my family but this time we stayed in a condo on the beach in Lighthouse Point.

The weather was perfect.

And who knew I would find shells on this side?! I grew up here and never thought there were too many finds on the beaches but I was able to find some good stuff near the lighthouse.

A limpet in the sand, just for me.

I found lots of coral.

The closer we got to the lighthouse the more shells I found.
It was so pretty to see the lighthouse from our condo at night.

Here is just a sample of what I found - 2 cowries, turkey wings in fabulous shape and plenty of coral.

It was a great weekend. Thank you for a wonderful Anniversary Husband. Love you!

Banana Walnut Bread. Yum.

2011-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law came to visit us last weekend. They brought us bananas and lots of citrus from their trees. I have really been enjoying the grapefruit - they are perfect.

And we have been eating the bananas but yesterday I had 3 left and they were looking a little ripe for me. So I looked up a recipe and boy did I pick a good one. It is from food network and you can find it here.

First you need to toast your walnuts. Fabulous!

Mash up your bananas.

Mix your wet ingredients and slowly add your dry ones.

Fold in your walnuts. I almost added chocolate chips but I'm really glad I didn't.

Brush your loaf pan with melted butter and pour that sweet goodness in.

Bake it at 350 for 55min. I took mine out 7 minutes early because my oven is crazy and that's when it was done.

The whole house smelled amazing. The bread tasted amazing. Super moist and of course I added a little butter to my piece.

This recipe was so easy and so delicious. I was going to bring some to my family this weekend but I don't think it's gonna make it. Sorry guys! I will have to make you another ;)

Thanks for the bananas Grandmom!

Happy Birthday Brittany!!!

2011-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Today my baby sister is 24! Happy Birthday Bride!! I hope you have the best day today. I wish I could be there to celebrate. I know it will be difficult but try to have fun without us. Love you!

Thanksgiving in NC

2011-12-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the cabin in North Carolina this year. We spent the whole week enjoying the views, the cool weather and delicious food.

First we celebrated Husband's 30th Birthday!
His heath bar cake didn't hold up as well this year but it still tasted awesome.

Then we planned our hike.

I believe our hike was around 7 miles but I will have to clarify this with husband.
All the shelters were closed due to aggressive bear activity.
We didn't see any, thank God!

It was a pretty cold and wet day.

We couldn't see much until we got to the very top.

And then the views were spectacular.

This is the view from our cabin. No leaves on trees any more but no snow yet either.

The next day we did some clay shooting.

I was awesome.

Brittany was super worried. It was her first time.

Teresa had a great time!

Then we prepared Thanksgiving Dinner.

Tiny was a BIG helper!

And the boys relaxed.

The day before, Brittany and Husband spent hours cracking these pecans from Grandmom's tree in Florida.

When we had enough, Tiny and Mom went to work on the pecan pie.

It was the best pecan pie I've ever had. Seriously. It was from the Food Network magazine. But I think the fresh pecans are really what made it just right.

And then Husband thought it was his job to finish it.

We had lots of campfires.
These are the types of photos you get with an 8 year old boy.

Parker is getting very good with the BB gun.

Now on to Christmas!

Wednesday Equals Beach Day!

2011-11-17T05:59:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful to live in Florida. Even in November we can spend time at the beach in our bathing suits.
Husband starts a new job after Thanksgiving so we are enjoying the time we have off together.

Yesterday I said, Husband - take me to Caladesi!
And he said, OK.
And we loaded the kayak. And we put on our sunscreen. And we went to Caladesi and it was good.

We always see something interesting on our trips out there. This time we saw this Cormorant trying to take down what we are guessing is an eel?

It was a gorgeous day.
The water was a bit chilly but not too bad and the weather was beautiful.

This is my treasure I found. I also found a little tiny worm shell, a few limpets and a sand dollar among many other shells.

I thought this seaweed was interesting. It was thicker than I usually see lol.

Lots of birds yesterday.

Til next time Caladesi!

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

2011-11-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

If you haven't been to this zoo - go! Husband and I hadn't been since college so we were excited to see what was new.
We saw everything possible and I fed and pet everyone I could. We also took a safari ride and got a different view of some of the more exotic animals.

I think feeding the giraffe was my favorite.

That's my hand.
I really think we could be friends.

I always hit up the petting zoo's too.

This is Husband's favorite - the Okapi. He looks like a cross between a horse, a zebra and a giraffe but he is most closely related to the giraffe. See his long tongue?

We saw penguins...
Meerkats

Wallabies

And lots of monkeys

We spent about an hour watching the orangutans. They are an interesting family.
Here is the father.

This is one of the adult females.

Here she is with her baby. There was another female with a young kid and she did not like this lady monkey. She took all her things and threw them in the water. All of the girls watching were so upset with her.

We saw some very interesting birds.

And I pet the stingrays!

Definitely one of my favorite things to do.

This guy was so funny. He put all this hay on his head and then he couldn't get it off!

There were so many things to see and do at Lowry Park Zoo. We didn't see any of the shows because there were so many animals to see but we plan to do it all eventually. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone.

Pumpkin Waffles

2011-11-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Time for foods made with pumpkin! These waffles are delicious and I say, why have regular waffles when you can have pumpkin waffles?
The recipe is here . I didn't make the cider syrup but I don't see where that would be a bad idea ;)

I like to use an actual pumpkin whenever possible.
I cut off the top and then cut it into quarters. Then scoop out the seeds and throw it in a pot on the stove. Boil it for about 20 minutes and then scrape out your cooked pumpkin.

This is what it looks like.
Of course you can buy a can of pumpkin puree if you'd like to make your life easier.

Separate your eggs.

Stir up your dry ingredients.

Mix in your wet ingredients.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (this takes forever).

Then dump your dry ingredients right into your wet ones.

Mix that up a bit and add the egg whites.

Gently fold them until they are incorporated.

Pour them into your waffle iron and they will come out looking like this.
Absolutely marvelous!

This is one of our favorite recipes with pumpkin. But there are so many delicious pumpkin dishes out there. We will try them out and let you know which ones are worthy of trying. Have a perfect evening everyone!

Renaissance Festival 2011

2011-11-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we spent some time in central FL with Husband's Aunt, Uncle and Cousins from Hungary.
They are only able to come to the states once every year or two. This time we headed over to the Renaissance Festival.

Here is Laura watching the Human Chess Match.

Everyone was interested :)

We saw lots of animals - the owl was my favorite.

The girls were pros at riding horses.

Sheila's turn.

And here is my mother-in-law's kitten because he is cute.

A Michigan Halloween

2011-11-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hello there! I hope everyone's Halloween was safe and fun.
I know it has been a while - our lives have been in a bit of an upheaval but I am back now! My camera is fixed and everything else is sorting itself out just fine.

I was up in Michigan for Halloween with my mother and 2 of my sisters. We had a blast at my grandparent's big, old house. There were close to 700 trick-or-treaters who stopped by along with family and friends. It was my first Halloween up there but maybe it can become a tradition...?!

Husband and I carved our pumpkin before I left.
I think later he added creepy eyes.

My grandfather made this sign of his last name a few years back and my uncle found the perfect spot for it.

We were glad to see grandpa almost every day that week. We took him and my grandma's cousin Cleo for coffee at McDonald's.

Cleo and Mom.

We had big plans for Halloween. I made these ghost cookies and we cooked up a big pot of chili. We made ghost grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the chili and we had carmel apples, eyeball deviled eggs and plenty of candy to go around.

Mom was the great designer of the eyeball eggs.

Our set up.
Oh yeah and apple cider punch with a floating hand. So creepy.

Brittany made a perfect corpse bride.

Uncle Ron and Aunt Jackie.
My Uncle looked so scary I can't believe anyone came up for candy!

Teresa was Thing Two, Mom found a cute 60's dress in her closet upstairs, Brittany is corpse bride of course and I dressed in my grandmas old clothes and went as a vampire from the 40's.
We scared the candy right out of kids hand's.

Have you seen a cuter Alice and Mad Hatter?

My 2nd cousin Ali was Princess Darth Vader! I love it.

Brittany and Ali.

Im not so good at the night portraits without a tripod but here are my Uncle and Brittany on the front porch after dark. We carved 2 pumpkins with the letter B for Baker for the front steps.

And later that week we had storage wars! My Uncle owns a storage unit and he said we could go through one that skipped town.

We found lots of junk and a few treasures. I think these folks were hoarders for sure.

See that guy on the tractor? He is 90 something and they took his license away. So he drives his little tractor around town lol.

We had a wonderful time in Michigan. We almost froze on Halloween but it was worth it. I hope yours was a blast too!

Most Magical Weekend Ever!

2011-09-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

Great things happened this weekend. First - my baby sister became engaged!!!! We have all been looking forward to this for some time and now it's here. I can't wait to see my sister and her Fiance, Travis start their new life together. They are a beautiful and super fun couple! Congratulations Brittany and Travis!!!

And then on Saturday night my friend Cheryl had a baby girl, Scarlett! She is 9 pounds and super cute. Congratulations Cheryl, Tommy and Angelina on your new addition!!

Here I am with the new Bride showing off her bling :)

A close-up of her beautiful ring. Great job Travis!

They were engaged in Epcot, Brittany's favorite place to be.
My friend Carolyn and I threw them an engagement dinner on Saturday night. I have called my friend Carolyn, Bride since she became engaged and have continued it until this day. I don't know what I'm gonna do about that now but it could become confusing lol.

Here we are prepping our food in Carolyn's beautiful new kitchen.

We used her fine china for the first time. We got so fancy with things, it was great!
The boys had a big race earlier that day where they biked, ran and canoed. We knew they would be hungry so we started them off right away with some meats and cheeses.

I am so grateful that we were in this together. I can't imagine making all of this food alone. It was like Thanksgiving.

Bride had this recipe from Sandra Lee's cookbook for filo sticks. They were delicious and don't they look fancy?

We had Brittany's favorite for her - Rosa Regale.

The boys socialized over beer and football in the living room.

And the women socialized over wine in the kitchen. There is much to discuss and plan now.

The happy Fiances.

Bride's gorgeous dinner table.

We had a delicious salad with baked goat cheese to start. Then we had stuffed shells and garlic bread, all made from scratch. For desert, vanilla ice cream topped with fresh whipped cream, blueberries and rasberries.
We were all quite satisfied :)

Congratulations again to the happy couple!

So Sunday, the kids went off to SeaWorld and the Yonfa's and Elmore's went to a Sunday Gospel Brunch at a fabulous place called Bananas.
The Gospel Brunch just happened to be a drag show. We had no idea!

Poor Husband was targeted right away. At first he didn't know what to think.

Hahaha well it was interesting to say the least.
The show was a blast, the food was outstanding and not expensive at all. I had chicken and waffles which were to die for.

Thank you to our hosts, the Yonfas, for the wonderful weekend.
I love my Carolyn Bride!

I hope your weekend was as exciting as mine. Have a great week ya'll!
(All photos by Albert Yonfa)

Weekend Review

2011-09-12T06:31:00.001-07:00

I thought I would show the shellers out there a cleaned up photo of the huge shell I found at Honeymoon Island. So here it is! Next to that is a conch shell I found in my grandparent's basement in Michigan. Who knows how long it had been there - it was quite dirty. I spent the weekend bleaching it out and it's looking much better.

Here are some other shells I found. I found quite a variety that day. Thanks Lee!

Yesterday, Husband and I went to Weedon Island for some Kayaking.
There were a couple of these guys hanging out. They had no fear at all.

It was a nice afternoon. We did have a scare while we were out there. We still aren't sure if it was a manatee or a large ray but we startled something BIG underneath our kayak. It caused a huge wake and soaked us both. I was afraid to put my paddle back in the water for a little while!

Husband did most of the paddling after that ;)

Have a great Monday.

Michigan

2011-09-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were in Michigan. My Father got Husband tickets to the USF vs. Notre Dame game for Christmas last year. So we flew into Michigan and the boys drove to Indiana for the game. They had a blast and the Bulls won!!

We spent the rest of the weekend at my Grandparent's 108 year old home in Howard City.

It's beautiful there. The weather was warm the first couple of days and then it dropped into the 60's before we left.

Brittany and my Mom were there for a week before I came up. They got to visit with my Cousin Dawn and my Second Cousins Josh and Benjamin. Aren't they cute, I mean handsome?

This is another Second Cousin of ours - Ali. She is adorable and hilarious!

My Grandfather likes to keep busy so Brittany and Mom painted a birdhouse with him. I think it turned out beautiful.

We have to stop at the Corner Bar in Rockford whenever we are in MI.
This is where Dad ate 12 hot dogs TWICE and has his name on the wall TWICE!
Husband had done it once and so of course he had to catch up. He sat down for his 12 and was successful. Now Husband has his name up there TWICE and I hope this will put an end to this madness!

It's so pretty up there.

We stopped at a farmer's market one day and found lots of animals there.
See the kittens up there?

We saw goats.
And Roosters with feathery feet!

And a Pig. He was very curious about us.

And happy to see us.

These cows live right around the corner from my Aunt and Uncle.

And this is my Grandparent's home.
It has quite a history. We love it.

This is just some of my Grandmother's milk glass collection.

We spend a lot of time on the big porch.

Mom and Grandpa.

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ron - My mom's brother.

It was a great weekend, but too short. I am heading back in October to experience Halloween there. They get between 600 and 700 kids for trick or treating at their house! I can't wait.

Shelling with the Boss

2011-09-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to Honeymoon Island with my boss to find a big shell. That was my goal. The tropical storm that went by our coast last weekend and a bit this week, brought some windy and wavy weather - perfect for shelling!

The night before, my boss Kelly found a huge seashell and a Junonia!
I was convinced I could find something big as well, and I did.

Kelly and Linda found some big ones too (Notice Kelly is wearing her favorite shirt).

I found lots of other goodies that I will clean up and show you all. Have a great Thursday!

Sanibel - Why Am I Not There?

2011-08-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

Looking at these pictures from our vacation makes me miss my family! I wish we were all together all the time...or at least any time we wanted to be ;)

So these are the last of the vacation pics. I had a great time with everyone - especially my niece and nephew. I can't wait to see them again. They had their first day of school yesterday. They are growing up so fast!

Our first few days were stormy.

But that didn't stop us from being on the beach.

The kids loved playing in the little pools that the sandbars make. Who doesn't really?!

Husband cooked us all ribs one night. We kept him company.

The kids had quite a time with the ribs. I don't think they are big fans yet but there are only so many nights we can all eat spaghetti and meatballs!

We went to the Lighthouse. I really like this picture for some reason. That is Parker and Brittany and Travis are in the far background.

Tiny and I discovered a couple of starfish.

I scooped up this Brittle Star by mistake with a handful of shells.
He is missing some limbs but he was sure alive and moving around. I thought he was pretty cute - he kept wrapping his little arms around my finger...I shouldn't say he, it could be a she I guess...or would it be just an it?

Me and Tiny display our stars.

The Pier.

It was a beautiful trip. The storms brought in some goodies from the Gulf and also brought some magnificent sunsets. I wish I were there every week. Can't wait to go back!

Sanibel Recap Part Uno

2011-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe we are back already. Man that week really flies by.
We always hate to leave Sanibel but I am so grateful that we are able to spend time there each year.

I think this was our first day -big storm in the morning and a water spout! We all went crazy and tried to get a good picture before it disappeared. It didn't last long but long enough for us to get our butts down to the beach.

Every night we went out to check out the sandbar and the sunset.

I don't know why but I really like this picture of Husband and Tiny.

Parker still loves this $1 truck I got him. And I love it too!

Tiny looks at shells with me.

The ladies hang out in the water.

Some in their clothes, sorry mom and dad!

Me and Pipa.

I don't know what they talk about but they love having a cigar together.

The stormy skies were gorgeous.

How bout that for a fire in the sky?!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Good Morning

2011-08-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while. I'm sorry. I have had my camera in the shop and I've been caught up in work, life and vacations!

Now we are here, in Sanibel, with these people. My niece and nephew :)

Watching the storms roll in.

I have the use of my sister's camera so - more to come!

An American Weekend

2011-07-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll! I hope your Fourth was a blast!

We headed up to Daytona last weekend to visit family and to attend the Daytona Coke Zero 400. Wooohooo!
I had never been to a NASCAR race before and I loved it. Thanks again Uncle Bill!
I felt so American this weekend, and of course Husband was happy as a pig in you-know-what :)

We started out the race in the parking lot. Everyone there was very patriotic.

Husband and the girls pose on the bridge over to the track.

We walked around a bit and ran into #21 Trevor Bayne!
Husband tried to get his hat signed but there were too many fans.

Here I am arguing with an elderly woman about women and racing.
Of course women belong on the race track - especially if they are as awesome as Danica Patrick!

The boys had cigars.

And we looked at some cars.

Not sure what they are discussing here...

And then we walked through this tunnel to go see what was on the other side.

We checked out the track and then relaxed a bit while Martina McBride sang.

Brittany, Me and Mom pose in front of Trevor Bayne's car.

The Grandstand.

It was a long, hot day.

We headed to our seats.

And watched the loud cars go fast! Shake and Bake!!

I can't wait to go back!

Sunday we spent the day at my Aunt Carole's house eating and swimming and lighting things on fire.

Brittany looks cute with a cupcake.

Dad and Uncle.

Mom and T by the pool.

Aunt C.
Grandma and Mom.

Lorraine and Uncle Bill lovin the noodles.

It was a nice end to a great weekend. We had a wonderful Fourth of July and I hope you did too!

Father's Day Recap

2011-06-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice Father's Day weekend with my dad. My parents and 2 of my sisters came up to Tampa to spend the weekend with us and celebrate our father.

Saturday Husband took dad to the range to shoot some clay. I think they were both pleased with this idea of fun.

By the way, I did this the prior weekend with Husband and it was really fun. It's like a way bigger version of Duck Hunt.

That evening we went to the Ray's game. We played the Marlins and we won!

Brittany and mom are so cute in blue.

Teresa got a ball at the end of the game from a Marlin!

And Sunday we took it easy with church, lunch and relaxation by the pool.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend with your fathers, I certainly did.

This weekend I have a surprise...well I can't keep a secret actually so, anyone following the Casey Anthony Trial out there? I am and I am headed over to Orlando this weekend where I will attempt to be a member of the audience on Saturday! Wish me luck and feel free to let me know how you feel about the case. I will talk to any and everyone about it!

Sarasota, Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach

2011-06-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

We had a fun and full weekend here on the West Coast. I hope you did too!
It is our goal to explore Florida as much as we can and this weekend we did a little bit of that.
Husband and I headed to Sarasota on Saturday to check out their annual craft fair and swim in the beautiful blue-green water.

There were pretty flowers, lots of art work and crafts for me to look at.
I didn't take many photos though because I thought I might get in trouble with the artists!

My major purchase was an ice lemonade and these camera and sunglass cases.
It was really hot.

These are so cute though and I am inspired to make some nautical and sea life cases of my own.

We then headed North along the beach to find us a nice spot to play in the water.

We stopped at Bradenton beach right next to the bridge leading to Longboat Key.

The bridge went up a few times for these lucky folks with boats.

We sat out here for a while.

And we came across quite a few critters.
Lots of olive shells were digging themselves into the sand to avoid being dried out in low tide.

And these guys were everywhere. It looks like a picture of rocks right? That's what we thought they were at first, but upon further inspection...

We found that they were buried ghost crabs!

Tons of them. Everywhere.

We rustled a few up. Just for fun ;)

We found some pretty shells with critters in them of course.

This one is for my boss. I know she is gonna love the color of this one - I don't think these are too easy to come by but he was still alive!! Darn it.

It was a lovely area to swim and explore.

Next we went on a bike ride.

And explored a bit of Longboat Key.
We read about the first homes on the island.

I love this crab on their house.

We came across some peacocks.

This guy was trying to impress these lady peacocks. They thought little of his show.

And we ended our adventure with a nice dinner on the water at Mar Vista.

We had to sit outside. Look at this view.

The trees were beautifully lit.

The food was spectacular.
Husband had the grouper sandwich.

I had the tots. Yes these were called tots on the menu. They were a delicious combination of potatoes, onions and cheesy goodness with a chipotle dipping sauce.

We walked out on the dock before we left.

A perfect end to our mini adventure on Saturday. I hope your weekend was fun-filled as well. Enjoy your Monday everyone.

Gifts

2011-06-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, Husband surprised be with a Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner!
We have been discussing a new vacuum cleaner for quite some time now, and this is what I requested, but I did not know we were able to get one yet.
Husband found a deal and here we are.

Now some women may think a vacuum cleaner is not a good gift but to me it is the perfect gift! I am allergic to dust and I know this vacuum will help me feel better every day.
Plus, it's purple, my favorite color! Thank you husband - I love you.

Lillian's Graduation

2011-06-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

My Niece graduated from PreK!! She is so cute and I am so proud. I wish I could have been there but I know I will see her and her big brother real soon.
Congratulations Tiny Girl!!

She looks so smart!

Mom and kids :) Miss you guys.

Photos by Daddy.

Back to Caladesi

2011-06-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

We love Caladesi. Can you tell? You can only get there by boat or kayak so there usually aren't too many folks over there. The water was crystal clear this weekend.

We went with our buddies Matt and Sarah. They have been dating a year now. Congrats love birds!

We always encounter some wild life. We saw many birds, some horseshoe crabs, a little sting ray and 2 dolphins! We got real close to them in our kayak. I loved it!

As I was heading into the water to cool off, I saw this guy fluttering by in the water.
He is a baby ghost crab I believe. Doesn't he look just like a spider? I would never touch a spider but somehow if it comes from the ocean it's no big deal lol.

Matt and Sarah are enjoying their new, very cool kayak.

I found a few shells, not as many as usual but that's ok ;)

We had a great trip and none of us really got sunburned at all. I think we are all proud of that!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. Husband's father and stepmother came to visit us for the weekend and we all had a blast.
We ate lots of delicious food and spent plenty of time in the sun.

We fished every night right in our backyard.
Dawn and I were especially good at catching the pinfish.

Husband and I went kayaking for a bit and caught some disgusting catfish.

We watched a storm roll in.

And sat on the swings.

The sunsets were beautiful.

Monday, Husband and I kayaked near the Gandy bridge. The water was so pretty. We caught no fish.

Have a great short week everyone!

Cedar Key

2011-05-24T04:40:00.001-07:00

Yes, we took another trip. This past weekend Husband and I traveled north to Cedar Key.
It is about 2 & 1/2 hours north of us and very secluded. I'm sure some of you have been there before - it is beautiful. Very much old Florida.
If you like to fish and you enjoy some peace and quite, this is the place for you.

We had to take the cats with us because our counter tops were being resurfaced. They were not happy about it.

They look peaceful here but they were not. Not at all.

Husband rented us the Wabi Sabi Cottage.

The cottage included seashells and oysters all around :)

I have to show you some photos of the inside because I loved it so much.
It was built in 1919 and was beautifully refurbished in 2004.

Here I am in the kitchen. Just how Husband likes it ;)

The living room.

Our bedroom in the loft. (Notice the seashell bedspread)

A beautiful spiral staircase to the loft.

The first day we woke up early and headed out on the kayak to fish.

We both caught trout but Husband caught our dinner :)

We encountered lots of wildlife including 2 baby sea turtles, dolphins, rays and plenty of bonnet head sharks.

We rode bikes around the island.

And found some nice spots to pick up shells and oysters.

Sunday morning we tried to get in a little more fishing before we left.

Lots of little crabs were hanging out here.

We were sad to leave, but very happy to be able to come home and enjoy a sunset like this.

I hope your weekend was as lovely as mine.

Key West Recap

2011-05-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, why do the Keys have to be so far from Tampa?
I absolutely love it there. The water is so beautiful. I automatically feel relaxed when I get to Card Sound Road. The only problem is - we never seem to have enough time there!

I would have more photos to show you all, but my good camera is broken. It is very upsetting but I will get it resolved soon. I hope you enjoy anyway :)

We stopped at Ann's Beach on the way to get some water time in.

We didn't walk out very far before we saw a baby black tip shark!

We also saw a horseshoe crab.

Food is very important to me. And when I am in Key West, my diet mostly consists of conch fritters and oysters.
I forget what this place is called :(

But the Fritters were fresh and delicious!

Another favorite of Key West - the roosters.
I wish we could have roosters in our neighborhood.

We saw this guy on our way to lunch at Sunset Key.

Dad, Grandma and Aunt Carole enjoyed the boat ride over.

Me and T.
Brittany and Travis. So cute.

Teresa and Mom.

Such a beautiful place to eat. The food is great too!

Goodbye Sunset Key...

I can't wait to go back. It has been too long...

Headin' South

2011-05-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hey folks - I'm going to Key West tomorrow! We are going with my grandmother, who is 90 by the way, and my Aunt. Unfortunately Husband cannot come but we will eat conch fritters in remembrance of him :)

So I will be back in a week or so - slightly sunkissed and very relaxed. See ya later alligators!

Photo by Paul Bates.

Disney/Islands of Adventure Recap

2011-05-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

One last post before the weekend. What a week it has been ya'll...crazy!

Here are some more photos of our wonderful family trip to Disney and Island's of Adventure.

Brittany and Tiny take in the sights on the Jungle Cruise.

Dad was the only one brave enough to do Splash Mountain with the kids. They love all the scary rides!

This is hilarious. This attendant at the Boardwalk Hotel spent quite a bit of time trying to "unload" these toy guns.

There were some new things at the park for the kids to enjoy. Tiny loved this play area in Epcot.

I think this is the Dr. Seuss ride at Islands of Adventure.

Happy weekend everybody! Enjoy your moms and do lots of extra special things for them!

Sea World

2011-05-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

First of all people, I fed DOLPHINS! I haven't been to Sea World since I was about 5.
I had no idea it was this cool.

Not only did we feed stingrays, sharks and sea lions, they let us feed dolphins too.
It was so amazing. You have to pay an extra $7 for the fish but honestly (don't tell them) I would pay even more for that experience.

They have such personalities, so cute!

Brittany and I did it together.

They came right up to us and we got to pet them under their mouth.

Awesome!

Of course we watched the Shamu show. Very good.

The kids were impressed.

There are many animals in the park that do not live in the water ;)

Sharks!

The manatees were cute too.

I loved feeding the sea lions also, they were so vocal.

Everyone else was afraid to touch the fish...but not I!!

Getting some sun.

Then it got cold.

Polar bears need their rest.

At the end of the ride Atlantis, there are some fish to look at...

In the ceiling AND the floor!

More photos to come!

Easter Recap

2011-05-04T14:57:00.001-07:00

It's really hard to blog when you're never home! So I have been in Orlando the past two weekends because my niece and nephew were down from North Carolina on their Easter break.

We did all the funnest things to do there. We went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Sea World and Islands of Adventure (Well, I didn't make it to Islands of Adventure but next time ;)

Of course I will be posting all of these photos but for now here is a little bit of our Easter.

We spent some time drawing with our egg chalk on the sidewalks.
Parker is getting so big!

Sister and brother - playing nicely together for about 5 seconds haha.

Tiny chooses her colors wisely.

They both drew some lovely turtles.

Then Tiny and I made a "carrot" cake.
I got this idea from Food Network magazine. It's actually a pound cake. It was such a great recipe because it was easy and done quickly.

Sour straws were used for the top of the carrot. Here Tiny and I are trying them out.

The finished product.

I have to say - we had quite a time find all orange jelly beans. However, I feel that if I could just plan ahead, it would not have been a problem!

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T05:04:00.001-07:00

Easter is here! I hope you all enjoy this time with your friends and family. I will be spending the weekend with my sisters and niece and nephew and I am so thankful for that.

We all know that Easter is not about bunnies or pies but I had to share these photos with you.

These little rabbits look like carrots. My sister Teresa got them for me and I love them.

And yesterday I made my very first Strawberry Rhubarb pie.
I haven't tasted it yet but it sure smells good. I am bringing it to my family today so I will get back to you on the taste ;)

Here is rhubarb. It looks like celery.

Lots of strawberries and rhubarb. I was glad to get ahold of some big, juicy strawberries.

You have to mix together flour, tapioca, sugar and vanilla.

I made the crust according to the recipe and it came out wonderfully. Well, it was easy to roll - we'll see how it tastes!

The finished pie.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Sanibel Camping Finale

2011-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

OK guys, here are the last of the photos from our very quick Sanibel camping trip. We are really loving camping - you could say we are becoming campoholics (Yup, made that one up myself)!

Our site was right up against this water with this sign in it...

We did not have any run-in's with alligators, however we did have 2 adorable otters come and visit us.

They were just as curious about us as we were about them.

Here are some more photos of my favorite part of the trip - the sunset at Blind Pass.

Me and my shells.

A cute little boy.

B and me.

Me, mom and T.

Great trip - wish we could have spent more time as always but we will be back there in August for our Annual vacation!

Impromptu Sanibel Camping

2011-04-13T05:02:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I made my mom and sisters go camping in Sanibel with me. Well, it's not like I had to really pull their arms, but it was last minute. We had so much fun! I am waiting on the rest of the pictures from my sister because my camera is broken :( But here are a few I took with my little camera. The shelling was great as usual. I found 3 starfish that were not alive...there were others that I'm not sure were gonna make it but I put them back in the sand just in case ;) I found quite a few murex, olives and calico shells (correct me if I'm wrong shellers!) And one of my favorites - wentletraps. Lots of real small ones that I can hardly see now! Of course we hit up blind pass for sunset and shelling. It is absolutely beautiful there. The tide was still on it's way out when we were leaving. Not too many shells were found but it was a gorgeous sunset. Here are Mom and Teresa. More to come!

Fort De Soto Continued

2011-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

So, if you are ever interested in camping, Fort De Soto is a must! I wouldn't classify it as "hard-core" camping, but it is a lovely place to be. There are many campsites - I believe over 200 - so you are in no way secluded. But there are sites on the water and sites that allow pets. There are bathrooms and hot showers. There is a little store at the front in case you forget anything. AND there are many beaches to explore, all unique and beautiful in different ways. Here we are at our site on the water.

When we arrived, Brittany and I set up our cooking area and then relaxed a bit with some reading materials. To the right of this sidewalk is the water. As you can see there are many campers here. It didn't bother us one bit though! Here is my tent. I forgot an extension cord for my lights. So pretty Brittany! While we set up, Travis checked out the waters (quite calm considering the storm the day before). Here the boys are discussing their fishing plans over some percolated coffee. Brittany and I were very excited for the preparation of meals. I don't know why, but it is really fun to cook outside. The first morning we made a breakfast called the Shipwreck. It was sausage, onions, potatoes and eggs. Delicious and filling. Brittany was quite happy with her new percolator. The next morning we had chocolate chip pancakes. In no way did we rough it this weekend folks! It was nice and cool at night. Here I am after a nice hot shower. Dinner was a bigger process but it worked out pretty well. We had fish tacos the first night. The boys did not catch any fish by the way ;) WARNING! If you do not like insects then you should quit reading this now or close your eyes and scroll down. Brittany learned a valuable lesson this weekend about ALWAYS keeping her tent zipped up. You never know what is gonna creep up in there. Perhaps it will be a giant, disgusting wolf spider! Bad picture but you get the point. I don't know how she slept that night. Aside from that - we did encounter plenty of non-creepy wildlife. I found these two little starfish in an oyster shell. And we saw many little horseshoe crabs pushing their way through the sand.

And raccoons. We were warned about them when we checked in. We never had a problem with our food, we kept it in the car. But they were not afraid of us. They had no problem coming up to our table in the middle of the day while we were sitting right there. Here is Robber Raccoon in our tree. We had a lovely woodpecker couple in this palmless tree. And this guy...not sure what he is, maybe an oystercatcher? We also had a cardinal couple that flew around our site both days we were there. And seagulls. They are on every beach but this guy was particularly close to me. One of the greatest amenities that Fort De Soto had to offer were fire pits. It seems that you are never allowed to have campfires while camping anymore and we were so excited to find that you could rent these fire pits for only $3 a day. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on our last night. I would definitely camp here again and of course I recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to camp in Florida. If you have any questions, please ask. I will answer to my best ability!

Fort DeSoto Camping

2011-04-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family. We haven't been to blog world in a few days but we are back now with some photos from Fort DeSoto.

Husband and I spent the weekend with my sister and her boyfriend at the Fort DeSoto campground. We explored the beaches and the mangroves. We encountered quite a bit of wildlife. I am waiting on my sister to send me her pictures (my camera died halfway through, even though I charged it!) and then I will do another post.

We started our trip Friday morning and we had beautiful weather.
That afternoon I headed to North Beach. What a gorgeous place.

The tide was heading out when I got there.

This part of the beach was my favorite. The ocean on one side and a lagoon on the other. I knew there would be shells in here! However, we all learned that we were not supposed to be in this area because it is a protected bird sanctuary. The storm they had the day before had blown over all the signs and we had no clue!

Of course the birds pick the best spot to have their babies...

But before I got kicked out I found this guy. No animal inside so he is mine!

I was just hanging out with all the birds. They didn't seem to mind me :)

LOTS more photos to come!

St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-16T05:39:00.001-07:00

Good morning people. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, the greatest day of the year.

It is also my Birthday which is why I am posting this today. I have wonderful employers who are giving me the day off to enjoy with Husband and my family. So I will not be blogging tomorrow but hopefully I will be enjoying the sun, some green beer and perhaps see this channel turn green!

This is Channelside. I have never seen a green body of water. I think we should check this out.

I hope you all enjoy the holiday tomorrow and be safe of course!

Strawberry Festival 2011

2011-03-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

Hey folks! Hope your weekend was enjoyable. Ours definitely was.
We had great weather for the last day of the Plant City Strawberry Festival.

We went with our friends Matt and Sarah. And we tried as much greasy food as we could handle!

First - fried cheese.

Not too bad but not too great either...

Matt and Sarah pose for the camera.

Then we caught the pig races. I don't know why but it's pretty hilarious to watch pigs race.

These guys were pretty cute.

There they go...
And the pot bellied pigs were the last to race.
Don't be fooled here people...they were taking their time for sure.

Kevin and I picked #1 as the winner before the "race" started. He really looked like he would be first until the very last second, when #2 trotted right past him to the finish line. Personally I feel that the race was rigged.

Husband, Sarah, Matt.

We also decided it was about time to try the Krispy Kreme Burger.

As you can see - there is nothing that is not completely delicious included in this burger.

Husband added the fried egg option. And why not? If you're gonna eat this kind of heart attack special, you may as well go all the way.

I think he is praying that this burger doesn't destroy his heart.

Then we went to see the cows. They were being judged on their breeding qualities.

Last, we had to try to win a fish.
Matt and Sarah really gave it their all.

And they won 4 fish!

I won 1 fish... but he is a good one. I can feel it!

So, we had a great time at the fair as usual. We saw lots of interesting people and things. We ate awesome chocolate covered strawberries and we bought a flat of them on out way out. I'm so happy to be a Floridian.

Have a great Monday everybody!

New Items for Sale

2011-03-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

OK these flowers aren't for sale but aren't they pretty?
We recently bought them for our house guests and they still look so beautiful. They do make me sneeze but I don't care - they smell so good!

But these are for sale:

This is a Black Abalone Nightlight

A White Scallop Nightlight with a Sanibel Starfish.

A Mushroom Coral Nightlight.

And a Sanibel Cockel Nightlight.

These items, and MORE, are all Listed on my Etsy site .

Thanks for looking ya'll. Have a great weekend!

Caladesi Finds

2011-03-09T05:22:00.001-08:00

OK not the greatest pictures but I think you can still see a bit of what we wound over the weekend.

In addition to these beautiful shells, we found a sea urchin, sand dollar and a strange looking fish. I have to get it out of the garage and show you all because I have never seen anything like it. We also came across lots of horseshoe crabs as we always do in that area.

Enjoy shell lovers!

Caladesi with the Yonfa's

2011-03-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

Hey there! What a fabulous weekend we had. I hope yours was the same.
Our friends came to visit us all the way from Orlando!

Carolyn thought it would be nice to kayak and guess what...we totally agreed.
We took them to one of our favorite spots.

The weather was a little iffy when we headed out in the morning. Windy and cloudy is not good kayaking weather.
But it cleared up about 30 min after we got out there and it turned into a gorgeous day.

There is a little lagoon-like area that was full of shells for us to pick up.

Ugh, the water was so beautiful but still too cold for us Floridians to splash around in.

I found a crab who got bleached out by the sun.

Lots of fighting conchs were there as usual. They are all so beautiful to me.

The boys.
Lots of birds were hanging out.

And their foot prints were in the sand.

Husband and I on our way back in.

What a nice day we had. I want to be there as much as possible!

Before our friends hit the road, we walked and fished behind our apartment.

Thanks for visiting us Yonfas. We had a blast....come back soon!!!

Everything Wreath

2011-03-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

I made a new wreath. I was inspired by some beautiful items I saw at the St. Pete Shell Show this past weekend.

This wreath has a bit of everything - mostly found on Sanibel Island, a few shells from Honeymoon Island and just a couple that were purchased ;)

Annual Juicing

2011-03-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

Every year we are fortunate enough to get fresh citrus from Husband's grandparents. This year it was plenty of oranges and lemons.
The other day I squeezed up the oranges which made some very delicious and sweet orange juice.

Tomorrow I will make lemonade and lemon cookies with the lemons...hopefully.

I always use my grandmother's juicer.

A Backyard Trip

2011-03-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

Husband and I took a quick kayaking trip on Sunday afternoon right in our backyard.
The weather has been so nice lately, we really wanted to get out on the water.

We launched about 2 miles from our house off of the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

We did a little fishing but we had no live bait. We caught nothing!
I'm starting to think I may be bad luck.

It was still nice to be out there. I can't wait to go again. Hope your weekend was superb!

My Winter Family

2011-02-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday my mom and I went up to Michigan to visit my winter family.
We stayed with my Aunt Jackie and Uncle Ron in the town my mom and her brother grew up in - Howard City.

But first, we landed in Chicago. And trying new and local foods is a must for me so we split a Chicago dog. It was very good and included peppers, relish and large chunks of tomato. I do recommend this delicious dog.

The reason for our trip was to be able to visit my grandpa who is 92 years old.
The first day we took him to a great place called The Depot. They had homemade pies among other things that looked incredibly delicious!

My uncle, mom and grandpa.

My mom also got to see her best friend Cheryl. They grew up across the street from each other. And...what do ya know, we have the same name ;)

I think they enjoyed catching up.

My uncle took us on his snow mobile. It was awesome! Here is my mom all bundled up.

This is right before he and I left. In my uncle's words - this was a "freaking blizzard!"

Here is the creek across the street from my grandparent's house. I know I have a lot of pictures but I have never been there in the snow!

Here is my grandparent's house. It is over 100 years old. This is impressive to me.

Me and mom.

My uncle has his address on a tree stump. He told me that he put it there because it was too difficult to move when he built the house!

We watched the birds every morning at breakfast. There were about 3 cardinals there every day.

This squirrel also reaped the benefits of the bird feeder.

Look what my aunt made us for breakfast our first morning. Wow is the only word I can think of. It was like blueberry french toast with cream cheese goodness in the middle and syrup on top. They picked the blueberries themselves.

My aunt and uncle's house covered in snow. So pretty.

This was the last day. We visited grandpa one more time. He had a picture of my cousin's boys in his pocket all afternoon...

On our way to the airport we stopped at The Corner Bar. It is a restaurant/bar in Rockford. If you eat 12 chili dogs you get your name on the wall. Husband did it last year and my dad did it 2 times over the years. So proud of our eaters!

And this is what the road looked like on our way back. It was quite nerve wracking for my mom. I guess she's been in the south for too long...us Florida girls just aren't used to being in the snow!

It was a wonderful trip. I am so glad I got to visit my grandpa. Thanks Uncle Ron and Aunt Jackie for everything!

The Florida Fair

2011-02-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

The Florida State Fair is here folks! It will be here this week through next weekend and I do recommend getting yourself over there if you are anywhere near Tampa.

Husband and I decided to take his mother and grandmother to the fair on Saturday. There was so much to see, I think we could have spent a few days looking at everything they had to offer.

We saw a lot of animals but I think this giraffe was our favorite. Lots of kids were feeding him carrots and he just kept eating them one right after another.

We saw a lot of goats as well. Apparently there are many types of goats.

These little babies were snuggling together.

We saw a panther and a bear but I was unable to get a pic of the bear ;)

We went to Cracker Country which is a town of buildings that represent Old Florida. I believe some of the buildings are original but I need to check my facts.

The family in one of the stores.

We ate as much fried food as we could handle. This here is a fried ring ding. Pretty good!

This guy was having fun being taller than the rest of us.

And I insisted on attempting to win a fish.

Which I did!

We placed him right under our big fish - out of the way of Felix.

Unfortunately, Fish was found unresponsive this morning :( I guess I knew he probably wouldn't live long but....I was hoping a bit longer than 2 days. I think next time I need some drops to clean the water.
Hope you all are enjoying your week. Get to the fair if you can!

Gasparilla 2011

2011-02-09T05:04:00.000-08:00

Well...this is long overdue.

Here are some photos of the Gasparilla boat parade.
We had so much fun watching this with our friends Matt and Sarah. The whole day was a blast actually.

First we watched the boats and then headed over to the main parade. We stayed there for a bit but headed back to Matt's before the traffic got bad.

And my camera died. But we had a great evening watching the sunset and eating delicious foods at Matt's house. Thanks again Matt and Sarah!

Everyone has A flag. But most have MANY flags :)

This is how you keep your beads on your boat (If you have one).

We saw lots of different classes of boats. I wouldn't mind getting to know the owner of this one.

This kids get involved. I love their skeleton on the front of their boat!

And then there is this lady...

This guy had a good array of flags.

Then the big pirate ship comes and there are lots of cannons and it's awesome!

And that's all I have because I am not smart enough to charge my camera. Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Weedon Island

2011-01-31T06:28:00.001-08:00

What a packed weekend we had. I have to upload a million photos from Gasparilla but I don't have the time yet. I hope to get to it later on today....but here is what we did yesterday :)

We took the kayaks out at Weedon Island with our friends Matt and Sarah. Of course my camera died pretty quickly but I did manage to get some photos.

We didn't get there until around 3pm. The sun was mostly out and it was beautiful.

We saw lots of rays and some of these guys as well. I saw an even bigger one than this but I couldn't reach it from the kayak.

It was a beautiful afternoon....we had a peaceful end to a very fun weekend, which I will tell you more about in the next post. Hope your weekend was enjoyed as well!

Tomato Love

2011-01-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Tomatoes and Tomato growers,

I love you.

This is a recipe I have made before and it is Ina Garten's from Barefoot Contessa. I believe they are called Scalloped Tomatoes.

It is so awesome. I serve it on top of chicken but you could eat this all by itself believe me.

So you need 2 1/2 lbs. of plum tomatoes to start.

Then you need 1 1/2 C of crunchy french bread cut into little cubes. Toast them up on the stove in some olive oil.

Chop up the tomatoes and mix them in a bowl with 2T sugar and some salt and pepper.
Add them to the french bread croutons (Med/High heat).

Cook that up for about 5 min. Take off the heat and add about 1 C slivered fresh basil. (It may only call for 1/2 C, I can't remember...but more can't hurt!)

Pour into a casserole dish and top with fresh grated Parmesan (or whatever you have).

Bake it at 350 for 25-30 min or until the tomatoes are bubbly.

Then eat it up before you have to share it with everyone!

Skyway Adventure

2011-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

So husband and I decided that since we both had no plans or special ideas for the weekend that we needed an adventure.

We both wanted to kayak but it turned out to be way to cold and windy for us to do that so...we decided to drive up to the Skyway bridge and maybe do some fishing and some cooking (I always have to eat).

We drove to the pier but they wanted like a million dollars for us to fish from it and we just weren't sure that the fishing would be good anyway. PLUS it was miserably cold and windy.

So we found a spot we could hang out near the bridge.

And husband cooked us up some bratwurst.

And I stayed in the car because I would freeze to death if I got out. (See my deadliest catch sweater?)

It was a fun adventure but next time I want it to be super hot outside so we can catch fish and hang out in the water. Basically all we did was eat food in the car and then drive home...ha ha oh well.

My Honeymoon Finds

2011-01-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the shells I found the other day. I actually found quite a variety and it was fun all over again getting them cleaned up.

A few olives, some moon snails...

Lots of fighting conchs. They are everywhere but I can't resist some of their colors. And you can't see these in the photos but I also found some little cones and a worm snail :)

I know this post is just for the shellers out there but hey, I am one of them so I can't help it!

Stormy Shelling

2011-01-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

This morning I got up bright and early to go shelling on Honeymoon Island with my boss Kelly and our friend Linda. It was rainy but that didn't stop us! We spent a few hours there and every one found something special.

Here is my bucket. They are soaking on the porch right now. I found some little guys that I will have to show you when I sort them all out.

Some of Kelly's amazing finds.

Can't wait to go again!

Another Disney Adventure

2011-01-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we finally got to visit our friends the Yonfas, in Orlando.
We pretty much always head to Disney when we are over there because it is so awesome and we happen to be FL passholders :)

Albert had a great time playing with my new lens. I will have to tell you all about that later but it is awesome!
He took this picture below of the stars of Tangled....I have no idea where this was.

We tried to take this picture together but our height differences are drastic.

Here Carolyn and I are probably walking back from the restroom...

Pirates is a must!

We got to be in the show on the backlot tour. Very special.

Love this photo Albert took of a Mickey balloon.

We love walking the boardwalk.

Husband with the Main Street Indian.

Love this saucy look Carolyn!

Epcot.

Here is a game Disney fans. Its called: Where are we in Disney?
I know a couple of people who will participate in this but maybe I will be surprised....do you know where we are here?

And here?

And here?

????
This one should be easy...?

How about here?

Sunday we were of little help to our friends who are moving. They are moving into an awesome house which is not quite ready yet. But husband and I cannot wait to play with them there!

Here are the boys painting the apartment back to its original color.

And poor Blondie - she had to chill on the porch because she wanted to help too much.

Hope your weekend was great too. More adventures to come this weekend...

The Last of 2010

2011-01-10T17:43:00.001-08:00

OK folks...it only took me about a year to get a post up but here it is. Christmas 2010.

This year we were home in South FL for Christmas with my side of the family. We had a great time just being home with everyone.

This is my mother's nativity. My grandmother painted it and my grandfather made the creche.

On Christmas Eve Husband poured us some champagne :)

Here is some of the family before Christmas Eve Mass. We are always missing some...

Brittany did a lot of baking.

She made these awesome white chocolate lollipops.

Practicing my photo skills on mom and dad's Christmas tree.

Christmas morning brought us lots of presents. Here is my pops looking at the photo album I made for him and mom.

Mom opening her gifts.
Husband and I were really proud of the gift we got Brittany. She had been looking for this fenton three tiered candy stand for a long time and we found one!

Here she is about to discover this awesome gift.

See? Pretty huh? (I think we actually were more excited than she was lol)

Notice the knock hockey game behind the tree? I got that a few years ago and every time I am home for Christmas we go crazy playing it. It's hilarious.

After presents the girls start cooking and the boys do this.

Mom and Teresa starting on a pie I believe.

On to New Years....

We had a few friends over to celebrate the New Year with us this year. We had quite the feast for 6 people!

Jen and Alan came from afar to play with us.

Matt and Sarah did not...

Don't they all look cute?!

I still have a bunch of pictures to go through so there is more to come. Have a great week family and fellow bloggers.

Quick Update and Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well I am off to see my family for Christmas. I can't wait! Here are some photos of our Christmas in Umatilla last weekend.

My mother in law took us to see Ice at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando. So neat, and soooooo cold - 9 degrees! We are not used to that here in FL.

All of this is made out of ice - can you believe that?

The hotel inside was beautiful. Here is my mother in law and Grandmother in law and me!

Sand sculptures - awesome.

Husband's mom got a new kitty for Christmas. His name is Dante. We all had so much fun playing with him.

He watched us all open our gifts.

And he found a nice resting spot with Husband.

I hope you all have a very blessed, safe and MERRY Christmas!

A Little Christmas

2010-12-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

Thought I'd show you all some of my Christmas decor.
Maybe some of you out there have not decorated yet and need a little inspiration :)

Our village

Love this wreath I got in North Carolina

Our table. I took apart some berry garland to do that.

Presents!

In the bathroom - some vintage ornaments mixed with new ornaments

And of course - our patio tree (My favorite) It still needs some work but you get the picture...

Annual St. Augustine Weekend

2010-12-06T07:30:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone. I hope your weekend was grand. Ours was!

Every year we head over to St. Augustine for the Christmas parade and other festivities. We get to see my Grandma Kroncke and lots of other family members from my Dad's side. We had beautiful weather this weekend. Perfect for a parade and some shopping.

Here are Parker and Lillian watching the parade. They were really into it - so cute!

This person is not related to us but her dog is cute ;)

Tiny (Lillian) took some pictures with my camera. She is quite the photographer. She took this one of Grandma.

Parker did some rolling down the hills near the Fort.

Tiny watched.

Momma lookin pretty.

I love this with the sailboats in the background.

Lots of British were there.

And Indians.

Grandma and Dad always treat us to lunch. Here are Husband and Teresa enjoying themselves.

Brittany and Tiny are so pretty.

Husband and I had a good time too.

Tiny took this picture of Mom and Dad.
She did good!

Tiny took this one as well.

The trees in the square are beautifully lit at night. Unfortunately, I am not a great night time photographer yet...but here is one with Brittany and Teresa looking fabulous.

Husband spent a lot of the day this way but I don't think he minded.

It was a great weekend and now it is freezing in Tampa. I love it. Now time for housework - happy Monday ya'll!

Heath Bar Cupcakes

2010-11-30T05:45:00.000-08:00

I forgot! I had a request by fellow blogger Kaybe to post the recipe for the heath bar cupcakes I made for husband's Birthday. So here you go Karen :)

Well it is super easy. Last year I made a full layered cake so really you can make this however you want. Here is how you do it:

You need:

1 box of German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Caramel
Cool Whip
Heath Bars

Bake the cake according to the instructions on the box. When it has cooled a bit, poke holes throughout the cake. I used a straw.
Spoon the condensed milk over the cake and then the caramel.
Cool completely.

Add the cool whip. Crumble the heath bars and place on top. So easy and so good!

Thanksgiving Recap

2010-11-30T05:27:00.000-08:00

OK I am behind. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you all did as well. This month of December will be crazy, I can tell already! I have much updating to do but for now, here are some photos of our Thanksgiving in Husband's hometown of Umatilla, FL.

The kitchen was busy but here is Husband in the middle of it all - putting some detail into our homemade apple pie.

Grandmom snacked on something delicious :)

We had a turkey AND a ham!

Husband had to take a picture of his plate. He is proud.

We are getting a cold front in Tampa - I can't wait!