Monthly Musings is Thursday!

 

 

Patty  and I hope you will join us for Monthly Musings on Thursday!  We are talking all things Spring Fashion!  Answer the questions above and link up with us.  We are SO EXCITED about this topic!  Hope to see you back here!

Hello Monday and Hello Last Week of February! (ALSO Monthly Musings is Thursday!)

 

Hi Friends and Happy Monday!  Linking up with Tanya, Heather and the Crew HERE 

and sharing some scenes from our weekend....

 

 

We are one week closer to Spring...Diana and I talked about it this weekend...the days are longer...we are feeling it...the weather is a little milder....and when March hits we feel we are there!

 

 

Here is what we were up to

 

 

Friday Night

 

Mama had a girls night with one of her pals and favorite Dance Moms

 

 

 

Saturday Morning

 

 

Our Date Walk felt like a heat wave- ha!  It was 23 degrees and I was fine with only one pair of socks...funny the difference you feel between 9 degrees, 12 degrees and 23...can't wait to tell you when it is 60 degrees at 7am!

 

 After this, Saturday was a pretty lazy day for me...although Diana's schedule was crazy, Robby B handled the racing around for me...I was a little under the weather...just run down and needed to rest (and maybe binge Smash again...I know I have issues...just dreaming of getting back to Broadway) 

 

Remi also had a grooming appointment so Rob snapped this pic of him in the car- so cute and getting used to the car!

 

 

and my snuggly girls keeping me company...

I did manage to scoot out and have my nails done...

 

 

That night, we took the girls to dinner at Pasquale's to celebrate the start of their Winter break...not like we have exciting plans...rough year but looking forward to some adventures hopefully later in the year for sure!  They always love getting dessert in a restaurant so we let them of course...

 

 

 

Sunday

 

When Rob took Eva to hockey, I took that time to get organized while Diana slept in for the first time all school year!   I got some organizing done with clothes and put some bags together for donations and got some cooking and reading done.  Then we all went to 11:30 mass. 

 

 

I feel like all I wear in Winter is black...no exaggeration...so I decided to perk things up and grabbed a Lilly shirt for the day...

 

 

Later on, we had my cousin Tessie's Virtual Baby Shower...it was cute and we had a great time...I loved how into it Diana was :)

 

 Then I took the girls to Target to get a few spring outfits and a few Easter decorations...they didn't have much...will have to hit HomeGoods soon...just like Valentines, we have never really decorated much for Easter but feel like we need to this year.....

 

Later, Daddy made us dinner!  It was incredible.  He made homemade Italian Wedding Soup...

 

We wound down the weekend by taking Remi for a power walk....he is really getting used to the neighborhood and I was able to have him jogging for most of it- so much fun!

 That's a wrap!  Oh one more thing!  Patty and I hope you will join us on Thursday for this month's edition of Monthly Musings.  We are talking all things Spring Fashion!

 

Check out our questions...

 

Friday Favorites

 

Well friends, we made it through one more week of Winter....and Spring is officially one month away!  Can I get a what what?

 

In all seriousness, praying for our friends in Texas and hoping their heat and electricity and water come back soon.

 

 

Here are a few faves from our week..

 

 

 Ash Wednesday/The Start Of Lent

 

My favorite time of the year in church

Healthy Banana Bread

Recipe coming soon friends!

PTA Meet The Candidates Night

Friends?  I started this event 15 years ago and I am so proud that it is still continuing today.  This is my second time around with the Windham PTA and last night I hosted this annual event.  This is an opportunity for our citizens to meet the candidates running for school board, get to know them and get an understanding on their take on the current issues.  COVID 19 has proven to provide very interesting questions and content for sure!

Side Note: Last night gave me a chance to dress up a bit and feel professional again...it made me want to go on five client visits too- ha!  Soon soon!

and our wonderful candidates and moderator...

and my biggest fans watching from home.... (it was broadcast on the local cable channel and live streamed)

Fave MEMEs of the Week

Diana sent me the first one and said "Mom this is SO YOU!" We cracked up and when it asked for a caption, I said, "Where is my seltzer?" Ha!  Too funny :)

Have I mentioned I am LOVING yoga?  No? ;)

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and warm winter weekend!

 

 

Linking up HERE 

for Friday Favorites 

Fat Tuesday

 

What is Fat Tuesday?

 

From Wikipedia: 

Mardi Gras (/ˈmɑːrdi ˌɡrɑː/), or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before the ritual Lenten sacrifices and fasting of the Lenten season.

Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word shrive, meaning "to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve

 

 

There is also a Mardi Gras tradition known as King Cake....

 

Have you heard of it?

 

 

Also from Wikipedia:

 

King Cake in the U.S

In the Southeastern region, particularly Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, king cake is associated with Mardi Gras and is served during Carnival^[4] and year round.^[17] It may have been introduced by Basque settlers in 1718,^[18] or by the French in 1870.^[19]

It comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough. It may be topped with icing or sugar, which may be colored to show the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.^[4]

Cakes may also be filled with cream cheese, praline, cinnamon, or strawberry. The "Zulu King Cake" has chocolate icing with a coconut filling.^[20]

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby,^[21] symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of New Orleans to celebrate their Christian faith.^[22] The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake^[23] or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.^[20][24] Bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake to avoid liability for any choking hazard.^[25]

In 2009 the New Orleans Pelicans introduced the King Cake Baby as a seasonal mascot.^[26]

 

So for the first time ever, we ordered a King Cake and got ours delivered by Maurice's Bakery in New Orleans, Louisiana!

 

Check them out HERE

 

 

Ours came a little early and was delivered on Saturday.  I was glad, though, as that was my one and only cheat day of the week so I could have a sliver!

 

 

I had to ice the cake and put the sprinkles on when it was delivered and it came out beautiful in its rich colors of purple (justice), gold (power) and green (faith)

 

 

 We read the history of the King Cake and Fat Tuesday and then we all talked about what we were giving up/sacrificing during Lent this year....it is always fun to hear what everyone is thinking and I am proud of my girls for putting some serious thought into their sacrifices...we will attend mass and get ashes on Wednesday and partake in some different Stations of the Cross events during Lent- I am looking forward to this more than ever this year....

so who found the baby?????

Miss Eva did!  We crowned her Queen Of The Day!  We had some laughs and enjoyed some cake and the girls loved the beads and coins that came along with the cake....fun new tradition...some day we will have to get to New Orleans too!

Do you have any Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday traditions?  How about during Lent?  I know we will be talking about Easter traditions sooner than later too but always curious to see what special traditions are shared out there!

 

 

 

 

 Linking up with Erika for Tuesday Talk HERE

Hello Monday and Hello Sweet Valentine Weekend!

 

Hi Friends!  Hope you had a sweet Valentine Weekend....we sure did and sharing some scenes with you....

 

Jogging at Sunrise on Friday- it was only 9 degrees- you may be able to see the frost on my eyebrows and eyelashes- brrr- but it may sound crazy- it felt great!

 

 

Quick Lunch with Lea- love her nail color so she let me snap a pic so I can request the color next time...

 

Our Fave Salad at Copper Door = The Wedge

 When you get up from your desk for a bathroom break, you have to know now that it is a requirement to play with Remi for two minutes- hysterical

Diana had an assignment for her FACS class (Family and Consumer Science) and that was to make a Banana Coffee Cake- she did a great job and had to send this pic to her teacher so she could get graded :)

 

 

Kumo Sushi= Fave Fri Night Takeout

 

Saturday Morning Date Walk = My Fave Part Of The Week (it felt like a heat wave at 12 degrees) ha!

 

 

My parents were coming over to bring the girls some Valentine treats so I asked them to stay for a Valentine Breakfast and I got my groove on and made heart shaped bacon, heart shaped cinnamon rolls, chocolate covered strawberries and something compliant for me- Keto Egg Cups- we had a ball catching up and being festive...

 

 

Mimi made a new best friend :)

 

 

Diana performed her competition piece for the grandparents- yes Papa Bob joined in on the fun too!

 

 

Our King Cake arrived from Maurice's Bakery in New Orleans- more on the King Cake tradition and fun tomorrow...

 

 

Rob and I had a sweet Valentine Date night and tried Villagio in Manchester- highly recommend- incredible Italian restaurant!

 

 

Yesterday was a sweet Valentine's Day

 

Eva and Daddy were up and out early for a hockey jamboree in Exeter

 

I snuck in a home workout- my gym put together some videos on their YouTube channel and I Love them- I did a Power Yoga class :)

 

 

I surprised my Loves with some Valentine treats...

 

 

and got some pretty roses from Robby B

 The rest of the day was all about organizing and a fun lunch and when Daddy was assembling a new bureau for Mama's closet, the girls and I crashed in our bed to watch some Liv and Maddie...look at these two crazies...

 Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

 

Linking up with Heather, Tanya and the Crew HERE 

for Hello Monday