Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours....MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas Day!

Love, Molly, Adam, Casey and Harley

Christmas Countdown!!

The Countdown to Christmas is on!! 5 Days!

I love Christmas and this is one I will always remember. It will just be Adam and I at home as our families are out of town and live too far. We will miss them but at this will be one I cherish as it will be our "last" Christmas just the two of us. Next year we will have our sweet baby girl to share it with! That is so exciting too. We feel so blessed! But for now we are enjoying things just the two of us!

On a side note, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to my wonderful neighbors who took me to lunch today and then to Babies R US to register. We had a fun afternoon and tips from seasoned pro mommies like them are very much needed! Thank you girls!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas full of family, fun and memories!

Elf Yourself

I knew this had been going around but never really looked at it until my cousin sent one with her, her husband and son. I was laughing out loud so I decided to make one of my own!!!

Adam didn't think it was very funny at first but came around and we have been laughing at this for about an hour!

Click the link to see our ElfYourself dance! Enjoy and Happy Holidays everyone! Hope this makes you laugh!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/g1qkdYsmF3cOdPp3

See this Movie!

If you haven't already seen, "The Blind Side" see it! It was an amazing movie, we loved it! So much to take way from it and so heartwarming!

Snow Day, Deep Freeze, New Car and Bear

This is going to be a quick post if I can manage it because I am in between batches of cookies!

Adam is away for the week, off visiting family and friends in California. So Saturday night the doggies and I are watching Christmas movies, baking cookies and sitting by the fire (I love the holidays!!)

We had a pretty interesting and up and down week out here and phew, I am glad it is over!

Monday and Tuesday we had painters take over the house and had a few rooms and our foyer painted (Call it nesting, but this needed to be done asap!) and they turned out great! Tuesday we made a run to the mall for dinner and to shop for Christmas and it was a very successful trip! As we left the mall the snow had started really coming down...as the weatherman said it would. We made it home safe and sound only to wake up to almost a foot of snow. Yikes, bust out the shovels! We dug out only to 24 hours later have everything turn to ice when we got a "deep freeze" Temps got to below zero and the doggies were not happy going outside :( But we managed and today we were back up to the high 20's!

Thursday brought some really sad news for our whole family. My sister, Denise's sweet dog Bear, passed away very unexpectedly from cancer. We never even knew he was sick until Denise took him into the vet on Thursday. It was very advanced and Denise made the best choice for Bear-Bear. We are going to miss him so much. He was truly a wonderful dog who had a really special bond with Denise. I know that Denise is going through a lot, I wish I was closer to her so that I could just hug her tight. :( We will love Bear forever.

On a happier note, we also got a brand new car today! We got a Navy Volvo XC90. Now both cars will be AWD and can get through snow safely! Not to mention the XC90 is one of the safest SUVs on the market so our baby girl will be safe and sound on the road! I am starting to feel like a mom...looking and eventually buying cars that have the highest safety ratings :) I love it!

Okay, that was a little long but it was a busy week! Back to cookies and Christmas movies!

It's a.....

I have been trying to get an update about Thanksgiving etc. written this entire week! Still not done :(

But....we are having a baby GIRL! We couldn't be more excited about having a little girl! She looks perfect! I am anticipating she's going to be a Daddy's girl already!

Here are two pictures from my ultrasound today at 19 weeks!

Veteran's Day

I just wanted to take moment to say a huge THANK YOU to all the men and women of our country that have served us in the past, the present and will serve us in the future. One day of recognition and just saying "thank you" doesn't seem enough to show the gratitude I have for all of you and what you give day in and out to keep us safe. THANK YOU to you all, and your families. God Bless you all!

Love Thursday

It's Thursday already??!! Don't get me wrong...I am happy it is Thursday and almost the weekend but wow this week went fast! Maybe it is the fact that I am in bed most nights at 9 if I am not asleep on the couch before then!

This Love Thursday I love: productive weeks and getting things checked off my To Do List!!!

During the almost 4 months I have been pregnant I have not had too many productive days let alone weeks but this week was a good one! It feels so good to be crossing things off my list which grows longer everyday!! It is especially growing with things that are starred with "get this done before baby" written next to it.

This week I managed to get my car serviced, schedule our painting for our house, garage cleaned out and patio furniture put away, sprinkler system winterized, fall yard work done, new appliances purchased, Wilson Family Thanksgiving food charity organized, bills paid, house cleaned, refrigerator and pantry cleaned out, dogs walked every day and about a mountain of laundry done including washing winter coats etc that had been put away since the spring! We are all set for winter and the holidays!

The Thanksgiving countdown is officially on! I can't wait to see my cousins and family and all in the same room! I feel really blessed these days!

So, here is to hoping that this second trimester brings me many more productive days and weeks! Off to eat ice cream and watch Thursday shows with my wonderful hubby!

We're Back!

I have been a terrible blogger lately :( but I have a good excuse that I will get to in a few minutes! Let's see, so where did we leave off last.....well since I've updated a lot has gone on!

Here is the rundown:

We have had trips to Green Bay for a Packers Game and a weekend at the American Club in Kohler, we have spent lots of time with family and friends, we have gone apple picking, pumpkin picking, taken long walks with the dogs, Adam started working again and just watching a few favorite new shows on TV like, FlashForward!

Since Adam has been home we have really been going nonstop trying to catch up on the time we missed being together over the summer.

We also just got back from a trip to Mexico with my family. We rented a really beautiful house in Cabo San Lucas, Villa Bellissima. We had a really great time soaking up the sun and spending time together. Our group included, My mom and dad, my sister and her boyfriend, my uncle, Adam and me, and our family friends Tim and Gayle. On one of the days all the boys went deep seas fishing and caught a bunch of fish including a Marlin that Adam reeled in! The link below is video of him bringing in the Marlin which they released.

http://www.youtube.com/ranchobg#p/a/u/1/Eg26CHOQgiA

So now we are back home and getting ready for Halloween. Adam's friend Rich will be in town to visit so the boys can go celebrate in Madison on Halloween while I stay home and hand out candy!

Okay, so lastly we have some big news to share! We are having a BABY! I am due in early May and am 13 weeks now! We couldn't be more excited and can't wait to meet our baby in May!! My keeping up with the blog has been hard due to a good 9 weeks straight of being pretty sick and tired :( No fun!! But I am starting to feel better finally!!

Happy Halloween and I promise to start blogging more often again!

It's 9:30 on a Friday night, I am totally beat and am looking forward to climbing into bed with my hubby soon! But before I head off....do you ever have moments, days, times where you think your life couldn't be more perfect?! Tonight was one of those times or moments :) We are sitting on the couch now just watching TV but I just felt like today was a perfect fall night. Fall is my favorite time of year and it is finally here! After running around like a crazy person doing errands (flu shot, groceries, fedex, barn, workout etc.) the sky turned gray and it started to drizzle. Most people hate the rain but there is something about fall rain that I love. I guess it is perfect for cozying up The rain was falling off and on but we went out to University Lake School's (my old middle school) annual barn sale that I grew up going to every year...it is basically a big community yard sale benefiting the school. We spent $1 at the sale and spent an hour looking around. We saw an old teacher of mine who we see every year and just walked around hand in hand :) Something so simple as holding hands in the cold makes me smile bigger than ever. Chinese take out with the love of my life, a fire in the fire place, rain falling outside in the cold, doggies sleeping, brownies and board games tonight made this a perfect night for me. I couldn't ask for more. I have the man I love, we are healthy and enjoying each other, laughing and thinking about how truly blessed we are. A perfect fall night for me!

More fall perfection the rest of this weekend too! We are headed to Fall Harvest Fest at Elegant Farmer tomorrow with Katie and the kiddos and Sunday we are decorating the house for fall! I am a lucky blessed girl and am so thankful for that!

Blog Update Soon!

I know it has been awhile.....but I have a good excuse! Adam got home. That was two weeks ago, but we are just busy getting back into the swing of things and resuming a normal life! I promise and update is coming really soon though!

9/11/01-9/11/09

I couldn't let this day go by without a short post about what this day marks. The eight year anniversary of 9/11/01. Today was a day to remember and honor everyone who lost there life and saved lives on that day, those affected by the aftermath of that day and those who protect use day in and day out. I am forever grateful that I live in this country and will never be able to thank all those out there who have protected and protect my family, friends and I. September 11, 2001 is a day that changed everyone's lives and I will never forget anything about that day. Today is also a reminder to never take anything for granted and hug those you love...I hope everyone said a prayer and remembered 9/11/01 in their own way today because we are so lucky to live in this country!

A great song and video about today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-x9kMPauc

Vermont Trip and a Little Update

Whew....September 11th already?! Where do the days go? Things have been pretty busy around here getting ready for Adam to come home and enjoying the random warm weather we have had for two weeks! (About 80 and sunny for two straight weeks!!) I have a feeling the fall will come fast though. That's okay because it is my favorite season!!!

I found the camera cord finally! After some major closet cleaning and straightening up around here, there it was! The pictures are uploaded and there are about 70 of them...Yikes! But don't worry, I won't post that many here! Just a few of my favorites

A recap of my trip: So I flew to Vermont about two weeks ago to help my cousin Danielle move into the University of Vermont! She is a freshman and moved all the way from California...big culture change! But she can handle it! So after meeting Dani and her Dad at the Burlington Airport, we got our rental cars and headed to lunch and our hotels to settle in and change clothes. Then it was off to pick up her roommate, Kelsey, and shop til we dropped getting every necessity a college freshman must have!

Friday we got Dani and all her boxes and huge suitcases in her new room. It was bittersweet to be helping her move in. I am so happy and proud of her but at the same time it makes me miss the whole process of college and moving in and new friendships etc so much! But my time has passed and it is Dani's turn! We had another round of trips to Bed Bath and Beyond and Walmart then came time for Louie and I to leave Dani on campus to do her "student thing" (mostly mandatory meetings and floor dinner) at 4.

After Friday night we were basically done with our duties as "move in team" and Saturday was just making sure Dani was settled and didn't need anything. She gave us a tour Saturday morning and then I headed off 45 min away to Middlebury to meet up with Mike, Catherine, Patrick and of course Jack Gilbert! I hadn't seen the Gilberts, one of my favorite families, since Patrick was baby! 3 years later, Patrick is as cute as can be and seriously a mini-Mike in every way! It was so good to see them. We walked around the shops in downtown Middlebury, threw pennies in the fountain with Patrick, had lunch and went to a wooden toy factory to get some new toys! I couldn't help but think about how fast time flies as I walked in the rain hand in hand with the cutest, funniest and most articulate 3 year old I have ever met! I still can't believe he is 3! We had a great time and I wish I could have stayed longer! I headed back to Burlington, played tourist for awhile and then headed to dinner with Dani and Louie for the last time :( Some pasta, Ben and Jerry's and hugs goodbye it was time to go home. It was such a good trip and I still try and check on Dani everyday! She seems to be doing great so far!

So what's the update here in Wisco....counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until my hubby comes home! It is so close and I really can't wait! Ahead of us in the offseason is lots of exciting things! I'll post more on that in a few weeks :)

Lots of Pictures, No Camera Cord?!

Back from Vermont and had a blast! But now I can't find the cord to my camera so I can upload the 100 or so pictures, ugh! Hope I find it soon and will post the pictures and an update!

Other than my missing camera cord things are so busy around here and we are trying to enjoy the last bit of summer! Adam will be home soon and I couldn't be happier!!!

Vermont

I am off to Vermont tomorrow for the weekend! My cousin, Danielle, is going to be a freshman at the University of Vermont and I am going to help her get all settled in the dorms and with school life! I am so excited for her! It has been awhile since I have done the whole move in routine but I am so proud of Dani and can't wait to see all she accomplishes!

I don't know our exact schedule while we are there but if anyone who has been to the Burlington area before and has any "must see/do/visits" I would love to hear them!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! It's starting to feel like fall here! My favorite!!

Love Thursday

We are back to Love Thursday! My posts for Love Thursday seem few and far between these but while I am sitting here with a full stomach I can't help but think about how much I love Chili's! (the restaurant)

As the wife of a minor league baseball player, I have eaten at more than my fair share of these chain restaurants (Applebees, TGIFriday's, etc. the list goes on and on) especially late at night. But out of all of these I could eat Chili's everyday! Chili's Fajitas, Quesadillas, Salads, Margaritas all hold a special place in my heart! I love that Chili's is a mile from our house and every time I order I think I should walk and get the food instead of drive but driving always wins. I don't want cold fajitas!!

Anyway, I love food. I love to eat especially at Chili's! Now back to watching Police Women of Broward County, which is a pretty good show!

Happy Thursday everyone, the weekend is almost here and that means another week down and I am closer to my hubby being home! I absolutely cannot wait until he gets home and I know he is anxious to get home too!

AR: It's almost over baby! We love you and are so proud of you for such a great season! You'll be home with us soon! Love Your Girls C,H,M!

Zucchini Anyone?!

Is there anything better than vegetables fresh from the garden and the food you can make with the fresh veggies?! I don't think so!

Ever since I was little my dad would plant a huge garden in the backyard. For the past five years or so he didn't plant one and it didn't seem to be a big deal that we didn't have one. This year my dad decided to plant a garden and a BIG one at that! And I know we are all happy he did and realized how much we missed it the last few years!

There is nothing like going out to the yard and picking out what vegetables you want to eat for dinner or cook with. And we have tons of options! The garden is doing better than I thought it would and now we have so many veggies that we can't seem to cook and eat fast enough!!

We have: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Green Onions, every kind of pepper you can imagine, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Pumpkins and probably some I am forgetting. The tomatoes are out of control....we have so many! But they are so good. I never really liked tomatoes but these are kind of sweet and juicy....so good!! The Zucchini are probably my favorite. It's my favorite vegetable and these zucchini are delicious and not to mention HUGE! I have never seen anything like them. I am eating and cooking with Zucchini almost every night and it usually takes me a week to get through just one of these giants! I have been putting zucchini and tomatoes in everything from pasta salad to tacos and loving it!

The garden and all the veggies have forced us to come up with new delicious recipes. So far, Chocolate Zucchini cake, Zucchini muffins and Zucchini pasta salad have been some favorites! If anyone wants the recipes for the chocolate cake, muffins or pasta salad let me know!

Lazy Sunday and a Long Post

Sunday is definitely my favorite day of the week! There is just something about Sundays that makes me so happy. Maybe it is because Sunday's usually mean relaxation. Today is really the first Sunday in a long time where I can just do nothing and I am loving it! It's 12:30 and I am still in pjs, sitting on the couch with a bunch of blankets and watching CMT's Top 20 countdown. Also, I can see raindrops on the patio and the cloudy sky makes me happy that finally I am not going to force myself to go out and enjoy the sunshine and warmth. I have trying to spend as much time enjoying the warmth and sun because it's going to be cold and snowy before I know it!

The last month and a half have honestly been a whirlwind and I don't even know where to really begin...It seems like forever ago that I was driving back from visiting Adam in Birmingham but really it hasn't been that long! Well, busy doesn't even begin to describe life right now. After I got back from Birmingham, Adam ended up going back to Winston Salem only to be moved to Charlotte (Triple A!!) early last week and now he is back in Birmingham! I know he is tired of traveling, moving, he misses his car and most of all I know he just wants to come home! Believe me, I want nothing more than for him to come home too! But just a few weeks left and then we get six amazing months together! We have lots of big plans and trips this fall to look forward to!

Things work out in interesting ways and when Adam got moved to Charlotte last week it just happened that they were playing against the Indianapolis Indians so I got to see him!(after a 5 hour drive to Indy) We had a wonderful dinner Saturday night with my dad and it was just awesome to see him on the field again! I love to see my husband in a baseball uniform...mmm!

I keep saying we are so busy...Adam is busy with baseball and I am busy with summer! Lots of fun things and some not so fun things have kept me busy!

Fun:
The Farm- batting cage and garden
New Baby- My friend Katie had a beautiful baby girl about two weeks ago and I have been playing with her son Connor a lot this last month and got to babysit little Arianna on Friday for the first time! She is such a cutie and a great baby!
DMB Concert
Brewers Games
Girls Nights Out
Working out
State Fair
Long Summer walks
Cooking and trying new recipes
Finally some warm weather

Not Fun:
Yucky summer cold right after I got back from Birmingham
Yard work and House work

There has been a lot more fun than not fun!

What's next?! The last few weeks of the season are finally here and then the playoffs! I am hoping and trying to figure out a way to get down to the south and see Adam one more time..but it doesn't look promising :( Football season is back!!! I watched the Packers play last night and I am so excited for football season! Go Canes and Packers!! August 27-30th I am helping my cousin, Dani, move to Vermont for college! I am so excited that she asked me to help her move and be a part of this big transition for her! I am also going to be getting ready for Adam to finally get home! And hopefully he makes it in time for our first bowling league night! We joined a neighborhood bowling league! We play one Saturday a month and it is going to be a blast! It will just be good to have Adam home and get back to a normal life again!

The Girls at DMB

Making Cookies with Connor

Casey after a walk

The batting cage!

Anna and baby Scout

My parents' new house...coming along!

Victory Field in Indianapolis

Indianapolis Indians vs. Charlotte Knights

Adam and I at Moe's Steakhouse in Indy

Oops!

Oops! It has been awhile since I have updated! Lots of stuff going on in our lives right now!!! Haven't been able to really sit down for 10 minutes at a time to update!!

One of those exciting things is that Adam got called up to the WhiteSox triple A team, the Charlotte Knights!!! Off to Indianapolis for the weekend with my dad to see him! Updates and lots of pictures when I get back!!

Summer Catch Up Part 2: Roadtrip to Alabama

Just got off the phone with my hubby who is in nowhere-ville North Carolina...and man I love him! We don't get to talk at length a lot. Most of our conversations are, Good Morning on my way to work/the field, and Good Night (if I am still awake when the game is done) so when we are both awake, not busy and can catch up for a moment it's wonderful. And he makes me laugh :) Okay, now about Alabama!

Roadtrip! About a week after I got back from New York City I was missing Adam like crazy. The missing him feeling is always the worst right after I get back from seeing him. I can't sleep, I just feel down all the time, and I am always thinking, "why do we do this" and "we will never get this time in our lives back, why are we spending it apart?" It was the second thought, "we will never get this time back" that made me think, "ya, well why don't you just go see him again?" So after talking to my boss, also known as my dad, and got the okay, I was loading the car!

Adam hadn't seen the dogs since he left for Spring training and I know how much he misses them, so "the girls" and I left early in the morning bound for Hoover, Alabama. Adam got moved up to AA so it was Alabama instead of North Carolina. 13 hours, lots of french fries, 1 book on cd and 3 potty breaks later we were in Hoover and "the girls" were lovin on Adam like crazy! The remembered him for sure!

We stayed for 5 days and had a blast. The Residence Inn in Hoover was awsome and we had a one bedroom suite with plenty of room for us! We found a couple of lakes and parks and spent afternoons playing and walking the dogs. I spent the evenings sitting in the stands watching baseball and chatting with my girls who I hadn't seen in awhile! I forgot how much I missed some of those girls. But I really love how we can chat the game away and it's like we never left! We ate a lot of Applebees (late night in the room after the game), pizza and my favorite, Chick-Fil-A! (AMAZING, i love that place and could eat there everyday...we almost did!)

On the last night the boys had the day off so Adam and I actually got to go out to dinner at a reasonable time. We went to a Japanese Steak house and ate too much! But I think my favorite part of the trip had to be the last night when we just hung out in bed with "the girls" watching Entourage and enjoying being together. The four of us together again!

Great trip and now back to reality! There is lots going on here...that's going to be another post! Maybe Friday? Ya, probably Friday!

Sorry no pictures...I am being camera lazy these days!

Summer Catch Up Part 1: NYC/Delaware Trip

It has taken me almost forever to get this post written....I am not sure why but things just got busy and at the end of the day I would sit down and be too tired to do much of anything. I have been busy hanging out with friends and neighbors, my family and taking a last minute trip to see Adam in Alabama. But finally here it is!

Back in June I went out to see Adam for a mini vacation and it couldn't have been more fun! In the middle of June the league Adam's team is in has a three day All-Star break (3 days off in a row!) so instead of coming home this year we decided to go to New York City for a fun few days since he was already up there playing in Wilmington!

I flew into to Philly on June 18th and anxiously drove to Wilmington. I hadn't seen Adam in almost 8 weeks and couldn't wait to hug and kiss him and sleep next to him. (I really miss sleeping next to him the most!) Turns out that with all the rainy weather Adam's game that night got cancelled! Hooray! More time with my hubby! What made this trip even better and probably one of the best ever was that I finally got to see one of my best friends in the whole world, Ashley! I hadn't seen Ashley since she was standing next to me in my wedding and I don't know how I made it that long without seeing her! Ashley came from Philly and we all went out to Dinner! So fun! The rest of my time in Wilmington was great too! More dinner with Ashley, a few baseball games, going to the movies (The Proposal, so cute!), visiting with one of my favorite baseball families The Brooks' and some last minute father day shopping!

After 4 days in Wilmington we took off for New York City for the All-Star break. We wanted to have a bunch of stuff planned to do but I gave up at the last minute and just decided that we would wing it. After all this was about spending time together, even if that meant just hanging out in the hotel all day together! But we didn't do that!

Just a few of the things we did in New York: Saw Laura and Rachael at their friends awsome concert!!, Visited Times Square and The World Trade Center, Hung out in Central Park enjoying the sun, Shopping, Rock of Ages on Broadway (A must see!!) Watching the College World Series in Times Square drinking wine all dressed up!, getting lost walking around and adventures to find Donut Plant (really good donuts from a guy I saw on Throw Down with Bobby Flay) Lunch at Kelly and Ping and Dinner at Cipriani, and last but not least drinks with my Lville girls at The Yard! I forget how good it is to catch up with my girls. It was great to see them and I will be going back to see them more often. I miss them so much! All in all, a wonderful, fun, memorable trip! I wouldn't trade my time with Adam for anything in the whole world! I miss him so much every single day!

I forgot my camera in a mad dash to leave the house on my way to Wilmington so there are no pictures from our trip :( But Liz took this one when we went out for drinks with Lville Girls!

Okay, so there is Part 1 of my update! Hope everyone enjoys and now I better take some sleepy puppies to bed! Sorry it took so long! Look for part 2 tomorrow!

Love Thursday

Well, it may not be an update but it is Thursday!

And this Love Thursday is all about my love of the Food Network!

With Adam gone all summer I have lots of alone time at home at night so I sit and watch the Food Network. My DVR is completely full of Food Network shows which I love....Chopped, Throw Down with Bobby Flay, Iron Chef America, Everyday Italian (one of my favs), 30 Minute Meals, The Next Food Network Star just to name a few. The funny thing is while I am watching these shows, I am also on FoodNetwork.com looking up the recipes so that I can try them. Needless to say I am hooked, my grocery bill is becoming crazy for all my practice cooking, and my fridge is full with no one to eat what I am making!

I love to cook and always have. I grew up cooking with my dad in the kitchen making everything and anything. He always let me stir and mix things together. Because of him I can make pasta from scratch (If i really feel like it, most of the time I don't though!), great homemade guacamole and so much more! I hope someday to pass on my love of cooking and even baking to my own kids!

My favorite recipe right now from Giada's Everyday Italian and the Food Network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

(except I add Baby Spinach and cut the Basil down to just a tablespoon, also I added a clove of garlic and grilled shrimp)

It is a perfect summer pasta!

My husband is going to be a happy man when he comes home in September to all my new recipes!

Updates Coming! I PROMISE!

I am so behind updating the blog! In my defense, I have been incredibly busy and on the go the last 3 weeks. But the updates are coming...really! I Promise! There will be a lot, so you are warned! Sorry for falling so behind! We love and miss you all!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July to everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend and celebrates with the ones they love! We are so lucky to live in this country and have the freedom that we do! I hope that everyone can take a minute today to think about all those strong and courageous men and women who are overseas fighting or have fought for our country. It is because of all these men and women that we are able to smile and celebrate today with friends and family while they are away from the ones they love. I know that they will be on my mind all day! Also, remember the historical meaning of this day! We are so lucky to live in this great country!

After watching the neighborhood kiddos in their bike parade today I am relaxing and baking! Off to Pewaukee tonight for water ski show, dinner and fireworks with my family! The only thing missing is Adam :(

Enjoy the day, Be Safe and God Bless

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday! I meant to post yesterday but there were cupcakes to be made and presents to be wrapped!

I made my mom cupcakes for her birthday, Spice Cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, as per her request! And I am pretty sure she loved them. It was her favorite cake growing up. My grandma used to make it for her on her birthday as a kid!

To celebrate, besides her cupcakes, we went to the Brewers Game! My mom, dad and I had a lot of fun eating hot dogs and corn dogs, cheese fries, and drinking a few beers!

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you had a really wonderful day! I love you so much!

Love Thursday

It's Thursday again and this time I am home snuggled up with my puppies and am so happy to be home with them again! But I miss Adam too!

This Love Thursday love is: The Soho Grand Hotel



We stayed at the Soho Grand for 4 days this past week in New York City. I must say it was fabulous in every way and we truly enjoyed our mini vacation at this hotel!


The hotel is on W. Broadway in Soho just off Canal Street. Soho is filled with great restaurants and shopping without the madness that is the Times Square area. When I booked our hotel I was really torn as to whether to stay in Times Square and be close to everything or to find someplace that was equally priced and more suited for the trip we wanted. I nailed it on the head with the Soho Grand. Props to me! :)

After I booked it I read some reviews online that were not great...."needs an upgrade," "tiny rooms," "overpriced," just to name a few complaints and I started to worry...don't believe the reviews!

The staff could not have been more courteous, helpful and friendly. The rooms, while small, fit our needs perfectly. I even had two suitcases and Adam had his baseball bag and there was plenty of space for the bags! We enjoyed exploring the neighborhood for food and one of the best things is that while Times Square and the touristy New York attractions really aren't walking distance, there was a subway station three blocks away that took us everywhere we needed to go! Even when we were coming home after midnight the subway brought us so close to the hotel it was great!

One of a couple bars located at the hotel is fabulous. The Yard, is an outside bar and lounge that is really trendy and fun! My Lville girls met me there for drinks Tuesday and it was great!

All in all a wonderful experience and I would recommend this hotel to all my family and friends who are looking for a unique place to stay on a quiet street in New York City!

Trip updates and details coming this weekend!

Love Thursday

I was traveling all day Thursday on my way to see Adam in Delaware so I didn't have a chance to do Thursday's post! Better late than never on the Love Thursday!

I LOVE Fireworks! There is something about them that makes me smile...maybe it is summer and baseball etc. but I really love them!

Last night (Friday) they had a really great fireworks show at the BlueRocks/Dash game here in Wilmington! Hopefully I can make it to more games that end with fireworks shows this season!

We are in Wilmington for 2 more days then it is off to spend 4 days in New York City! I will post about our trip when I get back late next week!

Break Out the Champagne!

The Winston-Salem Dash clinch the first half and are going to the playoffs in September!

Adam's team the Dash beat the Frederick Keys last night 4-0 to secure their spot in the Carolina League Playoffs 2009! They had the best record in their division!

The Champagne was flying in the clubhouse and everyone is so excited! Congratulations to the guys and especially to my hubby who is headed to the playoffs for a second year in a row!

I am off to see Adam and the Dash in Wilmington tomorrow morning!

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090616&content_id=5363550&vkey=news_t580&fext=.jsp&sid=t580

Lemon Cookies

I made these cookies last night and WOW did they turn out to be amazing! I love lemon, especially in dessert, so when I saw this recipe on The Today Show a couple of weeks ago while I was working out on the elliptical (It figures I would be working out and thinking about cookies!) I decided to look it up when I got home! Finally, I had a chance to make them. Amazing, Tasty, and so Easy to make!

The story behind these cookies is even better than how they taste! This recipe is from Liz Scott, the mother of a little girl named Alex Scott who died of cancer 2004. To raise money to help find cures for childhood cancer, Alex, started a lemonade stand and raised $2000. After she passed away her family decided to keep her memory alive through Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. The foundation has raised $25 million dollars. Liz Scott decided to make these lemon cookies to auction off at a fundraiser for the Foundation and they brought in $13,000. Unbelievable that this little girl and her lemonade stand has brought in so much money to help fight cancer and thank you to her mom, Liz, for sharing the recipe!

I hope that by passing on this story and recipe people will not only enjoy the tasty cookies but think about this little girl and her legacy as well!

Liz Scott's Lemon Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pkg. lemon cake mix
• 2 c. (small carton) frozen whipped topping
• 1 egg or 2 egg whites
• Lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
2. Form the dough into balls and roll in powdered sugar.
3. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake.

TIPS
You can refrigerate the dough to make it easier to form into balls and roll in powdered sugar.


ENJOY!

Love Thursday

I have decided to join into the Love Thursday fun! Every Thursday I'll post about something I love! Enjoy!

This Thursday I am keeping it in the family! What I love is sleepy puppies! Every time I come home I have to go on a hunt for Harley because she has inevitably fallen asleep somewhere. Most times I can't find her for five minutes or so but now I know her usual spots so it is pretty quick. That is until yesterday....20 minutes of searching and I finally found her...asleep in her basket of toys. The funny thing is, looks like she took out most of the toys first, then climbed in and took a nap!

Both the dogs are so cute when they are asleep or when I wake them up and they are tired! They are so cute! I LOVE THEM!

Just like everyday not just Thursdays...I LOVE YOU ADAM!

Torando Warning

The weather around here has definitely not been typical for June and nothing summer-like...Cold, rainy and windy. Until today! I walked outside this morning and there was the humidity. It may have only been 67 degrees but it was humid enough for shorts!

Sunny and humid..perfect. Then the true sign that summer is here! A storm rolls in before you can blink and along with it comes our first Tornado warning of the season. The storm was gone and the sky was light again after only 45 minutes...ahh summer.

Summer seems to finally be here! I'll be happy if the tornadoes stay away though! Happy Summer!