Summer Smoothies

After days upon days and weeks upon weeks of rain and storms (and lots of flooding and power outages) it is FINALLY summer!  And to me summer means fresh, sweet, cold smoothies - among other things.  I love a good jamba juice now and then but nothing beats a homemade concoction.  For pennies to the dollar you can make a venti (sorry for the starbucks reference) size smoothie and totally customize it they way you want and it is WAY healthier.  It is so easy and very deliciouso.  

Now I don't have an exact recipe but here are some of the ingredients I love to mix and match (like jcrew bathing suits - don't you just love summer?  Now I want to lay on a beach in a jcrew bsuit with my smoothie):

Fruit

(either fresh or frozen - 

I like to mix both but I find that always having some frozen helps the consistency)

     Raspberries

     Peaches

     Strawberries

     Blueberries

     Pineapple

     Boysenberries

     Bananas

    Juice

     Pom

     Orange

     Odwalla varieties

     Naked varieties

     Lime (straight up - so use VERY sparingly)

     Limeade

     Lemonade

Protein/Vitamins

I use this when it is my meal or after working out.  These come in flavors so either get a berry flavor or vanilla can also be good.  Living Fuel vitamin/protein mixes are amazing.  My sister had major jaw surgery and this is what the doctors recommended to keep her in shape and healthy while she was on a liquid diet so I started using it and it was great.

Tart Frozen Yogurt

Oh my goodness...it makes a smoothie so delectable and rich.  Yummm!  It is also quite amazing on its own or with fresh fruit.  And because I like to always justify my indulgences - it has live & active cultures in it.  So it classifies more in the yogurt category than ice cream.  I could go on and on so perhaps I will have a Tart post later.  

sorry can you hold on one moment?  i have to go grab a bowl of tart peach.

ok. thanks.  i'm back.

Yogurt

if you don't like the tanginess of the tart frozen yogurt

Coconut Juice/Puree

You can get this in the cocktail aisle.  So tropical!

So with a mixture of these ingredients you can make a totally killer smoothie.  Just make sure you always have fruit and some juice.  The rest are just for fun!

So pull out the blender, the fruits, a fun glass and straw and sit back and relax.

when you were small

So I know this isn't my typical type of post but I have something to share.  

I am a young, twenty-something married woman with no children and I am completely gaga over - children's literature.  

Yes, kiddie books.  Rhyming stories with fanciful illustrations and sweet, simple sentiments - they make me go weak in the knees.

I am sure we all have that one book we made our parents and babysitters read to us over and over and each time it never lost its wonder and excitement.  A book that renders memories of wet hair, clean teeth, cozy pajamas and a warm lap and strong arms.  That book we refused to get rid of, even though our rooms turned lime green and were filled with pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonathan Taylor Thomas (NOTE: This is in no way a representation of my  tween years.  This is a generalized statement assumed from observations of "my friends").

"When You Were Small" by Sara O'Leary and illustrations by Julie Morstad is just one those books.  I wish I had discovered this book as a child.  It is absolutely delightful!  I am making it my mission to make this book a favorite of each and every one of you.  

GO.  Check it out.  Buy it.  Read it.  And then read it again.

Check it out at Land of Nod.  They have a wonderful book selection and free shipping!

I wish we could have a virtual reading date.  We could get all cozy with a drink of your choice (mine would be a dark cherry hot chocolate) and I could read you this book and you could bring some of your favorites to share.  

Since I can't read this book to you can I give you a little preview?  I hope that isn't illegal. Someone smarter than me please tell me if sharing some pics of this book is breaking some major copyright laws.

In the meantime, prepare to fall in love....

I cannot share anymore.  You must head to the library or a bookstore and sit and read it from start to finish. It is just so precious and cute. 

So tell me....what is your favorite children's book?  

What book did you grow up on?  What book do you always read to your children or babysitting kids?

Share with us!!

the day I finally married my childhood sweetheart!

What fun!  A blog hop featuring weddings.  What a perfect way to spend a stormy night.  I've never participated in a blog hop so this seems like a fun way to try it out.  I hope you enjoy a glimpse of our wedding as much as we enjoyed our wedding - and we REALLY enjoyed our wedding.

My husband, Brandon, and I met each other in 5th grade at VBS.  He had just moved back to the area and was a total cutie!  I turned into an annoying, giggling girl "in love".  It must have been horrendous.  I remember our first Valentine's  Day in 6th grade as a "couple".  His mom dropped him off at my house and waited in the driveway while he brought me a stuffed animal and chocolate.  I got him a CD.  I don't think it lasted much longer than that - I got an email that said, "I just want to be friends".  That was it.  No name, no explanation, no I'm sorry.  It all worked out though. Our senior year we started dating again - thanks to some of our friends who were sick of hearing me deny my everlasting love for him and the rest is history.  We dated all through college and got married the summer after graduation, moved into our home, and added two dogs to the family.  And that is where we are now.

Here's a look at our special day.

Beware, there are lots of photos because it is so hard to choose just a few.

August 9, 2008

it's never too early to celebrate - especially when Linz is your MOH

these were my grandmother's hankies that i turned into ring pillows.  

she passed away soon before the wedding so they meant a lot

stolen moment in the coat closet RIGHT after the ceremony

one of the best parts of the wedding - trolley ride to reception with the bridal party

handsome

pretty

yes, he pushed cake UP his bride's nose

see....

my favorite part - the candy bar

my other favorite part - McDonald's cheeseburgers at midnight

yes we got married at the McDonald's,
well the headquarters.

and the dancing just kept on going - refueled and refreshed

Goodnight!

Thanks for stopping by!
I know that may have been excessive but I love re-living the day.

Please join the blog hop and check out everyone else's beautiful wedding moments.

Hand Picked Deliciousness

Well I wish they were hand picked.  My baby raspberry plant isn't producing yet, actually it doesn't even look like it's going to survive.  For that reason I couldn't resist the raspberries at the market.  So yummy!  They looked so good I bought too many and can't eat them all so what to do with the surplus?

Warm, fresh raspberry muffins stuck out in my mind.  It has not been feeling like summer lately around these parts- rain and storms all day, all week, all month.  So raspberry muffins seemed like the best fix for these cozy, rainy summer days.

I found this recipe awhile back in Real Simple and tucked it away until inspiration hit - like today.  I am not a baker or a photographer but I thought it would be fun to share the recipe with you all.  It is a super easy muffin recipe.  If I can make it edible (even yummy) then you can certainly whip these puppies up!

Sugar-Crusted Raspberry Muffins (Real Simple)

Makes 12

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 400* F.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the butter and combine.  In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla.  Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined; the batter will be lumpy.  Toss the berries with the remaining flour in a bowl and then fold into batter.  Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.  Sprinkle the batter with the remaining sugar.  Bake for 17 - 20 minutes.

Yumm!  

Happy Baking....