{Outdoor Living} Spring Updates

It's SPRING & FRIDAY -- hallelujah! Last weekend my hubby and I worked outside while our little one napped. We still have lots to do, but we at least started to make a small dent in the outdoor projects. Our old rockers that once sat on our covered porch had really taken a beating over the last three years, so we replaced them with a rocking bench this time. I'm loving it -- we've already sat out there a few times!


**Shopping Sources -- bench & bird pillow - Lowes | striped pillows - Kohls {last season} | oversized lantern - HomeGoods.
**I feel CRAZY busy these days...up at 5:00am, work a full day, race off to pick up my boyfriend and spend some QT with my him, make dinner for my family, eat, clean up, bath, books, bed for Dean, pack lunches, collapse on the couch at 9pm and then repeat the next day and the next day and the next day -- AHHH! And that doesn't even include all the other "things" that happen and/or need to get done on a day to day basis. Slow down, life. A little time to breathe would be wonderful. PLEASE.
** Seeing The Hunger Games tonight with my girlfriends -- SO EXCITED!
** ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND :-}

{Random} Hello Monday

...but I don't wanna! Ahhh....Monday mornings. They're tough {especially when you leave your coffee mug sitting on the kitchen counter and don't realize it until you're pulling into the parking lot at work...GRRRR}. Definitely not happy about that, but I have LOTS of other things to be happy about on this sunshiney Monday morning :-}

**Make it a great day or not, the choice is YOURS.
**Pic source here.

{Recipes} Sausage Soup

Considering today is going to be the most GORGEOUS day of the year so far, it's probably not the greatest idea to post a soup. I received the recipe from a girlfriend at work, and I made this hearty meal last week on a cooler day {this is just the first chance I've had to post it}. I served it with crusty bread, had lots of leftovers for lunches, and Dean liked it {Bo too, but he usually likes everything ;-}. That makes it a winner in my book.

Ingredients::
~ 1 lb ground sausage
~ 1 quart water {I used closer to 1 1/2 quarts}
~ 2 8 oz cans Italian diced tomatoes
~ 1 8 oz can Campbell's French onion soup
~ 1 bag frozen green beans
~ 1 bag broccoli slaw {near bagged lettuce in Shoprite}
~ 1 bag tortellini

Directions::
1. Cook pack of ground sausage.
2. Add one quart of water, 2 cans of Italian diced tomatoes, 1 can of Campbell's French onion soup, one bag French cut green beans, and one bag of broccoli slaw.
3. Simmer for about 30 minutes, making sure the veggies have softened.
4. Add tortellini a few minutes before you eat.
5. ENJOY!

{Decorating} Spring, Spring, Spring

I'm ready for spring, and when I think of spring, I think of green. So, this year, I choose to add some springy greens to my mantle. Simple and well, green.

I've been collecting these potted greens, which I also added to the floating shelves in my kitchen, from places like HomeGoods, TJ Maxx and JoAnn's for the last month or so.

As an aside, some of my pics, like the one above, have been fuzzy lately. It happens when I'm not shooting in auto. Karen Carpenter Photography? Help!


I also added some very simple Easter decor to my buffet. Nothing crazy, just a touch.

**I'm ready for the "spring like" weather we will be getting this week!
**Have a good day!

{Weekend} Adventure Aquarium

Hallelujah for weekends. Time away from work, time to spend with my boys and extended family, time to relax, time to grab a few extra zzzz's {if I'm lucky ;-}, time to get caught up on things around the house that go by the wayside during the busy work week, etc.

Hopefully the weather will break for good in the next month, and playing outside in the warm spring sun will be entertainment enough, but until then, we are always on the lookout for things to keep our active two-year-old interested, educated {it's the teacher in me}, and entertained. Adventure Aquarium it was this weekend.


Amazed by the "fishies" in the big tank :-}


Working on our colors while looking at these pretty, bright, and blurry fish...haha.



Philadelphia skyline just outside the Aquarium.

**One thing my weekend was not? Productive. Oh well, one of those every now and again is soooo refreshing.
**I'm thankful it's March. You? March means a lot of things but mostly that spring is just around the corner!!!
**Starting another grad class tonight....7 more weeks of nights away from my family, writing papers, studying, etc. YUCK.
**Happy Monday?!?!