to the bank

i emptied my piggy banks and check out that cash!

 i rounded up a whopping $483.50 in those guys. i try to put any cash that comes my way in my piggy banks so i don't spend it.  and do you know where it's all going?  towards my scooter!  woot woot!  i just opened a special savings account for my future scooter.  you know... just saving my pennies for this beaut:

isn't it gorgeous?!  i am still undecided on the color, but the red is pretty awesome. only $4,100 to go!  i'm always accepting donations.  :)

cinnamon-sugar

each sunday night we get in the mood for some dessert.

this week we tried out some cinnamon-sugar ribbon bread.

it was definitely a keeper!
and easier to make than i thought it would be. recipe found here.

changing it up

long live the blonde streak!

deliciousness all around

last night we joined our friends, douglas and melissa, for a night of pizza and games, definitely a recipe for a good night if you ask me. we made and devoured the most delicious pizza - whole wheat dough, spaghetti sauce, pesto, cheese, prosciutto, and pineapple. while we entertained each other by sharing life stories, the laughs could not be stifled.  i love a night full of honest laughter.  it soothes my soul.  instead of a second pizza, fresh brownies suddenly made an appearance at the hands of douglas, we were all in agreement that he made the best choice. and then melissa was suddenly looking for sweetened condensed milk.  after a can was procured from the basement, melissa declared that it seemed like a night for fondue.  of course we were all in favor.  we quickly discovered that we only had the brownies to dip, apples were also an option, but we decided that if we were going to have fondue, we were going to have fondue.  so the boys hurried to the store to get more dippers while the girls made up the chocolate sauce.  as we gathered around the table with our spontaneous spread before us, the stories and laughs continued.  we added some peanut butter to the pot halfway through and ate away.  it was tasty!  soooo tasty.  fondue is definitely my favorite. we eventually managed to play a game or two after the goodies were consumed, sometimes chatting is better anyway.  what a great night!

about time

i have had issues with Barbie for years.  

i think i played with them when i was little for about a month and then i was through.  i would rather play outside with the boys.  then as i studied sociology i became more and more biased against them and the impossible beauty standards they may (or may not) subliminally be establishing for girls world wide.  i mean the girl couldn't even exist in real life with those proportions.  well finally somebody decided to do something about it and he also includes research about body image and eating behavior.  you can get all the deets over here.

at the lake

 yesterday we spent the day at our favorite lake up in new hampshire, pine river pond.

we made new friends, we sat at the front of a boat racing over the water (best seat!), we kayaked, we swam, we played on a rope swing, we i jumped out of a huge tree, we fully nourished our bodies with sandwiches, chips, muddie buddies, fresh fruit, and more, jeremy tubed behind the boat, i learned to wake board, i had some serious wipe outs, i laid in the hammock to recuperate my sore body (the perfect place to do so in my book), we practiced our aim by hitting floating golf balls at targets in the water - i did one round while the boys did several, we explored the lake on the jet ski, we grilled up some marinated steak, i sampled some grilled veggies, we chatted about the meaningful things in life, we enjoyed homemade strawberry ice cream (certainly a summer must), and we finished the day by witnessing a vibrant orange and pink sunset as we traveled home.  turns out, life is beautiful.

moonlit beach

revere beach hosted us tonight for some indiana jones.

we are in the throes of this heat wave that is seeping into every corner of this region and refusing to leave.  armed with ice water and an ocean breeze we braved the crowds and settled in for some good ole' indy.  it was a hopping place because of a carnival simultaneously going on a ways down for the sand castle festival.  after the movie we walked on down to check out the progress on the sand castles masterpieces.  only one day into the carving/building and they are impressive.  here's this year's main one:

it's not in the contest, but it is awesome.  i love the boston skyline on the top.  we may have to go back to see all the finished pieces... and to see who wins.

 

in the mail

i came home from work to a surprise package from my parents.

they are so sweet.  thanks mom and dad... i love it!

may the gold collection BEGIN!

hey sammy sam!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I hope you have an awesome day out gallivanting in Austria!  (You lucky dog.) You sure deserve it.   How cool to spend your birthday in a different country!? Do something cool! I'm sure you will anyways. You rock, Sammy. I'm so glad that you're my brother.  We have sure had a fun time growing up together.  As long as I can remember, you were always by my side... playing t-ball, doing tae-kwon-do, playing soccer.  Even though I have two years on you, you were always watching out for me, just like an older brother would.  What a blessing to have you in my life!?  Best buds for eternity! :) Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks!

WISHLIST wednesday: No. 50

i have a thing for temporary tattoos (if you recall).  

i found a website with tons of temporary tattoos that totally rock.

here are some sweet options:

they have so many designs!  what a fun way to spice up your life?

 

date night

two great things happened last night.

1. we discovered the deliciousness of cheeseboy.  it's a place dedicated to grilled cheese sandwiches. for real. they also have soups (even tomato), chips, fruit, and cookies.  this is my kind of place.  we got two sandwiches (mine was turkey, bacon, and muenster cheese, jeremy's was roast beef and cheddar cheese with some veggies), one bag of chips, and two cookies for $15 and the sandwiches were grilled to perfection! they sure know their stuff.  they started here in boston and only have a few outside of massachusetts (over in connecticut), so i guess you will have to come visit us if you want to try it. :) 

2.  at dusk we hauled our camping chairs out to the grass to watch the outdoor movie our apartment complex put on.  we met some of our buddies there and we were so entertained with their kids running around. little kids are hilarious. we watched marmaduke and while the movie wasn't fantastic, they had free popcorn!  i was all over that.  popcorn is seriously the best.  i could eat it all day.  there seem to be free outdoor movies all over the place out here, at the beach, at the hatch shell, at our apartment... we will definitely go to some more this summer.

cookie in a cup

at about 9:30 last night i decided i really wanted a cookie.  since there wasn't adequate time to make a batch, i looked up mug recipes.  i have never done the mug in the microwave baking, but i figured this was the perfect opportunity.  i convinced jeremy he needed his own treat, too and we began our single serving baking adventure.  we used the recipe over here, and they turned out perfect.  just a little mixing and microwaving for 1 minute and BAM! freshly baked cookie ready for eating.  i added a little bit of ice cream to mine and it was quite lovely.  i want to make the peanut butter cookie in a cup next.

oh brothers!

here is a quick report on what my little brothers are up to these days:

first up, sammy.

he is studying abroad in europe.  he picked an awesome study abroad, because i think more playing than studying is happening, which is precisely the way it should be.  he is visiting ten different countries in europe for the month of july. lucky kid. here he is bungee jumping in the swiss alps.  yeah, true story.  take me with you next time!

and now on to riley.

he is still preaching the good word all the way in thailand. he's speaking the language like a pro and will probably never want to leave.  his letters and pictures crack me up and make me miss him even more.  he has about 6 months left and then we will have to make an epic dance video.  here he is with his new best friend.

my little brothers are way cool!

the big test

remember the big test i had to take?

well it snuck right up on me, and luckily... I PASSED!

hooray!

when i called to tell my mom, she sounded a little surprised.  she said she had been praying for me because she knew i barely studied.  ha.  thanks for the extra help momma.  my plan to study monday and tuesday morning, morphed into running through some practice questions tuesday morning before work. it paid off though, because a PASS is a PASS! 

i am now a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW).

to celebrate, we stopped by district 7 to order this giant ghirardelli brownie sundae. oh yeah! life is pretty awesome.

our wild ride in NYC

we ventured to NYC for a quick trip and spent the night at our aunt's house in new jersey.  here are pictures (total overload!) of the fun:

 things to note:

i rowed that boat for 50 of the 60 minutes and loved it!! i need my own. we saved a fellow crew of boaters by rescuing their wayward oar.  a small crowd watching at the bethesda fountain clapped for our success.  i'm not lying. and it was awesome! peanut butter and marshmallow swirl custard from the shake shack is totally dreamy. top of the rock is pretty cool.  the 360 degree views are breathtaking and central park is huge! shirley temples and lemonade in the rockefeller skating rink are so refreshing. the narrator of our harbor cruise was hilarious. NYC circle line cruises... check them out. the high line is gorgeous and pure genius. and the quesadillas at chelsea market are the best i've ever had. seriously.  i will go back.

we had a blast running all over the big city and now we are EXHAUSTED!

good night!