A Unicorn Kind of Day

What is a unicorn day? A day that goes so well it surprises you. It's a gift really and I feel that they are few and far between ESPECIALLY in January. Well, the other day...

I had a 'rainbow pooping' unicorn day! Yes, it was that good. 

It started off with Bobby and I going to Boston for my annual check up appointment. My Doctor (who I have gone to for the past 30 years) told me I was a 10 out of 10. I'll take it! 

Underneath his new office is a Wegman's grocery store. I would have to describe it as nirvana, or a cross between the looks of Whole Foods and the prices of Market Basket. The amount of fresh food they had to eat in the store or to take home was amazing. The produce was amazing, the bakery was amazing, basically everything was dreamy. Side note: You know you are an adult when grocery stores are described as dreamy and you can see enjoying yourself for hours in one.

We then drove to our favorite place in the whole world, Maine. We were able to spend a fun hour and a 1/2 walking on the beach, walking through Perkin's Cove and driving through Ogunquit. It was sunny and freezing, but totally worth the drive!

On the way to B's swim meet in Bridgewater, we got gas for $2 a gallon! Thank you BJ's in Portsmouth!

B had a great meet and won all 4 of her events! On the way home, I was craving ice-cream (shocking) and we got lost, but found a Friendly's! 

Seriously, I do not have days like this very often. It is unrealistic to expect them, but when they come, I make sure I appreciate them!!

Frag'n Friday

Lots of bits and pieces for a very rainy Friday...

Love Mrs. 4444's new button!!!



*I can't believe it is Memorial Day weekend already. The streets are already starting to get busy with traffic which ultimately says, "summer is here".

*I love Kindergarten. Case in point:

 Translation: What is your favorite food? Corn on the cob, don't forget the butter!

*I know the best family to stay with your kids when you go away (without them, yes, I went away without my sidekicks for 2 nights!!). The Hines family showed up last Friday with a box of Sharpies, a box of nail polish and a bunch of waxing strips. Kurt is an artist and drew tattoos on everyone and then waxed every one's eyebrows. The girls were in Heaven!!

*This is my favorite bridge in the world. It leads to Maine.

*Here is a picture of me on the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME which just so happens to be my favorite place in the world.

Why do I look so damn happy in this picture? Because I am in love with the person taking it.

To be continued....

Blog Better Boston's Stonewall Kitchen Day of Fun

This past Sunday, I treated myself to a fantastic day at Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine. Blog Better Boston put this event together and sold tickets to a small amount of bloggers. They specialized on foodie bloggers, but I was not about to miss a trip to Stonewall Kitchen for a backstage tour. I have been to this store many, many times, but never to one of their cooking events or tours.

Is this not inviting?!

We started the morning off with croissants from AuBonPain. (YUM) and then headed into the storage room. Oh, to see all that sugar in there made me want to bake something! We got to put on hair nets which looked so lovely. Cyn our tour guide and style director made the hair nets look good while she explained to us the jam making process.

There were little displays all over the offices of Stonewall's products.

My favorite room was the design studio. This room was covered with props, had big windows, white walls and a kitchen in it. It is where most of the pictures for their catalog and website come from. I could have spent the day in this room. However, the smells wafting in, reminded us that it was time for lunch!

Patty Roche went through each recipe of our 3 course meal and showed us how to cook and serve. Acorn Squash soup with Ginger, Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Ricotta and Sage,  Roasted Pumpkin and Vegetable Medley with Creamy Polenta and Pear and Fig Cobbler. To say it was delicious would be an understatement. They have an amazing cooking school at Stonewall with a catalog of events that will totally surprise you. I cannot wait to sign my mom and I up for one!!

The other bonus about a blogging event is meeting some fantastic bloggers from (in this case) around the Boston area. Check out Maeghan's post for a great picture of our swag bag (and other great pictures). After we all went home, we realized that Maeghan and my sister were friends! Crazy small world.

Wait, why didn't I take a picture of my own of the swag bag? Because the minute I get home from an event, the bag is dumped out on the floor and dispersed immediately amongst the 3 of us. And after a 7am to 8:30 pm day on the go, I was just too tired to wrestle the AuBonPain snacks out of the girls hands and set it up all pretty.

And Wayfair, once I figure out how to use my immersion blender (which I am giddy about), I will write up a proper post!

The Day After (Part 2)

(You should read yesterday's post first to get the full effect of vacation week.)

After our nature walk, we met some Maine friends in Freeport. See how overjoyed they are to see each other?

They tried to take off in the Bean Boot Mobile (now I can say I have seen the Wienermobile and the Boot Mobile).

We subdued them with Ben and Jerrys and I am not sure why I didn't take a picture when J's ended up on the sidewalk. (Of course there was swimming, drinking and eating, but no pictures so you can use your imagination.)

The next day we had to leave early to pick K up at the airport, but we found out that she missed her flight, so we ended up going to Boston Common for a few hours. It was such a perfect day to go!

P and B sat on Mrs. Mallard (You all know Make Way for Duckings by Robert McCloskey, right?)

Then we went on a Swan Boat ride.

Saw good'ole George Washington and his steed.

And really just enjoyed the beauty of the day.

Now it is back to reality. P asked me if there were anymore vacation weeks before school got out. Love that she is a wishful thinker.

The Day After....

Today is the day AFTER school vacation week. The day everyone is up and out at 7:30. The day I am left here wandering around the house wanting to totally redecorate, clean, write and yet, I cannot muster the energy.

School vacation week is always fun. The girls are around. We try to do some fun things and last week was no exception. While K went to Florida to visit her grandparents, B, P and I went north to hang out with some friends.

It was so HOT one day, that we went to the Ogunquit Maine beach and hung out in bathing suits. I totally would have gone swimming if the water wasn't about 48 degrees.

In Portand, ME, we took in a Sea Dogs baseball game. They won (hence the lighthouse and fireworks)!

It was a great time and so fun and inexpensive!

We trudged further up the coast to Freeport where world renown LL Bean is. We couldn't fit this boot into our car so we left it there...

B gave us a science lesson on a hike through Wolf's Neck Park.

It was gorgeous!

There were lots of talks about the Hunger Games.

And winning climbing over rocks (without falling in).

That was only a bit of vacation week. You will have to come back for the rest tomorrow. Looking at all these pictures and realizing all we did is making me tired, so I need a nap.

Sundays in My City

Spent the last 5 days in Maine. There's a reason why their motto is "Maine: The Way Life Should Be".

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Cape Cod does Maine

Or at least we did Sebago Lake, Maine. My oldest friend, Melissa, has been my friend since 1st grade. There are 3 things I remember about first grade, one is her, 2 my teacher was pregnant and we had a baby shower for her and we had a kiddie sized pool in our classroom that had water and animal/fish/tadpole type things in it. Melissa lives in Indianapolis now and likes the Colts. Grrr, although the thought of her being a season pass ticket holder to Colts games turns my stomach, she is still my oldest and dearest friend. Friends see past mistakes like that.

Anyway, I digress.

B actually went to Maine a few days early with our "other" Maine friends. This was a big deal in itself because she is my child who would crawl back in me if she could so she could be closer to me. K and I drove up to Maine, through Boston traffic, through fits of giggles, through stretches of silence (that is her singing to her IPOD), a wine (not whine) stop at the NH liquor store and driving around in circles in Portland, Maine. Becky dropped B off later that afternoon. It was a beautiful day

and we got in some swimming...
There was a beautiful flower that we passed both ways to the beach via our golf cart. I know, how cool is that?
The neighborhood is full of kids, so nobody was without a friend.
Then it rained for 2 days. I mean poured. OK, it downpoured for 2 days. We did cement garden stone crafts with 18 kids.
And the next day went to the movies and bought the tickets ahead of time. How many tickets did we buy? 29!!!!!!!!! 20 adults/kids went to see Space Chimps and 9 of us saw Kit Kittredge. Kit was good and I didn't cry too much. OK, I did cry a lot, but blamed it on getting salt and butter in my eyes from shoving my head into the popcorn bucket. Of course after the movies, (read food fest of popcorn, candy and soda) we had to get ice-cream.
Finally, the day we were leaving at 10am, dawned bright and sunny and we didn't leave until 12 because K HAD to go tubing. Here is K, E and B hanging out in the water waiting for the boat to roar into action.
Our goal was to see how high we could get their hair to bounce.
And I think this is where K lost the bottoms to her bathing suit to her knees.
So now we are on terra firma on Old Cape Cod and will stay here for a week or 2 or maybe 3. My french exchange student is coming tomorrow for 3 weeks. I will have to check her out to see if we will be so adventurous as to cross state lines. Am I nervous about having a 14 year old live with me whom I have never met, um.... yeah. It could explain the needle like pain in my head and my bladder infection.

Of course, I am not a real doctor, I only play one.