Happiness is...

enjoying a great cup of coffee in the morning, playing hide-and-seek with my son, toes in the sand, having the ironing done, a summer bouquet, a family day trip, the sun shining, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, family, my little boy's laugh, spending a couple hours in TJMaxx (with a cup of coffee), new school supplies, a cool breeze coming in the window,curling up under a blanket, having a cardboard box in my living room that my son's imagination turns into many things, finding art in nature with my camera, being loved, and most of all just being together!  Make your happiness list...

it's raining, it's pouring...

...but we're not snoring!  I'm sure everyone in New England is doing everything but snoring right now.  We squeezed in our soccer game this morning, took a family trip to pick out our new flooring for the kitchen (I'm so excited), and came home to put away a few last things from the yard - Hurricane Irene is on the way.  Hopefully, she'll be a Tropical Storm by the time she arrives!

This week, we will be adding new recipes to our blog!  Stay tuned for a fruity twist on soup ~ yum!

Here are a couple pictures of the beach this summer...ahhhhhhhhhhhh, there's nothing like a carefree day at the beach with a few magazines, a can't-put-it-down book, sun lotion, lunch, chairs & an abundance of beach toys!

I call this picture 'solitude'!!  :)

hello Monday

Hello to the last Monday of summer vacation, hello cool crisp air coming in the windows (it feels like back to school), hello busy week ~ back to work, soccer practice, and squeezing in some end of summer family time, hello kindergartener!!  (how did that happen?)  My little man is sooooooooooooo excited about kindergarten!

Hello summer photos...being neatly tucked away for memories sake.  Hello freshly picked bouquets.

Here's to a new season, just around the corner.  May we welcome fall with open arms, and remember fondly the carefree days of summer ~ we had so much fun together!  xo

summer's end...

It's happening...summer is coming to a close.  The night's are getting cooler - can't you feel it?  It feels good to let the breeze come in, and it makes me feel like it's time to go back to school.  Our school supplies are bought, lunch boxes and water bottles are ready for a new year, and we're celebrating the last few days together with some day trips!
Here's one last picture of my beautiful blue hydrangea...most of the flowers are starting to turn a grayish blue, they're just not as vibrant as they were all summer.  They're feeling that fall is just around the corner, too.

Here's to an amazing school year, for ALL of us!!

dresser re-do

It amazes me how many projects, day trips & lists I can accomplish over summer vacation ~ it's such a wonderful feeling to know that I'm getting things done that are on the list in my mind, but I'm also spending much quality time (&much needed time) with my family!

I got this dresser when my Grama passed away...it's a perfect small bureau for my accessories!  I painted it the same color as our bedroom walls (so it blends in...our bedroom is tiny).  Then, with a paint pen, I wrote one of my favorite quotes across the top of it.  This way, I'll read this quote each morning when I wake up...a positive feeling each morning!!  Thank you, Grama! xo

"Breathe, let go, and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."

Mmmm...summer foods!

One of the BEST things about summer is visiting a Farmer's Market, or farm stand, and picking up some fresh fruits & veggies.

We picked up some fresh, garden grown tomatoes, avocado, lime, basil & mozzarella ~

For a delicious summer dinner, we laid out the tomatoes, and placed mozzarella & basil on top, then drizzled a little balsamic and oil over them.  Next, we squeezed some lime juice over the avocado slices.

Mmmm...what a delicious and nutritious summer meal! 

home again, home again...jiggety - jig!

We had a very enjoyable, & relaxing vacation...and now we're home!  Vacations are always so wonderful - but, isn't it always a nice feeling to come home too?  It will be nice to sleep in our own beds (Michael is already sound asleep)...it's just very comforting to be home.  I am grateful to have such a cozy house to call HOME!

My husband & I discussed Soups & Sauces ideas over vacation too...our vacation was mixed with business & pleasure.  We're all going back to school in a few weeks (my husband included) - we're all so excited for him!!  We've been brainstorming ideas for our first "home" party for Soups & Sauces - coming soon!  Can't wait to share more details.

Happy Friday (almost)!
SS&M ~ Soups Sauces & More

lazy days of summer ~ while they last...

And, we're off...

time to put our toes in the water one more time this summer, and we can't wait!  I'll take lots of photos over vacation, but can't promise I'll be doing much updating to my blog this coming week.  Cape Cod, here we come!!!  :)

summer list...

Well, here it is so far...our summer list!!
On the left, are sticky notes that we would still like to accomplish together.  On the right, are things that we have done already!  What an exciting summer it has been!!

I keep a photo of our lists from every summer, so that we can look back & remember the fun things we did with one another.  Next week, we're off to the Cape for one more week.  We're planning on going on a whale watch - that should be fun!  When we come home, we need to find a cool night to sleep outside in our new tent.  Camping in our backyard is on our "not done" list....and Michael keeps reminding us of that!  Enjoy the month of August ~ I'm sure it's going to fly by!!!

tailgating with a chef...

Have you ever tailgated before a concert or game?  Sean & I usually tailgate at least once each summer...we usually choose a concert to go to for our anniversary, and this summer we saw Tim McGraw (for the 3rd time).  It was a fabulous concert, but the food before & after the concert was to die for!!

We always bring our grill, and a cooler full of amazing treats from the kitchen!  We started our "picnic" with assorted cheese & crackers, followed by tomato~basil~mozzarella salad drizzled with balsamic, couscous vegetable salad, and lemon grilled shrimp.  We had many compliments from those around us, unfortunately for them, I did not leave any leftovers to share!  We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our 12th anniversary! 

summer dessert

My husband is the chef in our family ~ I do not try to compete with his kitchen skills!  The funny things is, he has never considered himself to be a fabulous dessert or pastry chef.  This summer has opened the door to many new possibilities for us...and his desserts are one of those doors that is swinging wide open!

He made a delicious lemon pie, and topped it with Nana's blueberry sauce (one of our summer recipes).  Mmm, mmmmmm....the tangy taste of the lemon, combined with the sweetness of the blueberries made this dessert a wonderful way to end the night.  Yum!

more blueberries

Today, we washed and cooked more blueberries, to make Nana's blueberry sauce!  It was too hot today to be outside, so we washed & boiled our canning jars, made a few more batches of homemade blueberry sauce (the recipe is posted to the left...), and created some labels for our sauce as well. 
Here's to finding some family bonding time....over food!! 

summer suppers~

I love dinner in the summer ~ so easy to stop by a local fruit & veggie stand, scoop up some fresh produce, and have dinner in no time!

We visited a farmer who lives just around the corner, bought some corn, tomatoes, plums, and squash.  We had chicken marinading at home, grilled it up quick, and put together a delicious salad for supper - yum!!

Our summer salad included:  

Grilled chicken, tomatoes, hearts of romaine, Caesar dressing, and Parmesan cheese to top it all off.  Summer is my favorite time of year for many reasons...but I also love the light & easy dinners that can be made! 

Mmmm, mmm....blueberry picking~

We picked as many blueberries as we could, in about one hour.  The hot, summer sunshine was beating down on us, but we had a goal in sight - blueberry muffins, and homemade blueberry sauce to drizzle over our ice cream!

Michael kept ducking out of the sun, & into any shade he could find.  He was also sneaking as many blueberries into his mouth, as he was putting in the bucket!  Yum!!

Don't forget to check out our Sweet Summer Recipes for blueberries that we added yesterday!  Enjoy!!

new summer recipes posted...Yum!

If you LOVE blueberries, we've got two sweet recipes for you!!  To the left, check out our newly posted Sweet Summer Recipes!  Enjoy, and share with your family...happy summer!  

~

Soon, I'll post pictures of our blueberry picking from this past weekend. 

our anniversary~

12 years ago today...Sean & I were married!  It was a very hot day, just like today!  I'll never forget my mom & dad having the air conditioners going in the house for my bridesmaids & I to get dressed, and when the photographer called us outside for pictures in their gardens, we thought we might melt!  Everything turned out beautifully, and twelve years later, I can say I'd do it all again!!  We are blessed...xoxoxo

science class...or church?

Yikes!!  This is what welcomed us into church last weekend...it stopped everyone in their tracks, to say the least.  My 5 year old, Michael, didn't want to go in to church...he would have preferred to just hang around outside & wait until this bug flew away.

I took my camera out, and snapped his (the bugs) photo, and convinced Michael that we could look the bug up at home in his field guide book of insects.  Needless to say, when we left church, our winged friend was still there.  When we got home, Michael took out his bug book, and found our friend!  This is the Eastern Dobsonfly ~ crazy, huh?!  My little bug man discovered him, and was so proud!  They live around here in rivers, and streams...he must have flown away to find his mate.

Hope you learned a little something from this bug lesson!  Enjoy the week everyone!!  :)

another summer fun activity - accomplished!!

We ventured to the Boston Aquarium, and what a wonderful adventure it was!  We visited many parts of the aquarium twice!!  Michael picked up starfish, hermit crab, and mussels...

He even got to touch a ray as it swam by, in the new ray & shark tank!  He didn't get to touch a hammerhead shark - they never swam quite close enough....but just having them close to his hands was cool!

The look on Michael's face while viewing the sharks, turtles, penguins & other ocean creatures was worth every penny of our trip.  And, to top it all off, I got in for free with my MTA (Mass. Teacher's Assoc.) card!!  That was a nice bonus!  ;)

strawberry picking...

We visited a local farm to go strawberry picking!

We had so much fun...

We snacked on a few fresh strawberries,

We filled our quart containers heaping full...

And, went home to make fresh baked biscuits for strawberry shortcake!!

What better way to spend a summer day...

and the end result was delicious!

Look at this cool old tractor!  Guess who climbed on board before we left?  Yep, my Michael did!  

What little boy wouldn't want to sit behind the wheel?!!

summer time

And...we're off!  On our way to enjoy another fun-filled adventure on our summer list!  I'll share soon....:) Happy Monday!!!