BloomingPink

At All. Happy Next Year Everyone.  We'll probably hunker down and shred (tis a tradition around here). I know.  Exciting stuff.

I ventured into the Newark Farmer's Market today to look for some Indian Samosas, some dipping sauce, and some Marsala gravy. I just love the produce section because of all the vibrant colors.

I know, it's a redo..but reallllllyyy....There isn't much to say.  Unity images make everything more beautiful.  I used an image (one of the hearts) from the "We Treasure You" set and their Distressed Dots stamp Several of these filled, with treats, are scattered about ready for an owner.

We didn't get into Mutter's because the gal at the front desk noticed my lil guy covertly stashed in his carrier (that is shaped as a purse).  Bummer. So we wondered the streets in the shopping district until dinner time. We had dinner at Tinto.  Highly recommended. And no, they didn't notice Oliver tucked away in his bag.  He even sampled some delicious tapas now and again, but I think he'd pass on another similar adventure, because: (1) He was cold walking about, even shivering at times. (2) It's no fun spending so much time in a pet carrier shaped like a purse even it does mean he gets to spend the day with mum. I don't even know what to say about my expression, but he's always adorable.  And the bag I'm carrying is his covert carrier.  We go lots of places with that bag.

Walking along the Schu y lki ll in the chilly wind.

I’m on my way to the Mutter’s Museum with my Mum and sister-human, Candace for an adventure in Philly!

Hustling roses and sucking carbon monoxide....for food and cover. Are you as blessed as I am?

Even with the holidays over, I'm still enjoying some time off.  So here is one thing I did with it.

We had our holiday part at work today.  It's always a feast.  Everyone brings a dish (Breakfast, Lunch, or anytime appetizer), and we just eat all day long...or at least I do. I also play holiday tunes all day from my office.  And around lunchtime, we congregate for a few holidays games (to win a little prize),  and a gift exchange. This year we did Greedy Santa, which was great fun.  Several gifts exchanged hands a few times, which made it loads of fun! I was responsible for one of the games and I found a game somewhere on the web and worked it up so that it could be done offline (so we could do it individually for a prize). Anyway, if you ever have idle time and want to play the game, you can find it here:   HERE

John turned 21 this weekend and we celebrated with cake! He spent the weekend with his sister - you know, doing the traditional things that a 21 year old does when officiating their ability to drink in public. If you are a familiar with StampinUp, then you know this image.  BUT, when I made the cake, I boyed it up with masculine colors.  It was a really fun project and is "clean and simple", but folks, let me assure you that this 'lil cake took essentially all afternoon and evening to design and construct. Super Fun.  And Delish.  I used a basic yellow-cake recipe (all home made no box) and yummy home made buttercream frosting.  The inside of the cake included a layer of the raspberry jelly I made in August. So there, an edible masterpiece. Oh...and our last one year older reminding both my husband and I that we are getting closer to empty nest heaven  nothing but older. (ha)

At the bottom of the hill, my little dude and I ventured to the water.  The stillness and colors were breathtaking. Oliver didn't help with the quiet stillness, because, well, he's an active boy, but he did pause for a moment at the water's edge. We made our back towards the start, following the trail under the bridge. Notice the ice on the edge of the road.  That is probably the remaining snow from the bizarro October snowfall....because it really was a pleasant afternoon. When we got back to the parking lot, I thought we probably didn't have much time, because I started seeing lots of bikes.  I thought (based on their attire and intense expressions) that they were probably the faster ones at the front of the pack. It wasn't hard to notice John and Dave when they were making their way towards us.  My bike (the one John road) is BRIGHT yellow and green....when I saw I it, I knew it was them. I was impressed.  Our timing was...