Isn’t it funny that the weekend is really the end and the beginning of a week? I know it isn’t everywhere but it makes me giggle, probably because my “weekends” never really fall on Saturday or Sunday. The glory/downfall of working in retail is that you’re weekend might fall on a Monday and Tuesdays or it might be a Friday and Wednesday. The glory is that if I want to go shopping it’s rarely busy and parking is a breeze. The downfall is sometimes I have to be up at 8am and can stay out too late then night before when everyone else wants to.

Since I got a rare Saturday/Sunday off Jeremy and I decided to drive down to Newport Beach. We read in the sun, zoomed around on bicycles and ate frozen bananas. There is a ferry that takes you from Balboa to Balboa Island, basically and retirement community for the uber rich- but they had a candy store with loads of salt-water taffy, so I was happy.

Today we stayed low key and walked around Silverlake with some iced coffees from Intelligentsia (predictable I know) and Jeremy picked up a new record at Vacation Vinyl. I love the shops there and they even added a few new ones.

Very excited, my first music festival is coming up soon, well first one outside of Albany. All in all it was nice to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the busy beaches and brunch goers this weekend. Sorted all my cleaning and practiced my ukulele- what more can you ask for in a weekend?

What did you do this weekend?

Today’s state is Vermont. What things can you do in Vermont? Go Camping. I wouldn’t mind.

There is the “Bread And Puppet Theater”. It sounds cool! I have drawn some of the puppets in today’s picture. Two of them are drinking cider. What is there to do. There’s a tour around Ben And Jerry’s. I love ice cream so I’d love to do that. Mmmmmm ice cream. There is a Dutch Pancake Cafe which apparently sells so many different  combinations of sweet or savory pancakes. Mmmmmm pancakes.

Theres the ECHO Lake Aquarium And Science Center. They have many cool exhibits! Fairbanks Museum And Planetarium looks cool too. There are so many cool things I don’t have time to type them all down.

There’s a Vermont Country Store that sells lots of yummy candies. Salt Water Taffy, Fudge, Bunny Barley Pops, Gumdrops, Fruit-flavored Rods, Nougats and many more yummy candy. Mmmmm candy. There is a cool pizzeria and lounge called the “Piecasso”. Now I have to go there at least once. There’s the Lake Champlian Chocolates factory. Of course would go there as I love chocolate. Mmmmm chocolate.

Oh, and there’s an Old Hollow Cider Mill. Get some homemade fudge and some cider. Mmmmm homemade fudge and cider. There’s a Grafton Village Cheese Company. I love cheese. I better leave it there for now. Pumpkinhead is on TV, I’ll watch some of that. I love that movie!

• we arrive at the bus depot in the wrong place with 15 min to spare, the bus driver going to New York points to where we should be.
• we depart Wescosville, 2nd pick up Kutztown…two people get on, third stop Temple Pa and we wait about 5 min for people with wheel chairs to arrive.
• John the bus driver introduced himself and his family aboard this trip and off we go, it’s starts to rain ! Not a great morning.

• On the other hand it’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia..so much that the panhandlers are out risking there lives in really dangerous vehicular areas!

• Our arrival to Ocean City New Jersey is a cloudy, windy 65 degree morning. The water temp is about 72. No rain and spots of sun here and there. We ask John if the beach pass is included he says it isn’t. Kind of unreal to spend $98 on a bus trip to the beach and nothing is included. So we skip the bath house/shower/changing area/restroom/beach pass for $8 option and decide to walk the boardwalk for the next few hours because the sun aint supposed to come out till around 1ish.
• we walk a bit up the board walk and stop to watch some early morning brave the elements Surfers.

• Jess had a major CRAVING for Khors Frozen Custard. She got the orange/vanilla twist. I broke down and got one myself later. The best creamsicle ever !

• The Gulls were out of course doing some pan handling of their own.

• To Maximize Our time instead of swimming in the Ocean. We happened upon things to do. One of them was an arts/craft show for only $3. That’s my hand stamp of proof

• And this is what I purchased there…Yummmmmmmmmmmmy Pesto Mix !

• Heading back onto the Boardwalk we ventured into the Music Pier which held a local Filipino Festival and I bought some Suman (sticky sweet rice, coconut, sugar, salt naturally preserved in banana leaves) & Bibinka (rice cake)

is

• They also had some cool Guitarists.

• Traipsing along we ventured into a $1 store to get some Salt Water Taffy, a Cafe, Jess wanted a rum coffee but they were out and settled for a White Chocolate latte, I opted for the self serve Turtle Coffee (chocolate,Pecan,Caramel). We also went into a shop that sold RECORDS…it was very cool and very tempting but I refrained.

• We considered playing some mini golf here but eh…it was $6.95 a person so we thought about it maybe for later and eventually decided against it cos the line was just too long.

• We found a fudge store Called Steel’s Fudge and I got a very tiny 1/4 of a lb sample of the super yummy coconut fudge ! And a funky lil store that sold Christmas stuff year round. Here Jess pat’s good ol’ Santa on the head.

• By this time we were getting hungry and decided to find a place to eat lunch and we ended up at Cafe Beach Club. We got Iced tea, Jess got a cup of Roast Turkey Rice soup and I got a cup of Crab Bisque. We both got The Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Sandwich on a grilled Kaiser with Tarter Sauce. Lunch costs us a Hefty $41. That’s the beach for ya. Although the food was divine.

the reflection says it all

• By Now the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds, granted we only had about 3 more hours of our 7.5 hour trip, we hunkered down and bought beach passes. It was too chilly to swim but we did want to enjoy the beach to some extent. Enjoy !

• By 4:30 the Sun decides to stay out giving us a whole half hour to truly enjoy the beach. Waiting to go home we end up waiting on the people with the wheel chairs again..Not the people in the chairs, but the idiots that were pushing them somehow forgot where the bus was. By the time we came up it was 9PM. We ended up eating a way late dinner cooked in the crock pot of Chicken/Potatoes/Onion/Garlic/Carrots/mushroom stew and the sticky rice Filipino dessert.

I THINK IN THE FUTURE WE’LL JUST WING IT THE NEXT TIME WE DO THE BEACH ON A NICE DAY WITH NO THREAT OF BAD WEATHER…

Pull, pull, pull! Yummy!

2 cups of white sugar
2 tbspns cornstarch
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
2 tbspn butter
1 tspn salt
1 tspn flavor (vanilla, orange, cherry, peppermint, maple etc)
food coloring

First mix the sugar, cornstarch in a pot and mix.  Add the water and the cornsyrup, as well as the salt and butter.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar is disolved.
During this next stage grab a silicone basting brush and cup of water.  Dip the brush in water and use it to wash down the sides of the pot while it cooks.  This will keep sugar crystals from cooking on the sides and ruining your taffy!  Using a candy thermometer, let the bubbly sugar goodness reach about 250, or soft-ball stage.  You can also get a cup of cool water and drop some taffy into the cup, if it turns into a soft ball of taffy right away, it’s ready!  Too hot and it will turn into a lollipop, also not so bad
Once the taffy is the right temp. add the flavor (I like vanilla) and food coloring, mix right away and pour onto a pre-greased cookie sheet until cool enough to handle.  Please note, wait until it really is cool enough to handle…or you will end up with blistered fingers like yours truely.  Sometimes it is okay to learn from others mistakes lol.
When it has cooled start pulling it!  It should take about ten minutes…keep on going and don’t slow down!  Once it’s light in color and time has passed pull it into 1/4″ thick strips of yummy goodness, cut with kitchen scissors or a knife.  Eat!

If you are just one person, do not make two flavors at the same time.  You really need to focus on one so they turn out!

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The Rundown:
Blouse: Banana Republic Outlet, $6.99
Skirt: Kate Spade, off eBay
Shoes: Miu Miu
Handbag: Bally (swapped for this!)

We also went and picked up more of this

Mmmm, salt water taffy!

And then a trip to the library, they have a summer reading program, this yet they are giving away a kindle fire! Which I already have one, but my daughter would love one. She is such an avid reader.

I <3 my instantaneous photos! Find me on there, katespadegirlblog (I know, so original!)

Off to tackle my pile of books. And maybe eat more taffy.

Until next time,

Jules

After that, we were on the road for the better part of a week for our granddaughter’s graduation. He loved the hotel stays, coffee in the room,

and a plush bed for sleeping.

He could barely contain himself when he learned we were going to visit the Sylvan Heights waterfowl park on the way home. 

He enjoyed the backyard with the birds and squirrels, helping my hubby create a new feeding station for them,

and playing hide and seek. He never did tell me how he got into the hanging basket!

A very dear family friend returned from vacation with a gift for us–salt water taffy! Now, why didn’t I think of that?

Andy arrived here from visiting Judith and Lotte in New Zealand with a stash of jelly beans to tide him over, so we knew he had a sweet tooth. I packed some taffy in his bag so he’ll have something to munch on his way to visit Beth Ann in Iowa. Be sure to subscribe to her blog if you want to keep up with Andy’s travels. I hear they’ll be going to China soon! It’s a good thing he kept company with our granddaughter. She probably taught him some Mandarin. That’s been her foreign language of choice, and she’s going to China in August. 

On Andy’s last day, we made one more trip to the beach. We didn’t stay long, a storm was rolling in; I’ll share those pictures with you tomorrow. 

If you would like to host Andy and show him some of your favorite places, contact his mom, Lenore Diane, to schedule a visit! Trust me,  you’ll hardly know he is around. He is the perfect house guest!

Maple Salt Water Taffy, State Line, NH

Lobster Roll, Ogunquit, ME

Park Bench Picnic, Brattleboro Food Co-op, VT

Ice Cream off the road somewhere in near Newton, CT

A picnic fit for two birthdays, CT

First, we have the Energy Boost Box.  I have always been somewhat anemic, and following the birth of my youngest daughter, things got even worse.  My iron levels had become dangerously low.  And one of the worst things about being anemic is that my energy levels are often disturbingly low.  So, I would love to find some delicious energy boosters – I nearly chose this box.

Then, there was the Backyard BBQ Box.  I love my charcoal grill.  I know a lot of people swear by gas grills, but, to me, there’s nothing like the flavor of cooking over charcoal.  Now, I’m not talking those disturbingly uniformed shaped briquettes that have been doused with chemicals for a quick and easy light; I use natural, hardwood charcoal and a chimney starter for that real BBQ flavor.  And this box promised to offer some very intriguing items to use while barbequing this summer.  My inner chef was drooling with excitement and wanted this box!

Ultimately, it was these four words that won me over:  Cherry Vanilla Cotton Candy.  My sweet tooth had chosen the box (yet again!) without even consulting my inner chef nor did it consider my desire to try the delicious offerings in the Energy Boost Box.   My inner child wanted the cotton candy, and was threatening a temper tantrum if the inner child did not get her way!  These temper tantrums are never pretty, so, I relented quickly and chose the Boardwalk Box.

In addition to the Cherry Vanilla Cotton Candy from Bernod’s Spun City, this box was packed with goodies!  There was a bottle of Root Beer from Maine Root, Salty Peanut Salt Water Taffy from The Salty Road, Spiced Almond Caramel Corn from CC Made, Roasted Pistachios from CB’s Nuts, and a Strawberries & Cream mini swirl Lollipop from Hannah’s Naturals.  (Note:  at the time of this writing, I was not able to locate any online presence for Hannah’s Naturals)

The box also included the usual theme card, which describes the Boardwalk Box theme as

The smell of cotton candy will forever remind me of summer vacation spent at the beach.  The boardwalk was always the best place to hang, especially the arcade for me where I would dominate the skee ball lanes.  Yes, dominate.  Some treats like caramel corn and root beer floats always tasted better seaside, with a little salt in the air and wind in my hair.  This box combines those childhood memories with an adult palate.  You’ll get a taste of our favorite boardwalk discoveries like artisanal salt water taffy with a creamy milkshake-like texture, handcrafted caramel corn, an all natural root beer for your floats and of course some organic cotton candy.  Dig in, enjoy the sunshine, and we hope you have a sweet, sweet summer.  ~Emily & Rob

The unveiling of the June box themes also brought some other news.  Specifically, the acquisition of Foodzie by Joyus, a company that I was previously unfamiliar.  On what seems to be the heels of the changes that were made to the Foodzie box last November, I feel like I’m on some sort of rollercoaster.  While I’m happy for Rob and Emily who have worked hard to make their company a success, I can’t help but feel more than a twinge of sadness that things are changing.

Rather than dwell on the upcoming disappointment, though, I think I should instead enjoy the box that sits before me.  It’s calling out to me!  I will, of course, review each item as I enjoy it … until then, Cheers!

It’s a late pick me ups post but hey, sometimes the middle of the week can be tough.

This drawing made me LOL. This is exactly what happens each and every night, and lately, a little night terror or two for me…so sorry Raymond!

Father’s day is now gone but as you all know, there is ALWAYS, somehow, someone’s birthday around the corner. And I found a wonderful website that helps you find gifts for your loved ones. or at least gives you some inspiration. Check it here

A post on hair is coming up soon but I wanted to post the photo of this girl whose hair I absolutely love! I am usually not a fan of “funky” bright coloured hair as it sometimes can be tacky or borderline dirty but I LOVE this!

What do you guys think of the “sporty” trend? would you wear a buttoned up shirt with a cap or sneakers with a pencil skirt? I think I would!

I came accross a strange sounding but oh so intreaguing candy: Salt water taffy

Recipe here

I wish to dress like this over the weekend.  Trendy and casual at the same time, I love the “unisex” feel of this outfit.

Yum! Mojito cheesecakes!! Recipe here

I leave you with this guide to make scrumptious champagne cocktails and a picture of my dream house.

(Images via: bam bam, 9gag, loku via pinterest, vanilla and lace, the passionate cook, theyallhateus, the sartorialist, frankly esoteric)

The scramble to get packed in a few short days and the long drive to get there, will be worth it once we cross the bridge with our windows rolled down so we can catch our first breath of the ocean. Something in our senses connects that smell with eating cotton candy or salt water taffy, relaxing on the warm sand or floating in the buoyant water.  The memories have compounded over the many years we have gone to the same beach. We have our traditions built in. We already know what activities we will do and where we will eat and sleep. The order or frequency does not matter, as long as they are all covered.

I have my pile of books at the ready. I plan to bring them down to our spot and relax under the umbrella. If the waves don’t put me to sleep, and I have time to read between swimming and walking on the beach,  I hope to finish at least one book by the time we leave.

My husband is preparing his fishing gear. He loves to get up early and throw his line in, hoping to catch dinner. Success is not his goal, though. It is the seduction of the waves, the unexpected tug on the line, the uncertainty of whether it will be a striper, a sand shark or a shoe. Any catch is a good one.

The kids have their lacrosse sticks and boogie boards for some fun beach activities. At some point they will probably decide they are not too old to build sandcastles and will take on the challenge of defending their fortress against the tide. Long ago I passed on the sand castle building techniques which my father had taught me. They know how to look for the biggest clam shell as a shovel and how to dig a trench so they can dribble muddy droplets through their fingers for a more gothic look on the facade.

We will bring our kayak along so we can paddle down to the pier or if a pod of dolphins happens by we can quickly jump in and follow along. In the past we have had the fortune to see them fishing within a few feet of us, diving underneath our kayak and popping up on the other side. It is a more memorable experience than visiting Sea World.

Shell collecting, especially in the ungroomed areas of the beach, almost always results in unusual finds. Horseshoe crabs, seagull feathers, sea glass, and lost trinkets will wash up along the high tide line. There are long strands of seaweed that have little  pockets of air.  They are every kid’s favorite ocean treasure because they are fun to pop!  On our beach walks, there have been two occasions where we came upon a crowd of people assisting a beached whale. Once, a family member helped carry it to the truck bed on which it could be driven to a rehab facility.

Jelly fish and crabs are the only creatures to avoid in the water; but I humourously remember the days of shark sightings when I was a kid, the year that Jaws was released. Most of the evacuations were caused by paranoid adults who were totally spooked by Steven Spielberg. Anything floating in the water or touching their leg was considered to be a shark. After that summer, I decided to never see the movie, lest it spoil my enjoyment of swimming carefree in the surf.

When my kids were young, I spent a lot of time playing on the beach or in the waves with them. Now they are old enough to wander the beach without me. They can come and go between the house, the beach, the roaming ice cream truck and the hoagie shop. No one has to be on a schedule and everyone can relax or have fun in their own way. The beach casts a different spell over everyone; but it provides a type of magical therapy for all.

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• Nothing a little fresh air and salt water can’t fix…. (simplymoderndance.com)

Well guys after trying so many beauty boxes my hubby was getting jealous!So we decided to test out one of the food boxes available for a monthly subscription.

We choose Love with Food because it was only $10 monthly $2 shipping and for every box purchased they donate a meal to fight hunger.I really liked that they did something nice to help fight hunger and didn’t just pocket all the money.

This box shipped FEDEX so it arrived fairly quickly, and I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what we got!

As you can see it was stuffed to the brim!! The theme of the June box is Take Me Out To The Ballgame! So the treats are supposed to evoke memories of peanuts and cracker jacks…….

The 1st item is the Caramel Corn Jr. Cobb.This is a caramel popcorn ball-shaped like an ear of corn.Very cute but I can buy these at my local HEB so was not too happy to see this in my box. If you want to purchase these they run about $5 for 2.

The next item was 3 individual tea bags from Mighty Leaf Tea.I was happy to see these as I am an avid hot tea drinker.I had the Chamomile Citrus last night and it was amazing.They hand sew with silk the biodegradable tea bags, and they are stuffed with fresh tea and fruit so big you can see the chunks! I will be purchasing these in the future.

They sell on the website for $9.95 for 15 bags/2 boxes for $25 mightyleaf.com

We also got 4 pieces of Salt Water taffy from Taffy Town. These were really good,but not any better than other salt water taffy’s available.These sell for $7.00 for 10oz

The next item was the Nunes Farms Spicy Cocktail Almonds.My hubby had these as a late night snack and said they were really tasty.They were huge almonds and looked fancy!We got a 1oz bag but you can buy an 8oz bag for $8.50.Will consider buying these as a healthy snack for the hubby since he really enjoyed them

Next are these super yummy Organic gummy bears by Surf Sweets. These are super fruity and are free of corn syrup and gluten and are made with organic fruit juice and organic sweeteners. Each bag is 2.75oz and if you purchase you get 6 bags for $11.

These are a bit pricey for me,so I was sad when I saw the price because these are so good!!

This cookie is so big it took up half the box by itself! It is made by Cougar Mountain Baking Co. in Seattle,WA

It is called a Ballpark cookie and is made specially for Seattle’s Safeco Field.It is full of peanuts,toffee, and chocolate and is big enough to share. You can purchase 8 cookies for $4 on there website,but shipping is almost $12 making them about $16 for 8?

I really enjoyed this cookie and they have lots of flavors to choose from.  purchase at cmbc.com

The final item was the Honey straws from Nature’s Kick 20 straws for $5

these straw are filled with juicy peach or Wildflower Honey.Seems like a big waste of plastic to me?I had to use scissors to open them and I used mine in my tea,but really would need at least 2 per drink to sweeten it. I personally would just buy a bottle of honey.

Well there you go that is what we found stuffed full in our Love With Food box.

Overall I was happy with this box except my cookie was a bit melted and I had to put right in freezer when it arrived.I also had one honey straw open and leaking in the box when it arrived.

So in all honesty I was getting on to cancel this box when I saw an email from the company.I opened it up to see  what it was and it was just a promotional email, but it had a contact email.So before I canceled I emailed them to tell them about the melted cookie and honey leaking.I got an email back from the founder himself within an hour stating that they would be more careful about what products they shipped during the hot summer months and that they had refunded my full cost of my box!

WOW what great customer service! So since we technically got this box for free! We are going to stay a member and give Love With Food another month to convince us how great they are!

If you would like to give them a try yourself go to  lovewithfood.com and use code: BASEBALL to save $5 off your 1st box

You can also earn points by doing reviews and purchasing products from the site to then cash in for free food!

please use my personal link to sign up if you decide to join:https://lovewithfood.com/sign_up?ref=2QZ7v

Disclaimer:I personally paid for this box myself and this is not an ad for the company but my personal reviews.

I guess someone had to spend their Sunday relaxing.

Clearly I have been really busy as I described in my last post, and you must have been able to deduce from my lack of posting—it’s certainly not from lack of content. I’m trying to wrap up a project that seems to have so many last minute fires to put out that you can barely see through all the smoke. Additionally, I am being pulled in every direction on to other projects to put out a fires or calm people down; I feel like a piece of salt water taffy.

So I am rushing towards a deadline, with my headphones on, totally focused on what’s on my screen when I realize someone is sitting on my back desk. It’s Candy Girl. I turn around and take off my headphones and notice she’s got about ten Dove chocolates next to her and some already discarded wrappers. I am already irritated, because I was on a roll with work, and really you need that many Dove’s, it is your lunch or what?

Then she starts talking; trash talking. Apparently her project thought my team’s estimate for some work was too high, and Candy Girl said she could do the work in two hours. However, now she’s sitting at my desk saying that my team gave her faulty code, and because of that it’s taking longer than she expect. I am familiar with the task, and as I listen to her, I realize its user error—big surprise. To get her away from my desk, me and my precious Dove candy (I have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, raspberry and peanut butter Promises), I fill out and send her the template she needs.

Of course as payment for me doing her work for her, she takes ten more Dove Promises, which drives me crazy. The only upside is that it reminded me of this song!

sometimes we all need a recharge and i like to do this by visiting the beach. strolling in and out of shops, walking along the shore, eating salt water taffy and ending it all with a hot cup of clam chowder. serenity.

For those of us who are allergic to soy, here is another treat that can go in the Easter baskets this year.  Salt Water Taffy!  They are pretty sweet, but a bit of that in an Easter basket seems only right!  I found them at, yes, Trader Joe’s.  I am guessing if you check the labels on other salt water taffy at other stores at least some of them will also be soy free.

Ingredients: corn syrup, cane sugar, organic extra virgin coconut oil (expeller pressed), natural flavors (strawberry, sour apple, red licorice, watermelon, banana cream and wild cherry), egg whites, malic acid, salt, colored with vegetable extracts (red radish, red cabbage and turmeric).

Happy, healthy eating!

A quick study of salt water taffy in pencil

The one on left is drawn by my dominant left-hand and the one on the right is drawn by my right-hand. This was the third assignment of my figure drawing class.

Drawing with my less dominant hand really helped me loosen up, so if you fellow artists are stuck on your current piece, you should try it out!

This week I’m going to draw a fruit, but I might not post it until next week!

See you soon.

Enjoying my break,

Mochan

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