recent purchases

I think I have said this here before, but I love working downtown. When I am not working through my lunch hour or spending it at our gym, I love to browse the shops in my area. Especially the antique shops. Woolworths is my favorite for small pieces. I love the bright layout and the smell of burgers and fries at the lunch counter. Great American antiques is a better source for furniture and larger pieces.

Last week I spent an house perusing Woolworths and this is what I came home with...

A chair! I definitely want to recover the seat in a cute fabric, but I haven't decided if I want to paint the wood or just polish and clean it up. What do you think?


A yellow lamp! Please ignore the hideous old shade. That will be replaced. I just loved the color and shape of this little lamp. Its perfect for the guest bedroom.

weekend randomness

Another great summer weekend for Peter and I. In tradition of our Friday night dinners, we made homemade bbq chicken pizza.

I love making pizza at home. I have tried a few different crust recipes, and I think I have found the perfect one. Not too crispy and not too chewy. I will share it soon.



We went to a friends wedding on Saturday. Despite the 105 degree outdoor ceremony, the bride was beautiful and the wedding was perfect.



Sunday we picked our first peaches of the summer. Peter's dad is an almond farmer who also grows some amazing peaches. I look forward to them every summer.




*a favorite way to eat peaches. on waffles with powdered suger


We ended the weekend with a matinee showing of Harry Potter at a new theater downtown. LOVED it. I want to see it again. Tomorrow.

frozen yogurt

I dont know about you, but I crave sweet treats during the summer. Ice cream, popsicles, dipped cones, SnoFun (ahh...if you could all be so lucky to know the greatness that is SnoFun), everything. Well, Peter has been asking me for the past 2 years to make homemade ice cream in our Cuisinart maker. And for 2 years I have been coming up with various, ridiculous excuses. Well no more people. No more. We received the ice cream maker as a wedding present and I am finally putting it to good use. 2 years later.

This is the second batch of frozen yogurt I have made. The recipe is simple, uses common ingredients, and you can switch out the fruit. The first time was strawberry. Tonight its peach-nectarine.

Diced peaches and nectarines. You can also use frozen fruit.


Pureed fruit


All the ingredients you need!


Blended goodness. I have to stop myself from drinking this.


Almost there!



Frozen Yogurt
2 cups fat free plain yogurt
2 cups pureed fruit (strained of excess liquid and seeds)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (if you like the yogurt more tangy, cut back on this)
1 cup fat free milk
3 teaspoons vanilla

- In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two thirds full this recipe can be done it 2 batches) and freeze according to instructions. Allow to firm up in freezer for at least 4 hours.

I let it churn for about 25 minutes before transferring it to a freezer proof container. During this stage you can add any mix-ins (nuts, chocolate) if you want. Make sure you freeze the ice cream cylinder first, so that it is ready to go when you are.

Hope you like it!

3rd of july

This year we hosted our 2nd annual 3rd of July Party. The weather was nice, the food was fabulous, and the friends were the best. Seriously, we are so lucky to live near so many of our close friends. They really are an extension of our family.

We had yummy appetizers and drinks, a burger bar, and fantastic homemade desserts.

Of course, the town firework show we can see from our front yard never disappoints.

We ended the night with round after round of Catchphrase on our lighted patio.
And like every good party, I was too busy to take pictures.

So here is the only one...me and my Peter.




Check out Olive Oyl for more pics!