Tremendous Tuesday!

So Mama and Dad decided that they were going to go to one of their favorite places to eat dinner....it is a place called "The Texas Roadhouse".

Will you take a look at what THEY got to eat?????
And now you will see WHY this post is entitled TREMENDOUS Tuesday!!!

And then there is ...

 I am starving.

Someone call the media.

This is just plain wrong.

Creating & Celebrating!

I have done a bit of creating lately! I love to just sit down with some paper and go to town! We were celebrating our anniversary, so I wanted to make some things to celebrate the event.

We also went to one of our favorite places in Canandaigua...Simply Crepes!! I had the Thai Beef...same thing as always...but I LOVE it! Ben had the Seafood Crepe. Both were SUPERB as usual!! Their dessert crepes are to die for. Seriously, I think I could go on a crepe diet for the rest of my life...you can put ANYTHING inside of a crepe and it will taste DELISH!!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in your town??

Unique Food Combination??

As I have a zillion other things going on these days, I probably failed to mention that my stepson turned 40 and we took him to dinner at the Culinary Center here in town.

We had the most interesting appetizers!!  The food was out of this world!!!  Wonderful!!

The chef delivered an array of different appetizers for us to try...

One of them was Goat Cheese inside of two very thin slices of pear!

I'm not a fan of Goat Cheese....or I didn't think I was...nor do I like pears that much...but it was AWESOME!

Mouth-Watering Goodness!!!

Think I'll be trying this unique combo for some of my own appetizers!!


Do you have a unique food combination that doesn't SEEM like it would go together...but actually does???

It's Birthday Month!!

My very busy birthday month is almost at a close...went through my daughter, my husband, my SIL, Chloe and LadyBug's birthdays...my mom was also born in January and I always remember her in a special way.

Had a fabulous dinner at Simply Crepes and came back home for dessert.  It is FRIGID outside tonight...the temperature right now is 6.  Can you believe it...SIX!!  I am so ready to head South!!

Been working on alot of cards lately too...mostly birthdays!  I do have several thank you notes still to do...and my other SIL's birthday is Feb. 1st.  Stopped into Michael's tonight to stock up on some more paper.  They were having a terrific sale!

I needed to get a form notarized the other day and called our local library to find out whether they still had a Notary on staff.  I found out our library had MOVED.  Isn't that weird??  Anyway...found out that they had done a complete renovation and will be back in the old building in the spring.  What a huge undertaking THAT must have been...moving ALL those books!!!  Another reason why I am enjoying my Kindle so much...don't have to haul around all those books!!

My FIRST Blogger Meeting In Real Life!!

Awesome!

That sums it up perfectly! Katya from Life in the Bristolwood and I have been blog friends for who knows how long...years!!  Neither of us is quite sure when we "found" each other's blogs.  At this point it doesn't really matter.  We have talked about getting together before, but it just seemed that life got in the way and finally, FINALLY...

We DID it.

Today!

We went to the FAVORITE Simply Crepes!!   I often post about this restaurant as it is one of my Happy Places...you can check out another post I did here!

So.....you are probably wondering how this little adventure went!  It was awesome!  Just AWESOME!!  Felt like I was having lunch with an old friend.  Well...technically...we ARE old friends...NOT friends that are old!  :)

Anyway...we laughed and talked and laughed and caught up on each other's lives.  It's amazing how much we know about each other's lives!!  The waitress really thought that we had known each other forever! 

And Katya....being the kind and thoughtful person that she is...brought me some of her handmade scented soap....it is FABULOUS!  And she surprised me with some of the CUTEST little Scottie tree ornaments!!!  She is so creative and talented!!

My advice to you is if you have the chance to meet one of your blog friends in real life....GO for it!  Just DO it!  You will not regret it.  I believe that blogging brings together a community of people with a common interest.  There has to be something in common there...why else would we continue to read each other's blogs?? 

Thank you, Katya, for sharing your special self with me today!!  I had the best time!!

We must do this again and SOON!!

Just a Cracker Barrel Night!

 

Yeah....the pictures are a little rough...but we were in kind of a hurry!

I just love the BLT Salad at Cracker Barrel...but mostly I love browsing the store when done with our dinner!  They have soooo many things we haven't seen since we were kids...such as Neccos, Bit O Honey, Chuckles, Wax Bottles, Double Bubble....and Vanilla Caramels to die for!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am truly thankful for DATE Nights!!

Each week we decide on an activity...which sometimes is a Movie Night...if there is something interesting playing at our local theatre. We have a small neighborhood theatre here in town which is a bit less expensive...not much, but a little less than the larger theatre complexes. The best part of it is that it is only about ten minutes from the house!

When my daughter was over on Monday, we decided to check out the Back Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez. Ok, so maybe it was a little rom-com...but one of those is good once in awhile! Just go and have fun and forget about all your troubles! We loved it!! Of course, we are both fans of Jennifer and have been for a very long time!

So....

Tonight my husband came up with the idea of visiting the Finger Lakes Casino

We've been meaning to check out their buffet dinner forever, but we just never got around to it. Until tonight!

Well...let me tell you...it is FABULOUS!!! One gets to experience a Tuscan atmosphere at the "All You Can Eat" Vineyard Buffet! It is a 10,000-square foot buffet which features the tastes of the Mediterranean, the Southwest, regional favorites, All-American, fresh carved selections, seafood, and the finest salad and dessert bars you’ll find anywhere in the region!

Holy Moly! It was great...and we highly recommend it!!

Then we checked out the slot machines...which are always a kick!!

Playing the penny slots, I actually won 27 bucks!

What a great time we had!!

I just love Date Nights!!

Do you have any fun activities that you and your friends and/or spouse do???

Tell me! Tell me!!

Always lookin' for ideas!!

A Pleasant Surprise

We came home to a whole freakin' pile of mail! Mostly bills and advertisements...but one good thing was the postcard that offered me a free entree at Simply Crepes...which most of you know is one of my most favorite places to eat!! So...we got back just in time as it expired on the 30th of September.

What a great treat to come home to! A superb meal!! French Onion Soup...Thai Beef Crepes as the entree...and an assorted mini platter of three of their dessert crepes!

Slow Sunday

It was a pretty slow and relaxing Sunday! Met Ben's sister and her husband and her son and daughter-in-law with their new baby, Colin, for breakfast at the newly reopened Gill House. It was a great breakfast!! Then came back to the cottage and took a look around the yard...things are starting to grow....Raspberries are starting but no fruit til about July or August, Hosta is coming along, as are my Chives and Peppermint. The bushes are in full bloom, but it is COLD outside today...relatively speaking...it was 49 degrees coming back from breakfast! Think we'll stay in tonight and catch a DVD. I just finished a really well-written book called "Still Alice". That book had alot of meaning for me as it is told by a Harvard Professor who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Since my mom passed away from Alzheimer's, it was rather enlightening to read what she had gone through.

Park Avenue

Mother's Day Meish and I spent on Park Avenue!!

We had such a terrific time!!

Pictures to follow...

Just Beachy!!

Flagler Beach is a true beach town. Located on the Atlantic ocean about halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. Flagler still has that small beach town feel to it, even though I would imagine it gets rather crowded in the summer. The sand has the most amazing orange color to it because of all the coquina shell fragments. I just found out about the coquina shells today when I asked our waitress at lunch!! The beaches in both St. Augustine and in Daytona both have the regular white sand....not quite the same texture as on the Clearwater side, but white just the same. This sand reminds me more of Bermudian pink sand...except more orangey!! One of the reasons we like it here so much is that there are no high-rise hotels or luxury resorts here in Flagler Beach. And we haven't been able to find anything like "fine-dining." But they do have basic hotel accommodations near the beach and basic beach type food joints. There is not a lot to do here except enjoy the beach, fish, sightsee along the coast on A1A...but hey....not a bad gig if you can get it!!

There are a couple of beachy campgrounds right along this stretch of road and we are pleased that the one I picked out has worked out well. We are actually on the opposite side of the road from the beach, but we have larger sites here and it is a little less crowded....better for the dogs. They are getting better about not launching into full out barking when people walk by, but it is better here because I have a much larger area to walk them.

We have discovered a favorite coffee place called the JavaJoint and we have eaten there a couple of times already. We do not have a tow vehicle with us so we are limited in where we can go. Ben brought his mountain bike and I am riding my scooter. It is working out well as the restaurant is less than a mile away. I have also found that my scooter is good for....driving back and forth to the laundry facility...which I did last night with a load in my backpack! Amazing how resourceful we can get when we have to!! Backpack was just large enough for one load. I also used the scooter to grocery shop while we were in Jacksonville...that was an adventure! I filled up underneath the seat, the backpack, AND another shoulder bag that I had. Good thing the grocery store was a half mile up the road!! Yes, it would be easier to tow a car, but at the moment we do not have a towable vehicle and will be looking into that in the future.

We are renting a car for several days to do some exploring around here. I had to find a nail salon for heaven's sake...I'm going nuts!! So, tomorrow it is off to Super Target for some shopping, getting my nails done....and a little bit of sightseeing!!

Oh, I probably should mention the faceplant I managed today at the Java Joint. Ben went on ahead of me up the stairs to get an oceanfront table and it took me a bit to find a spot to park the scooter as it kept sinking in the sand. So, I finally ended up pulling it up on the sidewalk of a little beach shop under the restaurant. Well, there were three steps leading up to the next level. Apparently, my body thought there were only two and I completely wiped out IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. I could have died of embarrassment. And wouldn't you know I fell on the same damn knee that I hurt a month ago! So, I'm a bit bruised up tonight and assume I will be even more sore tomorrow. Am slightly pissed off at my husband as several of the customers came to my rescue and the waitress was very kind to ask me if I needed ice. He was just pissed that I fell. Unbelievable.

I'll keep y'all updated. Thanks for travelling along with me!!

The Black Friday Experience!

UNBELIEVABLE! That's my word to describe Black Friday! I mean...it was crazy!

It was kind of a last minute decision for my husband and I to get up REALLY EARLY on Friday and go to Walmart....they had some things in their Black Friday Ad that we had been looking at for the kids and also some things we want for the RV.

We had spent our Thanksgiving dinner at The Canandaigua Inn on the Lake. Our favorite restaurant, Steamboat Landing, was not having their TGiving Buffet this year, so had to settle for the Inn. It was kind of a nice change though as we haven't been there in awhile...I think it was about February when we were there last. It was a terrific buffet! They had stations set up of just about every single kind of food you could imagine. One side was set up for made to order omelets, bacon, eggs, sausage, french toast, pancakes. Another setting had all different kinds of fruits and cheeses. Another table had Roast Beef, Glazed Ham, Fresh Roasted Turkey Sliced to Order, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans almondine, glazed carrots, dressing / stuffing. Another table had allllllll different kinds of salads. Another line had fresh seafood. There was bagels too. And the desserts....WOW! I could have just had that! I grabbed a piece of pumpkin pie on my first pass as I was absolutely positive it would be gone. There was also apple crisp, chocolate mousse, every kind of muffin you can think of, petit fours.

We had a very nice, relaxing dinner....just the two of us and were pretty stuffed by the time we got home. We had to settle for the 3pm seating as both the 11am and the 1pm were full.

Didn't do much of anything last night except put together my list for what we were going to get at Walmart. Finally went to sleep about 1. The dogs had to go out at three. By the time I got them all out and back in again, went upstairs and laid down. Then the alarm went off at 4:15am. We jumped up, got dressed and ready to go and were out the door by about 4:40am! My neighbor's lights were all on and we practically followed her all the way to Walmart too. Well, the closer we got....the more traffic we saw! All the drive-throughs were packed with people! It wasn't even FIVE AM yet and my husband had to drop me off at the door and park WAY out by the road....this is a Walmart Superstore and has ALOT of parking spaces. Not today though. It was absolutely mind boggling to see how much activity was going on at that hour of the morning!!

I grabbed one last shopping cart and started to make my way into the store. There was a HUGE LOUD crowd of people. The employees had the store roped off so that we couldn't get in to where all of the major bargains were until PRECISELY FIVE AM. Well....let me tell you, when they let the ropes go, people went berserk! It was really crazy!

Now, I have not done this whole Black Friday thing in years and years, so I guess I'm a little out of practice. I didn't even know where Ben was....I just kept trying to make my way over to the Electronics Department. Which was pretty freakin' impossible. There were some great deals to be had. But I didn't think I had a chance in hell of getting NEAR the counter. You can't even imagine the lines....Thankfully we had our cell phones and could talk to each other to see where each of us was in the store. As it turned out, I got STUCK in gridlock in the back of the store with the cart and was able to pick up a few of the things we were looking for, but Ben had most of the stuff over on the other side of the store and no cart. So, he just stood there with his "PILE" of stuff. We had to be really careful as I did see people STEALING stuff out of other's carts!!

Two customers got into a fight over a large screen tv and one lady sprayed HAIR SPRAY right into the eyes of the other lady!!! They had to call for medical help....and the sheriff's office! Another worker got trampled....it was a mob scene!!

Yes, we got some good deals...some really good deals and saved a pile of cash on some of the things. So, it was worth it....I guess. Hey, it's blog material anyway! I was going to try to take pics inside.....but was afraid someone would steal my camera!

We ended up going through the checkout line three different times as we saw a few other items that we wanted to pick up. They say the economy is going to hell.....but the people in front of us spent way over eight hundred bucks! Every single cart in that store was loaded down with a ton of stuff!!

Finally, at 6:30 we decided we were done and wanted to get coffee at Dunkin' Donuts in the front of the store. By the time we got there, there were only about 6 people in front of us. But they had NO DONUTS!! So, I got a really good Breakfast Sandwich and a H U G E cup of coffee.

Then, all we wanted to do was come home and go to sleep. Which we did. Checked in with my daughter who was also braving the crowds at Target and her boyfriend....he was over at Sears experiencing the same thing!!

Took a nice nap til 3pm. I feel like it was a VERY long day and am getting ready to shut down for tonight as it's going to be a busy weekend!

Let the holiday season begin.

It's CRUNCH time!!

Another Terrific Day!

Two in a row!! Well...almost! I think I'm on a roll. Let's hope it continues. Today was a pretty busy day as I have added yet another pup to my mix of three...I have Beemer for ten days. Beemer is my Grand-Dog and he is visiting with us while my daughter is on vacation. As you can see from the pictures, Beem fits right in with the rest of the family and he is just a teeny tiny bit spoiled. Anyway, because today was a bit rushed, my husband came home and suggested we run over to Mac's for steak sandwiches. These aren't just your run of the mill everyday steak sandwiches. They are the freakin' BEST Steak Sandwiches anywhere. Seriously. They really are.

Well, it just so happens that on this particular day, downtown Canandaigua was packed with cars, but we just happened to pull up right when a car was pulling out and we parked directly in front of this store, Wickedly Scent. Well....as usual....there's a bit of a story behind this particular store. The other night when we were at Simply Crepes, I used the ladies' room and in the restroom was the BEST smelling soap and lotion. Well, of course, I had to check it out thoroughly and I find out that it is handmade right here in town!! This lotion was called Orange and Clove. What a perfect fragrance for Autumn!! I LOVE this stuff!!! It smells like heaven!!

So, when I found out that it was made right here in town, and we were parked right in the front of the store, I just H A D to go in and buy this stuff right away!!! My husband wasn't even out of the car yet, when I was inside the store, at the counter paying for my purchase!! The owner was delightful and very engaging. He gave us a tour of the store and showed us all of the different candles, soaps, lotions, and all the different items the store MAKES and sells right here. Now, I have lived in Canandaigua longer than anywhere else in my life. I have been here like 16 years!

Why is it that I don't think to shop in my own town? Is it because when the weather is nice in the summer time, I'm up North? Don't know...I'll have to ponder that question for another day.

Any of my local readers out there....GO DIRECTLY to Wickedly Scent and purchase their stuff. It is amazing!! We also ended up getting some fabulous lemon poppyseed soap. Really, great products! Nothing like supporting our LOCAL economy folks!!