90 years- The secret is in… Pizza and Beer!!

June 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Last weekend my husband Dave and I traveled “home” to the Pittsburgh area for one very special occasion, My Grandma’s 90th surprise birthday party!

Normally you may think, is it smart to SURPRISE a 90 year old woman? Well, when it comes to my Gram she is as tough as nails. My Dad’s mom is the only grandma that Dave and I have still on this Earth and she is amazing. She still lives at home alone, loves going out to the casino, nascar races, The Steelers, cooking and going out for pizza and beer (I’m convinced that this is the secret to living to 90). The party that my Aunt planned was a huge success and a lot of fun. Gram was totally surprised and we all got to see family that we do not get to see very often and re-connect! 90 years on this Earth is a long time and she is so blessed to be healthy and happy. We are all equally as blessed to have her still with us! One of her birthday presents was her old diary that was found when her sister passed away last year. She is so excited to sit and read the diary and re-live those moments that happened so long ago. Also, Everyone contributed photos of her and the family. My cousin and his wife put together an amazing photo album for her. The album also consists of post cards from the various cities that family now lives in.

This weekend she is off to the Poconos for a Nascar race with my Aunt and cousins! image_2

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, travel

Save Money and Get Creative on Valentines Day!

February 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Valentines Day is a great time to get creative and make something meaningful for that special person in your life. Last year I was inspired by some ideas I saw on Pinterest. I liked how people were buying chalk boards, putting them in a frame and decorating them to write messages on.

i love you bc

Instead of a chalk board, I decided to purchase a nice picture frame from Hobby Lobby picked out some paper (my favorite color turquoise) and used some stickers and rhinestones to decorate it. We use dry erase markers to write sweet notes to each other. 

My husband and I keep up with this board on a weekly basis. It truly is exciting when you notice something new is written!  We keep this board in our master bathroom so that our messages are private and so that our friends don’t gag over our sappy love notes when they come over to visit.

 

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

I love to bake and cook so this was a great way to give him something sweet for Valentines Day!

IMG_1923

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup + 1/8 cup of Strawberry Cake Mix (Pillsbury)

1 teaspoon of Vanilla

I large Egg

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

 

For the frosting I like to use the Pillsbury Funfetti frosting because that is our personal favorite and it comes with sprinkles!

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl combine the softened butter, egg, vanilla and stir by hand or use a mixer on low speed. Add in the cake mix and stir until smooth. If the dough is too moist you can add more cake mix, one tbls at a time to make the dough form.

Make tablespoon sized balls and place on a greased baking sheet with adequate space in between the cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes.

After the cookies are cool, add the frosting and enjoy a sweet treat with your special someone!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, recipes