A LITTLE SHOPPING, MAKING CANDY & WAITING FOR THE RAIN TO GO AWAY

I hope everybody has started their week out well.  I had a slow weekend...okay, interpret that to be boring.  I did make candy, though!  Isn't that odd?  The only time I make candy is around Christmas so this was a little fun.  While perusing blogs yesterday morning, I visited, Lisa at Texas Decor and she had a post up about making these Hershey Pretzel Hugs.  How cute are these?  And they have that sweet/salty flavor we all crave.

I was heading out to the grocery store so I decided to get the ingredients.  I made them after dinner last night.  The Husband and Abby were hovering over me as I put the finishing touches on them, then I sadly had to inform them that they had to go in the freezer overnight!  Ha!

They are SO good.  Just plop a Hershey Hug on a waffle pretzel, warm them up in a 200 degree oven about 7 minutes and then while hot and gooey, add the M&M's.  Now, you have to go to Lisa's blog to get the details.  She is such a sweet girl and has a fantastic blog that I've been following recently.  Tell her I said Hello!

Another new blogger friend of mine is Diane Cayton-Hakey, and I had the good luck to win a gift certificate on her blog to Holly Lane Designs.  I picked out these earrings and it wasn't easy.  This website can be as addicting as the candy...so many pretty jewelry pieces and great quality.  I would have shown you these on but I have no one here to take a picture!  Now, visit Diane as well.  What a lovely lady; smart, beautiful, hilarious and she writes some really relevant posts that gets everyone commenting.  Thanks, Diane!

In my meager attempt at competing with the fashion blogs, I wanted to show you the little dress and sandals I got at Old Navy.  It was sort of funny, Emily has Thursdays and Fridays off work and we usually go bumming.  I don't know about you, but at the end of the week I'm lucky if I have spare change in my wallet for the bus.  Last week we went to Homegoods and I trudged along behind her while she picked out some really cute things for her backyard deck.  Funny though, as my eye caught things I liked, I was able to be more logical about whether or not I really needed it, liked it, or if it was worth the money.  Anyway, this past Thursday she wanted me to go to Old Navy with her to return something.  "You can't keep doing this to me, Em!"  Well, The Husband took pity on me and gave me a little "pocket money", as my mom used to call it and off we went.  But first, we stopped at Pier 1 where she had to return something as well.  OMG, it was like being at an outdoor summer party!  As I haven't even cleaned up my patio yet, I saw it all coming together with the help of a few outdoor pillows, some really inexpensive lanterns, straw placemats and cute candles.  But again, my funds were limited so I was very cautious about what I put in my basket.  My mantra is:  Do you need it?  Do you love it?  Will you have it forever?

Onward to Old Navy.  Not exactly your place for quality clothes but you can always find something fun and affordable.  Hence, this little cotton summer dress and sandals.  And I found a white tank top to wear under it...all for $37.00!  My biggest treat throughout our little shopping spree was that Emily kept telling me it looked like I had lost weight!  Well, I had given up on that notion even though I have curbed my sweet tooth radically.  I said, "That's great, Emily, because right now I'm so hungry I could faint."  Silly me, no breakfast or lunch and it was 3:00.  She came up to me a little bit later with a fruit and nut bar that made me want to gag looking at it.  "They had Hershey Kisses but since you look so good, I bought you this!"  What a sweetheart.  So I have my fingers crossed that I just may be slimming down, but I'm not going to dwell on it.  I'll be starting a new insane diet.

Here's the side of my house in all it ivy glory.  Believe it or not, there are three windows under all that greenery.  I love it though, the light filters in just perfectly.  But I do have to trim it.  The English ivy on the brick is at war with the German ivy on the ground.  So my clippers are sharpened!  I haven't had a chance to plant my flowerpots yet,  I'm waaaaay behind on all things gardening.  Yesterday I decided that today would be the day I would go to the nursery and get flowers and tomatoes and herbs, oh yes!  I pulled out some pretty planters that I had been hoarding downstairs and I meticulously made a list of the color scheme I am going to have this summer and what flowers I wanted to try.  I went to bed a happy girl.  And then...I woke up at 2:00 a.m. to the sound of thunder and rain pelting the windows.  Milo jumped into bed with us and all I could think was rain, mud, mess and another day I'd have to put off playing in the dirt.  So today is iffy, it's gloomy with dark clouds drifting in and out.  Should I make a run for it?  Nothing is more disappointing than having all those flats and pots sitting outside  and not being able to do anything.  Woe is me.

Oh, by the way, we missed going to the lake this weekend so Milo missed out on being in the Ugly (handsome) Dog Show.  What a disappointment, all that money on teeth whitening and having his chest shaved...

See you soon!

XO,

Jane