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I'm thinking green with white polka dots....

quick quiche

Enjoy  a fast, easy quiche

It was our dinner last night and my lunch today!

1 - 9" frozen piecrust

2 - 12-ounce boxes Stouffer's spinach souffle thawed

4 eggs beaten

6 ounces grated swiss (buy it in the bag)

Put a sheet pan in oven.

Heat oven to 375.

Combine the spinach souffle, eggs, cheese & 3/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl.  

Pour the mixture in the pie shell.

Place on the sheet pan in the oven.

Bake until set in the center, about 45-60 mins.

Serve with fruit or side salad.

on a mission

My new vintage mission chair, purchased for an unbelievable $200 at the Alden Antiques Fest.  I will be replacing/recovering the cushion b/c the colors don't work on the porch.  I love the unique design!

Locked Out & Up

Locked Out

The kids, dog and I headed out Friday morning....farmer's market, Moka for coffee/treats, went to King Orchards and bought freshly picked strawberries (it was too hot to pick our own), stopped by the kid's camp to get new sweatshirts -- 3 hrs later, roll up the driveway, click open the garage as usual, get out of car, TRY to open the house door and it's LOCKED !!  This door is NEVER locked -- I have no key and we haven't put out the "hidden" key yet.  Hubby has a key but is out of state.  All windows are shut & locked b/c we've been using the a/c.  screened in porch is all locked up.  I was not a happy cottage mom, but it was interesting to me that W (my oldest @ 9 yrs) admitted to locking the door by accident.  This was a big step b/c he prefers to place blame on anybody but himself.  

We do have a caretaker and I called him, he was at a job about 45 mins away and had our key with him.  Everybody back in the car.  The hidden key is now in place and a key has been added to my fob.

Locked Up

Hubby flew in to TC last night and we all met for dinner at Trattoria Stella -- which is in a former state mental hospital -- yeah, a little crazy.   The building & grounds are beautiful.  The menu changes daily and printed at the top of the menu you know what local ingredients are being used and from which farms.  The service is top notch, but not too fussy.  It's a true gem in this era of chain restaurants. The restaurant is in the area where food & supplies were stored:

Here's the entire "campus":

If you find yourself in Traverse City in Northern Michigan, I highly recommend "Stella".  So I've now been locked out and locked up!

Woosh

I feel like I've been traveling in a wind tunnel.  A fun, frenzied wind tunnel.

The fam spent last weekend in Chicago for Father's Day.  We had a great time:

Navy Pier

water Taxi to Rebar @ the new Trump International for cocktails & sushi

great dinner at Rosebud

Brunch for the girls at American Girl & a few purchases

Wrigley Field for the boys (go Cubbies, they won in extra innings!)

Shedd Aquarium (love the beluga whales)

Pizzeria Uno (W's choice - I'm a thin crust lover)

Breakfast at Nookies Two in Lincoln Park (love their fresh squeezed OJ - lots of pulp!)

Lincoln Park Zoo

Biking along Lake Shore Drive

Little snack at Taco Fresco 

On Monday, I cleaned/scrubbed the house, did laundry and got everything together for the summer move to the cottage.  We left Tuesday afternoon and it's all good in Northern Michigan.  Everyone is settled in and getting into the summer routine, thank goodness for A/C at the cottage -- it's 90, which rarely happens up here!

Hope everyone is well! 

Kitchen Gadget

I've always wanted a rolling pin that wouldn't stick to the dough or leave a flour trail behind....

I thought about wrapping my sil-pat around the rolling pin, but 

Look what I've found:

Sil-Pin

Several different colors and styles - with handles or without

Buy it at any of these stores

Wrapped up

Today is the last day of school for W&M and here is one of the year end gifts I "wrapped".

Pink paper lunch bag

Pink & white tissue paper flower

Pink & green gift tag

I'm not the craftiest girl, but I was happy about how pretty this gift looked.

After all, it's all about the presentation!

Look it up

If you are in need of a resource to help you understand today's slang, want to build your vocabulary, need a good laugh or have absolutely nothing to do

visit:

Urban Dictionary 

Do you have one of these?

friendtm 

Are you one of these?

Recessionista

The Grass is Greener...

I paid the last bill and cancelled our lawn fertilizing service b/c hubby said they're not doing that great of a job and he'd do it himself. 

Come home from various errands this morning and there's a "just fertilized" sign near the driveway and a bill in the door.  I call the company to remind them I cancelled per my last bill and I wasn't paying this bill and furthermore the hubby just fertilized yesterday and now my lawn has the potential to look like a hay field!!

Response from owner of said lawn fertilizing company,

"Water the crap out of it."  

Golf Humor

We have a long history of golfers in my family.  My brother is a PGA professional working as the head pro at a country club, my dad for fun and (free golf) is the golf starter at a country club, I play, hubby plays and so do the kids.  We all love and appreciate a good golf joke.

Golfer:  "I'd move heaven and earth to break 100 on this course."

Caddy:  "Try heaven; you've already moved most of the earth."

Golfer: "Do you think it's a sin to play on a Sunday."

Caddy:  "The way you play, it's a sin on any day."

Golfer:  "I think I'm going to drown myself in the lake."

Caddy:  "Think you can keep your head down that long?"

Have a great Sunday!

Sweet Giveaway Winner!!

All American Preppy

"My favorite cupcake of all time is the Vanilla Vanilla cupcake from Magnolia Bakery"

You are the winner of my Sweet Giveaway as chosen by random.org

Please send me an e-mail with your address, etc.

torchlk@gmail.com

Thanks for all the sweet comments.

Seems like a red velvet or a chocolate cupcake with extra frosting was the fav!

Swap Gift Arrives

The Company She Keeps hosted a koozie swap

and look at my cute koozie from Beantown Prepster.

I love it !! 

I think an adult beverage will be tucked comfortably inside it this evening

when I watch the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup (again).

Thank you Beantown Prepster!!!

Cornerstone

Education in urban cities can work and in Detroit, Cornerstone Schools is the benchmark.  This private, Christian school (K-8) in the heart of Detroit is AMAZING.

I have the privilege to be a "partner" at Cornerstone Schools.

As a partner you assist a student financially and provide them encouragement and  support. Today was a partner morning, which I love.  All partners had the opportunity to hear the concert choir sing, and the 8th grade strings perform.  It gave me goosebumps!

I met my student and went to her classroom for visiting and an activity.  Our class played Jeopardy.  This was right up my alley and Marina, my student, was so excited.  She knew we were going to win.  Our table of 3 students and 3 partners kicked butt -- and now I know why I'm not going on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader".  Marina also gave me a beautiful still life of flowers in a vase that she created in art.

The teachers are so dedicated and really love and care for their students.  The teacher mission is "To prepare students for life."  The Cornerstone mission is "Changing Detroit one child at a time."  

I see this happening before my very eyes with these young people.  I'm thankful I can be a part of this community.

Fav Music

While driving today, I heard "Tempted" by Squeeze on Sirius channel 8 (80's tunes only).  Took me right back to the dorm and playing that cassette (okay my age is showing) over and over.  I love how a song can do that.  Squeeze Singles is a great purchase and it's available on itunes for $9.99!

The songs:

Annie Get Your Gun

Another Nail For My Heart

Black Coffee In Bed

Cool For Cats

Goodbye Girl 

Is That Love

Labelled With Love

Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)

Slap And Tickle

Take Me I'm Yours

Tempted

Up The Junction

Reading or Eating?

Coco wanted to read too.

Looks like I'll be bringing my checkbook to the library. 

This was a fun, easy read.  The quotes at the start of each chapter are priceless!

She Makes Me Laugh

 Kathy Griffin My Life on The D-List is one of my escape tv shows.  My life seems so buttoned up and Kathy gives me a chance to laugh at unpredictable, outrageous and what I think is funny stuff.  I am not a fan of swearing, but somehow coming from Kathy it doesn't bother me -- it may shock me at times, but I'm glued to the show - like not being able to take your eyes off the trainwreck.

Season 5 debuted last night on Bravo and Kathy was hanging out with Bette Midler in Vegas.  Kathy didn't let me down!

Sweet Giveaway

With all the sweetness that has been coming my way, it's time for a sweet giveaway!

In the same comment:

1st entry:

What's your favorite cupcake

2nd entry:

Tell me you're a follower or become a follower

3rd entry:

Blog about this sweet giveaway

Giveaway ends at Midnight EDT on Friday, June 12

Winner announced on Saturday, June 13 

Inspiration

This piece of a prayer at church really resonated with me this morning:

Ask much of us,

expect much from us,

enable much by us,

encourage many through us.

BIG Thanks!

Lauren Nicole Gifts

You, your store & your blog are amazing !!!

Lauren Nicole donated a big box full of her "scrap" (I would not call this quantity & quality scrap) fabric to make book covers for the non-profit at which I work.    The patterns are adorable and yes, there is Lilly fabric in there :)

This fabric will make over 200 book covers for stories inner city children have written. Sometimes these are the only books a child will have at home.

Thanks Lauren Nicole for your generous donation and big heart.  It's good to have bloggy friends.  Be sure to check out Lauren Nicole Gifts, she has beautiful handmade everything and she hosts a fabulous giveaway every week.  Feeling a little guilty because not only did I get the fabric I won her jeweled monogrammed bookmark giveaway.  Thank you!

ALL Day Project

Usually I work on Thursday's but not today.  W&M got on the bus, sun is shining, it's time to clean the very noticeable layer of dust from the wood window blinds.  Yes, call me crazy.  This is the kind of dust that the swiffer just can't handle - believe me I've tried.

Put on wellies (w/my shorts - very attractive, but practical)

Get ladder

Get bucket/soap/towels

Clear spot on deck

Laundry room & Kitchen-

Blinds down, washed, dried, rehung.

This is working.

Family room-

Decide instead of laying the blind on the deck I'll drape it over the soccer net which is on the deck b/c of the lawnmower guys.  Much easier on the back &  it's kinda drip drying.  Well after doing 2 blinds this way and then taking them back in the house, I notice the twill tapes that run the length of the blinds have RIPPED and therefore the blinds will not pull up or down and look like the lopsided blinds in a dorm room!

Now I don't know whether this ripping is due to sun damage (agree with me here please) OR it's because I draped them over the soccer net and with the weight and the water they ripped.

Went to Joann's bought the "iron on fusing tape" and it seems to be working.  Blinds are hanging up.

Just finished washing the last blind from the family room and I laid it on the deck.  It is now drying in the sun.  Hoping there is no RIP!

Wasn't this a great use of a day?  

Tied up

Right index finger has lost circulation from tying appx 200 water balloons.

They will be tossed and thrown during Field Day on Friday at W & M's school.

It could have been worse -- 600 balloons were needed!

Thank goodness we had 2 other mom teams!

Framed

I love unique and fun picture frames.  Especially ones that are easy to swap pictures or postcards in and out.  These frames could also be used to hold a piece of note paper w/a mssg on your desk or in the kitchen!

Check out Marnier on etsy.  She has many cute choices.  I purchased a madras fabric frame a while back and I really like it!