hershey park-anniversary weekend

This post is quite overdue....like two months late.Whoops. But better late than never right?!?

Cam and I took an anniversary trip to Hershey, PA in June. I know it's not quite a glamorous trip, but it's close to our house and we don't have to use up a ton of vacation time from work to go for a long weekend. 

We stayed at the Hershey Lodge, which I normally wouldn't do, but it got us late entry to the park the day before our printed ticket date and they had a shuttle that took you from the front door of the hotel to the front door of the park. That might not sound like much, but after a full day walking around in the park the last thing you want to do is walk ALL THE WAY to your car in the huge parking lot. It was a nice convenience to have and I would do it again if I went back for the weekend. 

There is a zoo connected to the amusement park, so we spent the morning at the zoo while most of the animals were still awake. I love the zoo at Hershey Park even though it's small and only showcases animals of North America. It's a great zoo with a lot of information and they educate the visitors about the animals so everyone can learn something new.

The day after the amusement park, Cam and I decided to stay for a Hershey Bears playoff hockey game. The Bears are and AHL team based in Hershey, and they feed into the Washington Capitals. The game didn't start until 7:00 pm so Cam and I had a whole day to explore the town. We visited the Hershey Museum and the Hershey Gardens-which we had complimentary tickets to from our hotel stay! We loved the gardens and the museum was so interactive and kid friendly. We even got to taste six different hot chocolates from around the world.

Even though the Bear's lost that night and would eventually go on to lose the Calder Cup, Cam and I had a blast on the long weekend trip to Hershey, PA. It was a nice weekend to get away and have some fun at the amusement park!  Happy Anniversary!

currently || august

watching || Baseball season is in full swing-no pun intended-so I have been watching the Nationals play just about every night. They are away on a West Coast road trip right now so I can't watch the entire game, but they are coming home in a few days so I will be able to watch the entire game. I have tickets for the Nationals vs. Orioles game at the end of the month, so I am pumped about that!

crafting || On my recent trip to Wisconsin I realized that I hadn't touched my cross stitch supplies in over a year. I finally dug out a pattern I had been working on for a few months, and have been stitching when I get home from work for an hour or so. I forgot how relaxing it is and I am able to drown out the TV and leave my phone on the counter to focus on the pattern.

traveling || NOWHERE. I finally have a month that I have no travel obligations. Hallelujah!! I plan on using this time to relax and get some much needed housework and home projects done. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and let me work outside for more than 30 minutes at a time.

reading || I am almost finished reading Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close. It is an interesting read so far, and I am interested to see how it ends. It takes place in NYC and is about a group of young professionals trying to work their way through weddings, engagement parties, and baby showers of other friends. The book can jump around a bit with different characters and different time frames, but so far I have found it to be quite entertaining. 

snacking || I have been loving cheese and crackers as an after work snack in the evening. My favorite are the Cracker Barrel "Cracker Cuts" style cheese in the Colby Jack flavor, paired with the Roasted Red Pepper and Red Bean Triscuit Crackers. It is seriously the most delicious snack because it combines something cold, but also something savory and crunchy. When it comes to snacks I like a good balance of flavor and texture and this hits the nail on the head. YUM!

currently || july

drinking || I love the Strawberry Acai Refreshers from Starbucks, but sometimes going to Starbucks is out of the way. When I can get my hands on one from Starbucks I like to add lemonade instead of water. It makes it taste like a strawberry lemonade with less sugar and calories. If I can't get to Starbucks I will pick up the canned strawberry refreshers from the grocery store. I pour those over ice and it gives me the bubbliness of a soda-without the soda.

watching || Netflix has recently added Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting and I am LOVING it! It amazes me how such simple techniques can produce such a beautiful masterpiece. His soft voice is incredibly soothing and can put me to sleep within one 30 minute episode. Cam and I enjoy watching that after a long day of work and softball. Kudos Netflix. Great choice!!

traveling || I just booked my flight for my trip to Wisconsin. I realized while I was booking it, that this is the first flight I have taken truly by myself. No friends, no family, no co-workers. Let's hope I can navigate the airports smoothly and seamlessly.

reading || I am still in the middle of a book called Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner. So far it it really good and I can't seem to put it down. It reminds me a bit of When Harry met Sally, but younger kids from totally different backgrounds. Not sure how it ends, but I'll let you know. 

snacking || Costco has what's called "cowboy caviar" and the simplest way to put it is that it is a some what spicy bean dip. I've had it before, but didn't know Costco carried it until this week. We had some for the Fourth of July cookout we attended and went home with a container that I can snack on throughout the week. This stuff is delicious!

st. thomas- a week in paradise

About a month ago I went to St. Thomas for a destination wedding and decided to make a week long vacation out of it. 

I seriously had a blast exploring National Parks, beautiful white sand beaches, and a marine preserve deep in the mangroves. St. Thomas is an interesting place because it was once under Danish rule- so they have hints of the culture throughout the island. The oddest thing is probably that they drive on the left side of the road-like Britain-but the steering column is on the left-like the United States. It is a very strange thing to see, but the locals say it's easier because the island is so hilly and mountainous. If your steering column is on the left, but you are driving on the rleft, the driver is on the edge of the "mountain" therefore can get as close as possible and see perfectly. 

You don't need a passport to go to St. Thomas, so that 30x30 goal will have to wait until another time. There's always Canada :) I couldn't have asked for better weather. The entire week I was there I think it rained once for about 25 minutes. Very similar to Florida style storms that pass quite quickly. 

I was fortunate enough to hike in the St. John National Park-which is made up of about 85% of the entire island. I also snorkeled and kayaked  a marine preserve in St. Thomas through tons of mangroves. The mangroves are there to protect the tiny island from hurricanes and tropical storms. The government allows peoples to tie their boats to the mangrove trees before a hurricane because the roots can sometimes be buried up to 30 feet in the sand. 

Such an amazing experience with lots of old friends and some new ones. Enjoy!

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oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are quite tasty, and relatively easy to make. I made these for Father's Day and distributed to all the fathers in my life. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

½ tsp sea salt

1 cup butter (room temperature)

¼ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar (packed)

2 large eggs (room temperature)

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. three minutes)

3. Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla.

4. Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined.

5. Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.

6. Chill dough in fridge for an hour.

7. Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment or Silpat

8. Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on baking sheet 2” apart.

9. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned but center is still soft an unset.

10. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

currently || june

crafting || We have an old metal patio table in our basement and I think it just needs a good coat of paint to spruce it up. That is the next house project on my list this month. I have a can of navy blue spray paint and I think that will be a nice touch to our front porch and will give us somewhere to eat in the summer months-instead of our laps on the outdoor couch.

watching || I have been loving Family Feud lately. It all started when we were on vacation watching it late at night in the hotel, but now that we are home I find myself flipping to the Game Show Channel at home. We will see hoe long that lasts before I get annoyed and tired of it!

traveling || To Hershey Park!! I am excited about this quick trip to the amusement park before all the kids are out of school. We are also going to a Hershey Bears game, as they play for the Calder Cup. So excited!

reading || I just finished Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children and The Nest while on vacation last month. Both were a good read, but Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was a bit slow at times for me, and I felt like there needed to be more action in that story. The Nest was an excellent read about a some-what dysfunctional family from New York City and I would recommend that book to those who enjoy reading. 

planning || The Erin Condren 2017 planners are launched today!!! I am probably going to hold off on purchases for now, just to see the reviews on YouTube, but I will be looking and adding things to my cart today. I am loving the new Luxe planner, but I am skeptical about wear and tear on that cover, so I will be sure to check out the reviews as much as possible.

strawberry lemonade cupcakes

Ingredients:

cake
1/2 packet Jell-O vanilla pudding mix
2 tsp strawberry Kool-Aid drink mix

frosting
12oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (1 1/2 packages)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 packet lemonade Kool-Aid drink mix (you won't be using the whole packet, start with about 1/2 tsp and adjust from there after tasting)
Yellow food coloring, optional
16 oz. Cool Whip frozen topping, thawed
Fresh strawberries, sliced, for decoration
Lemon rind, for decoration
Strawberry licorice twist, cut into 3" sections, for decoration
Yellow decorating sugar, optional, for decoration


Directions:

Look at your cake mix box and preheat to suggested temperature written in the directions.

Add the dry mix to the bowl of a stand mixer, then follow instructions on the cake mix box (remembering to substitute milk or buttermilk for the water, and adding an extra egg). Pour in the vanilla pudding mix and strawberry Kool-Aid mix. Beat until combined.

Prepare muffin tin by lining with cupcake liners. Fill liners about 2/3 of the way full and bake, according to package directions, or until a toothpick inserted in the cupcake comes out clean.


for frosting
To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and heavy cream. Beat until well combined. Add in a bit of the lemonade Kool-Aid mix and beat to combine.


Spoon in the cool whip and mix until light and fluffy. Taste, and add more lemonade Kool-Aid mix if desired.


Add frosting to a large piping bag (or large zip top bag with a corner snipped off) and use any decorating tip you desire. I used a large closed star tip.

Box of strawberry cake mix (plus milk, eggs and oil, as indicated on the box)