I Could Start Pinning Zebras Too!!

~ By Patricia ~


When Pinterest first came out, I really didn't pay much attention to it. I remember that everyone was talking about it, and everyone was saying it was a new addiction, and one could easily spend a lot of time pinning pictures of things. What? Why would you do that?

But then the day came when my daughter Samantha, who writes here with me, said I should pin some things on our boards. I reluctantly hopped on to Pinterest and fell in love!

I now totally adore looking through images of food, fashion, houses, shoes, celebrities, gardens and more. It truly has become an addition for me, and one that won't make me fat, drunk, or broke, so how bad could it be? But I'm not looking for make- it- yourself cleaning solutions or great potato salad recipes (not that there is anything wrong with that), I'm looking for pictures of how I really would like my life to be if I had the money and time to do it all.

Pinterest has turned into my fantasy shopping list, my vision of the good life, the life where I have it all. Who wouldn't fall in love with that, right? A Martha Stewart perfect house, Chanel in my closet, and me suddenly having the ability to whip up gourmet delights just like The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten.

And I have begun seeing zebras, real ones, fake ones, and patterns, so I just might have to start a board with that perfect zebra rug on it.

So tell me, how do you use Pinterest? Is it your fantasy wish list or a practical tool that helps you run your life and your household? I would really love to know!

*photo from Absolutely Beautiful Things*

Celebrating Summer With A Picnic In The Park and TCBY Frozen Yogurt

Here in the Seattle area, we never know what out summers are going to be like. In other parts of the country summer is usually always hot, but not here. We have lots of rainy, chilly days in our summers, and the most breathtakingly gorgeous days you can imagine. Whenever we have nice days, it's time to go outside and enjoy them.

We have been having a string of good weather lately, so my daughter and I decided to take the kids out for A Picnic In The Park. We love frozen yogurt, so I knew TCBY would be great for our picnic at a local waterfront park.

I had gone shopping at Walmart to buy some of our favorite frozen treats for our picnic. We all love TCBY Frozen Yogurt. The only problem is that it's so hard to pick out a flavor. English Toffee Crunch, Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Swirl, who can decide? #TCBYGrocery

We really like the TCBY Frozen Novelties, too. They come in different kinds and flavors. The orange and vanilla bars are delicious, and never last very long in the freezer at my house.
I also picked up food for our picnic in the park. So, with good food, beautiful weather, and some great frozen yogurt, I knew we would be having some fun!

After we ate our picnic lunch, it was time to have our frozen yogurt. The kids had been running around playing after lunch too, so we were all looking forward to something yummy and cold.
Here is my 2 year-old grandson enjoying his Strawberry Swirl flavored yogurt. This is the face he always makes at us when we tell him to say "cheese"!

It is always so much fun spending time with my grandchildren, and the boys love being outside and playing in the park. Of course they love eating, too. The day was much hotter than we expected, so the TCBY frozen yogurt was melting fast. That didn't seem to bother this little guy who was having a blast.

My little granddaughter obviously didn't think it was fair that everyone was having a yummy treat but her, so she decided to take matters into her own hands!

Here she is sharing an orange and vanilla bar with her Mom. I'm pretty sure she likes it very much!
Having a picnic in the park is such a great way to spend time with your family. It also helps us celebrate the days that are so beautiful and sometimes scarce up here in the Northwest.
It's great fun when you include good company, good food, and even more fun when you add delicious frozen yogurt to your menu.

The boys played on the swings and slides again, and then we all took a walk down by the water. It was a great end to a great picnic. I'm planning on having a few more picnics before the summer ends.
And of course I'm planning on bringing TCBY frozen yogurt!

You can get some great TCBY Summer Picnic ideas for your family on the TCBY Grocery Pinterest Board. You can also read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart and our TCBY Picnic at the Park. #CBias

*I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and TCBY #CBias #SocialFabric #TCBYGrocery All opinions shared in this post are 100% my own.

Fabulous Friday

~ By Patricia ~


This morning I am headed over to Pike Place Market in Seattle to see what's new. I know the tourists will be there, and it will be overwhelmingly crowed by this afternoon. But this morning, it will be lovely to stroll down the main arcade and get a little bag of freshly made sugar and cinnamon donuts, and a great cup of coffee from the original Starbucks.


I really try not to take Seattle and all the wonderful things here for granted. It's easy to do that, just like it's easy to take all the good things in life for granted. I've been a little cranky lately, but today I realized I do have a lot in my life to be grateful for. I know this is true for all of us and no matter what is going on, there are always things to give thanks for.

So here's to having a Fabulous Friday, and to saying "thank you" for all you have been blessed with.
And with that, here are a few things from around the web that I like this week.


The perfect $49.95 trench coat for fall.


Pop into the 8oz Burger Bar in Seattle for a free slider in honor of National Hamburger Day on Saturday.


Here is the perfect car to be driving in London during the Olympics.


Love the talented and charming artist Kelly Rae Roberts and her blog.


Absolutely dreamy Lake House you'll wish were yours.

YELLOW there!

I love this YELLOW National Geographic Life in Color classic car! 

 Would love this bright and cheerful YELLOW bathroom from Country Living, what a way to start the day.

 Not only is this YELLOW pepper beautiful, but at sheknows.com you can read about the benefits of eating "yellow".

This YELLOW chair could be fun in the house. It can be used 4 different ways: as a stool, side chair, lounge chair or as a bench!

Books are your Friend

 ~ By Samantha ~


Summer is in full swing around here! We have been so busy and on the go that a little "down time" is needed. I think that Liam agrees with me because this morning I caught him sitting in the chair enjoying his books.

Books are so important in our family. My Mom always told us growing up that "book are our friends". A little funny but that was her way of saying to treat a book as well as you would your friends, a book is always there, and you can also turn to book for answers, just like a true friend.

Real Life and Real Style

Proof that having kids and having a stylish house can be a reality. How cute is this idea?

It's also a reality that houses with children get dirty and terribly messy. If you have little ones at home, and bigger ones still at home, how to you keep your house neat and clean?

Or have you just given up and said the heck with it, and your children can't even find matching shoes?

Do tell, we would love to know!

Picture from Grace Happens

Super Chocolate Bread Pudding Made With International Delight Iced Coffee

My family loves to drink coffee. We drink it anytime of the day or night, and in every season. The summertime is when we love drinking iced coffee on a regular basis, so there is always a couple of cartons of International Delight Iced Coffee in the refrigerator. It's fun to dress it up when I have guests over by adding some whipped cream and shaved chocolate sprinkled on top.

My family and I are also big dessert lovers, too. I particularly love bread pudding, warm right out of the oven, or well chilled, and with lots of whipped cream of course! But I needed to bring some new zip to my plain bread pudding, and so I decided to make chocolate mocha bread pudding using International Delight Iced Coffee instead of the usual milk that bread pudding recipes call for.
I think this is going to be delicious!

I headed to my local Walmart to pick up the ingredients I would need to make my chocolate bread pudding. Since I was using Mocha flavored iced coffee and chocolate chips, I bought some Sweet Cream creamer to balance out all that chocolate.

I have assembled all my ingredients and I'm ready to start my recipe. I love how bread pudding is so super easy to make, and I see it on dessert menus of great restaurants quite often. It's also easy to change the flavor by adding yummy sauces like caramel. Although I have made regular bread pudding many times, I have actually never made chocolate bread pudding before, so I am excited to see how it tastes. I think I need a little glass of International Delight while I work!

Instead of using regular whole milk like I usually do, I'm using International Delight mocha flavored iced coffee. I love the creamy chocolate taste of it!

I'm adding some yummy Sweet Cream coffee creamer for extra richness. Plenty of this creamer goes in my coffee cup everyday, because I am loving this flavor.

Here it is, right out of the oven. As it was baking, the smell of chocolate and cinnamon was heavenly!
With the mocha flavored coffee and plenty of chocolate chips, I'm sure this is going to be yummy! If you would like to try baking or cooking with International Delight Iced Coffee, here is my super easy recipe for this chocolate bread pudding. #IcedDelight

            Ingredients:

            2 cups International Delight mocha flavored iced coffee

            1/2 cup International Delight Sweet Cream coffee creamer

           2 large eggs
              
            1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

            1/2 cup sugar

            6 cups of torn bread

           3/4 cup of chocolate chips

            Whipped cream

            Directions:

            Pre-heat oven to 350.
            In a large bowl, mix together iced coffee, creamer, eggs, sugar, and cinnamon. 
            Add the bread pieces and stir until all the bread is fully covered in coffee and egg mixture. 
            Let it set 10 minutes.
            Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish. 
            Bake for 45 minutes.

            Eat warm or cold, topped with whipped cream.
            Serves 6.
    

This chocolate bread pudding turned out absolutely delicious! There are lots of requests from family members to make it again, and I will be, very, very soon!

        

           






*I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and International Delight #IcedDelight #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

         

Fabulous Friday

~ By Patricia ~


I have fallen in love with the color pink.

All of my life, pink has never been a color that I have been attracted to very much. Even as a little girl, I did not gravitate towards pink the way my friends did. But now I can't get enough of it!

I have been buying a few pink things, a blouse, a pillow, a flower vase. I have even created a Pinterest board called "Think Pink". I am loving pink, and having so much fun with it that I hope I don't loose this new love.

How about you, how do you feel about pink?

Here again is my round-up for the week of great things I have found on the web. Hope you enjoy them and hope you are having a Fabulous Friday!


Love hot dogs? Here's 20 ways to eat your dogs, including The Tech Billionaire Hot Dog.


Love snooping in other people's stuff? Go to closetvisit.com to peek in these fabulous closets.


Super easy, super delicious Breakfast Casserole recipe from Trader Joe's.


Watch an Elvis flick and get free popcorn at the annual Bite of Seattle, today and Saturday.


Darling and Funky! Would you wear these yellow Mary-Janes?

**  We also want to let everyone know the winner of our Tori Spelling celebraTORI Book Giveaway is

Annette of mimilovesall8. Congrats Annette, hope you enjoy this book!!! 

Fabulous Summertime Watches for the Whole Family

With the incredible heat wave that has been sweeping the country this summer, more and more Americans are taking to the water in order to cool things off a little bit. This increased attraction to aquatic sports comes with a parallel need for fashionable summertime accessories that can stand up to prolonged exposure to water and other summer activities.

For those who intend to stay serious about their aquatic activities even after the temperatures drop back to normal, this may be a good time to consider investing in a full-fledged diver’s watch. Not only are these watches a lifetime commitment to quality that will never get ruined by environmental factors, but they also provide a real fashion statement about the wearer’s passion about an outdoor lifestyle. 

 

Taking a look at some of the products available online at retailers like ShopNBC, the new line of Deep Blue watches are a great way to upgrade to a quality dive watch that is absolutely perfect for summer adventures like camping, fishing, and of course, swimming. They come in a thoroughly modern list of colors that are sure to draw admiring glances. 

 

Summer fashion is all about bright color and there are many chic new designs that are also water resistant to a minimum of 330 feet. If you are unable to decide on which color is just right, there is also the hot new trend in ladies’ watches—the leather faux bangle watch in glorious white that really pops out in contrast to a gorgeous summer tan. The Invicta Lupah Revolution for women is a great summertime watch that features a white band and will match nearly anything!

 

Kids can also benefit from having a fun summer watch. Disney offers a wide range of very affordable character watches that are all water resistant to 100 feet. Choose from a classic Minnie or Mickey Mouse watch. Set sail with the Pirates of the Caribbean on a summertime beach adventure, or else take along Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars on that road trip you’ve been meaning to take. There is a theme to keep every child happy on those long hours in the seat, as well as teaching them to tell time.

 

When the leaves finally turn and everyone heads back to work or school, a sharp new watch can also take you effortlessly into the fall season.



*This is a guest post by Molly Malone*

Monkey Love

JJ and the Orangutang watching each other :)

My boys in matching shirts!!

~ By Samantha ~

At the Zoo my favorite animal is the monkey, or the orangutangs to be exact. They are so busy and playful and not to mention a little bit ugly, at least I think the old ones are. I love their color, their funny face and the fact that there hair is so long. I also love that my boys enjoy watching them just as much as I do.

What I Wore Wednesday

• Shirt - Forever 21 - Gifted
• Pants - JCPenny by Bongo -  $15
• Shoes - Nordstrom Sale Rack - $50
• Watch - Sprout - Borrowed
• Sunglasses - Forever 21 - $5
• Basket - Medina - Borrowed

Green Eggs, But No Ham

Many years ago my father had a garden of rose bushes. My Dad was not the type of man you would think would care about roses, but he did, and tended to them with a lot of love and patience.  In the Southern California sun of my childhood, these roses bloomed and were utterly gorgeous.

What I didn't realize at the time was that my Dad was making his roses so beautiful by using ways that we now consider "green". I remember that whenever anyone used eggs in our house he would remind us to wash  out the shells and put them in the coffee can that he kept by the sink. Once a week he would crush them up and sprinkle them into the soil around his rose bushes.

He also saved coffee grounds and the occasional banana peel. He knew that banana peels that are cut up and buried in the soil are a natural pest control agent against aphids, which are very destructive to roses.

At the time I just thought my father was strange for doing all these things for his roses, but it turns out he knew exactly what he was doing. I wish he were here today so I could tell him he was "green" and didn't even know it. It turns out that sometimes Dads do know what they are talking about.

Who knew?

Above picture by Peonies and Polaroids

By Patricia

Vacation Fun at Six Flags

In the "splash zone" watching the killer whale show at Six Flags!

Star of the Show!

It was so hot we had to stay cool with yummy drinks :)

CHEESE!!!

The boys and Liam's 1st ride!!

We are currently on a family vacation and having a great time in California. We are loving the weather and all of the fun we are having!!

My Garden Fantasy

One of my very favorite shops in Seattle is called Ravenna Gardens. This shop makes me feel like I could do anything in the garden, and make it work.
Not true at all, but it's fun to stroll around the outside of the shop and see all the pretty things for sale.

My daughter Samantha who is my fellow blogger here on Popcorn and Pearls is visiting family and friends in California right now. I miss her and can't wait to have her back here next week with some pics to share.

Here's hoping you all have a Fabulous Friday and a great weekend with the ones you love.

By Patricia

Get Your Chocolate Fix With A Triple Chocolate, Irish Creme Coffee Float

Now that the summer sun has finally decided to shine here in Seattle, it's time to start thinking about refreshing summer drinks. My usual favorite drinks for warm weather are iced tea, flavored lemonade, and sparkling water.

My family loves having root beer floats this time of year, and the vanilla versus chocolate ice cream is always up for debate. I personally love chocolate anything, especially chocolate ice cream. Since we are such coffee lovers in my family, this year I decided to make coffee iced cream floats instead of root beer floats.

I knew I would have to come up with something pretty tasty to get my family on board with my new idea, so I headed to Walmart for some ingredients

Since I love, love, love chocolate, I decided to make what I call a Triple Chocolate Irish Creme Coffee Float. International Delight Irish creme is one of my favorite flavors of creamer, so I thought it would be yummy with all that chocolate!

I am making my float with International Delight Iced Coffee. I like to keep it on hand in the refrigerator because my family and I really like it. We always use International Delight coffee creamers too, they have so many great flavors. I forgot my Irish Creme coffee creamer, and had to run back into the store for it.

Hard to make a Triple Chocolate Irish Creme Coffee Float without the Irish Creme!

                                      Here is what you need to make this delicious coffee treat:

                                      -Carton of International Delight Iced Coffee, Mocha flavor

                                       -International Delight Irish Creme coffee creamer

                                       -Chocolate Ice Cream

                                        -Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

                                         -Can of whipped cream

                                         -Finely Crushed Oreo Cookies

I put 1 cup of iced coffee, 1/4 cup of International Delight creamer, and a few squirts of chocolate syrup in a bowl. I wanted to make sure these ingredients were blended together well, so I whisked them all together instead of just pouring them in the glass.

I put plenty of chocolate ice cream in my glass, and poured on the iced coffee, creamer and chocolate syrup mix. So easy, and I could really smell the chocolate!

Triple Chocolate Irish Creme Coffee Float #IcedDelight

Top with plenty of whipped cream and crushed Oreo cookies, and you are ready to enjoy!
This is such an easy and delicious summertime treat using International Delight products.

My family loves these coffee floats, and I'm sure I'll be making them all summer long. Yum!! #IcedDelight




 *I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and International Delight #IcedDelight #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Thursday Thoughts

By Patricia

I think this picture speaks for itself. We have come a long way, but there is still so far to go.

If you would like to help and live in the Seattle area, there will be a 5K Seattle AIDS Walk on September 22 at Volunteer Park. It will be a march of support and remembrance through the streets of Seattle's Capital Hill neighborhood.
I can't think of a better way to spend the day.

What I Wore Wednesday

 

• Shirt - Goodwill - 99 cents
• Skirt - Forever 21 - $20
• Shoes - Payless - $20
• Necklace - Old Navy - $4.99
• Bracelet - Walmart - $3.99