BLUE MONDAY!

Welcome to 

Blue Monday!

Hosted by 

Sally

@

Smiling Sally!

This post will be

short & sweet. 

Here is that 

yummy cheesecake

that 

Jacob picked out 

from

Trader Joe's.

We topped it off with some fresh blackberries....

It didn't last long.

Wish I could say that for winter...

Tomorrow we are in

for another snowstorm.

Happy Blue Monday!

Robyn

Pink Saturday!

Welcome to Pink Saturday!

Have you ever shopped
Room Service Home?

It's an online catalog
that has a lot of my
favorite things.

Today I am going
to share with you
a few of their
Pink offerings!

How about this lamp for all of us bunny lovers?

What's not to love?

Be sure to check out all of the 

other pink Saturday fun

Visit Beverly
@
How Sweet the Sound!

Robyn

.

Foodie Friday! Fresh Spring Pasta Salad

It's Foodie Friday!

I couldn't wait

to share 

this recipe with you!

It's a very

Springy & Fresh

Pasta Salad....

Julienne  Asparagus, a Red Onion, a Yellow & Orange Pepper

into 2 inch sticks.  

I make them about the same size as Penne Pasta.

Put the asparagus aside to blanch.

Meanwhile, grill 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

with  S&P, Italian seasonings and Minced Garlic.

Boil the Penne to al Dente.  

The last minute -  I toss in the asparagus to blanch.

Add a palm full of Italian Seasonings, Salt & Pepper & Minced Garlic. 

Now for the Secret Ingredient...

 (besides love) 

Girard's White Balsamic

Salad Dressing.

Enjoy!

For more great recipes

Visit 

Our Dear Gollum

For the Foodie Friday

Potluck Party!

Robyn

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY!

It seems like only 

yesterday....

Miles 

@

8 weeks

Visit 

Susan

@

A Southern Daydreamer

for all of the other

Outdoor Wednesday fun!

Robyn

PINK SATURDAY! S*P*R*I*N*G B*R*E*A*K E*D*I*T*I*O*N

Welcome to Pink Saturday!

As part of my 

Spring Break

I took a little excursion

outside of my

"5 Mile Comfort Zone".

I drove.

My cousin Jody and Jacob

went along to keep me company.

Our first stop 

was an antique mall in Albertville.

Then on to the Premium Outlet Mall.

I could spend all day there.

I won't bore you with all of the details...

I'll just show you  a few of 

my Favorites from

the 

Coach Store!

We went on the right day...

50% off throughout!

On our return we stopped at

the Trader Joe's

in Maple Grove.

Jacob picked out 

a few of his favorites, too.

Please visit

Beverly

@

How Sweet the Sound

for the rest of

Pink Saturday Fun!

Robyn

Foodie Friday! S*P*R*I*N*G B*R*E*A*K S*T*Y*L*E

Today's 

Foodie Friday

is supposed to be about

Trainwrecks & Bloopers.

I don't have enough 

room in this post to show you guys  all of that....

We'll get on to that in a moment.

But before we begin,

I am just so  excited - I have to show 

you guys this.....

I received my package in the mail last Friday afternoon!

My trusty assistant opened it for me!!!

Remember I won that really cool cake stand 

from our own very Dear Gollum!

My Mom and I spent Saturday afternoon

baking a Banana Cake

to help show off this beauty!

Notice how pretty it looks when you look down on it.

Doesn't it look pretty from the side?

I got the recipe for this cake from Tastespotting.

If you want it - click here.

I will tell you that I added more banana.

It called for 1 cup of mashed banana and I added 

about a half cup more.

It also calls for lots of pecans

but I used walnuts.  

I'll admit here is my blooper - 

I only had about a cup in my freezer - oops!

My Dad thought it was delish!

But that doesn't say much-

He likes everything I bake.

Afterall, I am the apple of his eye.

But yes, it really was a good cake.

Very moist.  It has a cream cheese frosting 

and you can never go wrong with that!

For St. Patty's Day 

I thought I would try the 

Italian Sandwiches

posted on a previous 

Foodie Friday Potluck.

You know, the one where you add

a jar of pepperonchinis 

to a chuck roast and put it in the crock pot.

But, I can't leave a recipe alone.

I added a diced onion and garlic toes.

Also a palm of Italian Seasonings.

They were DELISH!

Very distinct pepperonchini taste,

but the aftertaste leaves you wanting more!

I had some leftover and they

were actually better the next day!

I served them on crusty rolls with

provolone cheese.

Jacob prepared these stylin' little snacks for me

the other day before we went to Cheapo Records.

Jacob got a turntable a while back

and is now infatuated with albums.

So we spent hours pouring over 

the new & used stacks of

Rock & Roll!

Boy, did that bring back memories!

We scarfed down the cake in a big hurry 

and the cookie jar was empty - so we had 

to bake some Oatmeal Craisin Walnut cookies.

And one last thing - 

I have to share this because.....

I Love you guys!

Robyn

BLUE MONDAY! DAY ONE OF SPRING BREAK!

It's a Blue Monday!

Jacob and I 

are on

S*P*R*I*N*G    B*R*E*A*K  

Friday afternoon

we strolled through

the

Como Park Conservatory.

The following picture is 

the only one I got of the interior.....

As you can  tell - 

the battery  died!

Saturday we ventured

outside my 5 mile comfort zone

to the first 

Sonic

in our St. Paul area.

We ordered the burgers & tots.....

and of course the Limeaids

they always advertise.

I must say, they were

very refreshing!

AND we had our first 50 degree day

this year - 

it really made it feel like SPRING!

YEA!

Jacob concluded that it was just okay.

He would've rather had a Culver's.

To have more 

Blue Monday Fun

visit

Sally

@

SmilingSal!

Robyn

Pink Saturday Sweet Tooth!

Enjoy a cupcake

as you 

visit 

Beverly's

Pink Saturday!

These are not the prettiest cupcakes I've ever made.

That's what I get for cheating.

I used canned frosting - 

which was too soft

to hold it's shape.

The peaks kept slumping.

The swirls flattened out,

Hopefully the sprinkles

distract from most of the mishaps.

But I can tell you

mishaps and all

they didn't last long - 

Apparently boys aren't

bothered by that sort of thing....

Robyn

Foodie Friday! Better Later then Never!!!

Sorry I'm late 

But I'm Bringing 

Something Special

for this

Very Special

St. Patrick's Day

Potluck Party!

On my way home

from an unusual

Friday Dental Emergency - 

Yep, I had to work today ....

I zipped through

the Drive-Thru

and picked up....

You guessed it

the most sought-after

hard to find

McDonald's Triple Thick

Shamrock Shakes!

Don't forget to bring 

something to 

Our Sweet Gollum's

Foodie Friday!

Robyn

Pillows, Pillows, and More Pillows, etc.

Join in the fun!

I made this pillow several years ago.

Each little button is sewn 

on by hand.....With Love!

This little fella hopped on over to this chair

in my foyer.   I made a few of them 

out of an old white quilt.

With Love.....of course!

This  one likes in the porch.

He stopped by to munch 

on the flowers.

I guess he wasn't made with love.

(Ooops! He didn't get a label.)

While we're at it,

Let's check out the pillows

in the porch.

This furniture from The Pottery Barn

comes in a white duck twill.

That'll never do in my house -

we're not careful enough.

I recovered them a while back.

Mr. Rabbit wanted to check out

the Lilacs, I guess.

This cute pillow was from Ikea!

The pillows below are really

a celery or more of an

apple green.

This snowman pillow

likes to greet our guests

in the foyer.

He actually could have stayed put today.

We are having a snowstorm right now!

Here's a close-up of his smile!

He was made with love, too.

Let's move into the family room.

This monogrammed pillow 

was from Homegoods.

As well as, these pillows on this end of the couch.

Here is a close-up of the fabric.

They are from The Sak.

The fabric is the same as their handbags.  

I love the texture.

On the loveseat on the other side

of the coffee table, 

I added the little snowman.

I bought him a few years 

ago from Target.

That wraps up 

my 

Pillow Parade!

Visit

Kari & Kijsa

to check out  the rest

of the 

Parade!

Robyn

BLUE MONDAY! SPRING FEVER!

Let's revisit the

White Flower Farms

Spring 2009 catalog

and drool over 

their 

Blue Flower 

offerings.....

How about these Campanulas

they bloom in June & July.

This variety is 3 feet tall.

Ahhh....Delphiniums.

Again they bloom in June

and again in September.

Sea Holly....

Not in my zone,

but I buy them 

as an annual.

Lavender - can you imagine the scent?

My very favorite -

Hydrangea.

This is an Endless Summer.

I planted a few in my garden

and last year

I got one bloom per bush.

I think I need to move them

they are in too much shade.

Please visit 

Sally

@

Smiling Sally

to see all of the other

Blue Monday

fun!

Robyn

PINK SATURDAY! SPRING FEVER!

Let's browse through 

the

White Flower Farm

Spring Catalog....

Right off the bat I spy these - 

Beautiful Oriental Lilly's

these beauties bloom 

in July & August!

Boy, do they smell sweet!

Ahhh, Dahlias

One of my favorites!

The most hardy,

blooming late into the fall.

Who doesn't love Bleeding Hearts?

An early blooming perennial favorite.

This variety can't take the summer heat.

I have Dicentra Luxeriant,

which is a variety that blooms all summer.

They prefer part shade.

Which I have plenty of.

I'd love to have a garden full of Foxgloves.

However, they are not hardy in my zone.

I am zone 4 and they are for zone 5.

Drats!

Coneflowers are a great garden staple.

This newer variety is called

Razzmatazz,

Pink Double Delight.

Look at this variety of Phlox.

It's called Peppermint Twist.

This Sedum is called 

Mr. Goodnight.

This is so pretty in the fall.

I love the Chicks & Hens.

I make a wreath every year!

I'll post a how-to  later

this spring.

I hope you enjoyed 

a few of the 

selections that I have

been drooling over since 

I received this catalog!

Have more Pink Saturday Fun

by 

Visiting Beverly

@

How Sweet the Sound.

Robyn

Foodie Friday! Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

A quick little dessert

because sometimes

you just NEED it!

Today was a very peculiar day.

Our first patient called -

he'll be 10 minutes late....

Twenty minutes later

he waltzes in the door.

The second patient of the day

had a diabetic seizure....

very scary for all,

but we handled it  with finnese

as always.

Well, I could go on but you get the drift...

I also NEED this cake to 

butter up my Dad.

As I was driving home

the "service engine soon"  light

popped on in  the dashboard.

Visit 

Michael

@ 

Designs by Gollum

for all of the other

Foodie Friday

fun!

Robyn

Outdoor Wednesday!

This is Fairchild

the

Minnesota State Fair

Mascot.

Isn't he cute -

all done up in flowers?

 Thanks 

Susan

@ 

A Southern Daydreamer

for hosting 

this 

wonderful event.

BLUE MONDAY!

Sometimes, you just crave

A White Castle or

A "Slyder".

(Well, they are so small,

you can't eat just one...)

The little burgers have

been around a very long time.

I believe they got their start 

in the 1920's.

At that time,

 they were a mere 5¢.

They are steam-grilled on

a bed of onions

and served with a pickle

on a soft steamed bun.

(We don't tell 

Jacob - the onion-hater

that part.)

The ironic part is that he LOVES them.

I think they are only available 

in a handful of states.

Do you have one near you?

If so, are you a fan?

Don't forget to visit

Sally

@ 

Smiling Sally.

She's hosting this Fun

Blue Monday

event!

Robyn