Spring break. Lakeside movie and roadtrip.

It's Spring Break! Generally we are homebodies and don't travel much. But we do try to have fun locally. The first part of the week was filled with the regular activities of life: grocery shopping, doctor's and orthodontic appointments. Boring.

But Thursday night was movie night by the lake; Despicable Me 2. The weather here in Arizona is perfect for that kind of activity. And Friday was a road-trip to the Out of Africa Wildlife Safari Park, near Camp Verde, AZ. It's something we have been wanting to do for a while.

What both of these activities needed was a good snack and a comfy pillow. :)


One of our favorite snacks is a homemade Pineapple Coconut Chex Mix I came up with, given my daughters' recent obsession with pineapples, thanks to the show "Psych." It's so simple to do and sinfully delicious. I've joked, with people who have asked for the recipe, that it is a secret recipe that I would never share! Truth is I just didn't want to admit how easy it is! It is so embarrassingly easy, that you don't even need a recipe, really....

6 Tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 box Vanilla Chex cereal
1 cup unsalted roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup diced dried pineapple
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Place butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in sauce pan. Heat on medium heat until butter is melted. Turn up heat to medium high and heat until syrup starts to boil. Boil one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

Pour cereal in large microwaveable bowl. Carefully pour syrup over top and stir gently to combine. Add almonds and stir. Heat in microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Add in pineapple and give a gentle stir. Add coconut and stir again to combine.

Line large baking pan with waxed paper. Spread mixture evenly on pan. Let cool.
It really is that easy!

The other thing I made for our outings were flannel pillow cases. Again super easy, but something fun for the kids to enjoy.

Peach Melba Iced Tea

Tea. I love tea. All kinds of tea. Black, Green, White or Herbal Infusions. Hot or iced. I love tea.

Today I want to talk about iced tea. So refreshing on a hot day.. My kids love the Peach Bellini tea at The Olive Garden. This is my take on that.

For 2 quarts:
1 Family-Sized Lipton Iced Tea Bag
2 Bags Herbal Peach Tea (such as Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion)
2 Bags Herbal Raspberry Tea (such as Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger)
Sugar, or other sweetener, to taste



Place tea bags in a 2-quart heat-proof pitcher. Pour 4 cups boiling water over tea bags. Brew 3-5 minutes. Remove Lipton tea bag. Brew 2 minutes more. Remove herbal tea bags. Stir in sugar or other sweetener to taste. I like to use a "light sugar" mixture of sugar and stevia, such as C&H. Two tablespoons makes a nice, slightly sweet tea. The kids like it a little sweeter, so sometimes I'll add as much as 1/4 cup.  Add 6 cups of ice cubes. Stir.

Ahhh. That hits the spot!  Come join me, I poured you a glass :)

It's Spring In Arizona!

It's Spring In Arizona!

While most of the country experiences cold, winter weather, it's spring here in the Arizona Sonoran Desert. Of course, that means SUMMER, with its oppressive heat, is just around the corner. But for now, the weather is perfect and the garden is growing! Most noticeably the citrus is blooming. I step outside in the morning and the scent of the citrus blossoms is overwhelming. Not to mention the buzzing of the bees!

Last year the hubby cleared an area between the trees and made a little patio for our bistro table, which he painted a sunny yellow. I have been trying to come up with cute little seat cushions for the chairs. Well, in a moment of inspiration, after clearing out the out-grown t-shirts from my girls' closets, I decided to make rag-rug style seat covers from the t-shirts. It has taken a bit of trial and error, but I think I have finally figured out a crochet pattern to get them done. It's a work in progress at the moment, but hope to supply pictures of the finished project soon!

Stay tuned!