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I have never done one of these before but they are fun and addicting. I could get lost on Google images for hours. So, I am going to block it on my computer. ROTFL! Thanks Karen! ;) My age on my next birthday: 40 Holy Crap! I'm old! A place I'd like to travel: Hawaiiiiiiiiiii My Favorite Place: The Beach My Favorite Object: My bag! I'm a bag ho! ;) My Favorite Food: Pasta! Pasta! Pasta! My favorite animal: Dolphins (aren't they cute!?) My Favorite Color: Red Town where I was born NYC Town where I live: Somers Name of Past Pet: Tasha ( my little schnauzer) Past Love: Michael Best Friend's Name: Denise (Her hair is so pretty) First Name & Screen Name: Ramona (Jimmy Choo Ramona Tote a mere $2600) Middle Name: Teresa Last Name: Greenspan Bad Habit: Shoe Shopping First Job: Take Out Counter Girl Grandmothers' Names: Mary Margaret College major: Political Science

And, here's a shot of him with his signed Ryan Church ball. We went to the sports card store right after camp to get UV protected glass cases to house these babies. He has them displayed on his shelf right next to his bobble heads. TOO CUTE! While we were at the card store, we also got MLB Showdown. He's been wanting it for a little bit now. It's a baseball card game that with the roll of a die you can simulate a game. I just played 9 innings with him and he beat me 5-3. FUN!

I think Dylan's favorite part of baseball camp is when they have players come and do clinics, answer questions and sign autographs. This year Darryl Rasner of the NY Yankees and Ryan Church of the NY Mets came to camp. Darryl Rasner showed Dylan how to throw all different types of pitches and he came home to demonstrate to me exactly how to throw a curveball which just happens to be Darryl Rasner's favorite pitch. ;) I was sure to get photos of my very excited little man with his wares. Here is Dyl showing off his Darryl Rasner signed baseball which my sister says is worth $70.00. She checked on Simon SPorts. LOL! Ok. Off to take pix of him with his Ryan Church ball and hat. TTFN!

I don't know how my husband finds these events but almost every weekend he manages to take us on an adventure. This weekend was no different. We woke up Saturday and had no plans at all. Our weekend guests cancelled on us so we were left to fend for ourselves. About 12:30 just when I thought I was going to enjoy a nice relaxing day of possibly scrapbooking or making cards, DSH says "Hey, how about going to a music festival in Rosendale?" Me: Huh? Where? Stew: "No, they have 40 bands, food crafts...should be fun." Okaaaaaaay. With a little convincing we were all on board. Natty who was the most vocal family member about not going seemed to have thee most fun. See for yourself... Hair Wraps!? Hair wraps!? Where did she come from? My little wild child. ; She is going to keep this in until it disintegrates just like the nice lady who put it in said. :O Natty Patty with her doggie puppet. I'm hoping this keeps her occupied for awhile...I really d...

Citrus Sugar Cookie In this delicious recipe, old-fashioned sugar cookies are enlivened with the flavors of citrus oils and zests. Chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, these treats are glazed with sanding sugar for an irresistible crackly sugar topping. Citrus Sugar Cookies Makes about 30 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied orange peel 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon grated lime zest 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 6 drops lemon oil 3 drops lime oil 3 drops orange oil Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and the granulated and brown sugars on m...

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you read each of these words and why? 1. ice - cold because ice makes my drinks cold 2. primary - first as in the primary, first and foremost, reason for doing something 3. dirty - messy - does this really need an explanation? 4. green - envy - green with envy...get it? 5. fly - high - I love airplanes. They take you high up in the sky to beautiful places...;) Now, it's your turn. You can do it. These are easy....;)

My friend Dianne turned me onto the great tutorial by Jessica Sprague to get your rather bland photos to literally pop off the screen. I am not a computer whiz by any stretch of the phrase. I can do the basics but all these actions that these people use...well I don't even attempt them. But Dianne assured me this was easy and you know what? She was right! If I can do it *anybody* can. So, be sure to check it out. You'll be amazed. You can find the tutorial here: http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/ My before shot. And after utilizing Jessica Sprague's technique. What a difference, no?

On Sunday, we picked up my sister and her family and took them blueberry picking up at Kelder's Farm in Kerhonkson, NY. It was the first time my niece picked blueberries and she did really good. She only picked the purple ones. ;) They also had some veggies that looked great so we picked summer squash, cucumbers, peppers and broccoli...YUM! After, we took them to our favorite brew pub...The Gilded Otter. The weather was perfect and no traffic on the long ride home made for a perfect end to the weekend. :) Natty... Dylan getting ready to fill his basket... Dylan and my niece Nicole stopping picking to pose for me.... My pickings which will be turned into blueberry muffins shortly... Saturday was spent at Shea Stadium. The Mets were playing host to the Colorado Rockies. The weather was perfect. It was sunny but not too hot and there was a fabulous breeze. And, it was a giveaway day...the kiddos got Met Build-a-Bears. So CUTE. I think they named them Shea and Homerun. ;) A...

Since I will be sunning my buns in Florida in a couple of weeks, I decided to go a bit shorter with my hair. We freshened up my highlights too and voila...a new me. Frontal View ... ;) The view from behind ... :D

So, I get my mail today and as I start to complain that the Mail Carrier left it open, I notice a package. Hmmm, I didn't order anything. Stew didn't tell me he was expecting anything. I see it is addressed to me from a new friend, Tracy. I wonder what she sent me? I couldn't open it right away because I was on my way to get Natty at camp. The suspense was killing me. As soon as I walked in the door, I tore it open and look what she sent me...two English riding plates! Thank you so much! How sweet is she to think about me and my daughter!? Too SWEET! :D

Creamy Lemon Bars Makes 16 Ingredients 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) 4 large egg yolks 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons) Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper. Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour, and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven, and bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Refrigera...

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies Makes about 5 dozen Ingredients 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups raisins Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture; mix until just combined. Mix in raisins. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake until golden and ...

Looks To Die For Lacy Fields is the wife of a prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, a dedicated mother of three, and an absolutely fabulous decorator to the stars. But when her husband is accused of murdering a young wannabe actress, Lacy finds out she has a killer instinct for hunting down murderers as well as antique furniture. With her best friend Molly Archer, a successful L.A. casting agent, Lacy tracks suspects from a sleazy network TV star to an advertising exec busy shooting Super Bowl commercials set on the moon. Her detecting leads Lacy into some startlingly funny situations, like stumbling onto a George Clooney movie set, clad only in La Perla lace underwear. It took almost half the book to really get going for me but then I couldn't put it down. And I never guessed who the real killer(s) were. I love that! :)

I have been organizing my daughter's room forever and we are almost there...just a few odds and ends to finish up and Natty's room will be complete. I want to thank Karen for inspiring me to tackle this project! Thanks a bunch!!!! All her dresses, bags, hats and belts all neat and color coordinated. As you can see my daughter has inherited my love of purses. :O Some games, toys and sleeping bag, etc. Baskets for video games, dolls and writing supplies. Oh, and a stool to reach her shelf. :) Little basket organizer to hold some of her stuff. It sits nicely in the corner of her closet. Her new desk. I let her accessorize it but I plan on "fixing" it up when she is at camp. LOL! Pretty green curtains, sheers and pink rods from PB and white wood blinds... Framed art to go over her dresser...

I WENT TO THE GYM!!!! Yes, you heard me right! ;) Last night, when Stew got home, I dragged my sorry arse to the gym. I did an hour of cardio and it felt AWESOME! The gym was hopping at 8 pm! I think I shall do it again!

Makes 24 Ingredients 4 cups Old-Fashioned Quaker Oatmeal 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 cups raisins Zest of 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Nonstick cooking spray Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add oatmeal, flour, sugar, pecans, baking soda, and salt; stir to combine. Add melted butter and vanilla and stir to incorporate; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine raisins, 1/2 cup water, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and immediately reduce heat to a simmer; continue cooking for 2 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor; process until almost smooth. If mixture is very liquid, strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding liquid. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer half the oat mixture to baking dish...

I went back to 8-1/2x11. The 12x12 thing was killing me! :O Who cares if it takes me 20 years to scrapbook their childhood. I'll be retired by then and have nothing else to do with my time, right? LOL! ;) Oh, and I plan on re-doing Natty's horseback riding lesson layout. Just need to replenish my undo supply. I don't know what I would do without that stuff.