Life Lately

 

It’s the time of year in Florida where the season of visitors and snowbirds is coming to a close and we will be saying goodbye to friends until late fall.  It’s also the time of year where the heat begins to crank up and everything slows down a bit with less crowds and definitely a different pace for those of us who live here year around.  I have to admit, I enjoy the summer for that reason.  

Here is what I have been doing to finish out April.

My neighborhood golf group that I organize, held an end of season scramble on Tuesday and it turned out great.  There was a committee that handled the prizes and other details, so all I had to do was show up and golf.  My team tied for 2nd and had a lot of fun on the course.  The group will still golf all summer, but the numbers will be small and we will switch to mornings because of the heat.

One of our favorite things to do is head to the beach for happy hour.  All we do is grab chairs and a cooler and meet friends in a designated spot.  It’s casual and because we live so close to the beach, it can be spur of the moment.  Always fun and always beautiful.

Lastly, I haven’t shared some of the updates we have made to our Florida home.  It’s crazy that soon we will have the 4th anniversary of our move here.  Can you tell I love it more every year?

The two biggest updates are the custom barn door we added to the master bedroom/master bath and two new chairs to the living room to add more coastal color.  They also fit the space a bit better. We also added some custom tile work to the guest bath shower and had the vanity mirror framed in the master bath. It’s impossible to get good bathroom photos, but both add great finishing touches.

And, I found this arty glass and wood fish to place on top of my kitchen cabinets for another fun coastal focal point.

Happy Thursday!

Overdue Sister Time

 

It had been  over a year since I had spent any time with my sister (who lives in Michigan) and we rectified that this past weekend.  She flew in for a quick three dayvisit and it was so much fun.  

Some people like to spend their time in Florida getting as much sun as possible, but she prefers to be out and about, so we were busy.

I picked her up at the airport on Friday and immediately headed for lunch, because everyone needs a tropical drink to start a weekend in sunny Florida.  We headed home for pool time and then went to dinner at the beach and watched the sunset.

On Saturday, we did her favorite thing and walked my favorite beach for shell collecting.  Then, we had lunch and shopped in Venice.  More shopping ensued when we went for dinner in St. Armands Circle and also enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Tommy Bahama Restaurant.

Before her afternoon flight on Sunday, we managed to have breakfast on Sarasota Bay, walk Bayfront Park, shop in Siesta Key Village and grab a pina colada and put our feet in the water at Siesta Key Beach.

All the while, we caught up and talked about everything under the sun, like sisters do.  

Happy Wednesday!

Baked Aldi Pain au Chocolat French Toast

 

Are you an Aldi Shopper?  I do like shopping there, but mostly for specialty items.  It’s fun to just wander the aisles and see what is new and different.  Something I found recently is a delicious breakfast item that I keep buying over and over.  In the bakery section, you can find Pain Au Chocolat; individually wrapped flaky, croissant type pastries with dark chocolate on the inside.  My favorite way to eat them is to put one in the toaster oven until the chocolate melts and the outside gets just a bit crispy and warm.

For a little extra on a special morning (or just because) try this simple recipe I put together to use them up. You could also use regular, plain croissants, sliced in half with chocolate chips in the middle.

To make:

Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.  Place 5-6 Pain au Chocolat in the dish, packed close together. 

Whisk together 3 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 T vanilla.  Pour over pastries and then press pastries gently to submerge.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips on the top.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until set.

To finish, sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on the top and broil for a minute or two until top is crispy.

Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream. 

Enjoy the chocolaty goodness.

Found in the bakery section of your local Aldi

 

Easter Weekend Florida Style

 

We were blessed to be able to spend our Easter weekend with both friends and family and in both instances, found a feeling of normalcy and hope. Like so many, last Easter was spent at home, just the two of us.  We missed our Good Friday tradition of Stations of the Cross, followed by a bit of bar hopping with friends.  A tradition that began in Michigan and has since been carried on in Florida.  And, the Easter season is a prime time for family visitors here in Florida, but that was not happening last year as well.

This year, with the vaccine in all our arms, we were able to celebrate together, give hugs and generally pick up on life as we knew it before the word lockdown came into our vocabulary.  Spring and the Easter season always feel hopeful, but this year, the smiles on our faces seem just a bit brighter.

I hope you felt the same.