Spring Cleaning

I'm a girl all about the goal-setting.  It helps me to be clear and focus on what I'm looking to accomplish!

Spring Cleaning is a personal goal I hope to tackle this coming weekend.  With nice weather happening I'm hoping to open the windows and clean, clean, clean!  I'd be the first to admit that my linen closet needs a top to bottom overhaul at the moment.  This is the main area of focus of my cleaning efforts, but also on the docket are the following:

• Deep cleaning the floors - both hardwood and carpeting
• Window washing
• Clean out fridge and freezer

I've heard that to inspire progress, it's often a good idea to visualize the results and environment once the goal is complete.  How does it look?  What does it feel like?  I envision a clutter free, freshly scrubbed environment where I'm calm and relaxed.  :)

Do you have any great Spring Cleaning rituals?  Any good tips for me?

Florida Recap

Bonita Springs turned out to be every bit as relaxing and fun as I could have hoped!  We had gorgeous weather the entire trip (84 degrees and sunny basically every day) and enjoyed not having much of an agenda at all!

We stayed at the Trianon in Bonita Springs; it is located in a Promenade of various shops and restaurants.  We loved being able to walk to most all of our meals - and enjoyed the Lakehouse Restaurant adjacent to our hotel. 

Our favorite spot would likely be Roy's; located just around the corner of our hotel, they boasted a wonderful $6 Happy Hour that we indulged in a few times.  Our bartenders were the best!  We also loved Doc's (Katie!  Thought of you!)

Each day we enjoyed coffee and breakfast on the patio of our hotel - probably a favorite memory of the trip (what a treat to just sit, relax and drink my coffee in nice weather!)  We then drove about 7 minutes to the ocean, went for a morning walk on the beach and then layed out in the sun.  We swam in the ocean a few times, saw some dolphins, enjoyed great wine and a few Corona's and Margs, too. 

I feel blessed to have taken this trip with my mom.  Especially with life moving and shifting at such a fast pace right now, it is a trip I'll remember forever.  And I hope to come back to Bonita soon!

Below is one of my favorite pictures from our trip - I think it sums up our vacation quite nicely. I'll post more in days to come. 


Sunset at Bonita Bay!



Florida, here I come!

Well the time is nearly here for Florida!  Cannot wait to soak up the sun (pool side, beachside...), indulge in some fun cocktails and good wine and explore some of the local cusine.  We'll be in Bonita Springs, which is right on the Gulf and very near to other fun spots, like Naples, Marco Island and Fort Myers (where we're flying into.)  So, we're excited to explore a bunch of different areas, namely their beaches :)

On My Agenda?

Not a whole lot specifically.  I'm fortunate to have a mother that likes to roll with whatever comes her way.  I'm more of the planner, and she balances that out nicely - thus we travel well together.  I plan to read a lot while laying out in the sun (my favorite past time, which lately, I haven't had much time to indulge in.)  Just planning to relax, go for walks along the ocean with my Mom, do a lot of reading and perhaps some writing, take some good pictures and collect some seashells for my guy (per his special request.)  :)

Looking forward to sharing some fun pictures upon my return!

On the packing front, things are almost all together.  I'm bringing the usual trip items:  some notables include several sundresses, coral nail polish, some fun sun products from Victoria's Secret that I treated myself to and of course my trusty Kindle.  :)

Easter Weekend!

This Easter weekend involved pretty much all of what makes me love this time of year.  Friday night was spent out for drinks and sushi with some special people.  I had a Sweet Potato Veggie Sushi that knocked my socks off!    

Saturday, I did some shopping for my upcoming trip to Florida with Mom (Next Tuesday, I'll be in 85 degree weather in a swimsuit!  So excited!) and also purchased a few new Spring items for work (I'm loving the mint and coral items out right now.)  Saturday evening, my Mom and I went out to St. Paul for dinner and Mass downtown St. Paul.  The church we go to is beautiful - full of tradition and celebration, candles and beautiful music.  I love spending mass cuddled up in the pew with my Grandma; we're 2 peas in a pod (seriously so much a like!) so it warms my heart to spend quality time with her.  We are a pretty feisty duo when together, lots of laughing and fun - my Mom just shakes her head ;)

Sunday, my parents hosted a lovely brunch.  We ate so well, per usual, with delicious Homemade Spinach Stratta, Waffles and Coffee Cake, among other delectable treats.  It was lovely having Sydney join the mix; she is quite the hit with my family, and lifts right in!  Love her so much, so very special to share the day with her as well. 

As promised, I supplied the Blushing Mimosas - they were delicious!  Quite sweet, but I used a dry Champagne which cut through the sugar a bit - what a treat they were!  As I made the juice mix separate from the booze, I got to thinking about ideas for fun summer cocktails using the same mix with different liquours - Vodka and Gin both came to mind as refreshing potential options.  Might have to do a little taste test ;)

I hope you and yours had a relaxing, sunny and beautiful holiday.

Spring has Sprung! 

Here's Sydney and I in our Easter brights, enjoying our Blushing Mimosas.