News to share!

5.7.13-

  I'm so excited & I just can't hide it !  

{Is anyone else singing the Pointer Sisters with me right now? } 

Time to shout it from the tent poles! {Instead of rooftops, get it? ;)} Thrilled to announce that my sweet friend Amy from PinkParlorDesigns is bringing these adorable tents up to The Hive next week. These would make the perfect little shady spot for your little ones during the Summertime. So Cute!! Hope to see you all at 

The Hive {May 16.17 & 18} 

#thehiveboutique

-Cute little one under the tent, not included.
She's already taken!-

Seriously... How cute are those tents.  I had a sweet friend comment on FaceBook today when she saw this photo that she was suddenly had the urge to go grab a book & sit down outside& read.  I'm not a big reader but it sure has put me in the mood to do that too!  

These would be so great pitched in the backyard for your little ones & their friends to sit under not to mention one or a couple of them at Grandma's house.  How fun would that be?! So many fun adventures & possibilities with these cute colorful things.  So happy Amy will be at The Hive {her first time coming}  She is adorable inside & out.  So glad I got to meet her & become friends at Snap last month.  

Ok, that's all for today.  Kiddos are almost home from school so time to get off the computer.  Talk to you all soon or better yet I hope to see you all at The Hive. 

{It's going to be the BeST one yet, I can feel it!!}

Thursday May 16 {6-8:30 p.m.} 

Friday May 17th {10-4} 

Saturday May 18th {10-2}  

{M} 

Graham Cracker Cookies

5.6.13- 

One thing I love about this blog is being able to share with you the simple everyday things that bring me joy.  

Sharing one of my quick go-to treats that's a cinch to make & can be shared all Summertime long, Graham Cracker Cookies. I love making these for my kids & all their friends playing out in the yard.  Maybe you grew up with these cookies to in your home like I did.  So many childhood memories tied to these sweet things. 

-Served on a dainty pedestal, of coarse! Entertaining 101 everything looks better served on a cake stand.
-This Honeybee's motto. 

  

They really are a simple, yummy treat.  The best part is you probably have all the ingredients you will need in your home already.  Graham Crackers & Frosting & that's it!  As simple as that sounds I do have a few tips when putting this goodie together. 

#1- The frosting must be homemade!!  

{it really is the best- no substitute for it & easy to make}

I use a simple buttercream frosting recipe of just butter, powdered sugar, vanilla & milk. I don't really use exact measurements {or I would share them with you all} I just mix until it looks & tastes good.  

Start off with at least a 1/2 stick of softened butter, pour in 3/4 cup or so of powdered sugar a splash of vanilla & a couple TBSP of milk & go from there.  

Keep mixing & adding sugar, vanilla & milk until you get a taste & consistency that you like. 

#2-  Try it with Chocolate Frosting- Yum!!  Same recipe as above but add cocoa powder for a chocolatey taste. One of my friends even said she makes it with chocolate frosting between 2 saltine crackers.  Never tried it but the salty/sweetness sounds good to me. 

#3-  Serve them chilled!  I love to make the frosting ahead of time & put it in the fridge for a while.  Spread the chilled frosting inside the crackers for a cold treat.  

{This is a great way to use up extra frosting left over from sugar cookies or decorating a cake} 

#4- Make up a bunch to eat now & later.  Set some aside 

{if you can hide some & not be tempted to eat them}

because they are even better the 2nd day.  The graham crackers get a bit soft. 

#5- Most of all sit back & watch the smiles on faces as they eat these cookies & Enjoy! 

Embracing the warmer weather & looking forward to lots of days ahead filled with Summertime fun.  

Hope you are too.  Give these cookies a try & tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you. 

{M} 

What's cookin'!

 5.2.13- 
  

Sharing some seriously fabulous recipes with you today. 

They all come from the Gourmet Dinner Club group that I'm a part of.  I always love to share pictures of the night with you & the recipes too on my blog.  Each Gourmet Club dinner is shared over on it's "official" blog, Delish my Dish, with all the recipes. Every dinner has a theme {chosen by the 2 hosts} that all the food & decor center around. Thanks to my friend Courtney for taking all the photos to capture the evenings. 

-This was was such a fun, colorful night of wonderful food & decor.  So perfect for Springtime when it was held last year. I loved the tangled Thai salad & the shrimp, yummy!- 

I've told you about this group before & I'm happy to announce that you can now easily pin all the recipes right from the blog onto your pinterest boards. All you have to do is scroll over the pictures {on the Delish my Dish blog} to easily pin.  You'll see the "PiN" icon show up as you scroll over the photos. Just click on it & there you go. 

-This Gourmet Club was fun because it took place "Into The Woods" at a family cabin.  We each had our own personal little picnic baskets, it was so charming & sweet!  Not to mention the Blue Cheese Chicken pitas were tasty!- 

-At the themed dinner, "Eat" these Fresh Tomato Flatbreads were so finger licking good!  I totally filled up on these & they were only the appetizer.  So good!!-  

All the recipes are fabulous! I love that you can see pictures of each thing.  Plus, as a bonus you'll be totally inspired by the amazing decor at each dinner.  I'm so fortunate to be part of this group with 12 other ladies who know how to entertain & cook delicious meals. 

- Grilled Ahi with Cilantro Pesto was another one of my favorites from the dinner themed, "Fresh & Flavorful"  So light, fresh & tasty. - 

I always look forward to our dinners & the amazing decor that goes along with each meal.  It's always so much fun! 

-Also from the "Fresh & Flavorful" dinner, Grandma Gardner's Strawberry Pie with Basil Ice Cream.  Yes, I said Basil.  If you want a fresh & new kind of ice cream try it you WON'T be disappointed, so refreshing & delicious!- 

Go over to the Delish my Dish blog, 

{you can always access it from my blog on the right hand side}  

to search for any of these recipes.  It is really easy to do.  Just start scrolling through the blog, admiring all the yummy food & fun entertaining ideas & "pin" along the way.  I've enjoyed each & every recipe on there. So start pinning & make something wonderful for dinner tonight! 

- I love this picture of a happy diner.  Right after this picture she wanted to lick the plate clean of the Basil Ice Cream, it was THAT good- I told you! Give it a try, perfect for Summertime entertaining.- 

Start pinning & make something wonderful for dinner tonight! 

Bon appetite!

{M}

I'm a nut!

4.29.13- 

  I guess you could say that I'm craving NuTS lately!  They are such a great snack & the saltiness is calling my name.  This is what our little "snack station" in the kitchen looks like right now & what you can't see is that Hectors' {the cookie jar} tummy is chuck full of Peanut Butter Choc. Chip cookies. Oh, he is a happy Owl today.   

{-Recipe Below-} 

-A full blown little buffet of salty sweetnes waiting to be eaten my hungry kids after school or guests that stop by for a visit-

Recently discovered these at Costco & they are really good.  Love the combination & different flavors that are all mixed together in the bowl.  Not to mention the pepper punch you get too. Unique & yummy! 

Here is what the package looks like.  I love the combination of cherries in with all the nuts such great flavor. Yum!

Love whole cashews to grab by the handful too.  Looks even tastier set out on the counter in this vintage bread tin.  

Raw Almonds too are set out for a healthy grab-n-go snack.  

{Or if you're like my hubby & I we chop them up & put them onto of our vanilla ice cream! ;)} 

I posted this pic last night on Instagram of some cookies I made to take over & share with our friends.  We get together EVERY Sunday night to watch the Amazing Race together.  It's been a tradition now for a couple of years.  We rotate houses each week & it's a blast.  We love the {S} family!  We always have quite the snack spread set out each week for us to watch the Race.  

{Do you & your family watch it?  My kids love it!} 

There were lots of requests for the recipe so here you go.  They really are great cookies to make- super easy & they always turn out great & look pretty to share.  

So much so that I ALWAYS double the batch!! 

{Got the recipe years ago off of Martha one day- I miss that show!} 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 Stick of Butter

1/2 C. Sugar 

1/2 C. Brown Sugar 

3/4 Peanut Butter {I like to use Chunky} 

    Cream all together & then add:

1 Egg 

1 tsp. Vanilla 

    Add:

1 C. Flour 

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda 

Semi-Sweets Choc. Chips {I don't measure these I just dump in as much as a I think looks good.} 

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a un-greased cookie sheet & bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  

Enjoy! 

{& thank me later} 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day! 

{M} 

The cutest Hop Scotch ever!!

4.27.13- 

  How adorable is this?  I woke up Saturday morning to see this brightly colored creation on our driveway.  My girls drew it while my hubby & I were out on Friday night.  I just love it!  I thought it was so clever to tie in the rainbow not to mention the clouds, sunshine, stars & the moon.  Such a happy hop scotch to play on.  

{Something about colored chalk on the driveway just screams warm summer days ahead- HooRAY!} 

Each of my girls told me what their contribution was. I like when they all work together on a project & I can see each of their creative spirit in it.  It always brightens my day when I see their talents shine.  
{Love each one of them to the moon & back!} 

Hope you all have a bright & wonderful Sunday.  

{My favorite day of the week}  

Ready to be uplifted, inspired & prepared to take on the new week ahead. 

{M} 

Fleattitude finds!

4.25.13- 

  I love a good flea market.  Sometimes they are hard to find around these parts but I went to the BeST one last Saturday & can't wait to go back to the next one & the one after that.  

{Oh, yeah I will travel the distance it's that good!} 

Fleattitude takes place down in Pleasant Grove.  The next one is in June & trust me, I've already marked my calender. 

{It's my B-Day weekend & I think my present will be going to it for the day} 

My friend Tausha & I set off bright & early to check it out.  It was awesome!  We could have walked around & around for hours & never get tired of seeing lots of great stuff every time.  I also enjoyed running into lots of friends there too, love seeing people that make me smile.  Fun to chat, look around & admire all the treasures with many of them.  Shopping with friends is always more fun! 

So take a peek at all the goods I found that day.  

I was in heaven!  Love all the things I snagged up to bring home with me. 

Thought all the prices were great & such an amazing variety of all things vintage.  Oh, it made me so happy!  Sometimes I wonder if I was born in the wrong era because I love it all but then I'm glad I was born when I was so that I could appreciate all the old things more.  

You know I love a vintage pop bottle. This one is my first black one for my collection, my sweet friend bought it for me.  How nice is that?  Love friends that "get" you.  

-Will be so fun to put out around Halloween with some orange bottles- 

I just liked this tin.  Poinsettias have always remind me of my Grandma & this looks like something that she would have used back in the day.  I tucked it away in the Christmas boxes but can't wait to get it out this Holiday season. 

Vroom, Vroom!!  I've always wanted an old metal truck to use for displays & stuff.  When I saw this one I just had to drive it home with me.  Lucky for me the vendor had just marked the price down on it that day. {Cha-Ching!} 

How cool is that Coca-Cola crate I bought too!  Oh, I have some big plans for this beauty.  In fact I showed a sneak peek over on Instagram last night & so far it's my most popular pic I've ever posted!

Old stationary/office supplies always makes me smile.  I use them for tags, notes, recipe cards & just about everything. I great steal at only a $1. 

You've probably been noticing the backdrop in all of these pictures.  I haven't seen one of these in years!  I remember my Mom having one to cut fabric out on.  But I'm using it in its new life as a backdrop or a divider screen.  I've had so much fun using it already this week.  

{This too had just been marked down- Score!} 

Now to my next favorite thing.  If you follow me on Instagram {& I really think you should ;)search for mquigbee}  You saw how I used this old mechanics roller on Sunday night.  Actually, I don't know what the "official" name for it but as soon as I saw it I thought to myself, this would make a great table runner/island centerpiece.  Oh, I'm in LoVE!!  This is going to be one of those found treasure that I will use & love having around for years.  Thanks to my friend at Jenn at 3Dotters for selling it to me.  

Such a cool piece of oldness.  Love the worn details on it.  I'm sure it was used a ton back in the day. 

Next... this metal, expandable magazine or file folder rack.  I've been wanting one of these for a long time too.  

{By the way how cute is the cover of this months Country Living?  The stuff inside is just as good too!} 

I'm also a sucker for anything kitchen vintage & metal.  I don't know what I'll use these little molds for but at a $1 each they just had to come home with me.  

Just posting all these pictures brings me so much JoY!  Are you like me, do you love vintage stuff?  I'd love to hear from you.  Which of my goodies do you like the best?  

Have a great day! I'll be back soon {seems like I can't stop posting lately!}  to share one of my families favorite things to do together that ties in perfectly with this post.  Maybe you & your family enjoy it too. We'll see!

{M}