Happy Leap Day

 

- people born on February 29th are called "leaplings" or "leapers" how fun is that -

- it's a day that does not legally exist -

- tradition states that women are allowed to propose to men -

What's Your Favorite Time Of Day?

 My favorite time of day is the evening, during sunset...

When the sun disappears below the horizon and the sky is a rich amber color that resembles a fire.

It is the perfect conclusion to the day, accompanied by fleecy clouds...

the sky becomes vibrant...radiant!

I find winter sunsets to be the best.

It rained all day on this day, February 23rd and the day concluded with this sunset.

What an amazing reward.

I would have missed this had my friend Liz not sent me a text "sunset"...

we do that for each other, Leanne as well!

I stayed outside...

and like looking through a kaleidoscope it turned a brilliant purple.

As the sun fades so did the day, now it's time to rest and reset.

What is your favorite time of day?

Happy Beats Playlist

Whether you listen to pop music or classical, there are songs that can always make you feel good.

Music is therapeutic, and can be used to lift your mind, body and spirit.

It has the potential to nourish the soul and keep the blues at bay...

- this happy beats playlist can do just that -

"Happy" by Pharrell Williams is my all time favorite for lifting my spirits and is not on this list.

Still, this list is a good one...

Day Trips

 Taking a "day trip" is really my favorite way to travel.

You are always somewhat familiar with your surroundings, you do not have to pack a suitcase,

you do not have to fly on a plane, which I do but dislike and you get to sleep in your own bed at night.

I find there are so many things to do in New Jersey, all within an hour or less of my home.

Many days can be filled in with really fun adventures, that don't break the bank either.

We recently took a drive to a Cracker Barrel for dinner.

It's a half hour ride but the ride is scenic and fun.

I had heard about a temple close by and we decided to pull off the highway and search for it.

Not far from the exit we found what we were looking for,

Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

Peddlers Village, Pa. is a super fun day trip that is about one and one half hours from home.

A quaint shopping village, unique shops, a bakery, gorgeous gardens and so much more.

We usually visit during holiday seasons as they have great displays each holiday.

You can read about 2 recent trips we have taken to Peddlers Village here and here.

The Safari at Great Adventure is another place we love to go.

It is a great way to see the animals, 20 minutes from home, and open all summer.

We get season passes to the park, they are very inexpensive, so we can go whenever we want.

It's a nice day trip in the summer as you stay in your own air conditioned vehicle to see the animals.

I've taken some nice pictures of the animals you can view here, here and here.

We love visiting Asbury Park, it has an eclectic vibe, a nice boardwalk, 

the ocean and great restaurants.

Only 1/2 hour away, I picked these 2 recent posts, you can peek at here and here.

Ocean Grove is just over a walking bridge from Asbury Park.

- Ocean Grove has tent city -

It is another really fun place to visit with cute shops, a new boardwalk, the ocean,

awesome murals and a couple of really nice restaurants.

The fox come here to an established den under the boardwalk to have their cubs.

Tent City can be viewed here, and the Old Victorian Homes here.

Pier Village is another seaside community we like to visit.

This is also about a 1/2 hour from home and we are drawn here for all of the same reasons.

Posts about fun day trips can be enjoyed here and here.

Historic Smithville is about a 40 minute drive in the other direction.

Smithville has historic buildings turned into shops...a beautiful carousel, 

a lake filled with water birds and the 

Smithville Inn if you would like a really special and delicious meal.

I have shared links to 2 trips we have taken here and here.

Longwood Gardens is in Pennsylvania but less than a 2 hour drive for us.

We have season passes so we try to visit often, and we definitely go during each holiday.

You can view the spring tulips here and here....Christmas can be viewed here.

Holland Ridge Farm is a family owned 

- you pick farm - 

where you can pick the flowers that are currently on display.

20 minutes from home 

we go to see the spring flowers and tulips here in the spring and the sunflowers here during the fall.

We enjoy our visits to Allaire State Park, Cape May and Sandy Hook 

but these are only some of the places we visit during day trips.

- we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us -

Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters #532

On our recent visit to Sandy Hook, to see the Seals and the Lighthouse,

 we saw a lot of deer walking around, free but tame.

They were approaching cars and even people on foot, they are probably use to being fed by visitors.

This was the first one I saw, watching me from behind that tree.

It came right out and was very curious about us, that we had stopped the car to take pictures.

This little one followed behind.

My friend Paige told me that bucks are losing their antlers right now, 

this one looks like it recently lost his.

We must have seen at least 15 deer, all right out in the open.

- in a race between a Lion & a Deer, 

many times the Deer wins because the Lion runs for food and the Deer for life -

 - purpose is more important than need -

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

Baking Bread

 I became part of the "bread making" craze back in

 2020 

when we all knew staying home was safer than going out.

Now when I say "craze", don't get too excited,  I am talking about maybe 4 loaves of bread.

This was the first loaf of bread I'd ever made, 

and coupled with a stick of butter it was insanely delicious.

My Rosemary Focaccia Bread was even better and I thought I was really on to something.

I made it again recently and this is really good.

What you will need...

mixing...

the dough came together nicely.

Covered with a damp towel, the dough doubled in size just as it was suppose to.

I used my finger to make the holes,
topped with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary, I put garlic on top also to add a little extra flavor.

Out of the oven, the aroma was delectable. 

The edges were brown and crisp...

dipped in olive oil, it was delicious.

For those of you interested, you can find the recipe on Pinterest here.

This And That...

Hi friends...

I do not have anything exciting to share, I have a few boring things that make up my days. 

I have a winter cold/crud that is starting to lose steam, 

thankfully, 

but it has kept me home without any exciting news to share.

When I visited the Coop a few weeks ago, 

I picked up these fingerless mitts...and that adorable luggage tag.

And how cute is the sale tag attached to the fingerless mitts.

I really enjoy wearing fingerless mitts because 

I am able to text at the same time as keeping my hands warm.

My Weekender Sweater is coming along nicely.

I had to rip out 5 rows after making an unnoticed mistake, that became very noticeable, 

after "froging" it, I am back on track now.

My Home Chef meals come on Tuesday...

I love when they come and the refrigerator is full of food.

My Christmas Cactus is not really a Christmas Cactus, I read it is 

False Christmas Cactus

Is that the same thing, I don't know...anyway, it is in bloom right now with a lot of buds and flowers.

It looks so healthy and pretty right now.

When I cut the flower off my hydrangea, I noticed buds and there are buds all over the plant.

 Sandy Hook has a beautiful lighthouse.

During our recent visit to see the seals, it was apparent it was in need of a little paint.

I hope everyone is having a productive day!

Another Sprinkle Of Snow

 It was enough snow to cover every branch of every tree...

the real soft, fluffy, clingy kind.

It snowed through the night and in the morning the sun did not come out to brighten the landscape 

and make everything bright blue beautiful.

Without the sun everything was "black and white" pretty...

It melted quickly and no clean up was required.

We should have gone for a walk, next snow...if there is one!

Wise Words On Sunday

 

- we got another sprinkle of snow -