National Doughnut Day Alert!

Tomorrow is a very important holiday, I'm sure you've already got it marked on your calendar in bold, red letters . . . tomorrow is National Doughnut Day!

Source: krispykreme.fbmta.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

Yep, that's right, gang, there really is such a day, the first Friday of June to be exact!

Per Wikipedia -
National Doughnut Day is on the first Friday of June each year, succeeding the Doughnut Day event created by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I.

And here's another surprising factoid you might not know . . .

Wednesday Wise Words: You and Your Bottom

Pin Accomplished: Sweet Strawberry Honey Butter

How do you kick off the last day of a three-day weekend - the unofficial start of summer?

In Weeksworld you make something sweet & special for breakfast, of course!

Strawberry Honey Butter - this pin (from B for Bel, tho' the original recipe comes from Half Baked) has been languishing on my "ASAP Pins" board for FAR too long.

Source: bforbel.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

I spotted these gems while racing thru Trader Joe's Saturday afternoon . . .

The time had come!

Strawberry Honey Butter

adapted from Half Baked - originally from Gourmet, May 1990

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries, hulled & halved
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Method:

• Purée strawberries in food processor. 
• Force purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan.
• Add honey and lemon juice and boil the mixture. 
• Reduce heat & simmer until mixture thickens, 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Let strawberry mixture fully cool in refrigerator.
• Blend softened butter and strawberry mixture - a few pulses in a food processor or with stick blender.

Sunshine, a steaming cup of cappuccino & Starwberry Honey Butter on toasted whole wheat English muffins . . . the perfect start to our day.

Welcome, Miss Summer!

Friday Funny: Pinsanity with the Comedivas

So many unpublished posts (in various stages of concept or drafting), lists as long as a midwest horizon, and so much super bloggerly intel to digest from last weekend's Bloggy Boot Camp with the SITStahs in Philly...

Unfortunately, this week seem to one of those weeks when not even a double dose of Adderal can stop the marbles ricocheting around in my head.

You see, there are days, sometimes a whole week, when the "should dos", "need tos" and "must dos" overwhelm my simple, ADD-addled brain.

One minute it feels as though the hamster has shifted into 5th gear on that wheel in the cage that is my brain, and I feel like I'm going to hyperventilate. 

The next minute, it feels like I'm standing in quicksand and I'm not sure which vine in the tangle before me I should clutch onto. Will this vine snap when I grab it, thus sending me deeper into the pit? Or will that one over there hold me steady so I can drag myself back to a place of relative calm and focus?

90 minutes of swoon-inducing hot yoga is only a brief respite, and attempts at meditation are hopelessly frustrating, so I'm gonna grab onto the vine that never seems to let me down...comic relief!

This one's for you, Oh So Pinteresting, and all my other pin-tastic pals.

  

I discovered this video via Huffington Post Women: 'Pinsanity: Comediva Mocks Obsessed Pinterest User.

While I was still smirking, I checked out Comediva's site, lots of amusing stuff...

Have a FAB 3-day weekend . . . hope your family doesn't drive to drink, but if they do, hope you have good pals keeping your glass full.

Almost Wordless: CA Dreamin'

Even after all these years living beyond the borders of my beloved home state (I dare not tally 'em up, they might revoke my CA citizenship), homesickness can still strike me down at any moment.

A firey sunset over waves, a bounty of beautiful artichokes or . . .

my ol' CA pal's garden bursting with orange poppies, the California state bloom.

I spotted her snap in my Facebook newsfeed and was soon checking airfares.

You can take the girl out of CA and transplant her in Yankee-land, but she'll always be "California girl".

 

Photograph by Susan C. Weber

www.weberwork.com

Fab Flick Quote

Thanks to DVR technology, I am rarely sentenced to watching commercials anymore, but the other day I was slummin' it, actually watching "live" television, and I was forced to sit through what seemed like a never-ending string of commercials, including one for the new film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" when this line drifted in my ear . . .

I love that a swirl of words can get stuck in your head & lift your thinking above the morass of everyday life.

I might have missed this flick in the cinema, but now, out of respect for a writer who's words so captured by attention, I'm gonna have to sneak off and see it ASAP.

image via IMDB.com

 

Our day is here - Live it Up!

It's after midnight - it's officially our day, gals!

May your breakfast in bed be edible,

and your kitchen not require a hazmat cleaning crew.

May your flowers smell sweet,

and your chocolates be untested by little nibblers.

May you enjoy a long, fragrant soak in the tub,

and a few moments of privacy in the powder room.

May you be spared the usual round of chores,

and may they not all be awaiting you come Monday morning.

May you savor the company of those you love,

or kick 'em all out your house & relish the silence.

Happy Mother's Day to each & every one of you!

And to the original "fortuitous housewife", 

all my love & gratitude.

Here's a virtual hug from 3,000 miles away.

Friday Funnies: Newsworthy Humor

In honor of Mother's Day . . .

(inspired by Time Magazine, laugh courtesy of someecards)

Source: someecards.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

A not-so-subtle reminder to those who love us . . . 

Source: Uploaded by user via Oh So Pinteresting on Pinterest

(This nudge comes to you via my bloggin' bud, Cynthia. If you're looking for more Friday funnies mosey on over to her corner of the blogosphere -- Oh So Pinteresting!)

One more giggle, just between us Moms . . .

Source: etsy.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

Wait! Wouldn't want to overlook North Carolina's esteemed voters this week . . .

 

Source: someecards.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

Cheers!

(I'm thinking margaritas this evening for this Mama!)

Cocktails, Canapes & Colors

Did you know tomorrow is the first-ever National Mom's Night Out?
(Finally, a holiday I can wholeheartedly endorse!)

And Mother's Day is Sunday!

What's a Mom to do with all this free time (yeah, right!) and doting attention?

Maybe you & your sweetie are overdue for a date night, but you're tired of the ol' dinner & a movie combo and that fickle date-night muse has abandoned you? 

Or are you desperate seeking a new locale or activity for your little monster's, err, I mean prince or princess' forthcoming birthday party?

Recently, I had the pleasure of escaping the family-hood for an evening at Palettes, on Main Street in Natick.

Palettes isn't a bar, but they serve some of the most unique and tasty cocktails I've had the pleasure of sipping.

Palettes isn't a restaurant, but they serve super savory snacks & sweet treats to satisfy your appetite.

And Palettes isn't an artist's studio, though you just might take home a new masterpiece.

Palettes is all those things - part bar, part restaurant, part art studio - with a generous measure of fun mixed in.

I joined a gaggle of fellow Boston area bloggers, and the evening's mastermind, Charlene of The Charlene Chronicles, for what turned out to be a uniquely amusing evening.

Palettes put out a wonderfully tasty sampling spread - italian sandwiches, grapes rolled in goat cheese & pistachios, gorgonzola deviled eggs, asian noodle salad, and strawberry shortcake cups - yum, yum, yum.

Before the painting commenced we all got to loosen up our artistic side a bit, sipping cocktails from Palettes' menu of "muddled madness", "champagne creations", "artistinis" and "palettes punch", as well as micro-brews and vino.

The Dexter - muddled strawberries, blueberries & basil, agave, Citron & club soda - sounded strange (berries & basil, in a cocktail?!), but it was surprisingly sublime & refreshing.

Not wanting to overdo it on a "school" night, I skipped the Last Mango in Paris - Lillet, Citron, mango juice and champagne (I'll have to visit again, soon).

Keep in mind fair readers, I am NO artist - my stick figures are so pathetic they have been known to skulk off the page in shame - but our adorable artist guide deconstructed the evening's painting, offered color & technique guidance, and encouraged us to not be afraid of the canvas, brush & paints.

There were periods of serious artistic concentration, friendly consultations, and plenty of laughs . . . we all had a ball!

So, how did the Housewife do? Are you ready? Brace yourselves, here comes my big reveal . . .

I won't be breaking any records at Sotheby's, but it isn't as awful as I feared it could be - it must have been the excellent instruction & good libations.

So if you're looking for something different to do, I highly recommend checking out Palettes in Natick.

Palettes offers kid & adult programs, 

family & open paint sessions, 

birthday & private parties.

Special thanks to Charlene & the gracious Palettes crew!

Sunday Supper Share: Thai Beef & Excuses

Phew, what a week!

Work, work, work, parent-teacher conference (don't know why, but they stress me out, it's like I'm seven again), play dates, mountains of laundry, prep & pack for 7-hour road (each way!) with the Handsome Husband, Baron of Boredom & Master of Mischief . . . excuses, excuses, whine, whine . . . I've got plenty of excuses for not posting the past 7 days . . . maybe the best thing to do is just get on with it?!

Last week I shared a new-to-Weeksworld super simple pasta supper courtesy of uMommy, so this week I thought we'd try a little Thai.

Source: marthastewart.com via Fortuitous on Pinterest

This one is one is an often-requested Weeksworld favorite -- Thai Basil Beef with Coconut Rice.