Tonight when I got home I had received  a catalog from LL Bean with beautiful home furnishings. I do not have a screened in porch but if I did I would furnish it from LL Bean. So just for FUN I picked a lot of things from the catalog I would want if I had the money and the room for all of these items……….I added them all up and it came to about $3K dollars. Just a fun little experiment to see how much my dreams cost. Never mind the fact that I would have to put a 50K addition onto my house to put the furnishings into …….oh well it is fun to dream a bit…………Hope you are all having a lovely summer.

My sister and niece recently returned from Paris where they had a wonderful adventure. They spent a week in Paris and then took a Bike Tour of the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley has lots of wonderful Chateaus and Castles. They explained that during the French Revolution many families of Nobility went to the Loire Valley to escape Paris during all of the tumult. They brought us back these wonderul chocolates in this gorgeous box from a very special place called La Duree. When DH and I were in Paris we had lunch at La Duree and loved this charming tea room on the Champs Elysee. They have multiple shops throughout Paris but I suggest if you are visiting paris  stop into the store on the Champs Elysee for a special treat. They are known for their very special almond macarons in beautiful colors and flavors. It is a wonderful place and one of the highlights of my trip to Paris…..

http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/maisons/champs_accueil.htm

My DH was in the grocery store and saw these Granola Bars

I know Boston is liberal but really this is a bit much even for us. The box says they contain hemp seeds for nutty goodness when you have the “munchies.”  Seems to me you would get the munchies after you ate them…………He said they are not too tasty. I have not had the courage to try them yet.

Last weekend I had bought blueberries on sale and used one pint for a family gathering and still had another in my refrigerator. So I used them up by making blueberry muffins and blueberry bread. I have only tried the muffins…..I will try the bread tomorrow.  I found this recipe on the blog called “That’s not what the recipe says.” She credits Linda Greenlaw with this recipe. Linda Greenlaw is a great author, fishing boat captain and is featured in the movie the “The Perfect Storm.” Her books are great for Summer Reading.

http://higginsrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/08/foggy-morning-blueberry-muffins.html

THis AM I was late for work and stopped into my local starbucks for my coffee. I handed them an empty bag of starbucks coffee and they handed me a Tall coffee for FREE. I then picked up two starbucks Itunes download cards for free. So I got two songs and a coffee and I was on my way to work. Woo Hoo I love Free!!

Today when I went out to the gardens there were lots of strawberries ready to be picked. I am so excited for the first batch of these wonderful berries.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I am now the proud owner of an IPHONE……I have been adding some Apps for my new phone. One of the Aps I recently purchased is called Hipstamatic.

http://hipstamatic.com/

Check out the Hipstamatic website to read a little history about how the camera originated. Interesting reading……..we have come a long way from the Hipstamatic.

 It is a device that lets you choose special digital lenses for the phones camera and the photos turn out as if you were using an old 1970’s Hipstamatic camera. I have had a great time playing around with this new App. There are also lots of websites where you can post and share the photos you have taken. Here are a  few of the photos from my Hipstamatic “camera.”

This weekend the DH and I are spending a LONG weekend in Cape Cod. My boss has given us use of his Cape Cottage (which sits next to the Big House) It is right on the ocean. We have 180 degree views of the Ocean and a very nice beach to walk to . Maggie absolutely loves it here. This is her third visit. We brought her when she was just a small puppy and she really thinks it is her house. Cape Cod is wonderful because it feels like another world when you drive over the Bridge and enter onto Cape Cod. The landscape switches over Pine Trees, Sand and lots of summer shops and New Englandy restaurants. I love the Cape……..My first visit to the Cape was with my family when I was about 4 years old. We stayed at a Motel on Route 6 and I remember visits to the pie store and the penny candy shop. Nostalgia reigns when you come back to visit. DH and I would love to have a cottage at the Cape but for now the bosses place is pretty ideal. Thank you Mr. Boss Man for letting us celebrate our anniversary weekend in style!

Well I recently had a birthday and my DH gave me an Iphone which means I can take more random photos of life happening around me……..

Here is a cool wall sculpture at Legacy Place in Dedham, Ma. This is at an upscale bowling alley called Kings.

The wall shimmers and looks almost like water………Loved this!

Last night as I was driving out of my parking lot from work I saw something that did not look quite right so I drove all the way down the lot and saw som large birds……..upon closer inspection I realized these were Wild Turkeys…….Why were they hanging out in my Corporate Workplace parking lot?? I guess they heard a bunch of “turkeys” work in my building……and they would be right!! Gobble Gobble…….