Some Easter fun yesterday with my niece Taylor who took on my “challenge“ to make her standard crescent rolls into Easter Bunnies!!! NAILED IT… but in a good way!!! Ha!

It’s the end of the year and I’m busy making a big batch of chocolate chip cookies for tonight’s festivities. Reminiscing about yummy cookies… how my Mom used to bake them for my art fairs… how my niece Taylor has occasionally taken over “cookie duty”… and so many other end-of-the-year thoughts. Seems like the perfect time for cookies!

So I had a wonderfully “sweet” surprise this past weekend at ART IN THE BARN. My niece Taylor has gone off to college about six hours away for her freshman year… so I knew I would be flying solo without her help at the art fair. But then imagine my surprise when showed up “out-of-nowhere” to surprise me!!! I couldn’t process it at first… you’re here?, you’re at college?, what are you doing here?, why aren’t you at college?, thanks for coming?, great surprise?, etc.!!! And then she handed my a tin of homemade chocolate chip cookies that she had made for me… just like my Mom did for every art fair before she passed. The sweetest cookies, the sweetest gesture, the sweetest memories!

But then… oh, but wait there’s more!!!

I also spent the night at Taylor’s house out in the ‘burbs instead of driving back & forth. When we went out for dinner… this PILE of cotton candy came out for dessert… passionfruit flavored cotton candy!!! Just sealing the deal… as the “SWEETEST gestures of the weekend! Taylor’s the BEST!!!

Happy High School Graduation Taylor!!! And best of luck as you head off to college! So excited to see where you go from here. Have a great time at the University of Missouri… Go Tigers!!!… and best of luck to our very own Little Miss Mizzou!!!

Yesterday afternoon was a party to celebrate my niece Taylor before she heads-off to the University of Missouri for a degree in Special Education!!! It’s hard to believe that she’s all grown-up & ready for college… in my head she’s still about six or seven?! Many of you have watched her grow-up at some of my art fairs. But in case you missed that… scroll through the photos to see her over the years. The cutest!!!

Her Dad printed all of these photos as large posters that lined the driveway as people entered the party! One for each year… so adorable!!!

Okay, so this was all my niece Taylor’s idea…
but I’ve made a bundle of fun for our Christmas gathering. Over a hundred pieces packed inside, some good, some not… all wrapped up in 800-feet of cling wrap! My family will pass around the ball unwrapping & discovering some gifts along the way! Might not be the best gift ever… but it promises to deliver tons of entertainment for ME!!!

I mean, c’mon…. could these two rascals BE any cuter?!
Best buddies & playmates. Hanging-out playing with my niece Taylor’s two puppies Riley & Shadow!

This past weekend we did a little “celebrating” of my niece
Taylor’s “Sweet 16” birthday… her second Covid birthday!

While we stayed safe in our family bubble, we also tried the new “pandemic trend” of cutting & eating cake with wine glasses! Pretty fun, a little messy and a LOT of yummy chocolate frosting! We all liked it… except maybe my Dad who I think prefers the old-fashioned slice of cake on a plate!

Spent a fun afternoon downtown today with my niece Taylor and her parents… their first time seeing the Chicago River dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day. They were all surprised by how vibrant the green color was… eco-friendly of course!!! Good to see the City decided to bring back a little bit of holiday “normal” this year… as we didn’t get to see it last year when the City shutdown just before St. Patrick’s Day!

I’ve been on a quest… searching for the new Brookie-O OREO‘s here in Chicago. No success yet. Luckily my niece Taylor had a package and was willing to share… from a safe distance of course.

Were they worth the wait?… Yummy, but not amazing.
Would I eat more? Yes.
Would I finish a whole package? Most likely.

Would I rather have that wonderful-gooey-pile-of-goodness as seen on the center of the package?

MOST DEFINITELY!!!