A's Second Birthday!

I am FINALLY getting this posted! I have been trying to get this post up for days... Sometimes the photos would attach, other times they wouldn't, so it took me forever! But, happily, here they are now. These are from my cousin's son's second birthday party on May 7th. They live in Rhode Island, so my son and I travelled there for the party. Baby "A" is what I will call the birthday boy. I hate to use names on a blog; I know some might think it's silly, but I feel their privacy is being invaded! I did get permission to use the photos that I have used. :)

So I hope you enjoy little "A" at his second birthday party! Here they are...

This is when "A" was opening his presents. And the funny thing is that my son helped him open the first present, and then "A" just kept coming back to him for my son to continue to help him open the gifts! It was really cute.

Some photos from outside:

Sorry, these next few I turned "clockwise" before importing, but they still came out sideways!

My son and I...

Here's my Godson ("A's Daddy") and I... We are trying to look MEAN...

But here we are SMILING!

I liked this one of my son, so I'm sticking it in here! LOL!
This is my other cousin on the left, and Daddy, Mommy and Baby A on the right.

This is "A" getting ready to hit his birthday pinata!

This is my other cousin in the blue shirt, but I can only show this photo of his blocked face because I haven't gotten permission to use his photo on here! I also wanted to include a photo of myself with his pretty girlfriend, but I didn't hear from him to tell me it was OK, so I didn't want to include it. Anyway, he took a turn at the pinata, but he was blindfolded and spinned around so he wouldn't see where to hit it. I was screaming at him to hit to the left side, so he was actually hitting the bushes. :) By the way, that's my scarf as his blindfold!

And here's our little baby, or I should say big boy "A" -- I love that face!

And here's Mommy and her birthday boy! (and their dog watching the festivities!)

Daddy, Mommy, Birthday Boy...

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY PARTY!

LOVE, "A"

Thanks everyone for looking at the photos!

Best,

Gloria

New Follower!

Excitement!!
I have a new Follower! Please, Janet, let me know your blog, so that I can come visit and return the Follow-ship! :) Thank you, new friend.
Best,
Gloria

Note: Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Crack Baby Cocktail

Greetings! I finally made the Crack Baby Cocktail that was served at the Royal Wedding's evening reception! First I will say: the drink WAS strong, I felt it after a few sips. And if one would ask me to describe the taste, it is difficult to describe! Surprisingly, it was not a very sweet drink -- it was actually on the side of bitter... I know that sounds odd, but it really was a sweet/bitter type cocktail. I think those who do not like sweet drinks would enjoy it. I will give the ingredients below, along with the measurements I used.

Crack Baby Cocktail:

2 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Passionfruit Juice
1/2 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
1 1/2 oz. Champagne

(Note: 2 oz. of liquid = 2 of my small-size jigger for alcohol)

Everything was cold (and I couldn't find my shaker!), so I just poured the ingredients in the glass, and stirred... One thing I LOVED was the color! Here are the ingredients I used:


This was the only Passionfruit Juice I found... I don't know if "Acai" Passionfruit made a difference...

I just bought a split of Piper Heidsieck champagne, I knew I wouldn't be finishing a whole bottle. This little split was expensive, but I purchased this brand only because of "good memories" of my father -- always getting Piper Heidsieck for his and my Mom's Anniversary or for holidays. When they had people over to celebrate when I was little, I always remember my father buying this brand because my mother liked it. I also bought BRUT (which is pretty dry) which is what my father always purchased, but I think the next time I would get an Extra Dry champagne, which would make the drink a little sweeter; or I might even try it with an Asti Spumante or Prosecco (the Italian sparkling/fizzy type wine).

And the vodka I purchased was ROKK -- from Sweden. I had not heard of it before, but it was reasonable in price, so I bought it. ;)

And last, but not least, the Chambord. This, I will admit, is pretty expensive for a little bottle. I think this one was about $21.

Isn't the top of it pretty though? I do remember, however, that years ago there used to be a little 'crown' at the top.

So that's all of the ingredients!

AND HERE IS HOW IT LOOKS!

I liked the way the lighting in this photo came out!

Then I decided to replace the "Passionfruit" juice with Pineapple Juice... Well, it didn't taste as good to me, it was 'heavier' and the drink was cloudy (due to the heavier, thicker pineapple juice, I presume). Here's the shot of it... As you can see, it looks darker, cloudier/less clear and sharp looking:

So that's it!! I hope you all enjoyed having a "virtual" Crack Baby Cocktail with me!

Thanks for visiting.

Best,

Gloria

Happy Mother's Day!

Greetings! Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there! Whether you have human children or animal children, have a great day! ;)

And I'd like to leave you with this -- it was sent to me in an email, and I thought it was so funny:

Best,

Gloria

UPDATE: I finally purchased the ingredients for the Royal Wedding's "Crack Baby Cocktail" (my previous post) so I will be doing a post on it in the coming week. I will let you know the TRUTH on how it actually tastes. I'm sure you are all holding your breaths. LOL! ;)

Royal Wedding "Cocktail" -- from the Evening Reception -- CRACK BABY COCKTAIL

This post is in honor of William and Kate's Royal Wedding on Friday, April 29, 2011. As I was looking online today, trying to find some photos of the Evening Reception from the night of the wedding, I found some online info that said that the star cocktail that was served was called the "Crack Baby Cocktail." I said to myself, "What???!!" So I read further and they gave the ingredients and I then also said to myself, "Hmmmm, sounds interesting and delicious! I think I might like to make that for company during the Summer!" So I copied down the ingredients -- sounds simple enough, and quite delicious. I am including it here in case you might like to try it one day too!

CRACK BABY COCKTAIL:
A mix of Vodka, Passion Fruit, Chambord Raspberry Liqueur and Champagne.

Apparently, The Crack Baby is the signature drink at "Boujis" -- the 'Royal' hangout of Prince William and Kate, when they were dating, and Kate's favorite; and this club is also frequented by Prince Harry. Boujis is a private, members-only club in London (South Kensington) and it quite exclusive. Here are a couple of photos of the club, courtesy of their website:

Hope you enjoy the "Royal Wedding/Crack Baby Cocktail" if you decide to try it! I am looking forward to getting all of the ingredients and trying it out myself! ;)

Congratulations to Prince William and his lovely bride.

Best,

Gloria

Note: Photos courtesy of Google Images and Boujis website.

My Valspar Paint Sample...

Greetings! I got my Valspar Paint Sample! Isn't it fun to have something arrive in the mail? Thank you to Valspar Paint! The color I chose is EB 16-3, Watermelon Slice. The little sample package is great. You will see all the photos below. They even give the little mini tray and the mini paint roller. So cute. Plus a $5 coupon toward a gallon and a complementary color palette.

Unfortunately, Valspar is finished with giving out the free samples -- BUT, I checked and you can get this little sample kit for only $5.95 in the color of your choice (plus shipping). And they say if you buy THREE or more sample kits, the shipping is free. Pretty good deal. So if you'd like a sample kit, click HERE and it will bring you to their website to see the description and how to order.

So now here's the sample box below. I am still thinking about painting a big basket I have to hold magazines, but since the weather here in the Northeast is still damp and windy every other day, I will hold off on painting anything outside until it gets nicer out! I will definitely post whatever I decide to paint Watermelon Slice! Here's the photos:

Thanks for visiting!

Best, Gloria

My new kitchen sign!

Greetings! I don't know if you remember that a while back I purchased a sign from my fellow blogging friend, Anne, who is the proud owner of THE CHUNKY MERMAID ~ her online "Hand-made Signs" shop. Well, I finally took a photo of where I have Anne's sign hanging in my kitchen, so I wanted to show you.

The quality of Anne's signs is wonderful -- they are beautiful and very sturdy, and I am actually now the proud owner of TWO of Anne's signs -- this one I purchased, and Anne gifted me with my first one. (I will show the other one at the bottom of the post).

As for this newest one, I love how the color of the sign and the color of the wall complement each other in my kitchen. The sign really POPS!

And below is my first sign from Anne that was a gift from her! As you can see, she makes CUSTOM SIGNS also! So if you have a favorite phrase, or favorite line from a poem, or anything original that you'd like made into a sign, Anne is the woman for you! She can also do signs with names for an upcoming birthday, or a new baby's room, whatever you'd like, the possibilities are endless. See has all the details on her website (link below) for you to easily contact her.

So head on over to THE CHUNKY MERMAID to check out Anne's signs!

You can also see Anne's signs in her Etsy shop.

Here are both links, just click on wherever you'd like to go:

For THE CHUNKY MERMAID, click HERE
For Anne's Etsy Shop, click HERE

Best, Gloria

DEADLINE TONIGHT: Save a life on World Malaria Day

Today is April 25, 2011 -- WORLD MALARIA DAY. And I received an email from "Nothing But Nets" which is a United Nations endorsed organization. I have given to them in the past.

Here's the important news: Until Midnight tonight, every dollar that you give to "Nothing But Nets" will be matched. I just logged on to donate $10 to buy a net which prevents children and families in Africa from dying of malaria from mosquitos, by purchasing nets for them and teaching them the proper use of the nets.

If you'd like to read about the organization before committing to a donation, please click HERE to read about this worthwhile organization, NOTHING BUT NETS.

One million people die every year from Malaria -- you can stop it...

In closing, I wanted to leave you with this: When my mother was alive and whenever anyone did a good deed, she would always say: "The good Lord will reward you a hundred-fold."
Trust me, I know this to be so true. You will not only feel great doing a good deed, but WILL be rewarded if you can give even a dollar to this worthwhile cause. (Yes, you CAN donate a dollar, just fill in the amount yourself, there is a spot there.)

Thank you for listening.

Click HERE to give.

Best, Gloria