Sparklies Galore!

Today was such a sparkly day! We went to dinner with Nana and Pop (Carrabba's--I had the surf and turf with a delicious medium rare fillet and divine scallops and shrimp) and then shopping at the Yankee Flagship store. I had a $25 gift card burning a hole in my pocket and Lil was ready and rarin' to go. :o)

As we neared the store she said, "It smells like candles!". I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but Miss Bit is quite the candle aficionado. She obviously comes by it honestly and spends quite a bit of time opening and closing the jar candles I have around the house as well as rearranging all the pillar candles she can reach. So, you can imagine that Miss Girlie thought she was in heaven the minute she walked in the store. ;o)

She walked from one candle to another--picking up the REALLY expensive jar candles which we repeatedly told her to put down and to please remember to keep her hands behind her back--begging us to open them so she could smell them. I went into sensory overload fairly quickly (I like fruity, fresh scents and well, those weren't the candles Lil was discovering) and was delighted to find these candles. They fragrances were all fairly light and delightful and I fell in LOVE with this one. Oh. My. Goodness. It smells just like a fresh apple--I wanted to eat it on the spot. :oP Of course it was pricey, but with my gift card at the ready, I purchased it. I've been burning it for the past thirty minutes and it is just lovely. :o)

Oh, and by the way, the CranSlam smells just like Hawaiian Punch. ;oP

Lily also spent time admiring the Vera Bradley bags (she likes the new Cafe Latte pattern and I concur it's lovely--I need to commit the colors to memory and see about making a card using them), playing with the wind chimes, watching the train and looking for Santa (his workshop is in the store you know...). She really had a lovely time and we had fun watching her. :o)

When we got home, this was awaiting us on the front sidelight:

Isn't he cute??

In fact, we were inundated with amphibians this evening. Check it out:


I've never seen a toad in quite this position before...


I like this guy's face. :o)


And, he had a buddy.


Okay, not amphibians, but still a "toad abode" as Han would say. :o)


Look at how tiny and adorable this guy is. B had to chase him out of the garage so he wouldn't starve.





I just love this little face. :o)




This one was taken from inside the house last night. B went to do something upstairs and was distracted by this guy on the front glass.

Guess what--it's Goldie from last summer!

I'd know that gold stripe and gold eye anywhere. Woo hoo! :o)


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The UPS man also paid a visit today. How surprised was I to find a box from J. Peterman on our front stoop. The box smelled utterly divine upon opening it. Look what I found inside:


Aren't those boxes wonderful?


A chickie soap and...


...a sparkly froggy soap. I LOVE it!!

These delicious smelling soaps were a delightful surprise from the very generous Pamina. Thank you, so very very much, Pamina! They lily pad soap dish and yummy waterlily fragranced frog are too wonderful and are already on my bathroom sink, whilst the chickie and her lovely aroma are gracing my kitchen sink. You were such a dear to think of me and send this generous gift. :o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1. The weather this evening is just incredible. This is what I hope it's like next Saturday--warm with a cool breeze and little humidity. I wish all the summer evenings could be like this. Ahhhh.
2. The froggy explosion!
3. My yummy yummy candle.
4. I played with the "Fresh Cuts" set even more today. Too wonderful!
5. Lily has decided she is no long afraid of the "big potty" and will use it with the ring insert which means no more potty seat with the yuckiness associated with it. WOO HOO!!
6. Dinner with Nana and Pop--always too much fun.
7. Rich, decadent chocolate dessert. Mmmmmmm.
8. Make-up when you only wear it once in a while (I think I put on make-up about once a week during the summer--maybe...) can really make you feel dressed up, lol!


No milestones, although I was inundated with Monkey Memories as I walked through Yankee with the family this evening. I could hear her laughing with delight at the princess hats, begging for the poodle purse and chasing down Lily while bossing her about the candles Lil shouldn't have been handling. I miss her. I simply miss her. :sigh:

Tomorrow's the FM and I'm hoping to pick up some Sungold tomatoes--it's that time of year again. I also need to see Ronnie and Linda and pick up some eggs and bacon and I'd also like to get some fresh mozzarella and slicing tomatoes. Hm, some yellow squash would be tasty, as would fresh cukes. I can see tomorrow we'll really need the wagon, LOL!

BTW, Mom and Jessie, ya'll wanna make and can some bread and butter pickles this year?