We’re pretty fortunate to live in an area like New England; it seems like every corner you turn will put you in a place that’s rich in history. Princeton Green Apartments is located in Marlborough, MA, and is no exception to that unwritten rule. Just a 5-minute drive on Route 20 East (also known as Boston Post Road) is the <a href=”http://www.waysidecountrystore.com/”>Wayside Country Store</a>. The store opened in Sudbury center in 1790 and was moved to Marlborough in 1929 when Henry Ford (yes, <em>that</em> Henry Ford) purchased it and moved it to its current location. Entering the store makes you instantly feel like you’re time-travelling! Once inside, though, you’re jolted back to the present with an impressive selection of unique gifts to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a historical map of the town you grew up in or a beautifully hand-carved walking stick, they’ve got something for everyone and it’s easy to get lost in the merchandise. Once you’ve made your selections in the Country Store, you can head over to the <a href=”http://www.waysidecountrystore.com/candystore.htm”>Olde Tyme Candy Store</a> – and I challenge you to leave this store without making a purchase! Any kind of candy you can think of, they’ve got fully stocked and deliciously displayed – and there’s always someone to personally assist you with your selections. You just don’t find service like that anymore, I tell you.

Whether it’s a planned outing or you just happen to be driving by, it’s absolutely worth it to stop into the Wayside Country Store complex. From the history to the candy, the gifts, the baked goods, and beyond, there really is something for everyone. Check them out!

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (16 ounce) box penne pasta
• 6 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) jar pesto sauce
• 1 1/2 cups milk
Directions
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a small bowl until evenly moistened; set aside.
2.Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
3.Meanwhile, combine the chicken in a bowl with the Italian cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, alfredo sauce, pesto sauce, and milk. Stir in the pasta once done, and scoop into the prepared baking dish. Top with the bread crumb mixture.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, 40 to 45 minutes.

Today is August 31, 2012….really?

Are we really on the cusp of another fall season?

I absolutely LOVE the fall, it is my favorite time of year. The mornings are crisp, the night air is perfect for sleeping, schools are back in session, the fall colors start to emerge, Football Season begins, there’s apple picking and haunted hayrides, Hockey Season begins, Halloween happens, we survive all of that eating on Thanksgiving and then, in my family, we work it all off with standing in lines at 10pm that night for Black Friday doorbusters! (AND my birthday falls between Halloween and Thanksgiving! :-p) What is not to love?

Fall to me has always represented new beginnings, even though it is really the end of a cycle. I feel like the fall has so much more to offer than all of the other seasons. There is color and life even as the leaves are technically dying. Pumpkins, scarecrows, harvest. The smells of fall. Oh, man, if you close your eyes and think of a cool Sunday afternoon with an apple pie or apple crisp baking in the oven. Or something slow-cooking all day in the crockpot. The aromas touch our senses and remind us of the comforts of home. Warm baked bread to go with mom’s slow-cooked beef stew. And while it’s sad that now we have to go back to the supermarket for our “fresh” vegetables, our tastes turn to things with a little more substance, like mashed potatoes and gravy, pot roast, meatloaf and turkey dinners with all of the fixings! Mmmmmm.

I love to curl up when it is just cool enough to need a blanket and grab a hot cup of tea and maybe a freshly baked muffin or coffee cake made with the apples we picked from the orchard (I’m starting to notice a pattern here about food! haha). The bottom line is that the fall holds so many special memories for me that I can’t help but just submerge myself in it! Seriously, if there was a giant pile of leaves in front of me right now, I would run and jump in it!

There aren’t many times of the year that I get this excited for. What can I say? I’m a sucker for fall. I just fall for it every time….

Okay so cold weather will be approaching soon and on those long dark days you need creative things to do and what better than to get creative with projects around the house! I know, you are probaly thinking I’m crazy but I personally get motivated to clean and get organized when fun projects are involved! Was trying to organize the clutter in my house the other day and was wondering what would be a creative way to store jewlery other than piled in a box or getting tangled hanging from a hanger in the closet and I happened to run across a really creative idea on Pinterest that I couldn’t wait to try! The project seemed perfect! it was neat and organized and would add to the room and could be designed to match the color theme you needed not to mention it was simple looking to design and build and overall the materials needed didn’t seem that expensive. So the next day I was out the door with my supplies list ready to go! I bought a few picture frames at Homegoods, a few yards of material at JOANNs Fabric ( you can choose any pattern or color of your choice) Then headed to Home Depot where I got cork board for backing and pretty cystal knobs to hang the jewlery from and it didn’t hurt my wallet.

After the shopping was done I was home to spray paint the frames the color of my choice and of course I chose classic white but you can do any color your heart desires! I saw a few pictures online of green ones, pink ones, etc but I decided to stick with simple white. Stapled the material around the cork and stuck in the frame, then added knobs and hooks and done! Hung on the wall and organized my jewlery and was relieved to have the clutter gone, my room look pretty and actually be able to find what I was looking for a whole lot easier! This was just one project I resently did but I have built other ideas to organize and store many things in my house and you too can get creative and enjoy doing a project to help elimanate any excess clutter and give you a simple project to do on a dreary weekend. Hope my idea gets you thinking of ways to store anything you need to and definatly check out online for other great storage ideas!

Wow, this summer has gone by fast. I looked at my calendar and realized, yikes, I have not been to Gloucester this summer! I still have a chance to enjoy ‘The Gloucester Schooner Festival.’ It’s this weekend, August 31- September 2, 2012. http://www.capeannvacations.com/schooner

Don’t you just love Cape Ann? Do you have any favorite places to go? I do! Here are a few of my favorites!

-Halibut Point State Park www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/halb.htm

– Latitude 43 http://latfortythree.com

-Sugar Magnolia’s http://www.northshoredish.com/category/restaurant/sugar-magnolias

-Rockport music anyone? Shalin Liu Performance Center http://www.rcmf.org/newperformance.html

Enjoy!!!

Like so many others before me, I finally gave in and got an iPhone this year – and it’s been just as lifechanging as everyone told me it would be. I’m obsessed. One of the first things I did was download all the popular apps my friends were always talking about so I could get in on the fun; one of those apps was the Logos Quiz. This addicting little game is quite simple: it shows you a series of logos and you have to identify the company to which it belongs. Think you know ’em all? Think again. They’re pulling some of these out of what seems like nowhere. But fear not! It’s pretty much understood that everyone who plays this game uses a cheat-sheet to advance (be careful, though; Lance Armstrong was, apparently, a cheater – and look how well <em>that</em> worked out). I bring all this up because I stumbled upon an interesting link thanks to Yahoo! They showed the first and latest logos of 20 of the top companies…and it was pretty fascinating to see how much some of them have changed. Check them out for yourself by clicking <a href=”http://finance.yahoo.com/news/what-20-top-companies–logos-looked-like-before-they-were-famous.html?page=all”>here</a>. You never know – one of them could be the one you need to get ahead in your Logos Quiz game.

My cousin and I are HGTV junkies who enjoy spending our free time following individual’s in their house hunting and remodeling ventures. Last night she offered up some information that she had recently heard through a friend which proved to be upsetting to both of us. House Hunters, one of our favorite shows, isn’t what it appears to be to viewers. The participants on the show are already in escrow with one of the three homes shown. I must be naïve considering after performing a quick internet search I discovered Hooked on Houses, http://hookedonhouses.net/, a housing blog, which had a link to a newspaper article where the show explained the truth behind choosing participants who are already multiple steps into the process of purchasing a particular home.

According to Hooked on Houses the home that is chosen by the participants of the show is almost always empty during the filming, while the other two are furnished. See if you notice next time you watch House Hunters. This tactic does make sense whereas the participants are guaranteed to choose a house at the end of the show, however it takes all the fun out of it for the viewers who are trying to guess which house the buyers will choose!

The secret is out!

I was thinking today about things that I would like to do in my life that I have not done as of yet, you know, the good ol’ Bucket List. I said, great blog material, let’s do it! As I was searching for a Bucket List picture to add, I came across a few interesting lists that others have started.

Some had seperated thier lists in catagories such as personal, professional, creative, fashion, even strange foods. I found such items as: say hello in 10 languages, eat lambs tongue, leave 100% tip for a server, ride a bike across Canada, hand out 250 pairs of socks to the homeless, marry someone swell (yes those are the words they used!), and convert my entire apartment into a blanket fort.

Now here goes the big question, what is on your bucket list? I haven’t started one of my own, but I know some things that I would add onto mine, in no particular order. And no judging!

1. Start a bucket list
2. Own two basset hounds, Toby and Sebastian
3. Visit every Disney Park around the world
4. Get my driver’s license
5. Visit a nudist colony
6. Eat a beef Wellington, preferably made by Chef Gordon Ramsey
7. Visit Anne Frank’s house
8. Be in a play on Broadway (yeah, I’m not kidding!)
9. Write a letter to the president and get a personal response
10. Own a home of my own
11. Learn the Tango
12. Go on a whale watch
13. Sleep in Cinderella’s Castle (it could happen… I said no judging!)
14. Go see the hanging coffins in Echo Valley
15. Have a baby
16. Swim with a dolphin, again… Preferably Jaques who I met on my honeymoon, he was handsome!
17. Help someone anonymously, by giving money, items, or something.
18. Go see the stone heads of Easter Island
19. Talk with someone over 100 years old
20. Learn ten new things about each person in my immediate family

Ok… so there we go.. now… your turn… and go!!!

Harsh chemicals are in everything these days, and using products daily made with these chemicals is harmful to our bodies and home. The products we use to clean our homes are a perfect example of this. But there is a solution, called <em>Norwex EnviroProducts</em>, that vows to “Clean without chemicals.” Using just water and their special microfiber cloths you can get your apartment spotless and sparkling.

Here are a few quick facts about Norwex.
1. The benefits? Improve your health, Save time and money & Preserve the environment
2. Is it expensive? A starter pack of cloths costs $53.00. They last at least 2 years each AND you’ll never have to buy cleaning products for your countertops, tables, windows, etc again!
3. What exactly do they offer? Microfiber cloths, Microfiber mops, kitchen cleaning, bath & body, and many more!

If you’re interested in learning more about Norwex, friend <a href=”http://www.facebook.com/#!/carinscleangreen”>Carin CleanGreen</a> on Facebook! And view the entire Norwex Catalog <a href=”http://media.norwexcs.com/Flipbook/USA-2012-Catalog/”>here!</a>

I was at the grocery store over the weekend and surprisingly enough, what was out in the aisles but Halloween candy?! It was August 11th and the orange and black bags of treats were lining the shelves. The stock person was opening up more boxes as I walked by. Wow. Summer isn’t even close to being over and we’re selling October 31st merchandise now. I can’t imagine asking my son today, “So what do you think you want to be for Halloween?” But I suppose some people are planning their costumes already and maybe even have been since November 1st of last year. But would you really buy the candy now? You know as well as I do that candy will not stay packaged up and un-eaten until Halloween!

But I will say the thought of cooler temperatures, less humidity (better for my hair!), apple picking and maybe a fire in the fire place on a cold evening as it gets darker earlier was not a bad thought. Break out the sweaters, fall colors, and boots. Pull out the scarves, heavier jackets, and gloves. It is football season after all…my son has been practicing with his team for two weeks now.

So, who’s with me? Let’s make some apple crisp, light a fire in the fire place, curl up with a book, and watch some pre-season football!

Wait…it’s 95 degrees and 95 percent humidity outside. The beach calls my name! Oh well, the pleasures of fall will have to wait, as they will be here soon enough and we will have plenty of cool evenings, foliage, leaf raking and Halloween candy to go around!