Sentimental Birthday

Eric turned the big thirty five today! Woot! I can't believe how much time flies..it feels like we just celebrated his birthday yesterday. I'm always at a loss as to what to get him for his cake day, aside from cooking something he really likes. He has the same problem with me when my birthday rolls around. We're challenging like that, lol. 

If you're a consistent reader of my blog, you'll remember about Cali passing away last month...it was pretty rough because she was extremely loved by all of us. The person it hit the hardest was Eric since she was his pride and joy. Before she passed away, I managed to get some paw impressions from her since I was gonna make some sort of shadow box with some of her trinkets in it. In the midst of getting idea's of what to make, I rolled across Mug Revolution. It's a site where you can get a beautiful ceramic mug custom made. I shot off an email to the owner who was incredibly nice & very helpful, then went ahead and ordered a 16oz mug in which I can have Cali's paw print put on it, a glaze called "Earth tone" which borders on the colors she had in addition to a little heart on the thumb rest since she had a heart design on her chest. 

Luckily, it showed up just in time for his birthday and it came out beautifully! 

Seriously, I couldn't be happier! 

It's a very sturdy, 16oz mug with the "Earth tones" color scheme. I love how the "thumb button" came out with the little heart...Cali's tag was a heart, plus she had a heart pattern on her chest. 

When I gave it to Eric, he completely lit up and got this massive smile on his face. I gathered that he really, REALLY liked it. So much in fact, that he ended up taking it with him to work so he can have it on his desk :) He told me while messaging back and forth on Facebook, "I love it a lot and very appreciative of having it.Very happy with it and it makes me smile when I look at it at work."

Not to pump myself up or anything, but I think I did a pretty good job getting him a memorable birthday gift. In addition to that, I'm bustin' out with some Cajun Chicken Alfredo (he loves it) and I already baked a bunch of coconut macaroon cookies for him. Such a hard life, right? Then we'll be going out on Friday for a Date Day since he has the day off, so I'm sure we'll go catch a movie or something :) 

Another year down, many many more to go! 

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Splurge

While I was out running some errands yesterday, I stopped off at a cute little shop in Bree called, " De Zoetenijen ". I've gone there before with a friend of mine (a few months ago) and scoped it out, picked up some cute goodies for my porch, then haven't been back since. Work kinda takes a chunk out of my day since it's right in the afternoon, which is when a lot of people wanna hang out or venture out and about. So, I haven't really had a chance to go back there. 

Well, I ended up finding some time with another friend of mine and we stole a few minutes to check the place out to see if there were any new things. Boy oh boy... I left several euros' lighter....

 They had an adorable tea set the last time I was there, but I didn't get it considering the teapot was fairly small as well as the cups. I mean, if the teapot itself was larger, I would've totally bought it. Well, this time, the store had restocked with larger mugs. They even came with their own little tea saucer! I fell inlove with it all over again considering it's totally  "me" with the ornate design, plus they're large for those nights where you wanna cuddle up on the couch with a large cup of hot chocolate or tea :)

I snatched one up as well as my friend...the gal who owns the place told us that we could put our goodies on the counter till we were ready to check out. Secretly, I think that's a little ploy on her part so our hands are free to buy more junk. It worked. 

I found this cool Tea jar! One side says "Tea" while the other has the fancy way "The' ". It looks like it's just decorative, but it actually has a sealed lid so your tea doesn't dry out...EXCELLENT!

Since I've been on a real honey kick lately, I was looking throughout the "treats" section of the store to see what they had. They have all sorts of jams, marmalade's, sauces, seasonings.. the lady of the store really reccomended this particular jar since it's thinner and perfect for tea. When I got home with it, I took a lil nip of it and ...wowsa, it's awesome! I went back for a second hit and Eric said, "Whoa there, Pooh-Bear!" , LOL. I guess I'll have to watch myself with this stuff since it's pretty epic.

Since my shopping wing man was still shopping around after I picked out my honey, I figured I'd do one last walk through before we left. No harm, right?

 

Ugh.

They had a cookbook holder I've been hunting for!! SERIOUSLY!? I've been searching for one for quite some time, but the ones I find are either really flimsy, way too heavy (iron) or bamboo material, which is not what I wanted. This one actually has page weights (yesssss!) and is sturdy enough to hold heavy cookbooks! I'm in love! 

* * PS: The cookie cookbook I have pictured on the stand is UH-Mazing and highly recommend it. So, here's the link to it on Amazon if you're interested. * *

Once I pulled it off the shelf, gave it good thorough hug and a giddy squeal, it was time to cash out and get the hell out of there..otherwise, I'd have A LOT of explaining to do once I got home.  While the gal was ringing me up, I was looking over her chocolate bar cause everything, frankly, looked quite awesome and so not diet friendly... I noticed a jar of chocolate hedgehogs. They were freaking adorable! So, I snagged a few of 'em..they looked so pitiful in the jar. They needed a good home! 

Well...when I say, "They need a good home"... I actually meant that they belong in my belly. 

At least it was a quick death. 

:)

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Ahhh

When I was over in England earlier this year, I picked up several different boxes of tea. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. "Right?

Anyway, when I was over in Snape Maltings, they had a really awesome little store that sold all kinds of things. Think in terms of a British style Pier One. They also had deli type store in there where you could buy different types of fudge, cheeses and tea. I loaded up on a ton of "Taylors of Harrogate" teas because they're REALLY good. Subtle flavors, but they're awesome..especially with a lil spoonful of honey in your hot drink :)

So. Here I sit with my awesome cup of Raspberry & Vanilla tea in my funky, oversized tea cup :)

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