Jim Thorpe, PA

If you read Monday's post, you know that I spent a few days over the 4th of July on a mini-vacation with Dave. We arrived at the Inn at Jim Thorpe on Wednesday night, and they greeted us with a mystery welcome bag:

When I opened the bag, it was two chocolate chip cookies. Delicious, fresh baked, crispy on the outer parts, chewy on the inside, heaven on Earth chocolate chip cookies. They were so good. 

After settling in, and getting dressed Dave and I decided to walk around town and try to find a place to eat. Jim Thorpe is a very tiny town, like two streets wide, maybe five blocks long? Along our walk, we discovered that every store, and I mean every store was closed on Wednesdays with the exception of the restaurant that is connected to the inn. When I say small town, I meant it. Here are a few pictures of our walk before dinner:

Pretty kitty just chilling in a window of someone's house. Made me miss my babies so much!

Of course I had to take a picture of the local library

Dave and I joked that this was the "Up" house

So after a relaxing dinner, we headed upstairs and prepped ourselves for the big hike up the waterfalls for the next day. You can read about it here.  Prior to the hike, we had breakfast, toured the hotel and took obligatory touristy vacation photo. The Inn had a gorgeous balcony with rocking chairs and a great view: 

When we got back from the falls, we walked the town and everything was opened this time.  Dave got some beef jerky and I found a used book store that not only had cheap books in great condition, it also had a house cat, Zoe. Of course, I totally gave Zoe some love, and then I hunted for books and depleted the shop of all of their Christopher Moore books (he had most of the ones I still needed!). I walked out of the shop with five books, then found another one on the way out and went back and bought that one too. All in all, I got six books for less than $25. I'd say that's a good haul. 

Then it was dinner, and after that we went back to the restaurant we had our Wednesday night meal at and ordered dessert. Dave really liked the red velvet cake I had ordered the night before so he got that and I ordered the chocolate torte. Then I heard they had strawberry shortcake as a special dessert. I tried to change my order but they were bringing out our desserts by that point. So what did I do? I ordered a third dessert and Dave and I chowed down on all three together.  It was a total guilty pleasure. It felt so devilish but we were on vacation and decided to spoil ourselves and it tasted so good, and felt so liberating. 

Friday was our day to head home. It was a great time, but I was definitely happy to be heading back home to Nibbler and Squishee, I totally missed my cuddle bugs. 

And with that, I've begun to check items off my summer list. Did you make a list? How far along are you?

Glen Onoko Falls

A few days around July 4th Dave and I decided to take a mini vacation up to Jim Thorpe, PA. It's about a two hour drive from our house and it was the most relaxing, beautiful, fun, amazing trip. On the 4th we decided to hike the Glen Onoko Falls, which is in the Lehigh Valley Gorge. 

Dave and I found out about the falls two years ago when we went on a scavenger hunt that took us all over Eastern Pennsylvania. By the time we got to the falls, I was too sore, exhausted and beaten to get out of the car so Dave took to the trails without me to find the next clue. Along the way he took pictures of the falls and sent them back to me. Ever since then I've been bugging him to take me back, which we finally did. 

To start, let me just say I am in no way shape or form fit or even in the proper condition to be hiking. Not to mention, there are no marked trails or nice little paths for you to walk on. No, you are climbing over rocks, crossing over the falls by wet stone, and grabbing on to tree trunks, praying you don't start sliding down. But when I got to the first falls and looked up and saw that it led to even higher, more beautiful falls, I had to keep going. The amazing sights just kept pushing me to go. A few things that I loved, and will never forget?

- How incredibly cool it was standing next to the waterfalls. I'm not talking about "oh my gosh that's so cool", which it was, but I mean like better than air conditioner cool. 
- The feeling of the mist of the falls hitting my body. I didn't want to leave the mist, by the time I did step off the rocks, I was soaked. It felt like a mini, cold massage. 
- The feeling of being on top of the world when we hit the top of the falls. 

Ok enough talking, here are the amazing pictures!

If you can't read the fine print, I'm going to just emphasize one particular part:  "Hikers have been seriously injured and killed as a result of accidental falls from the trail and gorge overlooks"....ummmmm, I can barely walk on flat surface, I'm screwed.

The first mini waterfall you see when you hike a bit into the trail. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

This was up at the top, but not the highest point. At this point we had been hiking up the trail for about two hours. This is where I enjoyed mist heaven.

Dave right before he ran into the falls

"Top of the World". This is the spot directly above our heads in the previous pictures. So at this point we are waaaaay up there. Dave and I took a seat on a rock in the middle of this flat part and took in the scenery and enjoyed the sounds of the rushing waters.

The hardest part of the whole thing? Having to hike it all back down. Remember when I said there are no trails and you kinda have to rock climb your way up? Yeah, it's harder coming down. 

But it was totally worth it. I took a video of one of the mini waterfall on my Instagram, follow me to check it out! 

End of the Week Roundup

Another Friday has come upon us! Linking up with Lauren!

1. Meet Herman. 

Herman is a wild rabbit who chills in my backyard. What makes him so special is that he isn't afraid of people. He won't let me get close enough to pet him or anything but he has no issues munching on some weeds next to me. I normally see him once a day, and he is so relaxed, you can't help but relax too. 

Why did I name him Herman? Why not? It's the first name that popped into my head, so it stuck. 

2. Friday night Dave and I had dinner with a couple that we recently met. After a good meal we sat around and chatted. And chatted. Then chatted some more. Suddenly we look up and its 3 am! Needless to say Dave and I were exhausted the next day, but it was such a great evening spent with two really fun people, I can't wait to do it again!

3. I saw this recipe while watching an episode of the Pioneer Woman and decided to try it out on Sunday morning. It was soooooo good. 

Added bonus? The feeling of accomplishment that I cooked something that looked and tasted good and got it right the first time. High five for not breaking the egg either!

4. I started following the Brimfield Police Department on Facebook after reading an article about them online. You can check out their page here. Chief Oliver is insightful, funny and his posts are always well thought out. He has a way of articulating himself that can really help round out a difficult debate amongst people. I highly recommend liking their Facebook page (like mine too, while you are at it, if you haven't already!)

5. Vacations are always bittersweet for me. I am always excited for the time spent with Dave, but I hate leaving my cats. Like, hate it so much you'll be talking me off the ledge for at least two days prior. Dave and I are currently on a mini vacation a few hours away from home. We left Wednesday afternoon and we'll be home this afternoon. It's only two days but on  Wednesday I was seriously sad to leave my babies behind. Although, I'm sure they are enjoying the mommy-free and kissy-free time they are currently having. 

I joke about being a crazy cat lady. I'm only half kidding when I say it. That's not to say I won't enjoy myself, because I do. I just miss my cuddlebugs while I'm gone. 

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend! 

Skinny Cosmo

I ordered a skinny cosmo a few years ago at Carrabba's. It was so good, I got the recipe from the server. I'm not much of a drinker, but this is a favorite go to drink for me. It's a delicious, fruity drink that does not have a strong alcoholic taste to it, and it's low in calories! 

Here is what you need:

Recipe Courtesy of Carrabba's

Ingredients: 

- 2 oz. Triple Sec

- 2 oz. Ty-Ku vodka (this is the secret to keeping the calories down!)

- 1 oz. Pomegranate liquor

-5 oz. Diet Cranberry juice

Directions:

1. Mix everything in a shaker with some ice. 

2. Shake it good.

3. Pour liquid (minus ice) into glass.

Just throwing in a disclaimer here, please drink responsibly. This recipe is intended for responsible adults of legal drinking age. 

Great Reads for Little Ones

I love to read, if that wasn't apparent. One of the best gifts you can give a child or a new parent is the gift of a book. Here are some suggestions for great books to gift or even read to your own little ones. 

First up is my newest favorite: Press Here by Herve Tullet

Press Here is a very simple, interactive book. It begins with a yellow dot that you have to press on and as each page turns something new happens because of what you did on the previous page. I read this to my nephews when they were up for the weekend and they loved it. They made me read it three times the first night and the only reason there wasn't a fourth was because I said no. My oldest nephew, who is four, insisted on sleeping with the book and carried it around the house the next day, even asking my neighbor to read it to him. If you don't believe me when I say this book is awesome, check out the looks on my nephew's faces when we read this book:

Next up is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. 

Does this book even really need an explanation? This is a tender story. Shel Silverstein has created a moving story that offers an sweet interpretation of the gift of giving and acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. I tear up every time I read it, it is such a sweet, loving story that is cherished by many. 

Third on the list is Stinky Cheeseman and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sciezka.

I love spoofs, and this book is a perfect spoof of some well known fairy tales, such as "The Gingerbread Man", "Jack and the Beanstalk", and "Little Red Riding Hood". If your child is already aware of fairy tales, they should get the humor behind these stories and you'll both get a little laugh out of them. I used to love reading this book as a child, I'd go to my school library and read it all the time, over and over again. 

Sciezka has a few other spoof books that I enjoyed as well: The Frog Prince, continued and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.

Another favorite from my childhood? The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.

In this story, its the girl who is the hero of the story, and what little girl doesn't love that? Princess Elizabeth must go save her fiancee, Prince Ronald, and outsmarts the dragon who took the Prince and destroyed everything. The book sends a great message to little girls and it provides a smart, fun story to read.

Love You Forever is another by Robert Munsch that made the list. 

This is a sweet, sweet story of a mother who sings to her son every night:

"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be."

She does this all throughout his life, when the day comes that she cannot because she is old and frail, her son sings it back to her and then to his own daughter. I love the concept of this story, I even got the phrase sewn onto a handkerchief for my mother for my wedding. It's such a resounding tale, just fair warning, keep the Kleenex nearby because you're probably gonna cry.

The last suggestion I'm offering up today is Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. 

The story follows a baby bird who is looking for his mother and asks different things like a dog and a plane if they are his mother. It's such a cute little story, I've loved it since I was able to pick up a book. This is the kind of story that will make your child want to continue to read and foster a love for books. 

That is all I have for suggestions for children's books today. If you've already shared these great stories with your children, let me know your thoughts. If you need more ideas for stories to share with your child check out your local library. Many parents come into the library I volunteer for and let their kids walk around a pick up a few on their own, plus your librarian should be able to offer up more suggestions. 

Happy reading!