Lighthouse Adventures and Magnificent Maine

#TossBackTuesday

I've never seen such beauty quite like the one possessed by Maine. I've visited some gorgeous places, but I don't know what it is about this state that has captured my heart...

Hope you are enjoying your day!

Get Your Feast On!!

My Icy Soul

I thought it was only fitting to finally post this great smoothie/icy/slushy/COLD snack idea that I forgot I had prepared waiting to be shared today of all days because Illinois reached a high of 102° F.  The worst part was the humidity that came along with it. The heat index was I believe 110°F....YUCK! I'm not a summer person AT ALL. I enjoy it of course but I'm more of a cooler, mid 70's type of gal. I despise heat....unless it's in food, but I won't ramble on about that xD

Anyways, this is super easy to make.  The best way I can describe it is, it's more rich than a shake, but less creamy than ice cream *scratches head*. I guess you'll just have to try it and see for yourself. You'll be glad you did! So refreshing! Tart from all the berries, sweetened with bananas, and an added creamy richness from the heavy cream...just a tad. Yum!

Mixed Berry Soft Serve

- 1 handful of mixed berries preferably the frozen kind, but fresh is fine
- 1 banana frozen
- 1/2 C fruit juice
- 1/4- 1/2 C cream
- 1/2 tsp Truvia or to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until you reach a smooth consistency. Poor in your serving cups or a large bowl and place in the freezer for about 1/2 an hour.

You can eat it straight away or thaw it out a little like I did so it's a little softer and easier to spoon in your mouth.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 You can't go wrong with smoothies in the summer time. They're refreshing, delicious, and very healthy!! This is perfect in the morning. You can add some protein powder making it a great post workout shake.

Berry Mango Banana Smoothie

- handful of mango
- 1 banana
- handful mixed berries
- 1/2 C Mango puree
- 1/4 C water (optional)
- 1/4 C ice
- Truvia to taste

Put ingredients in blender and pulse until desired consistency.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

okay I lied

Lake Geneva

Maybe Summer isn't THAT bad :D

Feast On!

AFOMFT: Tulips & the Dutch

 AFOFMFT= A Few of My Favorite Things

As I mentioned in a previous post, my family and I recently spent a short weekend to celebrate the coming of spring by checking out Tulip Time Festival in Holland, MI, the largest tulip festival in all of the United States.  As it has done all of April and May, fickle weather plagued much of the trip, but the sun was able to sneak in a few rays for at least a full day allowing us to see the gardens and enjoy the rest of the city even if we were kinda robbed (boo you, Mother Nature). The usually abundant, sea of tulips that you'd normally get to experience at the festival this time of year eluded us this time around so a visit back in the future is definitely a must :)

 Thank you to the Dutch for bringing tulips to America!

The next set of pictures aren't of tulips, but they were beautiful enough to share!

Feast On!

Andrea

Christmas 2011

(LtoR: me, mom, sis) Taken right before brunch!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Here are some pics from Christmas morning!

Time to ring in the new year! 

Feast On,

Andrea

A Purple Christmas? :)

Here's a picture of our tree this year. Lot's of purple!

It's the 3rd Sunday of Advent and the weather outside is surprisingly not very frightful lol. It reached 50, which is pretty crazy. I'm longing for some snow....not too much though haha. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far!

Feast On,

Andrea

From The Greatest City in the world

With Love,

 The greatest parents in the world

 all photos captured: Andrea V

Happy Birthday my beautiful Mom!

peace&love
xo//Andrea

Caelum

Lately I've been obsessed with taking photographs of the sky...

...It started that day I was first introduced to the "mammatus clouds" as my brother pointed out. After that up until recently, I just found myself looking up more as opposed to looking down at my feet or any which way that is not in the path of the direction I intend to walk. That's also probably the reason why I tend to bump into whoever is lucky enough to be walking beside me because I can never seem to walk in a straight line, but that is neither here nor there haha. I don't really know what it is about the sky that intrigues me most. Is it the clouds? I do not know every type and scientific name. I just like to look at them :p I like to make out what the clouds are shaped like. Sometimes if you look hard enough, you can see a whole new world in the sky. I've seen coastlines, mountains, canyons. I've seen Barney the dinosaur, rubber duckies. Most recently, I pointed out Yoda to my little brothers. They saw him too, so I'm not crazy!! 

Maybe it's the colors. Anyone who knows me knows that I love COLOR. There are many lazy days, like today, when the sky is just a blank canvas of white or a pale gray. Sometimes that blank canvas is made up of ceruleans and aqua; my favorite is when its sprinkled with blanched cotton clumps or smeared with fluff. Sometimes the sun plays along too choosing always the coolest looking cloud to create that silver lining from behind or if not the silver lining, it just sits at the right spot where only its rays can be seen. On the other end of the spectrum, there are times when the sky will decide to show its "dark side" using an ominous blanket of murky grays and ash to creep over us. I've seen some look so close that it appears to be barely touching the tops of buildings and trees. The most beautiful of them all is of course, the sky during a sunset. A technicolor journey of royal blues to violets to corals & cantaloupes, transitioning into of course the tawny saffrons all before the sun's final goodbye before night . That is, IF you're lucky.

I'm not a photographer by profession nor do I qualify myself to have the title of "Photographer" AT ALL haha. However, I really don't think it's rocket science to discern that the sky, though banal, is a truly magnificent spectacle. Anyone or anything can pick up a camera right now and snap a shot of the same sky we all see above us and it'll turn out great, I'm sure of it! What about composition, lighting, angles, you ask? That's the beauty of nature, it's all provided for you thanks to the Lord! :) This is why "sky photography" has become one of my new hobbies.

I was looking through my pictures from my family road trip to New York and I realized that a good portion of it was made up of photographs of the sky.

Here are some of my favorites.

peace&love 

Beauty of Spring

Spring is one of two of my favorite seasons. The other being autumn. The colors, the fragrance, the atmosphere of spring, it all just breathes New--New beginning, new life, new happiness, a new chapter, a new start. Not to mention, it's the season in which so many birthdays fall including my own! :)

Here's to a fresh canvas for all of us to paint a new picture in. Whatever that picture portrays, may it be a beautiful reflection of what we're experiencing in our lives at that very moment. Cheers to a new season filled with new opportunities! :)

Below, are some beautiful pictures taken by myself and my sister in my parents' backyard.

Baby Magnolia tree 

Baby Cherry Trees in bloom

All photos captured: Andrea V

peace&love