Ms. Toody Goo Shoes: June 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

My Photo Diary: June

June was bustin' out all over, here in NJ!

Hydrangeas, Spirea, Irises, Lilies...

Oh, wait, no lilies...

The deer ate every last bud,

so no lily blooms this year, nope, not a one.

June was action-packed...

School ended...Camp started.

Baby birds were born...and my Mac died.

We went to the beach,
the Stock Exchange,
and hung out on our deck.

Backyard creatures from tiny bumble bees...
to giant wild turkeys paid us a visit.

Heeeeeeere's June!

*********

June 1

Junior Goo Shoes kicks off the month with an ice cream bar.
Believe it or not, these do not tempt me in the least.

June Photo Diary --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

June 2
A cucumber martini, however, is quite tempting. Must find a recipe for this.

June 3
Morning sunlight. I never saw the sun streaming in on this vase before. Within minutes, it was gone.

June 4
Way-cool cocktail party on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Unfortunately, all of my photos of this were lost when my computer drowned (see June 6), so this is a bad one from my cell phone.

June 5
Escalator to hell...aka, Port Authority, NYC. Took the bus home today...Haven't had to do that too often since I stopped commuting into the city, thankfully.

June 6
The day my laptop died. RIP, Mac.

June 7
Another June weekend, another Greek festival. Yummy cheese pie for an appetizer, and I ate the WHOLE thing. Myself.

June 8
Beautiful Sunday morning on the deck.

June 9
Flatiron Building, NYC (opened in 1902). Killing time before meeting blogger Joani Geltman at her book reading for A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens. She's awesome!

June 10
Chillaxin' on the back deck.

June 11
NYC Public Library. Walking to meet a friend for lunch.

June 12
I waited a week, hoping my old laptop would miraculously come back to life, but no such luck. My new laptop will never know what liquids are.

June 13
Monopoly night with Junior Goo Shoes. My idea of a perfect night, even though he beat me badly!

June 14
Saturday evening in Belmar, NJ, having dinner with friends, across the street from the beach. Beautiful evening, especially with ocean in view!

June 15
Father and Son. Father's Day and Mr. Goo Shoes' birthday, celebrated at one of our favorite restaurants in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

June 16
The living room has become packing central. Camp trunks are almost finished!

June 17
Times Square subway stop...a photo I would never have taken when I lived in NYC. Now, who cares? Heading downtown to meet a friend.

June 18
Went to go out on my deck this morning, and THIS greeted me. UGH! Not a great shot, but it was with my phone through a glass door.

June Photo Diary --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

June 19
Last day of school! Junior Goo Shoes taking it easy in the hammock.

June 20
Busy Bee in the spirea.

June 21
Junior Goo Shoes playin' the blues at his guitar concert.

June 22
We're at the beach! Mini-vacation in Beach Haven, Long Beach Island, NJ.

June 23
Beach rules!

June 24
This pig's got swagger, doesn't she? She borrowed my sunglasses, while we ate like pigs at Uncle Will's Pancake House, a Beach Haven institution.

June 25
Barnegat Lighthouse, Long Beach Island, NJ. About seven years ago, Junior Goo Shoes and I climbed to the top. Not t-t-today, Junior!

June 26
Remember the birds that moved in back in May? Here are the babies!!! Get a load of the spider they're about to eat.

June 27
Mr. Goo Shoes took this amazing picture of purple petunias.

June 28
THE BIG DAY!!! Junior Goo Shoes leaves for camp! All the parents wave goodbye!

June 29
First day of camp! Mr. Goo Shoes and I will be glued to the camp website scanning photos for the next seven weeks. Junior Goo Shoes is front right, in the green t-shirt.

Photo Courtesy of Camp

June 30
No hummingbirds have visited, but "Chip" would sure like a drink of nectar.

Have a wonderful July!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Pasta Salad with Arugula, Tomato and Basil

Do you like slaving over a hot stove in summer?

Nah, me either.

Truth is, I don't like toiling over a stove no matter what the season,

and it's no secret that I'd rather do anything but cook.

So, when I saw this recipe in the NY Times

many years ago...

It got my attention because...

the only cooking involved is boiling the pasta.

Boil, chop, chop, grate...and, finito!

I haven't made this in a long time,

because I've been watching my weight,

and I don't have an "off" switch when it comes to pasta.

But when the family starts groaning...

"Chicken again?.."

it's time to switch things up.

I'd forgotten how good it is.

Never mind that I made way too much...

let's just say that I could have fed all of you,

had you stopped by.

This pasta salad is a great dish to make for a picnic...

or as a side dish for a barbecue.

It's also a super-easy, super-fast dish for supper.

Serve it with a crusty bread,

and some delicious gazpacho,

and you've got yourself

a cool meal for a hot summer day.

Arugula Tomato Pasta Salad

Recipe by Molly O'Neill, NY Times

1/2 pound farfalle, cooked, drained and rinsed
3 cups stemmed and torn arugula
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the farfalle in a large bowl.
Add the arugula and tomato.
Mix together the basil, lemon rind, olive oil, lemon juice and salt; pour over pasta.
Toss to coat.
Add fresh pepper to taste.

How easy is that?

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

BOATS AND SUNSETS: WEEKEND TRAVEL INSPIRATION

What is it about boats and sunsets?

Martha's Vineyard, MA

A romantic notion,
to sail into the sunset, no?

Marigot, Saint Martin

Mykonos, Greece

Dobbs Ferry, NY

Fire Island NY

Where would you go, if you could sail off into the sunset?

Linking With:
Weekend Travel Inspiration
Mosaic Monday
Travel Photo Monday
Our World Tuesday
Weekend Reflections

Friday, June 20, 2014

Rearranging the Deck Chairs

Pretty Summer Deck - Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Have you ever gone along with an idea,

even though you didn't totally agree with it?

I guess we've all been there, done that.

Summer Backyard Deck --- Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

And isn't it funny, when that person

finally realizes it wasn't the best idea after all,

but insists it was your idea?

Such is the case with furniture arrangement

on our back deck this summer.

When we first moved into this house,

the old outdoor dining table was in the corner,

right outside the dining room doors.

Made sense to me...
it was always shady in that spot,
plus, it was convenient to bring things out from the kitchen.

When we got a new outdoor dining table,
Mr. Goo Shoes wanted to put it in a different spot.
I didn't think it was a great idea,
because the sun comes around,
right about dinner time,
at the perfect angle to hit you right in the eyes.

"We'll tilt the umbrella...It won't be a problem."

Yeah, well, even with the umbrella tilted,
there was always someone at the table
who was in the hot seat.

This spring, we had to take all of the furniture

off the deck to have it power-washed and stained.

When it was time to put everything back,

Mr. Goo Shoes wanted to put the table

in the original spot, near the dining room door.

"I never liked the table in that other spot.
It was always too sunny.

I think it'll be better here in the shade."

Say what?

I had a boss who often said,

"Let them always think it was their idea."

So I smiled, and said, "You're right, let's do it!"

And that is how the deck chairs came to be

rearranged this year.

We're much happier with it this way.

I did purchase a few new things this year.

This garden stool came from Home Goods.

I like that the top is flat, not rounded.
Never mind that yesterday, I spilled a cup of coffee I put on it.
Coffee and I seem to be having a problem, lately.
Thankfully, my new laptop was safe inside the house.