Friday Things
1. I whipped up a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake for Driscoll’s Berries, which they’re featuring on their site this week. Be sure to check out my tips for making the perfect cheesecake, as well as the recipe. You’re going to love this very berry and summery cheesecake!
2. A couple of weeks ago, I asked for some opinions on e-readers. Thank you for all of the feedback! My friend leant me her Kindle Paperwhite and I’ve been using it for a few days now, flipping back and forth between that and the Kindle app on my iPad (reading the same book). So far I think the Paperwhite is definitely better for reading – much easier on the eyes and the look mimics that of a book. Plus, it’s smaller (can easily fit in my purse) and much lighter (I can hold it with one hand!). My only complaint is that it was a little sluggish when trying to browse for books, but realistically, I’d probably do all of my browsing/purchasing through Amazon.com on my desktop anyway. I didn’t think I would ever do it, but I just might jump on the e-reader train after all.
3. A couple of weeks ago, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I, along with his parents, drove over to West Virginia and toured the Homer Loughlin China Co., which is where Fiestaware is manufactured. We had finally decided to go with Fiestaware for our everyday dishes and since we only live a little over an hour away from the factory, we thought it would be fun to do a tour and then get our dishes. It was amazing to see how much is actually done by hand; such meticulous work!
Look at all those colors! I can see how people get a little addicted to buying all the different colors of Fiestaware. I already have my sights set on changing things up for each season, but for the time being we settled on a combination of plum and lemongrass, along with white serving pieces. Do you have any favorite Fiesta color combinations?!
4. Thank you to everyone who chimed in with recommendations for a dog bed for Einstein. I ended up ordering the Orvis Tempur-Pedic Deep Dish Dog Bed; Einstein has had it for a couple of weeks now and seems to love it.
We have a little sitting area in our bedroom, which has now become his little bedroom. He goes back and forth at night between his bed and the floor in the master bathroom. I woke up one morning to find him like this:
I thought the bed would take some coaxing, but all it took was sitting on it and inviting him over; he crawled in and curled up. From that point on, he got in all on his own!
5. Speaking of dogs, did you hear about Chase the Bat Dog? Chase was a Golden Retriever who acted as the “bat dog” (in lieu of a bat boy) for a minor league baseball team. He passed away earlier in the week and there were some articles about him. He looks so happy retrieving those bats! If the story itself wasn’t enough to get me severely choked up, I had to go ahead and browse the photos from his “retirement ceremony”… I then traveled further down the rabbit hole and watched the tribute video, which left me sobbing. So, yeah. Consider yourself warned.
6. Sorry, one more dog story. I also read about Dutchess the blind therapy dog this week. Totally melted my heart.
7. I’m doing some preliminary searching for a potential house to rent somewhere in the vicinity of Kiawah Island or maybe Hilton Head. Does anyone have any recommendations?
8. I am a few years past the big 3-0, but these 30 Signs You’re Almost 30 are all spot-on.
9. Thanks to Jessica, I am now following Candace Cameron on Twitter and Instagram. I so loved DJ Tanner when I was a tween. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I still catch Full House reruns on TV during the day!
10. TGIF! I hope you see sunnier skies this weekend than we had this week!
Love this post! I had a yellow lab growing up and just love the pictures of your retriever:-). My parents actually have a house on Kiawah! I would highly suggest going there instead of Hilton Head! I would suggest renting a condo there, or house if you are going with a bunch if couples and friends. There are a ton of activities for kids while you are there. Definitely don’t miss hitting up charleston! Magnolias…get the fried green tomatoes and you will be in heaven! Getting a drink on the rooftop bar at the pavilion hotel is a must too! On kiawah, there is a place called mingo point where you can go on a dolphin boat tour – by far the coolest thing! So much to do and I love it there! Check out more here: http://www.southernbellevacationrentals.com thanks for all your great recipes over the years! My co-workers really appreciate it:-)
hi, what icing tip you used for this? thank you
Hi Katie, I believe it was a Wilton 1M tip.
I will have to check out Fiestaware as I make a serious effort to buy all US made products and they are so hard to find. I also watch Full House repeats sometimes. I am amazed at how much I remember them. The good old days!
I LOVE Fiestaware! I have all Cobalt Blue Fiesta, but would love to mix it up with the brown and the ivory. I need more cupboard space first! :)
Your blog makes me smile… thank you for sharing your life (and your beautiful goldie!!)
We’re heading to Kiawah Island (which my siblings have dubbed Quinoa Island ;)) in two weeks….we found a house for our whole fam via VRBO. Sooo excited!
I love my fiestaware, I have it in like 4-5 bold colors all mixed together. It’s super durable and looks nice. Also, if you happen to break a piece, it is easy to replace and relatively inexpensive. Good choice!
Oooh all the Fiestaware dishes look so pretty. Hope you had a great weekend!!
That fiesta-ware is great!
Just found your blog a couple of days ago, and I’ve already made some of your recipes for a local bake sale. Thanks! Oh, and that dog bed just went on my wish list for our lab.
Love your posts as always. Can you please tell me the size bed you brought and how much does Einstein weigh. I have been considering getting a new bed for Dante. He is beautiful as ever. Loved the dog stories!
Sure! I bought the large bed; Einstein weighs 72 pounds. The bed is admittedly HUGE, but when he sleeps on his side with all of his legs out, it fits him perfectly. Here is an additional size chart on Orvis: http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=10433
We have a lot of Fiestaware but it comes nowhere near my mothers collection. She owns a piece of every color ever made. We currently have all the colors that currently out as well as a number of retired ones but we don’t have too many of the vintage ones. I too have been to the factory. It was fun! I like having all the colors although people do think it’s weird when we order a set of every color that comes out.
That cheesecake looks amazing! Pinned!!
I’m so envious of your trip to the Fiestaware factory! I have the scarlet red for my main pieces (cream & sugar, butter dish, etc), but I love to mix and match everything. I was able to purchase most of my Fiesta at 75% off when a store went out of business, but i think i created a dangerou$ addiction! The red and yellows work well together, so does the peacock blue and cobalt, or the turquoise and lemongrass.. Your color scheme sounds really nice too. I also love how the colors match most of the Kitchenaid mixers if you want to be really matchy matchy. You will love having the Fiesta for your everyday dishes – they’re a little heavier than other brands but I’ve found they don’t cheap easily.
Your pictures of Einstein are always so cute!!
Hi, fellow Pittsburgher here. Just wanted to stop by and say that we LOVE Kiawah. We’ve been vacationing there for the past five years (were just down there in May). It’s so beautiful and secluded, I definitely prefer it over HH. I would suggest looking into villas from the Sanctuary Resort or my BFF and her husband actually run a property mgmt company down there. Here’s their website.
http://www.cobblestonedestinations.com
I would highly recommend Kiawah Island. I’ve been there several times and LOVE it! One of my favorite places to beach. I also started following Candace Cameron on Instagram from Jessica’s post! She’s the only celeb that I follow.
I have a kindle, but I get all my books on my computer- it’s just easier to browse for books that way, and with wi-fi enabled on the kindle, the books are there by the time I’m done doing everything else I do on the computer (facebook, blogs, email, etc.). I live in Charleston and definitely recommend staying on Kiawah (or Seabrook as a previous commenter recommended). Both islands are very residential and “beachy” but are also close enough to Charleston and all its great restaurants.
http://www.beachwalker.com/ is one rental company that has properties on both Kiawah and Seabrook. http://www.pamharringtonexclusives.com/kiawah_rentals/ is a local realtor who specializes in Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns Islands.
Michelle, I get all choked up over pet stories as well. You’re not alone! Had a “discussion” with Baker Peabody over those ASPCA abused pet commercials. We both cry over those! Grab the tissues. Great job for Driscoll’s! Love those people. How fun to visit the Fiesta factory! I’d break the bank there, that’s fer shure. Candace Cameron is a doll…a beautiful person inside and out. And, Einstein…LOVE him! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend! xo
Just loving the picture of Einstein on his back in the bathroom. It reminds me of my baby girl Angel, who passed last year just before her 15th bd. She is still in my heart and on my desktop and i think of her all the time. That picture made me smile and i thank you for that. My last on her back picture is still on my phone. Enjoy your baby and give him a kiss for me.
I’ve never wanted a dog, but those pictures of Einstein are really making me question myself!
Of course I love your recipes otherwise I would not be following you, but being a dog owner and lover, I so enjoy the pictures and articles with Einstein and other dog stories. I especially loved Chase the bat dog. I live in Holland and have 2 baseball playing boys, (which in Holland is as common as cricket is in America. In other words not). LouLou is a great retriever but too small to be able to carry a bat, otherwise she would have been bat dog for the team.
I love Fiestaware and I would like every single piece in the picture. That might be a little too much for 2 people but I like options! ;)
I too love all of the beautiful Fiesta colors. For my everyday dishes I use some no name brand of white, BUT I have the Fiesta Java Mug in just about every color. they are all so pretty and the color combinations are fun. I live in Florida and tend to prefer the bright colors, although I must say I sort of rotate with the season. :)
I have made several of your recipes lately, all delicious I might and, and I must try this cheesecake. Three things my daughter loves, raspberries, cheesecakes, and Oreos. It has to be good!
Your Oreo refrigerator cake from last week…the bomb! My family RAVED over it!
Love, love, love fiesta ware! I grew up 20 minutes away from the factory and prefer to buy ‘seconds’ because they are so much cheaper! You have to dig al little and bring a rag when searching through the seconds but they usually have very little chips and few imperfections you can find with the naked eye. My boyfriend and I use my fiesta ware for our everyday dishes and he likes them too. You never have to worry about matching because all the colors pair so well together! But I love the bright colors best! Enjoy!
Hi! My family actually has a vacation house (that’s used as a rental) on Seabrook Island –which is right next door to Kiawah. It’s private–property owners only and has full club amenities. If you and your family would be interested in renting it we would be happy to help! Here is the website for the island: http://www.discoverseabrook.com/
Have a nice weekend!
I have the older retired colorway that is similar to lemongrass which was a limited 2 year run (chartreuse – slightly more vivid) and some lapis and tangerine pieces. Now I want to add some plum to it. I love my Fiestaware.
I love my Fiestaware! I have lemongrass, white, turquoise and chocolate. I keep them stacked in that color order in my cupboard (yes, I’m nuts). And Driscoll’s is a mile down the road from my house – they rock!
thanks for the nice sharing