Friday Things
1. A seasonal photo of Duke… with pumpkins! He turned 3 months old this past Monday and is getting big! … and ornery… and too smart for his own good. He’s also extremely sweet and beyond excited to see you if it’s been more than 30 minutes since you’ve been in the same room as him. Yin and yang ;-)
2. We had our wedding reception party on Saturday and it was fabulous! Our dining room table is still flooded with leftover cookies, and of course I’m craving chocolate chip cookies… which we don’t have. Looks like I’m going to be doing some baking today!
3. Yesterday marked two years that my grandma has been gone. I miss her every single day, and even more on days that I spend in the kitchen. I shared this photo of her on Facebook yesterday – it’s an old picture of her sitting in her kitchen making gnocchi, and it’s just the perfect photo of her:
4. Before my grandma passed away, she passed along her beloved dough board (pictured above) to me. My mom and I spent some time refinishing it (I documented the process here), and I cherish it so much.
5. I have been loving our new treadmill. It was such a great investment; it’s so easy to just hop downstairs and get a workout in. I’ve been playing around with some different walking workouts to keep from getting bored; if you know of any, feel free to send them my way! I’ve found that a fairly high incline at a slower-than-normal pace has been the hardest so far!
6. Is anyone still doing monthly photo challenges? If so, here is an October version from Fat Mum Slim:
7. Last night, my Chief Culinary Consultant and I went to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home opener. It was awesome to feel the chill of the arena and the sound of the goal horn again. If you’re a hockey fan, you’ll appreciate this op-ed that appeared in a local newspaper a few years ago (don’t worry, it’s not about a specific team, just hockey in general): There’s Still Something About Hockey.
8. I mentioned last week that I was going to be getting some new appliances installed this week. They are here and I am in love! I’ll be giving you a proper tour of the kitchen soon, but here is a sneak peek of my new goodies:
9. I went to Target this week and was overcome by the Halloween candy. I made impromptu purchases of Reese’s Pieces, Halloween-colored peanut butter M&M’s, candy corn, and some new hot chocolate. I’m officially ready for October.
10. TGIF! Here’s to cozy nights in front of the fireplace!
It’s so hard missing grandparents. I’m sure your grandma was a great lady. My granny has been gone six years now and I still miss her everyday.
Aww…your baby puppy is getting so BIG, Michelle! So glad you were able to get some good snaps when he was smaller. He’s going to grow into such a gorgeous dog! (Going to pin his photo to my Autumn Splendor board at Pinterest.) What a wonderful post about your Grandma and her pastry board. And, whoa! Gorg side-by-side ovens there! I. DIE. And, yes…there’s IS still something about hockey! Happy Fall baking, m’lady! xo
The pic of your gramma totally reminds me of my gramma. Same apron, dress etc…Great memories! I’m a trainer and for a great treadmill work out, I have my clients do high intensity drills. You can do these on an eliptical or bike, too. Stick with a steady pace then up the resistance and speed as high as you can take it for 20 seconds then recover for a few minutes and repeat. These are great drills and help you build endurance and torch calories. You should be working so hard that you feel you can’t have a conversation. Studies show that high intensity interval training for 20 minutes burns more fat and calories than a steady 45 minute workout. Enjoy!! By the way, I’m making cinnamon babka today :)
How wonderful, to inherit your grandma’s dough board. I used to have a bunch of my grandma’s kitchen things, but couldn’t bring them with me when I moved to Australia. I did keep her bottle opener, though, which has little pictures of a waffle iron, toaster, etc. I wish I still had her rolling pin and milk glass bowl, which was perfect for pancake batter.
I’m super jealous of your gorgeous stove and dual ovens! How awesome! Happy for you. :)
I cannot wait to see a peek into your kitchen! Looking swoon worthy already! Also the photo of your grandma is beautiful. :)
Wow! Duke is adorable with that fat pumpkin! And I’m sorry about your grandma…I love mine so much too <3
Duke has gotten so big!! And i just checked out your dough board renovation post – what a transformation!
Grandmas are so universal… my Jewish grandmother looked nothing like yours, but somehow that picture of your grandmother working her craft in the kitchen brought back so many good memories… I miss mine too! Thanks for reminding me about the good times
Looks like Duke is thinking, “What the hell. I’ll stand next to this pumpkin.” LOL I love your dogs! They’re beautiful! Thank you for making me smile! You and the dogs are blessing! It seems like you know when we’re in need of a smile.
Your puppies are adorable! I’m new to your blog, so I was just wondering if they are both Golden Retrievers? So sweet and innocent looking, but I’m sure they rock your house! ;-)
Your new ovens and stovetop are amazing too! Going to be a lot of baking going on there!!
Hi Nancy, Yes, they are both Golden Retrievers :) You’re right – they have such sweet faces, but they DO rock our house, it’s like a circus here ;-)
Not sure what I love more – the puppy picture or the new appliances! :)
Michelle,
Love the puppy pics – keep ’em coming. The appliances look terrific. I have a few things my Grandmother had and I cherish them too. Although I don’t have such a lovely and large dough board.
Annamaria
That photo tease of your kitchen is already making me jealous. I am looking forward to a full post.
Okay I have to ask . . . why Einstein? LOL! I only ask because I know why we named our Yellow lab Einstein. Just curious what your reason is.
Hi Kim, Einstein was a Golden Retriever “character” in a Dean Koontz novel, Watchers.
Aww beautiful photos. Are you going to do a post on your cookie table and recipes? I love cookie tables and candy buffets. Lol
Loved this article and the photos of Duke and Einstein!! I have my mother’s dough board too and it is a cherished piece of my kitchen. Glad you have your grandmothers’. It is special!
Jean
Holy cats, I didn’t expect your appliance reveal to be as enviable as that! I am in love!
First, your dog pictures are the cutest ever!! I even show them to my kids! We are a dog loving family w/ 3…yellow lab, border collie and jack russell.
Second, my grandmother passed away 2 years ago December. I miss her every day of my life. Love your picture of your grandmother (and i love gnocchi too!)
Last, double viking ovens!!!! What a dream!! I have the gas viking range and it is the best ever!! I always look forward to your Friday posts…they are great
Oh – double Viking ovens. I’m swooning. Good for you! Enjoy your awesome kitchen!
What a beautiful picture of your Grandmom. Brought back sweet memories of my Grandma rolling pasta on her dough board which my Dad inherited and I hope to inherit one day. My daughter will only drink tea from one of her beautiful tea cups I inherited. Your kitchen looks amazing. Enjoy it! Can’t wait to see the rest. When will you post the wedding photos? Einstein and Duke are both so precious! Keep the photos coming.
The photo of your grandma squeezed my heart. I lost my Sicilian mom two years ago (at age 83) and, of course, miss her every single day as well. She was very close to my daughters and loved to cook for them and with them. They have a lot of her furniture and kitchen stuff, and that comforts me a lot to know they’re using her things and have such good memories. Your grandma’s dough board looks awesome, and it’s so special that you will use it and treasure it in the years to come.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the doggie pics.They are so photogenic!!! Me, a fellow Golden lover, of course. My Golden, Derby is 11 1/2 and still going strong. I want your stove-still hoping for one someday~ Enjoy…….
I love the bottle of Barefoot wine I can see in the corner of the picture. Its nice to know that there are others who drink the less expensive wines rather than buy the more pricey ones that dont taste any better either.
Our home was blessed with a new puppy last week too, a Mastiff who, at 12 weeks, weighs 40 pounds already. He is my favorite thing on the planet :)
I am SO in range top and oven envy!!!
Duke is gorgeous! Love seeing him grow every week in pictures.
I am also doing the Fat Mum Slim photo challenge. So fun!
why must you melt my heart with those pictures of Duke. I’m seriously closer to getting a Golden
Thank you for making me smile this morning.
Awww I definitely remember your post about refinishing the dough board. So sweet!!
Your dogs! Oh my goodness. I just love them! That fur looks so soft and fluffy. They are so pretty. :)
Thanks for #7, article was great. We are huge Penguins fans. I surprised my hubby with “Let’s go Pens” engraved in his wedding band, something he still loves to this day (10+ years later). I made your Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Crumb bars last night, delicious!
Hi Michelle. I really only use the treadmill for running when I can’t run outside so I don’t really have any walking workout tips but I do know there are many “don’ts” that people do on the treadmill. One of the big “don’t” is hanging on, especially when walking at an incline. It’s bad form, you’re not building up your heart rate, therefore, you’re kind of wasting your time. Here’s a link for tips on the treadmill: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/10-mistakes-you-make-treadmill
Love Duke and of course, Einstein!
What a wonderful picture of your grandma!! It really touched my heart!! Thank you for sharing this.
Those are some big dog paws on puppy Duke. He continues to be so freakin’ adorable. It is amazing how quickly he has changed. He is one lucky boy to have found a great home. I love your Friday posts…always full of news and surprises.
Your new appliances ROCK! What fun! More chocolate chip cookies for you!
I’ve been participating in Fat Mum Slim’s Photo A Day since December. Just two more months to a full year! I really enjoy seeing photos from around the world and I think my skills have improved over the past several months, too.
Duke made me smile. So fluffy and adorable. They just make you want to snuggle your face in their necks, don’t they?
Your grandma made me smile. I miss my grandma every single day, and she’s been gone since 1981. I even wrote a little piece about her to add to my new blog when I get it launched.
The gnocci made me smile. I love making it. It makes me happy.
The dough board made me smile and think I need one of those too… I can’t tell you how much gnocci I’ve made in my life…
Your Viking ovens and stove top made me smile. Viking has been my dream for 20 years. I’m hoping to own one in another 2 years. I say good for you sweetie… I’m happy for you.
Have a lovely day… :-)
Duke is way beyond precious! I love your new stove, my dream stove…..glad to see there are some of us old fashion types still left enjoying homemade food, and family, its rather refreshing in this day and age.
Love, love, love the hockey article, thank you! Duke is looking like a little man…until Einstein’s in the picture! Cute boys :) Congrats on the wedding party and new toys in the kitchen. Love your connection with your grandma…
This post brought back so many memories….working with Grandma in her garden and kitchen (her measuring cup was a coffee cup), learning to judge the amount of ingredients to use by the feel of the batter…..and hockey, watching Hockey Night in Canada, keeping game stats for Dad when he worked the night shift, wanting to play on the boys team and Mom always telling me girls don’t play hockey (at the time we didn’t – not officially). Thanks for the post and wonderful memories. :-)
WOW, Michelle! What a gorgeous oven and cook top! You must be in seventh heaven with such wonderful appliances. I can’t wait to see the rest of your kitchen. As a fellow Pittsburgher, I was glad to see that the Penguins won their season opener, but I am feeling a little bummed out that the Pirates did so poorly last night. Also, there’s nothing like having a piece of your Grandma with you in your kitchen. I have a few items in my kitchen that belonged to my Grandma, too, and I cherish them so much.
Dual Viking ranges. NICE. Whoa. Can I move in? :) Congrats!
Your Grandma’s dough board is gorgeous. I stalk those things on ebay and to find the size that yours is, in that condition, they’re usually pretty pricey but price not withstanding, the fact that you have a treasured family heirloom, and think of your grandma, how awesome. I would give anything to go back in time and have more of my grandma’s possessions that were foolishly sold off in estate sales when I was in college and really didn’t know better what was even going on.
Congrats on your party and enjoy all the cookies :)
Aww, Duke is still so fuzzy.
It’s really wonderful that you have that picture of your Grandma doing something she loves.
Intimidated by the serious looking stoves and looking forward to a kitchen tour :)
Love the picture of your doggies..and I love, love your kitchen appliances. Sorry to hear about your grandma, I miss my grandma too.
Love the piccy of Duke and pumpkin, very seasonal! Also, I’m totally with you on TGIF. Have a great weekend :)