Happy Groundhog Day

-
Yay Groundhog Day!
Groundhog Day isn't a holiday with a festive greeting like Christmas, or even a special food. It's just an excuse to discuss the weather and hope for an early spring. But it was always at least a guarantee of a coloring page or arts and crafts project at school and that makes it a good day in my book. (Maybe one day Mr. G and I will go see the official groundhog in Punxsutawney.)

Today I'm at work as usual but dreaming of spring, and even better, summer! Yesterday I bought a new pair of swimsuit bottoms from Hurley, a company that was everywhere in California last year. And one step further, Mr. G and I are going to start planning our annual June anniversary trip. We're considering lots of places, but leaning toward the Caribbean or maybe Colorado?

 How's your Monday going?

Comments

  1. AnonymousMonday, February 02, 2015

    We have a local groundhog called Shubenacadie Sam. I didn't even know about Punxsutawney Phil until I was an adult! Vacation planning sounds like just the thing for this time of year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaTuesday, February 03, 2015

      ha, I had no idea there were other groundhogs!

      Delete
  2. KristyMonday, February 02, 2015

    There is one here in Ontario called Wiarton Willie too! Those swimsuit bottoms are cute. I bet you could get a really great deal on a Caribbean trip that time of the year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaTuesday, February 03, 2015

      Hah, another groundhog?!

      I hope we can get a good deal - we're trying to spend less than last year.

      Delete
  3. EcoCatLadyMonday, February 02, 2015

    So did he see his shadow? I haven't heard...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaTuesday, February 03, 2015

      Yep! 6 more weeks of winter. Since they'd already predicted another big snow storm coming our way early next week, I'm not surprised . .

      Delete
  4. SarahN @ livetolistTuesday, February 03, 2015

    I just thought it was just the name of a film!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaTuesday, February 03, 2015

      It's a classic! The film takes place on Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney - where the official groundhog lives.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousWednesday, February 04, 2015

    Love planning for holidays! Together with new swimmers, this should keep you going through another 6 weeks.

    I think they should remake the movie with Grumpy Cat. He has the right face for bad news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaWednesday, February 04, 2015

      Yes, agreed! Grumpy Cat always puts a smile on my face :)

      Delete
  6. FionaTuesday, February 10, 2015

    I'd never heard of Groundhog Day - apart from the movie - had no idea it had all those traditions behind it. I think I might introduce that at my school - I especially liked the part about having to pay money if you speak English (great idea with play money in my French classes!) Here's to spring coming soon. The holiday planning sounds exciting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaTuesday, February 10, 2015

      How creative! I bet the students will enjoy that :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

I love comments - please leave one (or twelve)!

Popular posts from this blog

Good-bye April, Hello May!

-
Image
April's finished . . so it's time for a goal update. Read an old book: I read The Little Prince and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats . And several other "older" books are still on my hold list at the library. It was a nice change of pace to read something in which there's no mention of the internet, cell phones, or television. Take 200 photos: This was certainly made easier by the fact that my husband came home   (I think he needs a blog nickname, haha) and I live with two adorable cats.  Read 168 Hours:  Bleh. This review nails it. Craft something: Craft something, indeed. My mom and I made a quilt for my husband (at least 90% were her efforts). I'll be sharing more in a separate post! My goals for May? I'm taking a break and keeping it simple: GO OUTSIDE. This time of year is some of my favorite weather (not too hot, not too cold, medium amounts of rain and breeze, the air is filled with lovely smells). I adore it every year and...
Read more

Yummy Vegetarian Dumpling Soup

-
Image
Soup is one of my favorite foods (alongside rice) and such a versatile food that I never get sick of it. So I'm always on the look out for new soup recipes or ideas. (One I'm not sure I have the gumption to try -  cold soup . Have you had it?) Enter this Chickpeas & Dumplings soup  by Kiersten.  my small first helping - it smelled strongly of thyme and I wasn't sure I'd like it! It's the vegetarian version of Chicken & Dumplings soup, one of my top 5 favorites. We had almost all the ingredients on hand, so I made this the day she posted it. It was amazing! Even Mr. G, who was pretty certain he didn't like dumplings, loved this soup. The first picture is when I had just dropped in the dumplings. Second picture is 20 minutes of simmering later. So cool! I made a few small changes to the recipe: left out the chickpeas because we didn't have any in the pantry (thought about substituting edamame in their place, but the soup was hear...
Read more

Vegetarian Version of Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup

-
Image
I love Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup.  Love, love love!  In the past, I would gladly eat two bowls of it, about 5 breadsticks, and take my whole meal home!  But I've had to skip it since becoming vegetarian and that sucks.  So I found a copycat recipe online , and tweaked it to make it vegetarian.  (I am so grateful for copycat sites!) Surprisingly enough (not), the original recipe calls for chicken ... I added boiled potatoes to take their place.  You could probably cook the potatoes right in the soup - just make sure to add them early enough that they finish cooking before everything else goes soft.  That might be too much potato in one soup for some people (is that even possible?).  :)  You could bump up the amounts of the gnocchi or other veggies in the recipe, or add corn, bell peppers, or soy "chicken" if the extra potatoes don't float your boat. Any other ideas for taking the place of the chicken? Start by chopp...
Read more