A Little Bit of This and That with Lori: 2012

Friday, September 14, 2012

Elliott Family Fun at Ft. Myers Beach

Family vacations are really important to the Elliott bunch. The older the kids get, the harder it is for all of us to be together and extra difficult to travel somewhere. Our calendars keep getting crazier and crazier. But we made it happen this month, if only for a few days, it was worth it! We spent Labor Day weekend together in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.

My favorite thing to do while relaxing on the beach is to take my short, little chair out to the edge of the water and just sit there while the waves crash over me just enough to keep me cool. I can spend hours listening to the waves and feeling the sand between my toes! Thank you Lord for beautiful beaches!

Only 9 more months and we will do it all again!

Beach Food is the Best Food!

While in Ft. Myers, we ate at some of our favorite places and tried out a few new ones. Here's what we thought.

Mom and I wandered over to Sanibel Island and tried the Over Easy Cafe for breakfast. It was well worth the trip! The fresh squeezed orange juice was addictive and the french toast was superb! What a wonderful start to the day!

Grouper & Coconut Shrimp at the Fish House on Bonita Beach. Delicious!

On our last day on the beach we visited the Heavenly Biscuit on Ft. Myers Beach for our carb fix. The cinnamon roll was ooey, gooey, yummy. The biscuits and gravy and grits hit the spot!

A new dinner place for us this year was Nervous Nellies on Ft. Myers Beach. It really was fantastic. We all got something different and everyone raved about their food! I had the mahi mahi and it was cooked just perfect.

Ft. Myers Beach Mud Ice Cream at Kilwin's on Ft. Myers Beach... A Tradition! It has been Ashlyn's favorite flavor of ice cream and I agree!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Summer 2012: Latest Shutterfly Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a variety of layouts and cover options to choose from.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

School Year 2012-2013 We are Ready!

Well, first day of school went off with out a hitch this year. Both kids are back in class. We wish them the very best as they continue to work towards their goals. Ashlyn is a Junior and Austin is working on his last semesters of college. Here's to a great year of learning and memories!

Work & Play: Summer 2012

With my new job, most of my summer is spent traveling to different places to work with teachers. I do try and find some time for fun along the way. From CA to KY.. I had a blast visiting cities across the country.

First stop.. San Diego, California for the ISTE Technology Conference.

My session was completely full! I was so pleased.

I met Moby from Brain Pop!

San Diego

Next was the SDE National Conferences in Las Vegas!

I loved the pool and these great chairs in the water.

My book display at the conference.

I always have a burger at In N Out when in Vegas.

My yearly trip to the M & M Store.

Then some fun in the Windy City, Chicago. This year Ashlyn was able to join me and she brought our good friend, Emilee!

View from our hotel window.

We ate dinner at the Melting Pot!

The girls had Brunch at the American Girl Store.

View from the Ferris Wheel.

Ferris Wheel Ride

Fun at Navy Pier

The girls met up with Josiah, who was also visiting Chicago.

Sprinkles Cupcakes! Enough Said!

Our delicious dinner at Melting Pot!

Mom and Daughter on the Ferris Wheel!

Summer Time means Party Time!

Ashlyn & Kaitlyn's 17th Birthday Party

It's always a party at the Elliott's! We had such a great time hosting different parties and get togethers over the summer. We started with the old school Slip 'n Slide party. Ashlyn pulled off an incredible Surprise party for Cory and we finished with a Double 17th Birthday Bash for Ashlyn and Kaitlyn! The Fall Bonfires are next on the agenda!

Slip 'n Slide Party

Cory's Surprise Birthday Party

25 Years and Counting!

On June 27, Tim and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We are so blessed to have each other and the memories we've made together. God placed us together and continues to make our relationship sweeter as the years pass. We've been through the good, bad, joy, and sadness but our commitment to each other has held strong. Thank you, Lord for your great mercy and grace!

Bailey Jones of Bly Amour Photography took our pictures. She did an awesome job!

What a Summer!

Hard to believe summer is over. Everyone is back in school and we are starting to get back into somewhat of a routine. It was certainly a crazy summer. Tim and I worked a lot, but I am happy to say the kids were able to do some incredible things and I am proud of both of them. Austin served again this summer as an intern for Second Baptist Houston. He worked with junior high and high school students all summer. We love SBC and their willingness to include Austin in their ministries for the 3rd summer.

Austin looked very handsome in a friend's wedding over the summer. He cleans up pretty well!

Ashlyn spent two different sessions serving as a counselor at Camp Barnabas with special needs kids. What exhausting, but rewarding work. We are proud of her and her friends that served at Camp this summer. They are certainly touching many lives.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Key Lime Cupcakes

Key Lime Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

You know I love Key Lime anything, so I made Key Lime Cupcakes for the reunion this week. They seemed to be a hit! I found the recipe on Betty Crocker, but tweaked the frosting just a bit.
Here's the link for all the directions: Key Lime Cupcakes

Here is my adaptations of the recipe ingredients:
Cupcake Batter

1 Lemon Cake Mix
1 small box of lime jello
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup key lime juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
(I did not add any food coloring to the mix, since I thought it was green enough.)

Frosting
I did not do the glaze, but instead added the key lime juice to the frosting.

1 package cream cheese
2 1/2 table spoons of key lime juice
1/4 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Follow the directions on the link for baking time and other details. Betty Crocker Key Lime Cupcakes

May was Memorable

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Spring and Early Summer. I've had precious time at home to work, clean, entertain, and enjoy my family. We had much success at the Nixa Garage Sale this year. It feels good to declutter and get rid of things we don't need. My family made Mother's Day extra special this year. We celebrated Tim's birthday and tried to party for Austin's birthday but he was too busy packing and moving on to Texas for the summer. Oh, well... I did make a cake. There was a quick girls' trip to KC for some summer shopping and an old school water party with the most fun people in the world. Finally, we sealed the month with a family reunion at the Elliott's. Thank you Lord for family and friends! They are the keys to my happiness and bring me constant joy!