Friday Favorites: Newport, Valentine's Day, & Cupcakes

 Between Newport, Valentine's Day, and a cupcake decorating class we had a pretty fun week.  It was also a week where Alec either had no school or a shortened day the whole week so it just flew right by! 


All the boys had the day off on Friday so we headed to Newport to meet up with some friends of our for a walking history tour of Newport.  Our tour guide Erin was amazing and we learned so much about Newport's roll in the slave trade.  I NEVER knew that Newport was the hub for ALL slave trade in the colonies.  It was a cold day but luckily the sun was shining enough to keep us from freezing. 






After we finished up the tour we walked down to Panera Bread and had lunch.  Our friends had to go home but we made plans to get together again soon. 




Saturday morning Ian headed off to work while I took Alec to karate.  After karate we all enjoyed a bit of Subway for lunch and then my husband and I went to shovel all the snow from the hydro. plant.  It only took us 20 minutes or so to clear out all the snow. 

Once we got home we decided to head out into our woods for a bit of snowshoeing.  Myself, my husband and Ian all went snowshoeing for a good 40 minutes.  



We cooked up some steak on the grill with roasted potatoes and asparagus for dinner then my husband and I snuggled up under the blanket to watch Greenland.  It was so good!

Sunday morning my husband and I headed out early to Lowe's and picked up some foam brushes and urethane so we could finally start the finish on the cabinets he's been building for a couple of years now.   We did open Valentine's cards and gifts first (I got each of the boys a box of Dan's chocolates and made them each cards).






We headed to the shop and while he put the last two drawers together I put a coat of urethane on everything. 


They're two different colors because the top cabinets are made of oak an the bottom are out of walnut

Maybe not the most fun I've had on Valentine's day but we are nearing the end of our project and talked about what we have left to do to finish off our basement-- something we've been working on for more than 10 years!  

We worked together to make some pecan crusted chicken and rice pilaf for dinner then ended our night watching Armageddon (still my favorite end of the world movie).

We had no school on Monday and in the afternoon Alec and I headed to a cupcake decorating class.  We each decorated 6 cupcakes and while it was fun we were a little bummed that our cupcakes didn't look much of anything like the ones that had been pictured on the website.  





After dinner my husband, Ian, and I headed back to the shop to sand the first coat of urethane and move the giant base cabinet down and get the first coat on that.  

With lots of rain overnight and freezing temps. the school had a 2 hour delay on Tuesday... which basically meant Alec's first day back in academic cycle was a 1/2 day.  He's still virtual/ distance learning most days so that meant Evan and I started school late as well (Ian was at work). 




Evan and I finished up his work in no time and he headed out to lunch with his grandmother.  Alec had school until 2 but with shorter classes he didn't have an overload of assignments. I did sneak out to the library and to pick up our grocery order mid-day.  



Evan and I went on a walk after I put the groceries away and the sun came out.  




After dinner my husband and his mother and I went back to the woodworking shop to put another coat of urethane on the cabinets. 

Alec had a 1/2 day of school on Wednesday and the other two boys and I quickly settled in to school too.  





Since all of us were finished by noon we planned to go on an hour walk.  Ian ended up heading out to go work on his jet ski instead.  We walked for just over an hour-- it was chilly but with snow in the forecast we knew we'd probably be stuck inside for a day or two.



The only walking track we've ever been on that has road signs on it!



We got a call early on Thursday morning that Alec would only have a half-day of school since we were supposed to be getting a lot of snow starting mid way through the day. Ian was headed to work and planned to be out plowing most of the afternoon.  Evan and I finished up his schoolwork rather quickly and then I sat with Alec through his final few classes; I just love seeing what he's learning about.  

After school and lunch we ran out to the bank, library, and post office and made it home just as the snow was starting to fall. 



How was your week?

Linking up with: On the Edge, 













Comments

  1. I just love your snow photos! The cupcakes are so cute! I think the sloth one is my favorite!

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    1. Thank you! They were fun to make and so delicious to eat too.

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  2. Your Newport trip seems like it was so much fun!! Those cupcakes turned out great!! You have SO much snow!! It’s so pretty!!

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  3. Such pretty snow scenes, The cupcakes are amazing!!

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  4. Those cupcakes look great! And those cabinets are beautiful! The finished product will be amazing!

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    1. I can not wait to see what they look like installed!!

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  5. I know I told you before but I LOVE Newport- it takes us about 2 hours to get there. How long does it take you? Your Valentines our beautiful- such lucky boys!

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    1. It takes us about an hour to get to Newport depending on traffic. This day, in winter, it only took us about 45 minutes.

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  6. Those cupcakes turned out so cute - I can't decorate anything with that much detail! Your cabinets are going to be beautiful and I love that y'all are working on it together, such a labor of love. All that snow - it looks so beautiful but I cannot even imagine snow shoeing in it - that must be some workout! Have a great weekend!
    xo,
    Kellyann

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    1. It is quite a workout! My legs are burning after just 15-20 minutes.

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  7. As always, thank you for your beautiful photos! Those cupcakes are so cute...the eyelashes!

    Patty
    GoodBetterBestFood.blogspot.com

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    1. Wasn't that hilarious?! One of the llamas in the photo we had to reference was wearing sunglasses! I thought about trying that but was afraid I would mess it up.

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  8. Those cupboards are going to be BEAUTIFUL, Joanne!! And I love that you and your son took a cupcake decorating class. They turned out so cute. :)

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    1. It was so much fun! I figure our time taking classes like this together is pretty limited.. he's going to outgrow doing stuff with me before I know it.

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  9. Very talented cupcake decorator!! Mine would look like a Nailed It result, haha! I love the ice photos, so much beauty everywhere.

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    1. WE love that show!! LOL. The class was mostly made up of kids around 6-8 years old and we had some really funny results but all the kids didn't care as they had so much fun.

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  10. I think the cupcakes turned out so cute!! And love your Valentine's Day cards!

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  11. A pretty quite week. The boys have been passing their cold to each other with almost a week in between so this week my 10 year old stayed home 2 days. Pretty much nothing too exciting. The cups are so cute and I enjoy seeing your snow pictures from the warmth of my house.
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. Ugh! That is no fun. I hope everyone is feeling better soon.

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  12. What a great way to spend the day off! We loved visiting Newport and hope to make it back over the summer. I love the idea of a cupcake decorating class. They came out really good! My kids would have loved to eat those up. Look at all of that snow and ice. It's hard to understand at times how something so fresh and beautiful can do a lot of damage. I hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Newport is a great town because there is so much to see and do. My boys really enjoyed touring Fort Adams a few years ago.

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  13. I love your snow photos and Newport is so beautiful.
    Your cupcakes have me craving cupcakes at 9:30 in the morning. :)

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  14. I think your cupcakes are adorable! What a fun activity! And yay for nearing the end of your long basement project. :) Those projects that take the longest are the most satisfying once complete! Have a great weekend!

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    1. I can't wait to see what's in my head finally come together in real life. Funny enough that vision has changed many times through the years...

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  15. Y'all had such a fun week! Those cupcakes look so good!

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  16. That’s a great week! Your walking path looks like a great way to get out when everything else is covered with snow and slush. I can’t wait to see your finished cabinets. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Yes, we love that they plow these walking paths otherwise it's hard to get out with so much snow everywhere.

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  17. He did a great job decorating the cupcakes. So cute. I love all the snow that you guys are getting. I sooo want to go out snowshoeing.

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    1. I am well over the snow by now but still trying to enjoy it because really, what choice do I have?! I'm hoping we can get out snowshoeing again this weekend.

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  18. My grandsons would love those cupcakes! I live on the Gold Coast in Australia so it is Summer here, hot and humid. I love looking at the photos of the snow with the crisp, clear blue sky just beautiful. Stay warm and lovely to connect with you. #weekendcoffeeshare

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    1. Thank you! I equally love seeing all these Australia photos with their beaches and sunny skies. They look so nice and warm and inviting.

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  19. Those Valentine cards are so nice! It's so lovely to read how you and your family do so many things together! Enjoy your weekend!

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  20. Wow you have been busy. I hope the basement project is going well.

    I do love those cupcakes, how cute!

    Have a wonderful weekend. :) x

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  21. Your boys are growing up so much. What a fun cupcake class and the tour sounds amazing.
    Blessings, Dawn

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  22. Looks like you had a productive and fun-filled week! The walking track looks beautiful. Stay warm. Thank you for linking with #WeekendCoffeeShare.

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  23. All those snow photos were amazing - so different to our Summer here in Australia! Also loved the cupcakes - very creative and I was a little envious of the natural icing skills on display!

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    1. Aw, thank you! I still can't get icing flowers or details like that but an easy to use up and down motion with the tip I can handle.

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  24. So much to comment on....first.....love all the pictures. The cabinets look amazing...cupcakes look yummy! LOVE the snow. I'd love to tour some historic cities. My husband was in Rhode Island for a training a few years ago and sent me photos and videos from one of the libraries he went in. Drooling!!!! We just had a lot of snow last weekend. Not very common in our region of Washington state.

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    1. Aw, thank you! The cupcakes were delicious.. and gone in the blink of an eye.

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  25. What a week...and the sun came out!! Yay for that. I love to make cupcakes and I ice them very poorly. People who can add frosting (we call it icing here) like that are winners for me!!

    Thank you for linking up your blog post for #lifethisweek on Monday 22 Feb 2021. Next week, it's the first optional prompt of Taking Stock where I am using my own prompts for the first time. Hope to see you there, on or off prompt. Take care, Denyse #lifethisweek #linkup #Australia

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    1. I was always very intimidated by people that could ice cakes properly but then I was gifted a set of cake decorating tips and discovered it only took a little practice. There are still so many things I can't do with them (like make icing flowers) but all in all I can definitely hold my own now.

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  26. Joanne, I loved reading about your Newport trip! And those cupcakes are so stinking adorable! You have one seriously talented kid there. Thanks for linking with me!

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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    1. I sure do! I'm convincing him to try his hand at decorating a whole cake next time!

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  27. Hi Joanne, I see that you and the family have been to Newport for a few visits. We want to take a few days to stay and explore Newport, RI this summer. I was wondering if you know of any hotels to recommend for us to stay in. Thanks, Julie xo

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    1. Hm... living so close we have never stayed there but the Newport Marriott is beautiful and right near the water. I've always thought the Hammetts Hotel and the Bouchard Inn looked nice too.

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    2. Thank you Joanne, I appreciate you recommending these hotels. I will check them out!!

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    3. You're welcome! Best of luck planning your trip.

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