Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Writing
  • Contact

Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Favorite Sunglasses. Like Ever. {And I Heart the 80s}

May 8, 2012 · Narrative

my favorite-001
The scene.

Saturday afternoon.

A little over a week ago.

One of Madeline’s soccer coaches, who happens to be a friend of ours, shouts over.

“Hey, Madeline, tell your Mom to give back her sunglasses.  The 80s are over.”

To which I say.

Dude.  The 80s were good.

Hello?

Bon Jovi.

Beverly Hills, 90210.

NKOTB.

Wham!  Or more specifically George Michael from his “Faith” years.

Atari.

Trivial Pursuit.

Boom boxes.

The Beastie Boys.

ET and Top Gun.

Flashdance, Footloose, and The Breakfast Club.

On a completely separate, but related, footnote, we had a family night movie night recently and watched the new version of Footloose.  ‘Twas ok, but the original was heaps better.

21 Jump Street.  The Facts of Life.  Diff’rent Strokes.  Family Ties.

Pac-Man.  Donkey Kong.  Tetris.  Super Mario Bros.  Nick doesn’t understand how I even know about Super Mario Bros. Please, I know.

Rainbow Bright.  Strawberry Shortcake.  The Smurfs.

John Cusack.

Need I say more?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

My favorite kind of sunglasses are the ones where you can’t see me roll my eyes.

Perfection.

And a whopping $5 at Five Below?  Even better.

Mostly because I lose sunglasses way.too.frequently. to pay more than $5-10 a pair.

I am currently on the look-out for a similar pair, but a non-mirrored version.

So the soccer coach has been warned.

If YOU happen to have an aviator-style pair of sunglasses.

Or cop glasses.

Or a mirrored version.

I’m with you.

The 80s?  Embrace it.

*And the term “sunnies” to refer to sunglasses?  Can’t stand it.  Mostly because it sounds like we have become too lazy to pronounce that extra syllable that the word sunglasses brings.  Take that, fashion bloggers.

*And in a somber moment, I sadly have not been able to wear sunglasses since a week ago Saturday, because it has been grey and wet and rainy and downright chilly every day since.  I do believe this is Day 9 and I was over it around Day 3.  So was my basement.

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPRINT

Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: sunglasses, the 80s

Comments

  1. Patrizia says

    May 8, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    I will be sharing this with said coach :-)

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    May 9, 2012 at 6:36 am

    Not to mention you totally look like a rockstar in those! I love them. I’ll bring the 80s back with you any day.

    Reply
  3. paula says

    May 9, 2012 at 8:49 am

    LOL, I have almost the same sunglasses and I love them too! I paid $10 for mine in Wal-Mart. I wanted a $5 pair but I loved these so much I splurged. It kills me up how many similarities I find between us.

    Reply
  4. paula says

    May 9, 2012 at 8:52 am

    Oh, on the same note about similarities – an intruder broke into my house last week and stole my purse while the kids and I were sleeping. Didn’t you also have a break-in recently??? I’m telling you, it’s plain weird.

    Reply
    • Cate says

      October 23, 2012 at 1:20 pm

      Meant to respond to this back in, um, May, but I agree – very parallel paths, and weird! Guess we were meant to connect! :)

      Reply
      • paula says

        October 23, 2012 at 1:50 pm

        :( I lost these sunglasses.

        BTW, my intruder is in jail – he got sloppy on another break-in a few months later. He was just a 19 year old kid (a lazy-ass kid – all his break-ins were on the same block, about a block from where he lived). I felt bad for his mom at the hearing. Now I’m glad my neighbor didn’t get a shot at him.

        All of my stuff, except my cash and a prescription (and my Costco card lol) washed up on the shore of the river a few days later so I’m glad they eventually arrested him but I was over it once I could relax that my identity wasn’t likely to be stolen. Although who would want it after my divorce? They’d get laughed at if they tried to get credit with it.

        Reply
        • Cate says

          October 23, 2012 at 10:26 pm

          Glad they caught the intruder. I can imagine how uneasy you felt with your personal id out there. And I totally hear you on the after-divorce credit… unfortunately.

          Reply
  5. patsy says

    May 9, 2012 at 9:07 am

    The 80’s WERE great and definitely worth remembering! So many fun things, and has anyone else noticed that the ‘new’ teen movies always seem to use 80’s music in them? Seriously, it can’t be that bad if they keep borrowing ideas and music from my favorite decade!

    I’m totally over the rain, too… my mood has been as down as it can get and I totally blame it on the weather!

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    May 9, 2012 at 9:41 am

    The 80s were great … and that coach should be informed that they are sooo back. Aviators have been everywhere for the last year or so.

    Reply
  7. stephanie says

    May 9, 2012 at 11:22 am

    the 80’s were great! but alas, 90210 was in the 90’s :)

    Reply
    • Cate says

      May 9, 2012 at 4:40 pm

      Darn, right you are! But it was close (10/90)! Sometimes the 80s and 90s are a big blur. ;)

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Storytelling…
Through photos.
Words. And recipes.

Archives

Categories

Instagram

Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

Pinterest

Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.

Copyright © 2023 Sweetnicks · Theme by Vicki Harrison Design