a great summer treat {prego cocktail}...

Summer in Baltimore is thick... hot and super humid. This fun summer drink is very refreshing and doesn't leave me drooling over Rob's nice cold beer! The ingredients are simple. I found mine at Trader Joe's, but I am sure most grocery stores carry them.

 

Since this is a carbonated beverage, you'll want to just mix it up in the glass. I added one part 100% Cherry Juice and 2 parts Sparkling Lemonade to a glass with a few fun ice cubes (frozen with fresh mint and lemon). 

I also added a couple of pitted cherries to some cute straws that I had leftover from a recent birthday party... completely unnecessary for a Wednesday afternoon in the backyard with a 4 year old.

Andrew was excited that I let him try a "fancy drink" but after a few sips he decided that this drink was "more for mommies"... a little tart and super fizzy!

Linkin' Up...

A week at the shore...

This past week an incredibly special Leeper Family tradition was relaunched! For years (and years) Rob has been talking about taking our family on a trip to Ocean City, NJ., a destination which holds years of memories for him.  As a child, Rob returned to Ocean City every year (for 20 years straight!) with his Mom, Dad, Grandma and brother. Each year they would make the drive from London Ontario, and enjoy their days at the beach and nights on the boardwalk.

We rented a small beach house with Rob's brother, T.J.,  and his fiancé, Laura.  Rob and T.J. were so happy to see that little had changed from their childhood memories and they spent the week immersing the rest of us "first timers" in all things Jersey Shore!

The boys enjoyed the beach, playing in the sand and splashing in the waves.

We spent countless hours strolling the boardwalk and giving into pretty much every 

plea and request for rides, games and treats...

which can be quite tiring when you are three and a half!

And we ate... a lot! The boardwalk is chalked full of insanely tasty food. The boardwalk itself is at least a mile long, with some form of deep fried goodness in every other shop. The pizza and ice cream shops alone could have kept me going for months! Luckily, T.J. shares my love for pizza (and all food in general) and we spent one evening sampling a slice from every vendor going. It was incredible! 

We had a fabulous week and will be excited to return for years to come! Here's to the new generation of Leeper family tradition!!

Benedetti Buzz... {an adorable summer craft}

I have made quite a few "blogging friends" over the past year. It's always really fun to connect with people that have the same interests and interact with them using various forms of social media... but I am super excited to say that one of my "real life friends" has joined the blogging world! Jenn and I have been close friends for about 5 years now and we have always enjoyed many of the same interests (crafting, cooking, party planning). I am so happy that we can now add blogging to the list!!

Today I wanted to share one of her posts with you, an adorable homemade bug jar! Jenn and her two kiddos had a great time making this little home for the insects that they find on their daily excursions. It is a super simple craft and can be made from supplies you already have on hand.

Be sure to stop by Jenn's blog Bennedetti Buzz to check out her quick tutorial and some of her other posts (don't forget to cheer her on with a comment or two)!

Bennedetti Buzz