Summer Fun in The Dells

If you live in the Midwest you've probably visited Wisconsin Dells,WI a time or two before!!  As for me I have been going to the "The Dells" since I was a little girl, driving up on the weekends with my parents when we still lived in Illinois to now where we live very very close (for those of you who know me I'm sure you are laughing out loud right now!! :-) )
If you have never visited before, Wisconsin Dells is known as the "water park capitol of the world" where a lot of people of all ages come to enjoy this fun touristy town!!!  If you ever do have a chance to visit you must go to one of the many fun water parks such as Noah's Ark, try a Duck ride, go to a Tommy Bartlett ski show, whiz around Lake Delton on a Jet boat ride, etc....etc!!
So to start off our summer, my husband and I try to dedicate a few days every year where we can roam around the dells pretending to be just like tourists (at a much cheaper price of course)!! This past Saturday during Fathers Day weekend we spent the whole day visiting two of some of our favorite attractions:

Noah's Ark Water Park was our first stop where we soaked up (some) sun!! Sorry....Lucky for me and lucky for you ...... I wasn't able to snap any pictures in the park because I didn't want to risk a.)having some punk kid steal it (hey punk kids it is so not cool to steal) and b.) loosing it (and leave it to me to lose something)!!  Just trust me you wouldn't want to see pictures of me in my swimsuit anyway (I would have to spend just about all day photoshopping my thunder thighs..HA!) but maybe next time I'll snap a picture of 2hotty with his shirt off (now that's something worth looking at :-) )!!

Just to prove that we actually did go I did snap a picture of this:

Our wrist band:

Noahs Ark's new ride this year is called, Scorpions Tail, and it is awesome (with a capital AWESOME)!!! I don't do heights very well, especially when it involves me going down a small tube that is soaking you with water at every angle and where you are zooming down super fast!! For some reason I still have this kid in me where I have NO fears what so ever and I feel invincible to all my surroundings (I'm sure a lot of you do too)!!! After a few tame rides, my husband and I worked up the courage to conquer this ride.  It didn't help much after reading a sign (before walking up the stairs that lead to the ride) that read "warning: if you get stuck on this ride be sure to come to a full stop first and wait for a lifeguard to help RESCUE you"(somewhere along those lines anyway!)!!  Ya!!....I now know why the water in the lazy river looks a bit green (hmmmm think about it blue + yellow = green)!!! Then ACTUALLY watching all the people go down this long tube screaming at the top of their lungs didn't help much either!!! Each person gets weighed first (one by one) and then walks into this tube vessel thingy (hard to explain) where you are told to cross your arms against your chest and look straight ahead, then when given the signal (by counting down from 3) the floor drops from under you and you go shooting down and looping around super fast (with water splashing you from every angle) trying to catch your breath until you finally reach the bottom (with a wedgie mind you!)!! I was sooo scared but it was SUPER fun and will have to work up the courage to try it all again next year!!

After spending a few hours at the water park we headed on over to the Tommy Bartlett ski show!! This show involves water ski acts, high speed boats, comedians, tumblers, jugglers, and so much more!!! The show usually changes every couple of years but the concept is pretty much the same!!  We went to the night show (highly recommend that one) and lasts for a couple of hours!! We were able to sit close to the stage with really nobody sitting in front of us (always a bonus)!!
Here are a few pictures I was able to snap before BOTH of my cameras died on me (oh and I snuck in my Starbucks too (such a rebel I tell ya....just like my camera(s)!!):

This is my "I'm Guilty" face.....which is also my "I swear officer I wasn't speeding" face:

Oh ya baby.....come to mama with those baby blues:

told ya nobody sitting in front of us:

a view of the lake and one of the acts:

our host and Aqua the clown (one of the main characters of the show and my favorite clown):

Here he is skiing (Go Aqua its your birthday!!):

The skiers getting ready to go off the ramp:

This thing scares me every time we go (and we were sitting right in front of it)!! I can barely watch the acrobat couple who get in this thing.....one at each end (without any ropes or equipment) and make it go round and round very fast!! Did I mention they weren't using any equipment and it was very high up.... YUP!! Pregnant women shouldn't try watching this part of the show (trust me they will go into labor!)! Oh and that's not the scary part......the guy even gets out of the circle thingy and JUMP ROPES (and gets all tangled while he's way up there too!)!! Oy!!.....I get goosebumps just thinking about it!!:

And that's all I got!! Can you believe I had both of my cameras and they both ran out of battery juice?!?! Needless to say we had a Funarrific day (it took a bit of tryin to convince the hubster that a day in the dells was much "funner" than a day spent golfing. You don't want to see my "pretty please with a cherry on top" face)!!!

So tell me have you visited the Dells lately?  Were you able to try the Scorpion Tail ride (what a rush, huh?!?!)? How about that funny, silly clown Aqua.......does he annoy you like he does my husband or do you just love him like as much as I do??  I would love to hear all about your Dells experience!!

Summer fun,

xoxo Joanna D.

CUTE "Manly" Gifts

OK so I thought it would be fun to surf the web to see what kind of creative Father's Day projects I can find to share with y'all so that we can all spoil the special men in our lives together come this Sunday!!

The fist thing I came across, was this sweet shadowbox that I think would be SO perfect to give to the first time daddy!!  It's so Genius and too perfect.....why didn't I think of it?!?!!!  If this doesn't get your baby's daddy all choked up (or even shed a tear) then I don't know what will!! Guess where I found it?? My girl Martha's website of course!!

So sweet right?!?!?!

Another great idea is gathering all the kiddos (or even just one kiddo) and having them pose for a picture while holding a letter or word spelling out DAD or HAPPY FATHERS/DADDY'S DAY..(you can even have all the grandchildren make one for gramps)! You get the idea right??!! Just take a look at this picture another blogger did (her blog found HERE!!):

Again what a cute idea!!!!

This is my personal favorite gift idea (also for a first time daddy)!!  You can also try to DIY it yourself if you have the time and energy!! For example, you can cut out the letters from felt or fabric and sew them on (or use those strip adhesive you iron on) to a shirt and onsie.....OR...... just go to this website for purchasing info!!  How cute would it be seeing your baby and his/her daddy matching on Father's Day......it just MELTS my heart!!!

What's Fathers Day without incorporating a tie in there somewhere!! Instead of wrapping the tie in a box or gift bag, why not use the tie or bow tie as part of the wrapping decoration like this (you can find some cheap ones from a thrift store or any other second hand shop):

Also try incorporating your fathers hobbies when looking for gift ideas!!  I know my dad is a "outdoorsy" kind of guy who loves doing "dad" things such as mowing the lawn!! So he would love to receive gifts like a John Deer hat or lawn "toys" such as a weed wacker!!

My husband on the other hand (who is not a daddy yet) enjoys playing golf, therefore giving him a box of golf balls and tees (you can also write "have a Tee-rific day" on the card) along with a day spent golfing would be just perfect!! You can make something like this:

Click HERE for the tutorial on how to make this!!

How cute were they?!?!?! Gosh, I cannot wait to make these special things for my hubster,Scotty2hotty, one day!!! They just scream "Make me" "Make me" to me!! For now I just enjoy looking at the pretty pictures and daydreamin about the crafty goodness I could be making such as above!!
So tell me, what are you making/buying for your pops or baby's daddy this year??  What are some other hobbies that your dads enjoy (there are so many out there such as cooking, grilling, fishing, etc.!)?? How about that adorable matching shirt set above.....swoon!!!!

Have any great Fathers Day ideas, share it in the comments below!!

Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend,
xoxo Joanna D.

Spicy Antipasto Kabobs

So I have yet another recipe to share with you today.  This time I'm going the Italiano route and I think the title of this post says it all.  I swear I could have been Italian in my past life because I lurve anything that involves pasta and cheese........my husband on the other hand is a meat and potato kinda guy.  Don't get me wrong if you put some bacon goodness in front of me I will grin from ear to ear (with even some grease running down my mouth.....gross I know!!) but spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and chicken parmigiana is like heaven to me.......have you been to Olive Garden??.......ha ha I'm just kidding I've had better Italian food than just the good ol' Olive Garden!!!
When I came across the recipe from this website, www.thehungryhousewife.com, I knew I just had to try it (there are actually more recipes from this site I would like to try as well)!!! If you've ever had antipasto you know how tasty it is but yet how it can be kinda messy.  So why not put it all on a stick for individual servings......what a great idea, no??  (I guess anything on a stick can end up being yummy goodness.....have you ever tried deep fried Twinkies on a stick???)  I did add my own twist to it though by substituting hot peppers instead of green olives!!  I tried this recipe this past weekend as one of the appetizers served at my nephews Christening (and will be making it more often in the future)!!

What you need (I made a 100 kabobs but adjust the qty to how many you need)

Kabob Skewers (I bought the regular size and cut them in half)
Hot chili peppers
Salami
Tortellini (I used Barilla 3 cheese)
Balsamic dressing (I used Newman's)
Grape tomatoes
Pepperoni
Black Olives
Mozzarella Pearle's

• Cook the tortellini pasta according to package directions and marinate in dressing for a few hours.
• Marinade the mozzarella balls for a few hours as well.
• Cut the skewers in half (if using the larger skewers)
• Assemble kabobs

This is what it should/could look like:

I placed the chili peppers at the end of the skewers (that way if someone didn't want/like to eat hot peppers they could just leave it on the skewer.)

Then I added the salami (by folding it a few times so it would hold on the skewer):

Salami is the one in the back!

 Next I added one tortellini (I used the green and white variety):

  a tomato:



a slice of pepperoni (again folded it in half to fit the skewer):



 Pepperoni is the red one!

 Then I added a black olive:



 and lastly I added the mozzarella pearles (I used a few because they were so small):

This is what they looked like after the assembling:



YUMMY!!!

Do any of you enjoy Italian food as much as I do? If so, do you make any yummy recipes that you would like to share?? Or perhaps you enjoy spicy food such as the hot peppers mentioned (personally I don't mind them!)?? I hope you get to try this great recipe and share your thoughts with me!!



Enjoy,
xoxo Joanna D.

Funtabulous Weekend Highlights

This past weekend Scotty2Hotty and I headed to Illinois......AGAIN......to do a little lot of celebrating!! It was a very special weekend for my little nephew, Nathaniel, who was being baptized on Sunday!! We couldn't wait to get there Friday so that we could get started on all of the preparations for the big day and of course to see the little guy (who I swear doubled in size since the last time we saw him......which was only like 3 weeks ago)!!!

He's really filling out into his own skin now (less blobby...ha ha!) and is really interacting with people now! You can goo and gaa and make funny baby noises at him and he will shoot back a smile almost every time.......unless your taking pictures of him then hes not really too happy!!

Having a hard time stretching in those jammies (he's wearing 3-6 months and he's not even 3 months yet!!):

Feeling so content when he is fed (by granny):



 Begging like a little birdie........Gramma give me more:

Sooo happy after being fed (look at those baby blues!):



I thing this flash is too bright....."dear in the head lights":

Once again this little boy has the cutest jammies:



And here is just a sneak peak of his beautiful christening pictures from my own camera.......a post to come soon after I get the professional pictures!:

Getting our Sunday Best on before heading off to church.  Here we have my oldest brother Martin who I haven't introduced yet on this little blog of mine, Marco (Nathaniel's older cousin), and 2hotty:

Marco man knows a thing or two about posing (Auntie Iwona takes one too many pics of him!):

Marco Man and 2Hotty playing the Nintendo DS (video games are here to stay my friends!!):

 Nathaniel's Godfather (or with a Italian accent....The Godfodda!!) Did I mention this stud is single and ready to mingle (sorry Bro I just had to add that):

Iwona's big sister, Sylvia, mother to Marco Man and Godmother to Nate Dog (I love nicknames...haha!) Isn't she gorgeous:

I was able to snap a quick pic of this busy mama (but not of daddy) who looked gorgeous BTW!! Can you believe she just HAD a baby....like OMG:

My mom and dad (AKA: Frank the Tank....haha!):

Me and Frank the Tank:

Me and mom:



Me with the hubster:

Fun with Uncle Scott:

Looking handsome for his big day:

Put em up.....don't mess with Nate Dog:

Discovering his hands (the "putting everything in my mouth" stage begins!):

Did you see Nate Dogs awesome room:

Lets do this......getting ready to go to church:

Showing off there spider man moves.....aren't they cute....I mean sooo strong and manly:





Church:

This is WHY I call him my Scotty 2 Hotty:

At the Reception:

My Godchild, Dominik, giving his most cheesiest face....HA!:

Buds:

Some of the Peanut Gallery:

Taking the whole "Goddfodda" pose to an extreme:

The Wolfpack:



Sista Sista (my moms youngest sister, Liz):

Me and hubster again:

The Girls:

The only picture I was able to snap of Nathaniel......he looks like an angel:

One of the centerpieces:

The gift favors (Starbucks cake pops......have you tried them??? They are so yummy!! I snatched like 5 of em'...he he!:



He survived his Christening and slept most of the night! Here he is the day after:

and just to prove that he does cry once in awhile here he is practicing his singing skills:

Its his Christening and he can cry if he wants to!!

So that was our weekend in a nutshell!! We sure did have a great time and most of all we were able to witness such a beautiful Christening!! No material things will ever or could ever fill that gap in my heart such as these wonderful memories we have made and I will cherish them for ever and ever!! Congratulations Nathaniel on your beautiful day!!  Auntie and Uncle lub you sooo sooo much!!

Funtabulous weekend,
xoxo Joanna D.