Stop and smell the flowers...

A cute little place on Main St. in Buffalo. Fern Croft Floral is owned by Erin Bauer who makes custom arrangements. On Saturday, thanks to my friend Amy from Linwood Candles, she told me about this mini workshop/event Erin was offering. It was on how to make wreaths and flowers and offered Butterblock oreos {those were yummy!} and Apple Cider. It was a nice way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday.

Here are some photos I snapped from Erin's studio.

{Just a Blonde in Buffalo photos}

My Friday Favorites

Its the last weekend of August and for some that means summer is over {even though we still have a few more weeks of it}. Labor Day is right around the corner and school will be beginning soon for those little ones. This weekend is full of fun activities to do between the Lewiston Jazz Festival, a baseball game or hitting up the Elmwood Arts Festival. Enjoy whatever it is that you will be doing. -B

{I am a big thank you note sender, so when I received a thank you in the mail this week it put a smile on my face. Call me old school but receiving "snail mail" will never be out of date in my book!}

{A walk thru the Country Market on Main St this past week}

{A place I came across during one of my lunch break walks. When I start to feel like I know a lot of the buildings surrounded by my work, one always pops up that I never knew about before}

{Spoiled Rotten came out with a great wedding gift just in time for one of my friends bridal showers. This is the perfect gift for anyone who has a little Buffalove in them. Thank you Spoiled Rotten for always having the best Buffalo gifts.}

{Because you can never go wrong with ice cream in the summer}

A Monday Night at the noodle bar

Last Monday, my friend, Nicole and I met for are monthly girls night out, it was long over due, but we went to Kaydara noodle bar on Main St. downtown {its down the street from Sheas, right off the 33}. We literally had the whole place to ourselves. We chose a table by the window looking out onto Main St. Our waiter {I forgot his name} was awesome, he walked us through the menu and specials and even suggested hitting up another restaurant in the area for drinks after dinner. The food was so good and different - not a bad different, but something you don't really see in Buffalo - at least I'm not familiar with other noodle bars in town.

They are open for both lunch and dinner, the food is fresh and you can see them making it in their open kitchen. Note though, if you want to order alcoholic drinks you won't be able to, at least not until later this summer when they have their liquor license.

-B

{Delicious cucumber water to accompany are dinner}

{One of the many sitting areas - the Bar}

Friday Favorites!

Well the first full week of January in WNY has been a very cold one! But that shouldn't come as a surprise to Western New Yorkers. While we move to the weekend I hope everyone enjoys whatever it is they may have planned. Here are a few things that made me smile this past week. -B

{Its just a simple piece of mail, but the way its addressed is what makes it special to me}

{Bringing life back to the Broadway Market during the winter months. I'm hoping to stop by this event next weekend}

{I was finally mentioned in one of my favorite blogs by one of my favorite people. Check it out Forty74}

{Nothing beats reading books on a rainy Saturday and a lit candle by Linwood Candle Co.}

{Reading Business First this week and I love this picture I came across. Main St. in Buffalo during its hayday}

Ice, Skates, Pick Up Hockey, Curling, Gold Domes and Labatt Blue Silo's

This past weekend, I took my Dad, niece and best friend Agnes {who is in from Chicago} down to Buffalo Riverworks {we wanted to go to Canalside for the ice skating, but due to the warm weather we couldn't skate down there}. Buffalo Riverworks was pretty cool, we got to watch a pick up hockey game on one rink {the boys were nice to look at ;)} and on the other one we watched them set up for the curling lessons that were going to take place. We walked over to take some pictures of the Labatt Blue silo's before heading back at noon for open skate.  Unfortunately, they didn't have small enough skates for my niece and because it seemed there was a bit of disorganization as people were walking in, so we headed to Rotary Rink to test our luck and see if they had small enough skates for a 4 year old.

After are short trip down the street, we were in luck and Rotary Rink not only had skates for my niece, but it was a couple bucks cheaper for kids {$2 for kids 12 and under} and adults {$3}. There was a decent crowd on the ice, but it wasn't to bad. It was the perfect weather, while it was a little warmer than usual, the wind was still present downtown to make it just a tad chilly.

There is so much going on during the winter months, if you have people in from out of town, it is the perfect time to show them around the city - showing them all the new developments taking place, is pretty awesome! We spent an afternoon downtown and I still feel like it wasn't enough time to take in all the exciting things going on. Until next time!

-B

{Getting the ice ready for curling lessons}

{Not only an awesome view of some of the hockey players, but of downtown in the background}

{Down at Rotary Rink on Main St.}

Tick-Tock Let's Try To Beat That Clock

Its Christmas Eve and before the holiday gatherings take place later today there will still be some last minute shoppers making the trip out to malls, local boutiques and grocery stores today. Their are those who haven't started at all and those who need to pick up small, here and there gifts. Whatever the case may be, below is a guide for some places that are open today to help you get those last minute gifts you still need!

-B

MALLS:

• Walden Galleria {Cheektowaga} - 8am - 5pm
• Niagara Falls Outlet Malls {Niagara Falls, NY} - 10am - 6pm
• McKinley Mall {Blasdell} - 8am - 5pm
• Boulevard Mall {Amherst} - 7am - 5pm

Department Stores:

• Target {store hours may vary by location} - 7am - 10pm
• Kohls {store hours may vary by location} - 12am - 6pm
• Kmart {store hours may vary by location} - 12am - 10pm

Local Clothing Boutiques and Businesses in the Elmwood Village, Hertel Ave., Main St. in Williamsville and East Aurora:

• From what I found it looks like most stores in these areas will be open from 10am - 4pm today.

Friday Favorites!

This week has been a challenging one for me mentally. I like to see progress in everything I do and when nothing changes over a period of time you have to walk away from it, even if its something you don't want to do. Being the bigger person in some situations isn't always the best thing, but its the right thing. I'm hoping a weekend with family, Christmas shopping and football will relieve some of my stress. In the meantime here are a few photos that made me smile this past week.Enjoy! -B

{Deck the Halls this past weekend}

{A classic car and white Buffalo on Main St. in Buffalo}

{The Ellicott Square Building is beautiful without any decorations, so having this tree set-up makes for a stunning display}

{Anyone up for some "snow" ball. A snowy Coca-Cola Field}

Friday Favorites!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I hope all of you had a wonderful Holiday. Now we approach the craziness of Black Friday, the awesomeness {is that a word?} of Small Business Saturday and enjoying another Bills win {hopefully} on Sunday. Have a great one, make it count! -B

{Brunch at Betty's {on Virginia St.} this past week, I recommend the Bloody Mary's}

{Going through South Buffalo on South Park this past week}

{Nothing beats homemade food, especially apple pie}

{Support local businesses, shop local on Small Business Saturday and through the Holiday season, {Main St. East Aurora}}

{A mini bar display full of beverages at Taste in East Aurora, NY}