The Clinton Township Nino Salvaggio store. How beautiful and welcoming is that?!

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend a mega cool event for bloggers at Nino Salvaggio’s International Marketplace – one of metro Detroit’s most amazing stores ever (in my humble opinion).

Let me tell you, this store is foodie HEAVEN. Nino’s was love at first sight for my husband and I. Can I just say the man loathes shopping, especially with me, but I can get him to go to Nino’s in a heartbeat. We love the kiosk at the front of the store for ordering our lunch meat (standing in line at the deli counter is no fun), the produce is beautiful and lasts, and we always walk out with a new foodie treat — many of which the people of Nino’s have created in their own kitchen (the meat counter, bakery counter and wine section are phenomenal).

Is Nino’s my go-to store for crackers and tomato soup? Nah, I save those things for the boring grocery stores where I can use coupons. BUT, Nino’s has it going on as far as the good stuff goes, so if you can make room in your budget, DO IT. The store makes grocery shopping so much more interesting!

Part of the event was set-up for Nino’s sommelier Jennifer Laurie and head chef, Pete Loren (yes, a chef – told you they have good stuff), talk about things that are essential for your pantry and kitchen. Here are 5 of my favorite tips he shared that I loved:

1. Invest in some good rugs. Your feet will thank you if you get a few anti-fatigue rugs to go in front of the spots you stand in most – i.e. the kitchen sink and stove. The less pain you’re feeling, the more you’ll actually want to stay in the kitchen.

2. Don’t be afraid of restaurant supply stores. There’s no need to spend big bucks at Williams-Sonoma kind of stores. It’s easy to score things cheap so you have more bowls, spoons, spatulas, etc. for your kitchen.

3. More is better when it comes to utensils. Get a crock and fill it with colorful spatulas, wisks and ladles. Not only will it look as beautiful as a flower arrangement on your counter, but it will be super functional with no need to head to the sink a few times to wash between dishes.

4. Use a thermometer to determine when food is ready. Too often we rely on the recipe to tell us what the time and temp needs to be. Avoid over-cooking and other mishaps by using a thermometer to tell you when your food is done.

5. Crank up the tunes in the kitchen. Listening to music in the kitchen makes cooking so much more fun. (I agree!)

Of course Pete shared tons of other great tips, too. Check out more on one of his recent blog posts here.

Nino’s Chef Pete Loren and Sommelier Jennifer Laurie

Follow Nino’s on Facebook | Twitter

I told you the people of Nino’s rock, right? Well, they have graciously provided me with a $50 gift card to give away to one of you lucky people. Enter away using the Rafflecopter form below. Must live in metro Detroit {store locations in Troy, Clinton Township and St. Clair Shores}. Giveaway ends May 31st at 12:01 a.m.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to the kind folks at Donsuemor Gourmet French Madeline Cookies and Davidson’s Tea, we had a lovely time.

Here are the goods I was graciously provided {table and lovely deck setting belong to my mother}:

Donsuemor Madelines in Traditional, Lemon Zest, Chocolate and Dipped and Davidson’s Tea in Bing Cherry with Almond, Vanilla Cream Spice and Hibiscus Flower {all certified organic}.

Mom enjoying her tea. For her first cup, she chose the Bing Cherry with Almond:

Kinley decided she wanted in on the party by demanding Madelines, and of course I have to give in since she “bought” me a cute Mother’s Day card. Of course she liked the Dipped one best, but I opted to feed her the Traditional one for sake of easy clean-up.

How many Madelines can a toddler stuff in her mouth? {I think we need to lay off the Sesame Street. Cookie Monster is obviously having an impact on her health.} She snuck these all in while I talked and sipped my Vanilla Cream Spice tea, which was AMAZING and definitely my favorite flavor. I may have a new tea obsession.

Kinley is giving the Madelines a 10! My mom and I thought they were pretty good, too. She loved the Dipped one, while I liked the Lemon Zest one best {or maybe it was this little sugar monster in my belly deciding that}. They were such a great complement to the delicious teas we were drinking.

After a post-brunch nap, my grandma decided to join us for some tea as well. She loved her Hibiscus Flower tea and couldn’t get enough of the Madelines {I blame her for my sweet tooth}.

Doesn’t she look fab for 95? Hope I’m that lucky!

But the best part of our tea party? We didn’t have to clean up…Kinley took care of that for us. Put ‘em to work while they’re young, right?

If you love Madeline cookies, definitely check out Donsuemor on Facebook | Twitter and Davidson’s Teas website. Such a great treat and would make the perfect gift for any of the leading ladies in your life!

Disclosure: I received Donsuemor Madelines and Davidson’s Tea in exchange for my thoughts…Because let’s face it, I will do anything for food. All opinions and photos are mine.

Did you have a nice Mother’s Day? What did you do to celebrate – brunch, tea, nothing?!

Rocks and pinecones help me to get work done, hence the choosing of this photo!

Each and every day I thank my lucky stars that I am pulling off being a work-at-home mom {WAHM}. I won’t sugar coat it — most days I am ready to pull out my hair {or pass out, but I blame that on being pregnant}. Regardless, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get to be the one to take care of my little monkey while bring in extra cash, fulfilling my need to be social and continuing to learn more about my profession.

I recently was interviewed by a local magazine, Metro Parent, about being a WAHM. I talked a lot about what I do with Hay There Social Media, a great company I work for. {Check out the article here. Just one minor detail if you read it — I’m not having a boy…I’m still team pink!}

While working at home is not all hearts and flowers, I’ve found ways to make it work. Here are 5 things I think are crucial:

1. Waking up before baby. I’m lucky – I have a good little sleeper at night. I try to wake up before her so I can have some time to collect myself — check email, figure out what I need to accomplish for the day, and most importantly — drink a cup of coffee.

2. Make a consistent time for play and fun. I like to spend our mornings doing things. We’ll go for a walk, go on a playdate or go on a special excursion to a spot where she can get stimulation…and hopefully get worn out! I always have my iPhone nearby if I’m needed.

3. Stick to a schedule. This is a hard one because Kinley doesn’t like to nap everyday and let’s face it, some days require more errand-running. We try to do the bigger stuff in the morning, get home for lunch and try for a nap around 2 p.m. so I can pop in as needed, make calls and answer emails. It doesn’t always work though, so some days I rely on Sesame Street to give me an hour to do work {am I supposed to admit that? Mother of the year!}.

4. Make the most of evenings. Sure, I pop onto Twitter and Facebook {I manage accounts on these platforms} and chime in on friends posts, but most of my evenings are spent doing the nitty-gritty writing I have to do. Sadly, many times this means I have to pass up walks and playtime, hence why it’s so important to me to have mommy-daughter morning time. I do also make it a point to cut out around 10 p.m. most nights so I can chat with the hubby and read a book so I don’t dream about typing and deadlines.

5. Have a supportive spouse. This one is absolutely necessary. My husband does way more than his fair share of bathing and putting to bed. He never complains when I say I can’t help due to deadlines or getting some work done — whether a freelance writing gig, social media work with Hay There or the occasional blog post He really is the one who makes me working possible.

A bonus point: ENJOY the weekend!!! I try not to check my phone and computer much on the weekends. That is family time and husband time!

If you work from home, how do you manage?

There are so many places in Michigan that bring a big smile to my face — from gorgeous, sandy beaches to unique dives and rockin’ wineries.

Often when I think of places in my state that I love, it requires getting in my car and driving for a while. But what about being a tourist in my own town?

I did just that a few weeks ago when I went to check out the almost 3,000 tulips blooming in a local cemetery, the White Chapel Memorial Cemetery in Troy, Mich., just a few miles away from me. I know, I know…sounds a tad morbid, right? Well, let me tell you – it’s one of the most beautiful and peaceful cemeteries I’ve ever seen.

Kinley and I had a great time checking out the beautiful tulips and I was able to snap some fun photos for the cemeteries’ photo contest. Here are a few of my favorites:

If you’re so inclined, feel free to give me the green ‘thumbs up’ at the top to vote for my photo here

I was so happy to have finally taken some time to discover beauty I didn’t even knew existed just a few miles away.

Don’t forget to link-up to My Michigan Memory and enter our giveaway for a 4-pack of tickets to the Henry Ford Museum or Greenfield Village HERE!

What have you discovered as a tourist in your own town?