The Most Important Thing in My Life

It's hard to remember sometimes that when I take care of myself, when I look after my own health, clear my own mind, continue to try to the best of my ability, then I am in a better position to also take care of others. Until I am able to love and support and nurture myself, how can I possibly offer anyone else my full love and support.

I forget this often...So I thought posting it might help me to remember. Take a deep breath and live the life you have been given.

Did a 5 Year old do that?

I bought these super cute cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma. I thought they would make a great dessert for a party in Maryland. I used Martha Stewart's Sugar Cookie recipe...I prefer The Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook recipe better. Martha's are more cake-like. Then I used my talented baker friend, Martina's recipe for Royal Icing. Well...as you can see....they look bad. Taste was ok...This was my first stab at royal icing. I think I was in a hurry and had the royal icing a little too thick for the flooding and it came out too pink. The cutters worked well but, you had to be careful with the crab claws. It was a good experience though..I am going to make more, but outline in royal icing and sprinkle with red sugar. I think they will turn out just as cute as the ones on the label. The whale and the octopus are my favorites. Those will be for another time.

Here's the recipe for the ones I like.

SUGAR COOKIE CUTOUTS

Chill dough 3 hours if necessary
Bake 7 mins per batch

1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour

Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat till combined, scraping bowl. eat in egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of he flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
Roll out then cut out with your favorite cutters. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 mins or until edges are firm and bottoms are light brown.

Taking a Break

I am just going to take a break from cyberspace for a few days. Have a great weekend!

Lazy Summer Days

Summer is Finally HERE!
This is what I found yesterday when I was getting ready for work...3 lazy animals. Parker was laying by the toilet in the bathroom..just loving life. Toby was around the corner sleeping peacefully in his chair...until I woke him with the camera
and Maybelline sleeping on the air conditioning box, that has now become her favorite place to rest.
Parker has a box downstairs like that...but this morning Jeffrey found her in the box. She has slept on that box so much and flaps have given and the tape not holding... she fell through into the box and couldn't get out.


Those silly animals...they really made me smile yesterday. Happy Summer!

The Pink and Periwinkle One

This weekend we hosted another wedding at the restaurant. I think we will have to start referring to them as the Pink & Green or the Pink & Periwinkle one...and hope that no other brides have the same color schemes. This was the largest of the all the weddings and very beautiful. The weather was great, family and friends were lots of fun, good music, and the alcohol flowed smoothly. There was a martini bar, strawberry daiquiri machine, lots of yummy beer and a full bar. What more could they ask for?
Best Wishes to Liz and Dustin!

What's in our Garden

On Friday, I took some photos of these gigantic lilies we have in our garden. Jeffrey planted them a long time ago. They bloom every year and are just gorgeous. I have divided them a few times around the flower bed and they are all blooming now. The hardiest lilies I have ever seen.

When I snapped these photos I also took one of this butterfly on our window screen. It was so pretty and just sitting there.

THEN, today we were working out in yard and I found him dead on the sidewalk. I hope I didn't kill him with my flash! Poor guy.

Weekend Goodness

Last weekend, Jeffrey and I cooked out on the grill. We had an Eastern Shore Feast! Jeffrey cooked Beer Can Chicken, shrimp, oysters, sausages on the grill and I made a broccoli casserole. It was a delicious.
Wishing you all a great weekend filled with good food.

In Case I don't Say it Enough this Weekend...THANK YOU

As I am rushing around preparing for the fourth wedding of the summer at the restaurant...I was thinking about the staff and how they work so hard. They really take a beating from me when we have a wedding. Regardless of all the work, they are always professional and do a great job...even if we don't leave the restaurant until 3:30am...and they still come back and talk to me the next day!
Today, as we were weeding through the many boxes that the bride dropped off...they all saw the CANDY for the "Martha Stewart Style" Candy Buffet. The bride and groom are using it as their favor, where guests can go fix bags of different candy to take home. They were eyeing up the big bags of candy. I told them it was for the guests, but they reassured me that their paws would be scooping out some for themselves. So...I decided to use my Martha Stewart Bandanna Treat Bags for treats for my staff this weekend...and maybe a few others. I hope everyone enjoys them. I think they turned out super cute.

YUMMY Water Ice

Since I haven't been to any cool ice cream places lately...well I have, but it is better left unsaid. Anyway, 2 weeks ago I went to RITA'S. Rita's serves Italian Ice and some dairy treats. I like Rita's just plain, but they have Misto's. They mix the ice and custard (soft serve ice cream) to make a yummy treat. On this visit, I had the blueberry, which is my favorite. It has frozen whole blueberries in it. They make a HOT summer day perfect.

Pretty in Pink

Not many people can enjoy their jobs like I do...I can drink wine in the morning on the C&D Canal, watch beautiful ships pass by, greet guests and play the role of the hostess each night, eat amazing food, and throw a wedding almost every Saturday during the summer. I take this for granted. I am very fortunate. I know too many people who hate their jobs and the people they work with each day.
Two weeks ago, we had the most beautiful wedding at the restaurant. I think the most beautiful one we have ever had. The flowers were amazing, almost as pretty as our wedding flowers. It looked like the party was being thrown by Lily Pulitzer. The preppy colors were pink and green, there was a beautiful cake, good food and lots of happy guests. It doesn't get much better than that. Here are some photos from the wedding.







Now can you see why I enjoy my job so much? Well, not all the time...but being in a comforting and beautiful environment helps!

Love & Peace

In June of 2002, I gave Jeffrey this rose bush to plant in his garden. The funny thing, I got it for $5. The local Boy Scouts had a rose sale...a JACKSON & PERKINS rose for $5!!! A nursery had some really small roses, so they donated them to the Boy Scouts to sell. That $5 rose bush has been great fun to watch when it blooms. It is soo pretty. It is called Love and Peace. The bush is finished blooming for now. I dead-headed it right above the five leaf stem. I hope it blooms again soon. I wish myself and all of you Love & Peace this week.

Happy Summer

Just something that made me smile..hope it makes you smile today.
This is my nephew, Landen and niece, Aislyn on their Poppy's boat in Chattanooga, TN.

TAG, You're it.

Jeffrey tagged me. Sooooo...here it goes:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.


These are just some of the many I cam up with....
1. I don't like tomatoes. I can eat salsa and tomato sauce...but not a sliced tomato.

2. I like to pick the lint out of Jeffrey’s belly button. Sorry Sparky...did I say that??? That's one of my nicknames for him. XOXO

3. I love those cheap ice pops that you buy at convenience stores. My grandfather used to take me to a store in our town where they were 5cents….then went up to 10cents…I was mad that dollar only got me 10.

4. After a night of drinking and trying to ignore this psycho I met on the internet...I puked in the bathtub at TLC’s house.

5. I can't swallow pills. I have to chew up a cracker or something and shove the pills down with that.

6. My nickname is BUG. From the movie, Uncle Buck..where John Candy is introduced to his niece's boyfriend and John Candy says, "Nat, as in Nat-Bug?"....I am Bug, Bugito, Bugger, and Nat-Bug to many of my friends.

7. I am scared of the dark...but I am getting better.

8. I have been to Morocco. Tangier, Morocco was a stop we made on our trip through Spain. We were in a small town called, Tarifa, where you can take a ferry to Tangier. It was the trip of a lifetime.

These are the people I am tagging - Since I don't have a lot of Blogging Buddies...I am sending mine to mostly friends with emails.
1. The Schnecker
2. Paula over at www.oysterdinners.blogspot.com
3. My friend, Nancy...because I never see her anymore.
4. Slik Vik in Buffalo, NY
5. My sister, Annette
6. Lynn, my cousin
7. Stephanie...because she has so many crazy adventures...she should have some good stuff.
8. Michele, I know she will just love this!

Opa!

Paula invited her friend, Kathy, Elizabeth and myself to join her at the Greek Festival in Wilmington, Delaware. Despite the onset of my respiratory infection...I went and had a great time. I hadn't been to the festival since I was in college. We arrived hungry and ready to have fun. The festival is held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
We ate a lot of different things.

Calamari, Baklava, stuffed grape leaves, and spinach pie...plus many other delights.
We walked around and checked out the other areas and had the best time watching the Dance Troop from the church perform. They were adorable and did such a wonderful job. It was amazing to see all ages working together and having fun...well maybe not all looked like they were having fun, but they were marvelous to watch. We especially liked watching these two little ones clap as they watched the girls dance.


Thanks Paula..it was so much fun.

I'm Yellow and Bright

I am a daffodil! Daffodil's are one of my favorite flowers they come in lots of vaieties and are so pretty. The description is exactly me.
Thanks Victoria for sharing this fun quiz.

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

Here are one of my favorites from the garden.

Strawberries = Pound Cake

Last week I went to a nearby produce stand and picked up some local strawberries. I like picking them, but I always pick too many and never know what to do with them all. So I just bought a box and instantly thought how yummy they would be on pound cake. I made the pound cake last night. The recipe is from a cookbook called "I Just Quit Stirrin' When the Tastin's Good." The author of the cookbook was a cook at The Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey. We would vacation there a lot when I was younger and the food is typical southern style...DELISH!

Anyway, I made the pound cake in this Nordic Ware flower pan I received as a shower gift. I had used it once before, but it was really hard to get the cake out of the pan, because of the detail. This time I used the Crisco No-Stick Flour Spray...and that was the ticket. It came out perfectly.

After dinner, I cut the strawberries up and mashed them and added a little sugar. I served the pound cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. It was so good...this is making me hungry, so I am going to go slice up a piece for Jeffrey and I. Enjoy!


P.S.
Check out the Nordic Ware website...there is a great segment on the 60th Anniversary and the co-founder Dotty Dalquist's visit on the Martha Stewart Show...plus lots of great recipes for bundt pans.

POUND CAKE

3 c. sugar
2 sticks of butter
1/2 c. Crisco
6 eggs
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Cream butter and crisco in a mixer. Add the sugar and blend well.
Add one egg at a time into mixer and mix well.
Combine flour and salt in a bowl and alternate with milk into blender.
Add vanilla.

Pour into 2 loaf pans or one bundt ban. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees....
DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN!!!!!!