Never Keep a Guest Waiting.....

 .....Even if the event is in honor of oneself. You never know what that guest, left to her own devices, might do. She might make off with the silver, or worse, the birthday cake! Luckily, this particular guest was soon relegated to her proper place, and the party began in earnest. 

 The table was beautiful with flowers all from the garden: Gardenias and the palest green Hydrangeas mixed with ferns...so cool on a hot summer evening......

 And the Feast! Butter Lettuce with fresh watermelon, sweet orange honeydew melon, perfect tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette.....and a little glass full of Rainer cherries on the side....

 Beautiful wild salmon prepared my favorite way with fresh dill and lemon, crisp green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes with fresh parsley....simple and perfect....

There were candles to blow out....not too many please!

A perfect present is a daughter who can bake a delicious and beautiful lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon custard between the the four layers....with  a few gorgeous blueberries just because....

And, yes! There were presents in wrapping paper as well....

My mother knows me too well....

So does Tim .....( doesn't Silpada make it almost too easy?).... 

It was a beautiful, delicious, evening with many smiles and lots of laughter...

May the year to come be much more of the same.

Thank you so very much to my equally as beautiful and delicious family....

You mean the world to me.

All About Me!

My new Powder Room Guest Towels

Another year has flashed before my eyes, and I am another year older, and perhaps a tad wiser. (Although I do have times that I wonder about the last bit.) But there is one thing I do know. We, as a family, are more frugal when it comes to pampering ourselves. We buy things we will use and find joy in on a daily basis. So when it came time to answer my daughter's questions about what I really wanted for my birthday this year, it was a tough one to answer.

Believe it or not, I asked for a vacuum cleaner....one with a retractable cord and VACUUM BAGS!!!! I have been struggling through the past few years with a vacuum that could only have been invented by someone who must never vacuum himself....the God-awful Bissell Upright. (Trust me, I did not buy this myself.....but that is another story). Now, who would invent a vacuum that when you go to empty it spreads the dust all over again because it is not contained in a bag?!! This thing had so many useless attachments, I was astounded. I will not bore you with all of the things that I despised about this piece of .......well...enough of that. Phew! I have been wanting to get that off my chest for a long time.

I LOVE my new Kenmore which is light as a feather, has large vacuum bags and a light that tells you when it is full, a couple of attachments that WORK for everything I need, stores compactly and has a retractable cord (no more winding up the cord!) It sounds so unromantic, but it's what I have been wanting for years now. Thanks Tim!!!

OK..so on to the "pretty" things!

I had been searching for linen guest towels for the Powder Room for quite awhile, and Pottery Barn added very nice quality linen towels to their line recently. The monogram adds personal touch, and the price ($19 for a pair) was the best I have seen. Thanks girls!!

My Mom brought over the most beautiful Hydrangea to fill in our new garden area. I can hardly wait to get it planted! So gorgeous, the photo does not do it justice. Mom always knows best.

"Anabelle" Hydrangea from Mom

I am so thankful for my family who I love so much and who loves me back. Another wonderful year.

My Lemon Cooler cake from Freeport Bakery with rainbow flame candles

Happy Birthday to Me!

Teen Birthday Dinner, In the Pink!

Last week, we celebrated the birthday of my younger daughter, who is growing up way too fast for my taste! She started High School this year and all I can say is: treasure EVERY MOMENT! My older daughter will be leaving for college next year, and I think I am missing her already.

So, at the invitation of Patricia at the most excellent Mrs. Blandings blog, and in honor of women everywhere, young and old(er), I am posting pictures of my daughter's PINK Birthday Dinner Party to help raise awareness about breast cancer. For information about this and how you can help, please click HERE and HERE.

ANYWAY! I had so much fun putting together a more "grown-up" table for my daughter this year. No more "Hello Kitty" or Disney Princess themes. I wanted to surprise her after school with a table that was pretty with a little glamour. I chose pink, black and white for the palette. This was a family dinner party, so I used mostly used things that we already had at home.

I bought these fuchsia pink Cyclamen at Target on sale and put them in a white ironstone tureen for the centerpiece. A simple Hotel Linen tablecloth covers the table.

I have a set of these rectangular plates that I also use as platters. They are perfect for so many things...I wish I had more of them!

For a bit of glamour, I added some mercury glass votive holders. I received these sweet votive holders with silver flowers on them for my own birthday last summer.

I added more mercury glass from my collection of different shapes and sizes. Some new and some old. I always have boxes of extra tall white and ivory tapers on hand. They are my favorite candle....along with votives.

You may remember the white shells I brought back from a trip to Morrow Bay recently. I gathered them up and used them to accent the black napkins on the plates. I added a little fuchsia pink Salvia flower from the garden.

Each plate has a different white shell. If you were hosting a larger party for guests, they would make such a pretty little gift for your guests.

And of course there were presents, all wrapped in black, white and pink!

We had a wonderful time eating my daughter's requested meal of barbecued spare ribs, creamy polenta and spinach salad. And of course, CAKE:

Cheers to all of the wonderful memories with the young women in your life. And to keep them all healthy and safe, I hope you have a chance to check out the websites for the National Cancer Institute and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Put a little PINK in your day!

The Future’s So Bright……

I passed a milestone last week. I have to say I am a little put out by this whole “getting older” thing. I don’t feel any older. I feel like I am just getting started! Not that I haven’t lived yet….but there is so much living yet to do. And I am enjoying every bit I can.

We went on the most beautiful hike on the 4th. Took the dog, and a picnic. Tim and I and the girls drove up to Horsetail Falls in the Sierras and it was just a gorgeous day.

Cooper couldn’t have been happier. Squirrels, leftover cheese from the lunch pack, sticks to chase, and cold clear H2O from the Sierras. What could be better?

Later we had a block party with the neighbors…pot luck….and I have foodie’s for neighbors, so the spread was amazing! A very nostalgic, old fashioned Fourth of July. We even stood in a circle at one point right before the fireworks “finale” in the street, and everyone sang the National Anthem. I was quite impressed really. We all remembered the words, and most were able to hit the high notes.

Then Monday came around. I woke up feeling the same as I usually do….a little groggy, but looking forward to the day. Then I remembered. It was THAT birthday! I tried to just put it out of my mind. I had a pretty normal day. I worked. But when I checked emails, I was really touched to receive so many well wishes from my blogger and facebook friends. I have to say it really brightened my day! Thank you all so much!

When I say I worked…I was actually told to stay in my basement studio until my family gave the word that I could come up. They were preparing something special!

My husband prepared one of my all time favorite meals: BBQ-d steak (medium), fresh salad with roasted pine nuts and avocado, and corn on the cob. Then my girls presented me with this! Orange chiffon cupcakes with orange butter cream frosting (all home made from scratch!). They even made marzipan labels with chocolate letters that spelled out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM”.

They were sooooo good! Someone was waiting very patiently for a piece:

After dinner and cake, it was on to the presents!

And what is it about Mothers? My Mother always seems to find the perfect thing. She wrapped individual little packages (one for each year….you’re counting aren’t you!) and fit them into a vintage cloche on top of an antique footed ironstone platter, both so gorgeous, I was speechless. It was so much fun to open every little package, funny little things: a bandana, a carved wooden stamp, a hair comb, a beaded necklace….and on.

Some birthdays seem to have a sort of “theme” to them, don't they? This was a birthday of flowers. I seemed to receive them all week long. The first bouquet was from my workmate, Lise. She picked the most beautiful roses from her garden. They smelled heavenly!

The next day I got a knock on the door, and these were on the other side! My old college roommate who shares my birthday sent this stunning bouquet. There is a rose for every year…..your counting again right now aren’t you?

The week kept rolling along. My husband and I were going out for dinner Friday, just the two of us….but when we got there, they had given away our table………or did they?!?! When the hostess said she would find something for us, she opened a curtain, and, …..yes…..SURPRISE!!!! Twenty of my girlfriends were there to celebrate my birthday with me. My husband had been planning for months. I am very lucky, I know. These were waiting for me in front of my seat at the table:

It was a wonderful birthday WEEK! I got to see friends that came in from out of town, and friends that I have known since my kids were little. This getting older thing turned out to be not so bad. It was a reminder of how many people I have met and who have become friends I care about.

I received so many thoughtful and beautiful gifts, and very kind words. And I will keep them all in my memory. Thank you all! But, one of the things I will treasure above all (along with my husband’s careful planning), is this simple white envelope with cut out letters made by my daughter’s hands.

The Future’s so bright…you gotta wear shades!