Food Network Needs Toyia

My words were "I'm hungry. I think I want an egg sandwich." My baby sister left the room. She returned in a moment asking, "Does it have to be an egg sandwich?" I instantly answered "Not at all. Anything you find in there you are welcomed to fix." (Like my Southern slang?)

I heard pots and pans clanging and didn't give it another thought. In a matter of minutes, in she walked with 2 brimming plates. From a scarcely stocked kitchen...mine, she produced amazing results.

I'm told there is a show on Food Network where a chef knocks on your door and prepares a gourmet meal from whatever you have in your kitchen. She'd be a hit on that show.

She made salmon croquettes (from a can of salmon, egg, cornmeal, brown sugar) , roasted garlic potatoes, and edamame with sea salt. We dined sumptuously.

Food Network needs Toy.

The Hamptons, in Mississippi

When you're told it's going to snow, and you live in south Mississippi as I do, you just sorta smile and give a nonchalant "uh huh". As was the case yesterday evening. I was pleasantly surprised to see the flakes falling around midnight. The streetlight in front of my house provides perfect illumination. When I did retire for the evening, the deck just off my master bedroom was white. I hated that the snow decided to arrive during the night, and figured there would be some remnants when I awoke.

Six am brought heavy dripping sounds, and I simply didn't want to get up. I was hearing what I thought was the snow melting from my roof. I pulled my sleep mask on, and snuggled back in. Three hours later when I rolled over with that "ahhh, I've slept good it's time to get up I'm rested" feeling, I was astounded. Fat, fluffy flakes were still falling, it was a winter wonderland.


...a Mississippi snowgirl with camillias for eyes...

Any of you Yankees that are reading this HAVE to give me a break. I understand you get snow, many feet of it. Now I'm asking you to understand, we DON'T. Yes, we had a smattering last December, but nothing like we saw today. I donned my down coat, warm boots, gloves, hat and scarf and took off walking, twirling in the middle of the road.

My neighbor and dear friend, Fran Ginn invited me in for coffee and warm cinnamon rolls. And it was the start of one of those do-over days. One I wish I could miraculously just do over. Several sets of neighbors came by within minutes. The world was waking up and the falling snow had everyone out and moving. We repeatedly gravitated to a window to stare at the falling snow. I stayed a couple hours and as I was leaving, Fran invited me back for lunch.

I returned to a Barefoot Contessa setting smack dab in the middle of "the Hamptons" for lunch. Of course it all took place right here in lil' ole Columbia, in Fran's kitchen. Fran made Chicken and Rice soup while everyone else pitched in just like on Barefoot Contessa when she has "friends" for lunch. I chopped cilantro. Someone else sliced avacado. The table was set, cheese sliced, bread toasted, glasses filled with ice, then we sat down.

A table of six, all varied and different, yet such a comfortable air. We discussed how the neighborhood needs this sort of comraderie, and more often. We all laughed at our imagined "Hamptons" setting. And we marveled at the snow.

Lunch was an impromtu affair, soup quickly made, invites casually done. Yet made such an impression. Oh, and the snow. Just as snow in Mississippi is surreal, so is being in the Hamptons. Hey, give us a break.

We had snow. And "the Hamptons"...all in one day.

The Suit

Mr. Hamm and the Barcelona Chair are exquisite...

Years ago I read an article in my son's GQ concerning males wearing suits. To make a long story short, the gist of the entire story was that a man wearing a suit/sports coat gets different/better treatment. The author had scoffed at his Dad for years, the wearer of a suit, daily. I don't recall if it was a bet, or if GQ hired him for the story. He was to wear a suit every day for one month (save weekends) to determine how he was perceived and if he did get differential treatment. He kept a daily journal of each and every place he went. He'd always been the dressed down one, never losing the t-shirt and chinos after college. And had forever proclaimed he'd never be in a job situation that required him to dress in a "monkey suit" daily.

He was uncomfortable at first. But without fail, he was treated with utmost respect. He told of fast food places, fine dining, even department stores where he was always given a second glance. And were he perusing a menu board or waiting in line, he was without fail called upon first. The tone of voice with which he was addressed was respect.

Within the first week he became completely comfortable and fell in love with "the suit".

As did I. The man who walks into the restaurant at lunch. The guy grabbing breakfast. The one pumping fuel. If they have on a suit they get a second glance. And always a third. Funny how I've even driven around behind the car to read the tag. Just checking to see if the county is local.

Don't go getting all judgemental on me. It's the truth. A suit demands a second look as well as respect. Yes I am aware we live in a much more relaxed society. And I'm aware suits are not required in many situations. But if there is a question, or likelihood one would be correct, wear it.

Oh, and for a million more points, wear the cuff links too.

Tallulah

A car pulled up to the curb Christmas Day. I was tersely commanded, "Don't look!". Tallulah was being delivered, my gift from my daughter Tayler. Lulah, as she's now known, was a quivering mass. The hype surrounding her arrival was momentous. I later learned she had been rescued from behind Guadalajara, a local Mexican restaurant. Supposedly her Mother still lives there.

The day I put the hot-pink-diamond-collar-with-the-bell around her neck would have won me $10,000.00 on America's Funniest Home Videos. Had I owned a camcorder. She flipped, pawed, and climbed for two solid hours. An audition to Cirque de Soleil would have been a shoo-in. It was priceless. Tears poured I laughed so hard.

Each time I arrive home, she's peering out the French door. There is a large, circular, green, shag rug 3 feet inside the back door. She prisses to the rug and promptly rolls onto her back, legs into the air, for me to scratch her belly. She needs me.



6 am-ish, I shot straight up in bed at the crashing sound, and immediate pouring water. The above two dozen roses in the goldfish vase had been knocked over. And it was sitting on the vanity at the foot of my bed. Yes, water was pouring down the foot of my bed with a slight puddle on the blanket across the foot. (The blanket had Scotchguard as I easily swiped the water away. Oh, and the car is a dream I hope to realize one day, only in convertible form.) I righted the vase, the accident not being her fault totally. It was top heavy.

She's become an important part of my world. I can't imagine coming home and her not being here. Me not getting to scratch that sweet little belly.

She needs me.

I'm SO Ready For Spring

I'm an eternal optimist. And I'm having issues staying "up". The weather is killing me. If it's not raining, it's snowing OR in the 20's Farenheit. And I'm in Mississippi for God's sake!

I was on a roll. Walking every day and doing well watching what I ate. Yes, I realize this sounds like a cop-out, but it's NOT. It's too COLD to walk. And when I don't walk, I cheat. And don't give me this "awww...you have no idea what cold really is" speech. I could care less. I have warm Southern blood. I want warmth.

I'm SO ready for Spring. I want to garden. I want green shoots coming up. Never before has everything been so brown. (Another reason my walks are curtailed. My brown world is uninspiring these days.) And it's to be in the low 20's and 30's nightly for the entire next week. Not to mention snow predictions for Thursday and Friday.


The above pictures are of the garden featured in the blockbuster "It's Complicated". Oh yeah, I'm having a couple of raised beds this year. And I want a gravel walkway between. I have a lovely yard that shows off my hard work. I've walked it's dead, brown glory several times recently determining just where to place these new beds. They will contain those gorgeous tomato stakes too. No chintzy metal ones for me this year!

Until then, I'll continue wearing coats, hats, scarves and gloves. And dreaming. And cheating. And when Spring DOES get here, I'll post pictures of my raised beds. With fancy tomato stakes. Hopefully with green shoots everywhere.

Oh, and I'd be thrilled to have Mr. Baldwin too.

Again, I'm SO ready for Spring.

Fabulous Faces

I've decided I'm allowed to be cheesy if I so choose (cheesy being a word that always reminds me of my Italian pen pal to whom I once had to give the definition). So here goes, a new series of random posts called Fabulous Faces. And I also refuse to apologize if the posts heavily lean to the male species. Oh myyyyy...

Jon Hamm...leaves me speechless.

Eco-Friendly? Let's Just Try.

I stopped in my tracks and stared. The shopping cart was FULL. Overflowing. With bright kelly green reusable bags. In Columbia, Mississippi. In Wal-Mart. I was blown away. And convicted.

We seem to be inundated with information as of late about being "green". I'm aware, but for the most part it goes in the left ear and out the right. It feels expensive. i.e. "buying a green car". Even switching to eco friendly cleaning products takes time, effort and money. But we CAN do small things that have a massive impact.

According to the World Watch Institute, Americans throw away 100 BILLION PLASTICS BAGS PER YEAR. And according to EarthShare members of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one plastic bag can take up to 1,000 YEARS to decompose.

In the past decade, governments around the globe have underscored the need to cut plastic bag usage:
San Francisco. In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to outlaw plastic grocery bags.
New York City. In 2008, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took aim at plastic bags, proposing a plan that requires stores to charge six cents per plastic bag used. All designed to reduce the use of plastic bags and increase the use of their reusable counterparts.
Ireland. In March 2002, Ireland instituted a tax of 15 cents per plastic bag, which has led to more than a 90 percent reduction in overall usage.
Africa. In 2007, Africa made a bold move, initiating a continent-wide ban on plastic bags, encouraging the use of reusable bags such as those made from burlap.
China. In 2008, the Chinese government made plans to ban free plastic bags in order to cut down on litter and pollution. The ban could also save the country as much as 37 million barrels of oil, used to produce the bags.

Wow. Africa is ahead of us in this?

Retailers have taken a stand also:
Ikea. In 2007, the home furnishings retailer began charging five cents per plastic bag to reduce consumption and encourage shoppers to use reusable bags. Proceeds from the plastic bags—estimated at $7 million—will be donated to EarthShare member, American Forests.
Target. Target recently partnered with popular magazines like People, to encourage shoppers to mail in their plastic Target bags in an effort to recycle them into reusable totes. Send your bags in before November 30, 2008 and receive a free Target Retote. (Bags are also available for sale.)
Wal-Mart. In 2008, Wal-Mart partnered with the EDF to cut down plastic bag usage by one-third by 2013. Through its reuse and recycling efforts, Wal-Mart expects to eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic waste globally.
Whole Foods. In early 2008 the organic food retailer stopped using plastic bags, encouraging shoppers to use reusable totes.

Last weekend while in Houston I purchased my reusable shopping bags. (They range from $.99-1.99.) I have right at 1,000,000 plastic Wal-Mart bags under my kitchen sink. And yes, I do reuse them. But from now on, I'm doing the reusable tote thing. I'm simply going to put them all into one tote and take them in the store with me. I'll look really cool, AND make God smile.

I'm just sure that He likes me helping keep His lovely creation eco-friendly. 1 Corinthians says "the Earth is the Lords...". Somehow I think He's offended at plastic bags lying around on His exquisite creation for 1,000 years...I can easily help change that.

Agreed?

Tyler. My son.

It's his birthday weekend. Which means I'm in Houston. Christmas Day he knelt down in front of me, his siblings, her Mother and siblings and proposed to Jennifer Ann Cobbs, pretty as you please. My perfectly coiffed living room was the perfect setting. No dry eyes in the room. Tears of immense joy.

Tyler. MY eldest son.

This weekend we are celebrating two fold. His birthday and visiting the venues for upcoming nuptials.

We left his downtown, 17th floor loft (another whole post!) early this morning and I spotted a homeless man. The weather is a cool 33 degrees and I cringed and commented. I learned that the bench he occupied "belonged" to him. Tyler then nonchalantly mentioned that he called the paramedics last time he talked with him. His legs were extremely swollen. The man refused medical care. A couple days later Tyler called the paramedics yet again. He later learned they drained some 30-40 pounds of fluid from his legs alone. Tyler and his dear friend Alex purchased him a small butane operated heater. A lady recently brought this gentleman and his friend on the opposite side of the street (who occupies another bench) Eddie Bauer sleeping bags. I am heartened to know he's not cold. We discussed both homeless men as we drove to Tyler's office. He told me of recently having an epiphany while walking thru the church. He smelled hairspray, and somehow his chain of thought went to hairspray/homeless. He referred to how we need the smell of homeless as much as hairspray in our churches.

Tyler. My son.

Breakfast out is my big thing and we have plans. I'm penning this as he finishes his duties. Today we'll hang out, we have much on our agenda. After Jen gets off work, we have a list. I'm meeting aunts, perusing the wedding menu, visiting the venues, and sketching away! Then we'll have dinner at Cousin Rhonda's. FULL day.

But I'll be with Tyler...all day. I absorb him. I watch and listen. I hold his arm when we walk. I stare at him across the dining table. I try and memorize as much of him as I can as it will be another few weeks before I see him again.

Gotta go. We're going to breakfast. So I can stare at...

Tyler. My son.

The Flying Fish

I had fish tacos once in my life. On Big Beach in Maui. LOVED them. So imagine my surprise at finding fish tacos I liked even MORE in Little Rock, Arkansas. Maybe my memory has dimmed (I assure you this has NOTHING to do with the wisdom of my years). I only know that I'm definite in the fact that the absolute best fish tacos anywhere are at the Flying Fish, downtown lil' ole Little Rock. There are hundreds of "billy bass" hanging on the adoption wall. You take in your singing fish and your name is written under it with the date of adoption. It's priceless. This is not to even mention the "Liars Wall" where you can post pictures of your fish. I'm rambling along and I'm really here to tell you about the tacos!

A slab of grilled tilapia is placed in a crunchy taco shell, topped with a delish coleslaw, then some sort of sauce. Ye Gads. There are three to an order. And though I was stuffed at two, I simply couldn't stop. Then my dear cousin Nathan asked if I got a "shrimp cocktail"? He promptly ordered me one. A fat margarita glass was set in front of me with a tomato looking soup in it. Wow. It had shrimp, pico de gallo, and avacados floating around. I absolutely could have slugged it down like raspberry lemonade!

Yep, I'm going back to Little Rock. The Clinton library just begged to be perused. I loved the river winding thru. It's all quaint and stuff. And I met a new cousin Amanda (Nathan's wife) who was infinitely precious.

My reason for being there made me raw. My cousins Tonisa, Ken and Tana along with their spouses and dear children lost "Mimi". Aunt Margie was here a very short month after being told she had cancer. God was merciful.

There were smiles along with the tears. Somehow God always places things that soothe us in our paths, especially when the path is rough. Flying Fish made me smile.

Losing Aunt Margie cut my soul.

1,000,000 Lines

Tyler got engaged. On his knee smack in the middle of my living room. Oh my heart.
Aunt Pipete passed.
Precious Aunt Margie passed.
Tayler is going to Ireland. AND doing international studies this summer in France.
Tyren got a sweet little convertible.
I have desperate wanderlust (and am jealous of my Tay for her European jaunts this year.:)
I've come to the conclusion I do not have the Yankee gene that helps a human acclimate the cold.
My yard is desolate. Never before have things been this dead. Hopefully perennials will be perennials.
Tay and Tyren were home for almost a month during the holidays so I had to endure empty nest withdrawals all over.
Tyler's beloved, Jen, brought her mother and two sisters with her for Christmas. It was a delight.
I have a new housemate, Tallulah, a kitten that rolls onto her back for a belly scratching every single time I come home.
Charleigh is officially a choir member at Woodlawn.
Chandler is so grown up looking it's scary.
Last Christmas was the most laid back and enjoyable in many years.
My children and I missed going to the nursing home to see Pipete on Christmas Day.
I sincerely want to blog more. (Compliments warm my heart and I recently received 3 sincere nudges to write more often.)
Tyren and Tay uploaded a video to YouTube. Search "Swanner". More. Please.
Fell in love with downtown Little Rock. WILL return.
Watched a Saints game with Uncle Shelby and Aunt Edie. Memories.
Tayler is really getting skinny.:)
SO connected with my cousins, Nathan and Amanda.
My friend Forrest Dantin passed suddenly. Made me more aware to enjoy my days.
Tayler got a lead in her school musical.
Wanted to somehow rock Tonisa, Ken and Tana...like a Mother would do, in a rocking chair.
Tyler got published in Relevant magazine.
My kindred spirit Fran spent Christmas in France.
Tyren is getting all creative in music with his friend. Find it on Facebook.
Saw Aunt Naomi and Regina and found out we are having a family reunion again in July.
My fountain kept 2 inches of ice in it for a week during our frozen tundra span.

I honestly think I could share 1,000,000 lines of happenings and not be done. So I just typed as they came to mind. I could pick any single afore line and write an entire blog on it. And one day I just may pick from this very list. But for now, allow me to post these random lines. My mind is willy nilly. Emotional and mental stress (nothing to worry over me for:) have my creative flow choked. Well, actually not my flow, but whatever force that makes me put fingers to keyboard is stifled. I have a list in "notes" on my iphone that are blog subjects. It's not like I don't have subject matter. I just don't have the wherewithall to type it. Am I possibly breaking the ties that bind? I guess we will see. I am not going to promise anything. I've broken them in the past.

Just know as I type this I plan to meet you here. Again. Soon.

Believe

Here I sit in Believe rehearsal. Woodlawn Church has a Christmas service each year that is looked forward to by many. This year we are doing a full scale production.

I have wept at every single rehearsal. The story is a 21st century adaptation of the life of Mary. I can't tell you more. I'd be flogged .
December 20 at 6 pm is the night of our production. As Pastor Mitch says regularly, "If you live within 100 miles of here, this is where you belong!"

If possible, make a point to be there. You will NOT be disappointed. And you will...Believe.

Thankful

It has rained enough days to carry one of these and never repeat. I like it though cause this time of year rain means cool is coming. Well, sometimes it does. I seriously would love to have this many umbrellas. I have a porcelain stand at my front door with about half a dozen. I'm working on my collection.=)

My youngest is on his way home as I type. My middle child arrives Friday. In mine and their lifetimes, this is the longest I've gone without seeing one of my three offspring. Now if I could just do the Dr. Spock thing and teleport my eldest home, the world would be perfect. I must settle for time with the two youngest for now. I have readied my home for company. I simply love to entertain, whether it be my children or guests. Flowers bedside, fresh towels stacked, candles in place, fresh baked goods, and my Fall scarecrows and pumpkins out.

My next thought process is of my dear friends the Ragsdales in Nashville. I grew up with the 3 Ragsdale children, and adore their mother, Boots. I've always wanted my children to love me as those 3 do their Mother. The youngest, Josh has been found with leukemia. As my son drives home, I try to imagine the terror of "knowing". My heart cries out and I desperately pray that God will heal Josh. Strength is my next prayer, for both Josh's parents and siblings.

Why does it take something of this magnitude to make me thankful for the health of my children and I? How we take that for granted.

Say the name of Joshua Ragsdale in prayer. And then say a prayer of thanks.

Sheer Happiness

I have a niggling sense that someone mentioned this to me months ago, but I never watched it. I deeply laughed and then tears flowed. I simply don't doubt that this will be an eternally happy couple. Why? The fertile imaginations, the "I am happy and don't care if you think I'm nuts" attitude.

Simply put, we all need this sort of abandonment ever so often.

Go ahead. Laugh at and with them, then cry if need be.

Smiles Anyone?

Those are my tears. Blue today, school started and I no longer have children school age. They are grown and for now 2 of the 3 are living in different states. In Nashville last week I spent sporadic time with all three. Leaving them alwaysalwaysalways makes me blue.

So, I surfed blogs for inspiration, happiness. Foolish I know, but finding pictures that are awe-inspiring help.



I want to drive this car to this picnic. I picture my 3 and Jen there with me. We all have new books we are dying to crack the covers on. I have plenty blankets and pillows for us to stretch out on.

Silly I know. Just looking for smiles. Think that car and a picnic will help?

"Teachings"

It is learned from your Mother. It can be taught, but is intensely effective for a lifetime if learned at a young age. It is constant loving reminders, a continual probing of what is good and the right thing to do.

I recently had a house guest who definitely had a “teaching” Mother. When she arrived and was introduced she handed me a lovely basket. It included a large bag of Starbucks coffee, English Breakfast tea bags, and homemade truffles. There was black sheer fabric draped beautifully with large faux diamonds sprinkled around. Saying the least, it was exquisite. Again saying the least, I was duly impressed. My guest was a lovely, very young, 20ish year old lady.

During her stay, I rarely knew she was there, save spending time with her. She was conscious of keeping her things in order, bedroom and bath. (I have a luggage stand I always provide. Her things were all place neatly on and around it.) I cooked dinner and she immediately offered to help then began clearing the table when we finished. She never left the kitchen until all was back in perfect order.

I enjoyed her stay. Yes, I loved the gift basket. But no, that is not why she impressed me so. It was her teaching. Her Mother had absolutely taught her well.

The next person that comes to mind is a 9 year old. He is infinitely kind.

I slammed the door of my car with the side door of the church in sight. Choir practice had already begun and we simultaneously began rushing across the parking lot. He was at a full run, me a walk. He beat me to the door and when he swung it open, I could see inside that the elevator door was being held. He looked back and made a split second decision. His head swung back and forth twice in just a few seconds. His decision was whether to continue running inside to catch the elevator or hold the door for the lady approaching. Be aware, I still had a good ways to go. He paused, and held the door. He waited patiently while I finished walking up. I couldn’t help but smile. He wanted to run inside and catch the elevator, but the positive influences in his life, his “teachings” won. I was so proud. And he is a mere 9 years old. I applaud his Mother and Father. If he’s got it at 9, it will only be enforced and will carry through his life.

For now, I'm your Mother. So listen. Take a hostess gift. It doesn’t have to be expensive. A simple candle, homemade candy, or package of funny cocktail napkins is perfect. Just let the person you are visiting know your appreciation. Leave the area you are staying in tidy. Don’t leave your shoes in the middle of the great room floor. Clear your things from the bathroom. Rinse your drink glasses. Be as invisible as possible, yet hospitable. (Remember, house guests are like fish. In 3 days they begin to stink.)

Speak out loud the compliment that crosses your mind. Hold the door for the lady with the baby in the stroller. Mail a card to someone grieving. Invite a friend to lunch.

Ok. You’ve now been told. Heed please.=)

P.S. Brittany and Jayce, you know who you are.

The Exact Place I Wish To Be Right Now

I wish to be lying in that very hammock. How stinkin' cool is that? Misool Eco Resort in West Papua, Indonesia looks to be a perfect place to melt away any and all stress, which is a main component in the perfect vacation. Below is a view of some of the 11 cottages available with 8 being on stilts over a quiet lagoon. I'll have nothing less than a stilted one. They are built from reclaimed wood and all furnishings are from local craftsmen. There is also a dive shop, restaurant and private pier.


Oh how I'd love to wake up to this view. The sound of the waves would wash away the cobwebs. Only improvement I can imagine is someone calling out, "Here's breakfast." That chair is for me to savor my breakfast in. I've a stack of books to read which I would take along. I want to laze around all day for 10 straight days, right here. Get a slight tan and go to dinner each evening. And no, I would not get bored.


Funny how my mind goes to what wardrobe I'd take. Linen, long, flowing swimsuit cover ups, big fat sunglasses. Total comfort all day, but something lovely for dinner. Please notice the outdoor shower below. (I recently bought one for my backyard at Dirt Cheap. I love rinsing my feet and hands before coming in from yard work. Of course mine is not made from a lovely tree trunk, just lowly teak.)



Wanderlust is stirred up. Awwww, let me dream.......=)

Cause of my "Missing"

I am regularly outdoors as I love gardening, cultivating my exterior spaces and entertaining al fresco. (Hence, "missing". A lovely hand written note I received this week spurred me to post. Thank you, Danette, it meant the world.)



This is my "piece de resistance" for the summer. I collected wooden windows and doors from roadside after Hurricane Katrina. Here is a dream come true. My zen place. It is 10' X 12' and will eventually have a pea gravel floor. The path winding to the door is comprised of pieces of sidewalk from the front of the house. The sidewalk was ruined during Katrina and my sons busted the huge broken slabs into smaller pieces. I then fashioned a walkway from my back patio to the new greenhouse. I still have not made a decision whether or not to paint the "shed". I love the primitive look, yet know I'd enjoy it painted pristine white also. What's your opinion? Also, what to call it? I refer to it as a garden shed, greenhouse, etc.

Do give your opinion....

p.s. The statue is actually a fountain. Water pours from a vase in her hand into another vase at her feet. The hand you see holds a small pot of blooming impatients. She is a Dirt Cheap find.

Celebrate Summer

Should you visit me these days, I’d offer a gorgeous glass of iced peach tea. We'd sit out back under my umbrella and listen to the trickle of water in my fountains. I'd likely have some smooth jazz playing and there are bright orange day lillies blooming around my patio. The perfect time to celebrate the outdoors is now. The smell of freshly mowed grass and grilling is one of summer's pleasures.
I recently splurged on my trip to Indianapolis and bought these heavy, fat, bright green stubbed off goblets. The picture is a bit deceiving in that they are approximately 6 inches tall and almost as wide. I LOVE them. Here's the secret. (Whispering here.) Wal-Mart has Great Value brand instant peach tea. It comes in small tubs and is packaged like Crystal Light. Each tub makes 1/2 gallon. I make the tea up by the gallon and add 3 individual packets of Splenda per gallon. It is delectable! I also buy frozen peaches in a zip top bag. I serve the tea over ice and float a fat, frozen peach slice on the top. It tastes as pretty as it looks.
For a change, for a summer celebration, take dinner out of doors. Americans tend to think you have to grill to dine al fresco. Not so. Plan to take it outside one night this week. Your family or friends will love it.
I had friends and family over Friday and Saturday evening and told them we were dining at sunset. I clipped some lillies and glads, put them in short vases, rolled out the bamboo placemats, and my table was phenomenal. I grilled chicken breasts with an herb rub wrapped in thick hickory smoked bacon, made a quick cold pasta salad and some deviled eggs. Dessert was pineapple sherbert doused with slushy sparkling apple cider. I broke a biscotti in half and shoved it down in the sherbert for garnish. I SO looked like a gourmet. Hehe.
And yes, we had peach tea in my fat green goblets!
I'd love to hear from you. What are you summer pleasures?

(Note: How do you like my completely ignoring the fact I've not posted in light years? I have no excuse, though I could name 1,000. Thanks for the calls, texts and emails urging me to write. You absolutely warm my heart.)

Happy Birthday to Me

My cell phone rang. The lady on the line reminds me that I have not blogged in quite some time. How well I know. Maybe that is what I needed, a kick in the pants. Here is an overview of life as of late.

I began celebrating my birthday Sunday a week ago (it was last Thursday, the 26th). I love birthdays and simply extend mine as long as I possibly can. SOLO met at my home Sunday evening and we had a cake for the March birthdays. I blew out candles then. Tyler and Jen arrived from Houston late Monday evening. I cooked Tuesday night and we hung out at the house. I crave just being at home with everyone is in town.
B'day photo op
An incredible group of friends took me to Back Door Cafe after church Wednesday evening. Got myself a Walter Anderson print at that soiree.=) The kids and I went to breakfast together the morning of my big day, and when all is said and done, what more could I ask for? All my ducks were sitting with me at the breakfast table. My children did me the honor of sitting for a photo op with Brandy on my special day. For this I am eternally grateful. We then had a late lunch with Nanna. I celebrated the evening with the ladies at Woodlawn. We had a wonderful party celebrating the birthday of every single lady in our church and it just happened to fall on my birthday! How lucky was I? I told them I’d never had that many people singing to me at once. They all pretended the entire party was for me...I let them=).

My friend Mary asked me to reserve Saturday evening to celebrate with her. She arrived at my home with my 3 sisters, Lisa and Tonya in tow. She had me a hot pink boa, a scepter that said “birthday girl”, a crown with pink fur on it, glasses with happy birthday written above the lenses, a “birthday girl” banner, a champagne flute with tall candles painted on it, sparkling juice and strawberries! All this and I’ve not mentioned that she painted birthday hats along with “birthday diva” and my name on her Jeep windows! I was laughing so hard. We had dinner at Walnut Circle Grill. Can you imagine the laughter at the table? The evening was fantastic. I absolutely will never forget last week. My new friend Raylyn has a snazzy red convertible and I topped off the week with a ride to Hattiesburg Sunday afternoon to celebrate Mitch’s birthday. (In my mind the ride was for my birthday.)

Monday was the first day in quite a few that didn’t feel “birthdayish”. I hate to see it go! Please....just once more...Happy Birthday to me.=)

Happy Birthday Sweet Tara:)

Those very candles were on Tara's cake last evening. We celebrated out back under my pergola. I set an incredibly beautiful table, well it was! We dined on lo mien with veggies and chicken. Then ended with good ole' birthday cake. (Tara left the thing here and I can't stop nibbling on it. Grrrrrr.) The evening was perfect. My candlelier was glowing as were my lanterns. Jazz greats crooned to us.

Happy Birthday dear sister. Simply put, I love you.

(Hello all. Forgive my absence. Life intruded but hopefully I'll soom be back on track and faithfully blogging. I've missed you all=).