This cocktail evokes the warm flavors of the holiday season with a tall cool shake of cracked ice along with shredded carrots. Hence the name, Carrot Cake Martinis and they’re absolutely delicious! It was made for me to taste this past spring in San Luis Obispo and I’ve been waiting until the holiday season to share it with you. The three liqueurs used in this recipe are Bailey’s Irish Crème, cinnamon schnapps and butterscotch schnapps. Can’t you hear those jingle… [Read More]
I’m so excited to offer my followers a special Vera Bradley Cosmetic Trio Give-Away in your choice of pattern and a chance to win a Vera Bradley handbag. The Charming Shoppe, as a Vera Bradley independent retailer, is launching TODAY Vera Bradley products on their online shop which is a great thing because it means we’re celebrating with a multitude of Vera Bradley give-aways just for YOU! Our first give-away is the Vera Bradley Cosmetic Trio. The trio consists of… [Read More]
What does your cookie forecast look like this season? Merry and bright with a high chance of pretty and delicious snowflake cookies? Snowflakes are a wonder to me. When I was around twelve I experienced falling snow for the first time and it turns out to be the only time so far. In the palms of my gloves, I recall I was amazed to see the ice crystal patterns of the individual flakes. I thought all falling snow must be… [Read More]
If you’ve been following the progression of birthday planning posts I’ve written, you’d know this past weekend was the big “Jeanapalooza Birthday Extravaganza” for my mother-in-law’s ninetieth birthday hosted at our home. Balloons and birthday pennants greeted the birthday girl and forty-three guests as they walked through the front door. The buffet held the birthday cake and party favors of custom m&m’s, foil wrapped peppermint patties and cookies. There is a cake store that only makes Bundt cakes, if you… [Read More]
What is a party without mints? I believe my emotional need for colorful party mints goes back to my days in Job’s Daughters. There was not one reception or installation that did not have a plate of swirled fondant mints and every reception and installation had its own unique color scheme, usually two colors. When I was installed as Honored Queen, my colors were grass green and buttercup yellow. I kept one color of each mint for years as… [Read More]
Party prep continues this weekend for my Mother-in laws big pink and orange birthday bash one week from today. I ordered custom cocktails napkins online from Paper-Source. When I saw the paper lantern design I couldn’t resist. Taking it outside… I love having fragrant flowers where people gather. We planted stock with chine blue pansies in areas where guests will linger in the backyard. I opened the door to the yard last night around midnight and the fragrance was… [Read More]
In continuing to decorate using hot pink and orange for our upcoming party, I’m happy to say I have finished decorating the banister. This is a huge relief for me. One thing I was reminded of, yet again, when creating a new display using all new materials, plan on it taking three times longer than you originally thought it would take. Even though I had a vision of what I wanted to create when I purchased everything, I still didn’t… [Read More]
To continue the Palooza Birthday Party Extravanga prep, my next step was to package the custom Jeanapalooza m&m’s in small cello bags but since I’m also making special decorated cookies for the party I wanted a different look for the m&m’s. I found these little clear plastic 2 x 3 inch boxes at a cake decorating supply store for .45 each but they are also available on the web, sold in bulk for half the price. I thought this might… [Read More]
Last year, as we gathered round our Thanksgiving table, we began making plans for the “Jeanapalooza 90th Birthday Party Extravaganza.” This year, Thanksgiving at our house again will usher in the three day celebration. My incredible Mother-in-Love deserves a “palooza”. At ninety she is computer savvy, drives, teaches knitting and meets her friends for wine time. And the party? Two days after Thanksgiving… our house…for forty. I always begin party planning with decorations in mind because I find it the… [Read More]
While my family and I were visiting DC one summer, I asked someone to take our photo on the Capitol steps. A couple years earlier I had captured a ghost of a man with a goatee in one of our pics while visiting Bodie, an old mining town. Thinking I would have the same luck if I asked a dearly departed to be in our Capitol photo and knowing there are lost of ghosts and energy in D.C. that would… [Read More]
The Bookshelf
Baby Boomers Unite!
Make-Ahead Frozen Buttercream Cake Decorations
Pretty Pink Petal Cake – A Wilton Cake Decorating Technique
Carlo’s Bakery Cannolis and Lobster Tail Pastries
Collegiate Cupcakes – UCLA
A Holiday Cocktail ~ Carrot Cake Martinis
Colonial Williamsburg Sweet Potato Muffins
