2 things you need to know today …

Nobody’s going to be picking up the trash today.  16 degrees and dropping.

2nd thing and probably most important …

Feel it here …

So-so sweet!

Remember to Celebrate Something EVERYDAY!!!

OK, I’m ready to talk about Christmas now …

Ho-Ho-Ho!  I just read Reality Steve.  This caused me to want to talk about Christmas because Reality Steve just informed me that Bachelor Jake might only be 5′8″ tall.  Being 5′11″ and, now quite suddenly, a former Jake devotee (yes, the husband knows), I’m crushed.

Which brings me to Christmas.  I really did do an eco-Christmas thing this year.  One teeny tiny live tree (or formerly live tree-before it was chopped off at the knees).  Home made ornaments (they’ve been around for a while), nature’s bounty provided the greenery (along with some old, non-homemade ornaments from the Dollar Store and some recycled ribbons from Christmas Gifts Past).  Here are the pics (and no, I’m still not a professional photographer so, well, sorry).

There’s actually all kind of memories and trips and gifts and Things from Gardens Past in those ornaments.  Maybe one day we’ll talk about them.  But not today.  I’m still crushed about Jake.

Who knew he was short?

Celebrating Christmas Memories today, as they briefly distracted me from my irrational heartbreak.

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday.

It’s Cold! Cranking up for 2010…

Holy crud! It took me a good ten minutes to convince me to go outside, get in the car, and drive 20 miles to work.  This is what greeted me in my 2008 Honda Refrigerator…

One would THINK that, with a few shivering minutes of car-warming that number would improve.  Oh no.  Down to 16 once the wheels began to roll.

Then there was the gas station.  Lucky in the draw this morning, I needed gas.  Local Citgo.  Plug in card, remove v e r y  s l o w l y (my little act of rebellion at the gas pump – makes me happy).  Punch in billing zip code.  Stupid screen says “flip lever, see cashier”.  One quick check reassures me that there is no lever.  60 yard walk to the cashier in his little cage (he was inside, I was outside).  Mildly apologetic and blamed gas pump issue on weather (o-yeh-shure).  Click, click inside the heated cage – look, cock head – click click he goes again while I try to graciously remove the icicle from my nose.

“Now – we should be good!” he says proudly – completely ignoring the fact that he’s inside and I’m outside so there’s really no “we” to “good” at the moment.

They tell me the wind chill is ten.  I think it’s more like one,  heading south.

60 yards back to the car.  Pump no workie.  60 yards back to the cage.  More clicks, more head cocks – “Try it now”.

60 yards back to the car.  Pump no workie.  60 yards back to the cage (I notice that he’s mysteriously disappeared from view).  Walk up to window, look down, he’s on the floor adjusting the heater.  This is so not funny.  I knock on window.

“Hey!  This is not a fun game and I don’t want to play anymore!”

The head cock this time was combined with a scowl, not from empathy but from the dawning knowledge that he’s going to have to come outside with me.  Karma sucks, doesn’t it?  But sometimes it sucks for other people, and that makes it periodically fun.

He dashed the 60 yards to the car, fiddled with the pump and the buttons at lightening speed, dashed back to the cage (I’m catching on by now – I haven’t moved) – passes me without saying anything – goes back inside to his heater and says through the little speaker – “Try it now”.

I did.  It worked.  I’m here and with that we end our temporary blog hiatus with renewed vigor for an interesting 2010.  Here are my New Years blog resolutions:

1.  I will blog at least once a week (probably more – but I don’t want to set the bar too high.  Might be other interesting things I need to do “out there”.)

2.  I will remain positive about everything no matter what the cost.

3.  I will try my darndest to provide you with interesting content.  (Unfortunately, that actually means what’s interesting for me – but maybe you’ll like it?)

So Joyeux 2010 to all and remember – we’ll be trying to Celebrate Something (interesting, not interesting, benign, totally kool – you name it) Everyday!

Laura

Celebrating New Babies!

I think this is cute – enjoy!

Celebrating new babies today! (I just found out my friend is pregnant with her first – woo hoo!)

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

Asparagus Aspirations

Every year around this time I get questions about how to cook asparagus.  Don’t know why, just happens.

So to go on record for posterity and eternity, here are my thoughts on asparagus (and if you’re one of those people who turns up a nose, I ask you to think again).

Firstly and formostly (yes- spell check and I both know that’s not a word), forget right now that canned asparagus even exists.  Even if you’re having a dry spell on the fresh stuff, never, ever, ever turn to the can.  I think there are support groups available if you’re having trouble with this.

Buying

It’s true what they say about studying the tippy-tops of asparagus.  Look for tight, perky tops (and get your mind out of the gutter).  Wilted, gushy tops are the signal to step away.  You want tight and perky tops. Check?

Big ‘n Fat vs. Lean ‘n Mean

Big and fat usually = tough and fibrous.  But there is hope, and we’ll discuss that in a minute.  If they have perky tops and you’re asparagus ravenous, go ahead and purchase.  Details shortly.

Lean and mean = tender, crisp and easy to prepare (as long as they have – you guessed it – perky tops).

Prep

Fill a sink or a big bowl with fresh, cold water and dump in the asparagus.  Let it languorously soak for a good five minutes.  Drain and rinse.

For lean and mean stalks, simply snap off the tough bottom portion by holding stalk in one hand, grasping the bottom end between thumb and index finger, and bend until it pops off.  Asparagus is real smart.  It knows where to snap off at the tough part.  Amazing!

For big and fat stalks, you’re going to need to grab a sharp paring knife and pare down the stalk to the more tender park.  Then cut off the fibrous ends.

Roast or steam?

Big and fat = best for roasting

Lean and mean = best for steaming

So how?

Here are my favorite ingredients for cooking asparagus.  Funny thing – you can mix and match any of the below to make great asparagus.

• Diced red and yellow bell peppers
• Cavendar’s seasoning
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• butter
• minced garlic
• minced red onion

Roasting ideas for big and fat

• Drizzle olive oil over the stalks and rub them around until entirely coated in a lite layer.  Place in a single layer in a Pyrex baking dish.  Sprinkle with Cavendars, roast 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees (please pre-heat the oven).  Test for fork tenderness.  Drizzle with lemon juice before serving.

• Pour some olive oil in a big plastic bag.  Add minced garlic (the kind in the jar is fine), a pinch or two of Kosher salt, and some melted butter (that’s right – butter).  Dump in the asparagus – shake wildly – remove, layer in pan and proceed as above.

Steaming ideas for lean and mean

Lay asparagus spears in single layer of pyrex baking dish.  A cool way to do this is half and half – place half of the asparagus, cut end to the outside of the pan, and then meet on the other side with another row of asparagus, cut end out.  Seems to protect the tender young ends.

In a bottle (or something handy), mix 8 tbsp. of water with 3 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, pinch of kosher salt, and about 1/4 cup of minced red and yellow bell pepper.  When thoroughly mixed, pour over asparagus.  Seal dish with good quality plastic wrap.  Stick it in the microwave, and nuke for about 2.5 to 3 minutes on full power.  Allow to set for about 3 minutes, then carefully remove the wrap (there’s some mighty hot steam in there – don’t burn yourself).  Then serve either warm or at room temperature.

Leftovers?

Make a marinate of olive oil, cavendars, minced red onion and either some balsamic or red wine vinegar.  Marinate overnight and then chop up to use in a salad (yum!).

Celebrating Asparagus Aspirations today.

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

Hint/tip:  Looking for a neat-o and nifty dinner party favor?  Purchase some of these little cuties and mix about 1 tsp. Cavendars seasoning per favor into olive oil, fill and present – tasty and useful!

Allow me this….

Rammer Jammer  Yella Hamma Give ‘Em Hell

Alabama!

There was snow in Atlanta today.  A sign?

Celebrating the Mighty Crimson Tide today.

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

Moving from Thanksgiving to Christmas

If you’re reading this, then you survived Thanksgiving.  Hope it was great for you.  Here’s the short list from mine (and also an apology of sorts for not posting in FOREVER):

• We hosted
  • Which means two pre-Thanksgiving weeks of mad cleaning and cooking
    • Husband will happily quote my mantra during that time for you – “If it’s considered a SURFACE, honey, CLEAN IT!” (he is now traumatized by base boards, btw – his therapist is DElighted!)
• 11 guests, 3 dogs, 2 kittens
• 1 awful, awful, awful computer virus that took 7 days to fix (a HUGE thank you to the developers of Security Tool virus.  I hope you rot in some truly nasty, hot place for 15 years without water or food while having to stare at the same Viagra ad you kept popping up on my computer every single solitary day - seriously).
• Menu:
  • Appetizers:  veggie tray, fruit tray, stuffed brie (Thank You Whole Foods), Georgia Peach and Vidalia Onion spread (thank you creme cheese – you will always be my most trusted friend), Marinated Shrimp Salad with artichoke hearts
  • Main Event
    • Turkey and Ham
    • Mama’s dressing (there is nothing like it on this earth – passed down from generations and I still don’t know how to make it)
    • Cranberry sauce and cranberry relish
    • Two – count ‘em – two kinds of gravy
    • Relish tray with black olives, sweet tiny pickles, corn relish, and mild chow chow (I am SO into trays at big feasts – adds color and yum-pop)
    • Stuffed eggs
    • Fresh creamed corn with roasted red peppers (email me for the recipe – amazing!)
    • Fresh pink-eye purple-hull peas (say that 3 times real fast)
    • Roasted asparagus
    • Sliced Tennessee Tomatoes (the Thanksgiving miracle – they were GOOD)
    • Marinated cucumbers
    • Garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes
    • Green bean casserole
    • Fresh, home-made crescent rolls
    • Sauerkraut (a concession I make every year in order to stay married)
  • And dessert – home-made pumpkin pie, fresh Georgia Mountain apple pie, chocolate bundt cake

Did I miss anything?  Probably.

Now as you may suspect, I’m a little testy right now looking for whoever made the nasty decision to cram Thanksgiving and Christmas into the last two months of the year.  But here’s what’s coming up -

• Decorating the world’s tiniest live Christmas tree (after the above, I’m into small and quick-but-to-the-point)
• Stalking orphaned-but-fully-developed Magnolia trees in Northeast Georgia – going natural with the decorations this year.  Pictures to follow.
• An ornament exchange for the liddle kiddles
• One big Holiday Feed for work (which will also include the aforementioned magnolia leaves and yes – pictures to follow)

So bear with me.  This year I’m the Anti-Consumer Christmas Decorations Warrior and I promise to bring you along on the journey.  Mama Nature offers waaaay too much good stuff for free.  You just need a glue gun and some determination.

Celebrating the crammed-together-holidays – and still trying to make them special while remaining sane (whatever the heck that is).

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

I love the quirky turkey in the middle of the table.  Bought him two years ago at the Dollar Tree to take on the plane with us Thanksgiving Day as we escaped to Turks & Caicos.  His dollar-self will be with me forever!

True Confession

It was a Thursday, just like any Thursday.  Sky was blue, no rain in Atlanta, life was just ducky.

• Chug coffee – check email
• Head upstairs
• Dress – black being the choice of the day (happens a lot)
• Back downstairs
• Load up laptop and assorted, unruly papers
• Treats for dogs – out the door to work
• Usual Atlanta commute
• Park car, open door
• Wait! Whose brown shoe is that?  Did I put on brown shoes?
• Other foot out door
• o-no

9 hours at work, usual office circulation routes, several meetings with various people.

No one ever said a word.

Humbling.

Celebrating what little is left of my sanity today.

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

Marrying a Hunter? 2009 edition!

Whoa!  Last year I wrote a post marking the momentous occasion of my best-bud-from-egg-stage’s anniversary (yes, she married a hunter).  I had no idea how popular a topic that was, but man-o-blog-post has that article pulled the hits over the last year!

Which brings me to a lovely lady I’ve had the pleasure of meeting as a result of just that post – Mrs. JoAnne Schnepp – Intrepid Entrepreneur and the owner of White Lace and Promises and A Touch of Camo, LLC.  Yes, that’s right – the lady that makes camouflage wedding dresses, and she has a mighty compelling story.

JoAnne started helping her wedding photographer husband with his business in 1981.  As kind of a natural progression, this led her into the gown industry in 1998.  JoAnne takes a passionate personal interest in her clients, particularly brides getting ready for their weddings. She’s enjoyed working individually with brides to create custom or replica wedding gowns in the past.   JoAnne says, “I loved helping the bride develop and create her idea of the perfect gown on paper, then working with my excellent network of talented dressmakers and seamstresses to make her dream come true! “  Her custom gown business is on hold at the moment, because right now she’s looking for talented new seamstresses to work with her, so if any of you are interested, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to pass your information along.  So drop us a line!

“But camouflage wedding dresses”, you might ask. “How the heck did that get started?”

Don’t laugh. I can understand your skepticism if you weren’t born into the same Southern “Hunting is Life” consortium that I was.  But look a little deeper and you’ll find that Southern hunters are part of a rich tradition, involving weekends at luxurious private retreats with hunt buffet dinners to rival anything you’ll find in a five-star restaurant.  Ever read Garden and Gun?  If not, here’s the link.  Get yourself educated (and get a subscription while you’re at it.  I want that magazine to be around for a loooong time).

Enough about me – back to JoAnne and her fascinating story.

In August of 2007, a bride from Texas contacted JoAnne through  her website, asking if she could add some satin camo to her already-purchased wedding  gown. The groom-to-be really wanted Mossy Oak camo incorporated into the wedding theme (which may seem odd for a groom to be so opinionated, but serious hunters are just surprising like that).  JoAnne, always up for another custom wedding dress challenge, said yes.

As JoAnne recalls, “She shipped me the dress from Texas, and I worked with her to define just what kind of camo touches she wanted. I must admit I had to search quite a while to find Mossy Oak bridal satin, which at that time was not an easy thing to do.  But find it I did!  I packed the Mossy Oak satin up with the dress and shipped it to my Bulgarian dressmaker, who’d agreed to do the job.  Yes, the wedding dress and the Mossy Oak camouflage satin all made a side trip to Bulgaria!  In about a month we accepted delivery on a gown what was absolutely beautiful!   We were just amazed!”

“The gown was so surprisingly lovely that we took some pictures and gave the gown a name – Heather – after the bride.  My husband and I put some of the pictures out on the Internet, just to see if there was any interest in camouflage-accented wedding gowns. It was a complete hit!  The pictures had been on the web site for only about two weeks when I got a second order.  And by November of that year, I had orders for two more, but NO DRESS MAKER!  I’d lost contact with my Bulgarian connection, and my one US seamstress then was busy with other work and could not help.  I was in a panic!”

JoAnne frantically started looking for a US factory or anyone to help fill the mounting orders. No luck, but then one day the phone rang.  The woman on the line had seen JoAnne’s website and wanted to sell her on an advertising deal.  The caller also recognized that JoAnne was onto something truly unique, and she asked for an interview, too.  “HA!” says JoAnne.  “I had to tell her we’d only made three gowns, and that I had a lot of orders now, but no one to sew for me.”

JoAnne truly believes that God is good when someone is on the right track.  And sure enough, the caller knew just the person in Louisiana who could handle the job.  She put JoAnne in touch with Judy, owner of not only three bridal salons, but also a factory!  They talked on the phone, carved out a deal straight away, and they’ve been Partners in Camouflage ever since.

As JoAnne tells it, “For the first 6 months, we asked brides to submit pictures of styles they liked, and then we made “custom” wedding gowns in camo – designing patterns on the computer.  Judy also had quite the inventory of existing patterns, so she would also check those to see which ones would best convert to styles made with Mossy Oak.  We’d present the drawings to the bride, she would make her decision, and the gown would then come to life down in our little Louisiana factory.”

In their first year working together, the duo sold 200 gowns.   During the 2008-2009 wedding season, they’ve sold over 600 camouflage  gowns to date!  Now they carry over 80 styles, plus lots of different options for customization, “…so a gal can create a gown very unique to her, and know that no one else will ever be seen wearing the same style!”

You know I just had to ask, “JoAnne, what’s the most unique request you’ve ever had?”, thinking there had to be some doozies.  Here’s what she said:

“Would you believe that this happened just this very week?  I had a gentleman call up wanting to rent an all-camo gown to wear in a play!  Seems a group of guys lost a dare of some kind and, as a result, they were forced to create a play where they are all women characters!  He went to a lot of trouble to explain that they were all married men and this was not a scam.  Of course I was happy to help him, but I did ask for pictures from the play night.  He REFUSED!  I think I understand, as he said he didn’t want pictures of him wearing a woman’s dress showing up all over the Internet.  Little does he know that it might happen anyhow, if anyone takes a picture during the play?”

JoAnne doesn’t stop at just the camouflage wedding gown, either.  “Yes – I also enjoy helping brides plan out some of the details for their camo-themed weddings.  I’m not a professional wedding planner by any means, but I do get to see lots of details because brides share their wedding pictures with me. “

“A camo-themed wedding can be a totally informal, outdoor occasion or it can be very formal, elegant and traditional.  Or mix it up – have the formal wedding in the church, remove the detachable train and veil, and run off to an outdoor reception on a ranch or farm!”

“Work the mossy oak pattern in your decorations with table runners, place mats and chair wraps.  Did you know there is mossy oak tulle available, too?  It looks lovely draped around the tables or weave some in around the centerpiece or down the center of a long table.”

“You can create candle centerpieces by buying inexpensive fat candles, then hot glue shotgun shells (empty ones!) Around the bottom, then toss some randomly around the table.  Buy silk fall leaves or better yet – save up some real ones and scatter those under the shells.  Put the same fall leaves in your flowers, and use cat tail, sunflowers, pheasant feathers, turkey feathers and wrap with mossy oak ribbon.”

“In our camo line, we’ve identified 15 colors that go well with the mossy oak pattern.  We mail out fabric swatches of all these at no charge to our brides, so they can coordinate flowers, table cloths, bridesmaids colors, etc.  We also carry a whole line of honeymoon lingerie, swimwear for guys and gals and other lounge wear in mossy oak.  Oh yes – and we have hot pink camo in that line too!”

Entrepreneur JoAnne has crafted a fascinating business out of a niche market pretty quickly, but she hasn’t lost her personal touch – the hallmark of her success.  I’ll end with a true “JoAnne quote” to better illustrate the dynamic, caring nature of this businesswoman:

“If anyone out there is considering a camo themed wedding, don’t hesitate to contact me.  I don’t need to make a sale to be helpful to anyone who’s interested!  I love working with brides to help create the day of their dreams – it’s my passion.  My contact info can be found at www.laceandpromises.com and there you can also see some of the designs.  By the first of next year, the new camo website will be live in all its glory at atouchofcamo.com. “

Celebrating camouflage wedding dresses and the sharp women who craft them today.

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!

Just a few of the possibilities…

A traditional wedding gown with halter top and full mossy oak train

White snowfall satin camo over tulle.  Also available in the darker camo colors with ivory tulle underlay.

Detachable mossy oak train and beautiful lace-up back make this dress a true stand-out!

Thanksgiving Tidbits

Unless you’re Thanksgiving Superman, somewhere in between “Welcome!” and “Food’s Ready!” there’s going to be a little downtime.  Maybe you’ll serve a tasty pumpkin cocktail, or a warm apple cider – that’s always nice.  But why not take the “gotta throw it on the table fast” pressure off and have a few simple savouries ready when you’re guests hit the door?  They can nibble and sip, while you graciously slice, sauce, warm and prepare the main event.  Here are my two favorite, easy to prepare, Old Family Recipe pre-Thanksgiving-dinner tidbits for you to consider:

CREAM CHEESE AND CRAB SPREAD

Make this one up to two days in advance, keep refrigerated, but add the crab and chili sauce the day of

• 12 oz. cream cheese (softened – which you can do in the microwave in a few secs if you’re not patient, like me)
  2 tbsp. mayonnaise (I like Miracle Whip in this)
  1 tbsp. grated white onion
  2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  1 tsp. lemon juice (fresh, please – cut lemon in two, put in bowl cut side down, microwave for 30 secs – juice comes out quick but careful, it may be hot)
  1/2 bottle chili sauce
  Crab flaked (can use fresh, frozen or canned – up to you and what’s available)

In a nifty bowl, add cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, grated onion and lemon juice. Mix well. Spread in a shallow bowl serving-type dish. Chill one hour or until solid.

Spread on top of above mixture: chili sauce first, then flaked crab. Sprinkle with parsley flakes for color. Serve with Ritz crackers or Water Crackers.  Yum!

STUFFED CELERY

Oh this is so easy – crunchy, creamy, and good!  Make stuffing up to three days before, wash-peel-cut celery and store in plastique in fridge, then stuff celery day before, cover in plastique and refrigerate.

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened (microwave for me)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 25 green olives with pimento, chopped
• 1 bunch celery, wash, remove strings and cut into bite-size pieces

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in the walnuts and chopped olives. At this point you can just refrigerate spread to flavor up.  Night before, spread filling onto the celery pieces, seal with plastique wrap and refrigerate.  Voila!

And don’t forget to dress your table with Thanksgiving favors for your guests.  My particular favorites? (yes, click the pic for where to buy)

Insert an old family picture into these delightful fall glass coasters for a practical and memorable Thanksgiving favor.

  

Not using place cards?  Then use the same picture concept I mentioned above, or simply present as a gift at each place setting.  Easy!  They’re presentation-ready in the cutest little box!

Celebrating all you sharp hosts and hostesses out there today who are already planning their Thanksgiving feasts!

Please remember to Celebrate Something Everyday!