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Thanks, Dad!

Posted in Family, Holidays, tagged , on June 17, 2010| 1 Comment »

Why I have a mouth full of fillings...

See that basket full of candy? My Dad brought it to me last month when he and my mom came to visit for Mother’s Day.

Every single piece of tooth-decaying sweetness is something my Dad and I shared many times when I was growing up. You can read about  those adventures here.

I was impressed he not only brought me the candy, but that at 79-years-young he artfully arranged them himself. Not bad for a retired farmer!

My Dad - showing off his boots. Notice the hat cocked to one side. He still wears his hat like that. If I wore a hat, pretty sure I'd do the same thing. That's why Hubby doesn't let me have one.

As we celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, I wanted to say thank you to my daddy. There are so many things he taught me and so very many good memories I have of him. Summertime and my dad just go hand-in-hand. It was one of his busiest times on the farm, but also when I got to spend the most time with him.

I also have my dad to thank for making me an unrelenting optimist. Things will always look better tomorrow, something exciting is always coming around the corner and what’s the best that can happen? That is definitely from my dad.

My dad can also be given credit for the weird way I walk when I’m in a hurry. Catching a glimpse of myself in a store window the other day was not only an abrupt realization that I should never walk in a hurry, but that I walk just like my dad (which, to clarify, is great for a guy, not so great for a girl wearing platform espadrilles).

He can also take credit for my bizarre sense of humor, my love of stories, my sometimes strange fashion sense, my completely odd fascination with family history and my inability to eat spicy foods.

Then there is the sweet tooth issue. That is from my dad. He never met a dessert he didn’t like. He has been known to say that he only likes two kinds of pie: hot and cold.  It is true. Unlike Hubby, my dad will eat just about anything (minus the spicy food). But sweets are always high on the list. So thanks, Dad, for all the cavities – and all the great sweets I wouldn’t have had even during the no-chocolate years.

Thanks, Dad, for being a great father, for creating all the wonderful memories I have of you and fun times we spent together, for living a good life and for staying young-at-heart. You are the best!

Love ya!

Your “Sweet” Daughter

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Summer Party Theme Ideas

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Party Theme, tagged , , on June 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

If you are planning to do some entertaining this summer, why not incorporate a fun summer party theme?

It creates a whole new level of excitement for your guests and makes the entertaining process much easier on you. When you choose a theme it narrows down the work and thought you have to put into your party because it creates some boundaries. Instead of choosing from thousands of recipes, you can select those that go along with your theme. A theme also creates guidelines for decorations, invitations, and color schemes.

Here is an A-Z selection of summer party themes. Have fun with them!

Summer Theme Party Ideas

Around the World

BAD (Beverages, Appetizers, Dessert)

Chocolate Tasting

Drinks & Divas

Easy Living

Flip Flops & Fun

Garden’s Bounty

Home on the Range
Ice Cream Social
Jazz Fest
Kid’s Day
Luau
Marshmallows & More
Night in Paris
Ocean Escape
Picnic Time
Quesadillas
Rainy Day (create your own rain with sprinklers outside in front of a picture window. You could even put it close to the front door so guest would get wet if they don’t have their umbrella.)
Sippers & Sandals
Taste of Tuscany
Under the Stars
View the Sunset
White-Out (this could be quite lovely – use all white, cream and clear glass serving pieces with white linens and ask guests to wear white. The food would provide brilliant pops of color. Would be beautiful outside with the colors of nature as the backdrop.)
Xmas in July
Yummy Bites
Zucchini Fest  (Okay – so this one is stretching it a bit…. but it could be quite tasty: fried zucchini for an appetizer, maybe some eggplant Parmesan with zucchini for a main dish and, of course, chocolate zucchini cake for dessert!)

Whatever themes you use for your summer entertaining, have fun with them!

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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Blooms of Death

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Home and Garden, Musings, tagged , , on June 10, 2010| 1 Comment »

Dracula Lily - a plague in my backyard bliss.

When we moved into our current home, it came with an assortment of  beautiful flowers and plants. I enjoyed the rose bushes, the mums,  and hydrangea. Because we moved in during the summer, I had no idea what interesting plants would bloom in the spring.

I was in for a great surprise.

One warm and lovely spring day, right around this time of year, I was enjoying the breeze blowing in the window from the back yard when the most atrocious smell came floating in. Whoa, Nelly! It smelled exactly like something dead and decaying.  I hurried to look outside and see if someone had drug the rotting carcass of a large animal into our backyard. The smell was that bad. I couldn’t see anything from the window, so I went outside to investigate. What I found was the oddest plant with the most horrendous smell issuing forth from its blooms.

According to the information I found, the plant is called Dracunculus Vulgaris,  also known as the Voodoo Lily or Dracula Lily. I can see how it acquired those names. I think it is a great insult to the beautiful lilies that grace formal bouquets at special celebrations to even be in the same family as this blight on the plant world.

Honest to goodness, the plant smells like death and decay. If you’ve never smelled that rotting decayed smell count yourself fortunate. Growing up on a farm, I’m unfortunately well acquainted with that particular odor.

Because I hate the two plants that burst forth in prolific and horrific bloom each year, Hubby absolutely loves them. I’ve threatened to dig them up, spray them, mow them over and do anything I can to destroy them. He won’t have any of it. So the deal is I put up with the awful lilies and he leaves my roses alone.

Wish me luck, it looks like the plant is heading into full bloom!

Shanna

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Host a Flag Day Party

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, tagged , , on June 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

Monday, June 14, is Flag Day.  A great day to put out some red, white and blue decorations and celebrate with family and friends.

From the information I gathered, Flag Day’s history goes back to 1885 when schoolteacher  BJ Cigrand arranged for  students  in the Fredonia, Wisconsin, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’.

George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned festivities for the children of his school on June 14, 1889, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration June 14, 1891, and the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.

The Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in positions of authority as well as all private citizens to display the Flag June 14.

The governor of New York directed that on June 14, 1894,  the Flag be displayed on all public buildings.

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in presented a speech that he said was given him by the Flag that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”

Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.

Plan a get together to celebrate Flag Day. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You could serve something as simple as blue and white corn chips with salsa and sugar cookies topped with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Flags should be the highlight of your celebration. Make sure you are flying one outside and use small flags throughout your buffet table or centerpieces.

The ingredients for a simple centerpiece. I would recommend purchasing a bag of patriotic M&Ms over picking out the appropriate colored ones. Although that does give you a reason to eat 2/3 of the bag before the guests show up!

Put out some fun and festive decorations. You can fill small canning jars with red and blue candy then tie with a festive bow.  Line them down the center of your table or tuck them in among your buffet. You could also put at each place setting if you were doing a family-style meal with a little name place card on a flag in each jar. You could also use the same little jars to stagger red, white and blue candles down the center of your table.

Cute little jar of patriotic M&Ms makes a fun accent for your table. As long as you aren't a peanut M&M freak and can stay out of them unlike some people who will remain nameless.

You can give your guests a fun take-away by putting red, white and blue M&Ms (or any red, white or blue candy) in a festive cupcake paper then making a little bag out of plastic wrap. Secure with a rubber band and tie with a ribbon. Who wouldn’t love to leave a party with one of these edible and festive gifts.

A fun take-away for guests is a bag of patriotic treats. Have them in a basket by the door for an easy way to pass them to guests when they are ready to depart.

Keep your entertaining casual and simple and focus on connecting with those gathered in your home.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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