Showing posts with label entertaining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertaining. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Charity Tea Recap & Photos!

Last weekend I attended a charity tea at High Heeled Life's house.  It was called the Serendipity Christmas Tea and we were all asked to bring an unwrapped gift for a teen girl which would be donated to the local charity collecting for Christmas.


We were greeted at the door with a glass of champers.  You can see it ready and waiting on the table.  I've decided I need to be handed a glass the moment I walk into any building.


The all important branding and signage!


Some great items were collected for the teen girls who need some love at Christmas.


Every surface was beautifully decorated - I know the pain of living with a renovation!


Sometimes we just work with what we have!


Prepare to gain 10lbs just looking at the food - I lost track of how many treats I ate!


Everything was beautifully made and presented!


Never be afraid to ask if something you are deathly allergic to is in something you are being served.  Better safe than sorry!  I was told tho, these were amazing!  


More food read to be warmed up!  
These were delicious - cranberry and turkey I think!


Seriously...I would've forgotten to serve the tea!  
Fortunately HHL always has lots of people around to help out!


Three different teas with all the fixins!


Sugars and honey!


I had eaten so much I didn't even try to top it off with a scone, but everyone else raved about them!



Mmmm clotted cream.  'Nuff said!


After sugar and champers it's nice to have a glass of cold water


Uh huh.  We were expected to eat it all!


My favourite cupcakes!


Macarons.  NOT Macaroons.  Two totally different cookies. 
Don't try to tell me in America they are called Macaroons.
They aren't.


So about those cupcakes....if you are ever invited to HHL's house, ask for the cupcakes.


Treasures from Paris.


One of the tables all set for a group of ladies.


All the little details were perfect!


Every teacup was different!


Another table by the big comfy couches!


Magazines were laid out...just in case 7 women ran out of conversation!


Fresh flowers everywhere!


I sat at one of the couches to eat all of the yummy treats. My favourite was the egg salad sandwiches - apparently they contained some highly guarded, secret Italian ingredient.


Yes, I photographed other plates too!


Thanks for inviting me to your charity tea HHL!  I had a great time with the girls!

After we ate everyone gathered around the big couches and like fun loving women who are no threat to each other we laughed and screeched and cackled and had a great time!  Now we know one of the girls has her family's meals all cooked by her MIL, her husband gets the kids to school and does the ironing and the children sort the laundry.  She gets to read books and take baths (oh and work full time).  We are all a little jelly bean!

At the peak of hilarity there was a tentative knock at the door - the room went silent and one of the husbands was let in....looking terrified!  We sat there looking mostly prim and proper until we forgot he was standing there before we went back to conversations about why men cheat, how to make children say please, religion in the 1st and 3rd worlds and anything else we could come up with!
I was exhausted by the time I got home!  It was a great day for a great cause!


Have a fabulous day!

Monday, August 1, 2011

What we have been up to!

Summer is such a busy time...even if we are doing nothing but making lunches and taking them out to the pool...so it's hard to keep on top of blogging everything.  I realised I hadnt written a post about real life for a while so I grabbed my datebook and went back over the things we have done lately....


- The Little Prince wrapped up his dance classes with a little recital.  The kids picked the music and each one got to pick a step and it was all put together.  Having a son I never realized just how emotional little girls are!  Oh my gosh!  The classes were an hour each and 5 little girls spent that hour taking turns sulking, having tantrums and crying in the corner while he waited patiently.  The Little Prince is now terrified of girls.  I plan to keep it that way.  Anyhoo, he did a great job, remembered all the steps, wore a little bow tie and took his teacher flowers.

- I went to a Chamber of Commerce networking event where I met a gift basket designer.  I have already been printing ribbon for her and hopefully her clients will order ribbon too!  www.Royal-Ribbons.com is my ribbon printing business in case you didnt already know.

- My Rotary club held a dinner for the poverty coalition in town and all the poor people who belong got to come to our buffet.  The food was great and even tho it rained (poured) we had a good time doing something nice for the community.

- I went to Toronto and met High Heeled Life for lunch and shopping...but you already knew that.

- The town committee I am on has taken a dramatic turn from how it has been for the last 15 years...most of the committee quit in February which left me as the senior member with a whopping 5 months of experience.  I told the mayor I wanted her to put me on a different committee but she asked me to stay which I begrudgingly did and now it is awesome!  Last year I hated being on this committee and this year it is a totally different experience.  The new chair is a former professional fundraiser and event planner and when I was at her house for a meeting I saw her big notebook is monogrammed!  She takes me seriously and has actually made me feel like a part of the team rather than the obligatory citizen they have to have on the committee.  This 78 year old woman has become my new idol! 

- Hermes Scarf Friend and I went on to homes and gardens tour and I would love to show you photos but I was told to stop taking pics and to delete the ones I had taken off my camera.  I guess they have enough people coming through and dont need any more free promotion.  Too bad, some of the homes were quite nice and very interesting.  The tour took place in 5 houses in the region so we had to do a bit of driving.  It was so nice to spend time with HSF as we are both so busy we dont often have time to just do nothing but chat and gossip.  It was such a hot and humid day - we ended up stopping for ice cream on the way home to help cool off!

- I attended the last meeting of the 'year' for the library book club.  I wasnt in love with the book but it's always a nice way to spend an hour with people I dont see anywhere else.  Usually someone brings treats but for the last meeting most of us brought something so we had a nice dessert buffet.  The next meeting will be at the end of September so I have time to read a few of my own books over the summer!

- The Little Prince and I went to High Heeled Life's house for Canada day...but you already knew that.


- We went to the local waterfront festival for the first time.  Usually the Suburban Prince is working that weekend so it was nice to finally see it after all of these years!  I was impressed at how big it is and will need to plan better for next year and give ourselves a lot more time to see all of the vendors.  There were lots of activities for the kids, concerts all day long, beach activities, a midway and lots more!  Next year I will take photos, we were a bit rushed this time.

- We had my inlaws over for a swim and dinner for my MIL's birthday.  I made two huge slow cooked racks of ribs.  They were sooooo good!  I managed to find the Suburban Prince's favourite bbq sauce just in time!  On the side I had Greek salad and broccoli salad and for dessert I made key lime pie parfaits.

- We went to the local lavender festival and later the same day went to a party for HSF's son who is going to Belgium for a year on a student exchange.  It was part fundraiser part goodbye party tho I will see him before he goes at least two more times.


- The Suburban Prince went for a hearing test - I made the appointment and sent him as I am sick of repeating myself and having to yell all the time.  Turns out his hearing is in the normal range so now he knows he has no excuse.  Are you reading this handsome husband?  I'm on to you!

- We took the Little Prince to see Winnie The Pooh on opening day.  He was a superstar!  He stayed in his seat, yelled to all the characters, ate popcorn and clapped at the end.  I cant wait to take him to see The Smurfs!

- My housekeeper has a girl party every summer so I stopped in for a couple of hours.  It's always nice to see some new people and see some familiar faces from previous years but it's also a bit akward when it's someone else's friends and they all have a history and I am the outsider.  Either way we had nice cocktails by the pool and didnt have to do any of the cleaning up!

- We went to the Highland Games as we do every year.  I have been to them all over the place and it has rained every. single. time.  I have been soaked to the skin, drizzled on, crammed in a beer tent while the bands carried on by standing on the tables and playing their hearts out.  I have seen bands almost struck by lightning and have taken to carrying rain gear and umbrellas with me whenever I go.  There is no way that many Scottish people can gather without rain!  This year was the exception tho!  We got through the whole day without a drop of rain - it's a Scottish miracle!  We had never seen the end of the games before so it was nice to see the bands all playing together....there is a post with lots of photos coming this week.


- I got back to golf, at last.  I havnt even looked at my clubs all season and last week got to the driving range with my teacher for a few buckets of balls.  I am quite pleased at how well I did and got through the entire bag of including my Big Daddy club!  My favourite is when I finish my swing and my teacher tells me I look like the top of a trophy!

- I took the Little Prince to visit a friend who has a summer home at the lake...in other words a trailer at the beach and it was nice to watch the kids play and snack while we chatted about life, love and how to take a decent photo of ribbon.

- I visited a friend who had a stroke a couple of weeks ago.  She is 36 and the doctors didnt think she was having a stoke because of her age...even tho she kept telling them she was and had all of the symptoms.  While running all sorts of tests on her they found she has a hole in her heart so now she is waiting for more tests and a surgery to repair the hole.  I am amazed how how stressed she is while being so positive.  She is a bodybuilder and believes she will fully recover and get her life back to normal.  In the meantime she has been realising what's important and told me she plans to make changes in her life.

- A friend of a friend left her husband a few weeks ago.  It was a bit out of the blue but I can totally understand her snap decision - I am the same way and when things arent right I cut ties and move on.  I know this woman as we see each other at some of the same events and she has been at my house a few times...I can honestly say I never liked her husband and think she is better off without him.  I told her at least now she can live her live on her terms and she says 'Exactly!'.

- Another friend is teetering on the verge of ending her marriage.  There must be something in the water or the planets are aligned wrong or something!  It's a 22 year marriage but they have done what so many people do when they get married at 19...they have grown apart.  They hardly do anything together, they practically live apart and often take separate vacations.  I say sh*t or get off the pot!  Anyhoo, hopefully she will decide what she wants and stop torturing herself.  40 is the new 16 so it's not like her life is over!


- I finally saw Midnight In Paris - oh my!  What a wonderful movie!  I had no idea what it was about so I wont spoil a thing here.  I loved it so much and now understand why everyone was raving about it!  I would love to go see it again - after I have googled everyone in it lol!  I took little bottles of champagne with me to ensure I was really involved in the atmosphere.


This coming week is another busy one for me with my ribbon business (www.Royal-Ribbons.com) and getting some plans made for my Rotary club's 90th birthday party.  I somehow ended up being the chair of the committee so I want to have all the info ready and make a presentation to the club in 2 week's time.  I am going with a 20's glam kinda thing...bring on the Charleston!


Have a fabulous day!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Summer in a glass!


I was reading the May/June issue of Tea Time Magazine and spotted some adorable little desserts in miniature!  My in-laws were coming for a birthday dinner so I needed something special for dessert.

Key lime, Boston cream and strawberry shortcake parfaits!  How cute are they!?  They are all so easy to make and assemble and can easily be prepared with ready made ingredients!


Mine didn't look quite as pretty but then I have a 3 year old boy and any mom of a little boy knows one just gets it in the glass, on the table, in the oven, on the plate or anything else one needs too do with food and then runs off to find out what mischief one's little boy is up to! 

I didn't bother using the recipe...the little boy and everything else I need to manage means a lack of time...so I just used vanilla pudding mix, used lime juice in place of 1/4 of the milk and layered with whipped cream and graham crumbs.

It tastes like a day at the beach!  Just vanilla pudding, milk, lime juice, whipped cream and graham crumbs.  Easy peasy!


For the coffee service I channeled my inner Miss Janice and tied pretty little ribbons to my glass coffee mugs!  Everyone was duly impressed!


Have a fabulous day!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Canada Day Photos!

The Little Prince and I went to High Heeled Life's house in the country for Canada day celebrations.  There was lots of food, drinks, kids, dogs and sunny skies!  Coming from a very small family with no relatives in this country I am always amazed at how many people my friends can get to a party!  There were relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbours and more! 


Everything was set up outside which kept things simple and the party in one place.  HHL served drinks in these adorable canisters!   I love the wrought iron.  We had pink lemonade, iced tea and orange juice with vodka.


HHL was fussing with the wine to get it 'just right' until I reminded her that the first person to arrive is going to take a bottle out and it wont ever look the same!  I have to remind myself the same thing at my own parties!


HHL had red and white decor everywhere!  Lots of flags and flowers!


She even made the tables look like Canadian flags!


Lots of red and white plates, napkins and cutlery!


I couldn't get both balloons to face the same way at the same time!


A nice shady spot for the kiddies to have their snacks!


I totally forgot to take photos of the bbq food and salads...I have no idea what I was thinking...or not thinking...I might've been busy keeping the Little Prince from getting into mischief!  There were so many desserts...it took a few of us to get them all outside!  Cupcakes, muffins, fruit with chocolate.....


More cake to go with the coffee service!


More cake!  And tarts!


Yummy cake!  The icing was perfect...not too sweet but nice and sugary - just the way cake should be!  The Little Prince wanted to sing happy birthday when he saw the cake!

Thanks again HHL for inviting us to your party!  We had a great time!


Have a fabulous day!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Pink & Green Thursday!


I am planning to host a S&D jewelry party in a couple of weeks and have been looking for inspiration.  I came across this beautiful setting for a tea party!  I love all the mix and match china!  If you look close you will the tea cup in the middle is actually a candle.  I inherited my gran's china and have never used it so I am thinking I need to have a lovely little tea party this summer!  Complete with cucumber sandwiches and lavender shortbread!


Have a fabulous day!