Buds and Buddies

Went outside this morning and saw a lot of buds in the yard. The sunshine feels so good. I think I forgot that feeling.

You Had to Be There

My writing skills are just not able to paint the picture, capture the aromas, cast the characters from last evening. Celebrating Mark & Karen's new car with a "car warming" bucket of goodies, a champagne toast and gifts for the hubby and my 20th anniversary, stories and laughs, good conversations, over the top food, and a table that was eye candy. It was all there.





Appetizers, that I hope Shelly posts the recipes for on her blog. They were as good as they looked in the photo. Pretty presentation too.

My photography skills weren't able to capture everything though. The main course came to the table on fire. Yes, there were flames in the mushrooms. Presentation folks, the WOW factor! It was all there. Delicious. I am still reliving that steak. Potato balls, I have never met a potato that I didn't love and these were lovable!

I brought cheesecake for dessert with a mixed berry Chambord sauce and whipped cream. I'm not bragging but would like to note it had no cracks. Patience and planning made that possible. My twist on an old favorite is in the crust, I double the recipe, use brown sugar instead of white and add a bit of extra butter. In light of all the diets I used the 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
LOVE WEEK is over, but I still have the memories to savor. So blessed and grateful for the love. Oh, and I wore the shoes.

Foodie Friends

The hubby and I have foodie friends, this could be considered bragging. And we get to have dinner with them tonight. I can't wait. These friends can cook, bake, are adventurous in the kitchen, know how to set a gorgeous table, really the best kind of friends. Farm Shelly and hubby, Mark and Karen and the hubby and I are having Valentine's Dinner tonight. I am making dessert, it's a secret. Nothing new, just a staple in the dessert world that I made for my now hubby while we were dating. I think it had a big influence on where we are today...married! The 'eat less, move more' will be set aside for the evening. Bring it on!
Please note that the 'move more' is difficult at best today anyway since I can barely move. It's not pretty. I don't think I will be wearing those black strappy heels tonight for that flirty evening look.
Photo is of Karen at one of our previous dinners. Nice!

For Crying Out Loud

And I have cried today. While I was doing Valentine's Day, people were creating dirty laundry, a lot.
This afternoon I was going down the steps, talking to Max about how I finally finished the book I was writing, "How to Docent at the Lynden Pioneer Museum"(promises to be a bestseller), when my feet flew out and I slammed(SLAMMED) down the steps on my bum. Not good. I don't think anything is broken but my tush is screaming in pain. You know, instant tears, shaking, and nausea. The hubby came home shortly after the fact and after I was on the couch on ice, this is some of what I had to listen to. Not necessarily in order.
*Max-Good thing I was here or you'd be needing Life Alert.
*Max- Did you break your hip? Because if you did, that is it you know. All downhill.
*Max- I'm not looking.
*Hubby-So, did you run to help her.
*Max-Well, yea, um, I knew she did more than just drop the phone.
*Hubby- Do you think we'll have to put her down?
*Max- If we put her down, I get her bed.
*Hubby- Um, no Max, I'm still here. It's my bed too.
*Hubby- I'll look...that is looking to be a big bruise and scrape. Do you want a bandaid?
Now whenever Max goes down the steps he makes the "noise" that I apparently made as this all transpired.
For crying out loud.
Edit: Saturday. Max says he feels like a hockey coach today. He keeps telling me, "get your butt on the ice." I'm OK, really.

A Good Time was Had by All

I have pretty much made the same Valentine's Day dinner for twenty years. The co-stars change but the leading lady is the heart shaped meatloaf. At a later time I will post the Green Beans Bundles of Love recipe. Yummy! Since it was also 'Single Awareness Day' yesterday we invited a friend. Adelene has been in the dumps since Matthew McC. left her for that Brazilian model. Our boys really like Ad, so they gave the go ahead to inviting someone for this special dinner. She came looking beautiful, wearing red in the spirit of the day and bearing gifts. Nice!
I wish I had more photos to share but once dinner was ready, we were busy eating, talking and laughing. Fun times!



FAQ- So, what does the hubby do for you, someone that LOVES Valentines? Answer- I hestitate to tell you, ladies, you will be green with envy...He always buys me a mushy card, and yesterday he mopped and waxed the wood floors, there's more but I hesitate to share...He made the dinner rolls from scratch and he put new sheets on our bed (beautiful high count sheets). What you are experiencing right now is "hubvy"-hubby envy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love today! I am quite busy with the day so I will post later tonight and share my wonderful Valentine's Day and Dinner with all of you! God bless and really have a special day!
FAQ- Did you LOVE Valentines Days when you were single? Yes, folks, I did. I didn't get married until I was 29 so I had some single Valentines and I loved those days too. ;)