Some days were just meant to be Fridays… Happy Weekend, friends!
Ginger Candy Apple Tini
3.5 oz Absoult Brooklyn Vodka( ginger apple flavor) brand new to the market?
1.5 oz Dekuyper apple
.5 oz Dekuyper butterscotch schnapps
Line the inside of the martini glass with caramel syrup. Garnish with a caramel apple slice. So pretty!
Today is Tuesday, and Tuesday is “trash day” at our house. In our home, this is a day of scheduled acts of kindness… vs. “random”. I have a story to share, but I have to admit that I was torn about whether to “put it out there”… or not. I am a HUGE believer in “Acts of Kindness” that come from the heart in a spirit of love and generosity. Not attention or recognition. When I came across this quote (below), I knew that sharing my story was the way to go. I realized that in the sharing of these “good deeds” – we are really sharing the “spirit” of these deeds, therefore making them contagious.
“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”
~Amelia Earhart
It all started about 20 years ago. My twins were very young and absolutely fascinated with watching the trashmen in their big trucks. They would wait for trash day every single week, and then they would pull up their “Little Tikes” chairs to their second story bedroom window and wait… and wait… and wait… for the trashmen to arrive. I cannot honestly tell you how the conversation originally began, but suffice it to say that we decided 
that the trashmen were probably quite thirsty in the middle of their long, hard day. So we started taking cold sodas out to them when they would arrive. Every week. The problem would arise, however, if we were not there at the moment that they arrived. So we started a new plan. We bought a little cooler that was big enough to hold a few sodas and an ice pack. If we were not going to be there, they knew that the cooler was for them. This soon stretched into winter, and we knew how cold the trashmen must be on their long winter days. So we started making hot chocolate and got a big thermos that we could fill in the morning. The kids would make little “goodie bags” for them at Christmas time with snacks, McDonald’s gift certificates and homemade cookies. This whole idea blossomed into taking sodas on a hot summer day to anyone who looked thirsty… even if it was roofers working on a house three doors down! They had internalized this spirit of kindness and were thinking kind thoughts – independent of their mom – with their own little hearts. Wow.
Fast forward twenty years. Our kids are away at college, and their hearts will always be kind. Tuesday is still trash day… a scheduled act of kindness day that has been so richly rewarded through the years in hugs and smiles and gratitude. WE are blessed. Pass it on…
live happy… laugh, love, dream, create
Yes – You heard right. Today, September 29, is “National Coffee Day”, and there are deals to be had…! To get you “in the mood” ~ a little “cupping” video and a little coffee collage…
Now someone just needs to invent “Smellavision” (wink, wink)!!
Take one breathtakingly gorgeous day; add in a crowd of eclectic people, live music, delicious food & libations and booth after booth after booth of artwork… So what do you get? Why the Kansas City Plaza Art Fair, of course! And yes, that is where the hubbie and I spent a blissful Sunday afternoon last weekend… just wandering and munching and people watching and chatting and, of course, admiring artwork.
I love looking at art and chit chatting with the artists. I love to hear their thoughts, their inspiration, their passion… Most of the art is nothing that I would, personally , hang in my home, per say – I have a very white/cream/pastel “shabby chic” style of decorating – but I adore all of the bright colors and appreciate the different mediums and techniques that make each artist unique.
My hubbie, more of a “numbers” kinda guy, mentioned that there seemed to a lot of artwork with “heads”. At that point I suggested that we stop and get him some munchies at “M&S Grill”. And a beer at “Houstons”. See how happy he looks drinking that beer…? Worked like a charm.
Just admiring the work of these talented artists gets my creative juices flowing; I feel completely energized and inspired!! Since my chosen business name is “Creations”, this is definitely a good thing!! And speaking of, the hubbie got a kick out of a piece of art that highlighted my (creative) demise… as you will see in the following pic. Hmmm… Note to self: Think very carefully about what you choose to create..
And so a happy day it was. The music, the food, the weather, the art, the inspiration and, of course, the company of my sweet hubbie – all to myself after a very busy weekend. Ahhh… Life is, indeed, very good.
So we had a little dinner party last week. Simple. Fun. Note to self; “You’re a detail freak.” Oh… really? Yes, I might look past the dust on the shelves. I only dust for my height. If you are taller than 5’5″… Well – Sorry! Honestly, who really cares anyway; Right? It’s not that I don’t care about my guests; I do. It’s just that I would rather be tying fresh rosemary on the napkins. Confession: I’m not a “matchy-matchy” person either. It was intentional that none of the placemats matched. I also mixed up the plates. And the glasses. I want to re-do my “formal dining room” and make it my “informal dining room”. And then USE it! A lot. I want to (gasp!) paint my dark mahogany furniture “shabby chic” distressed white. I would even love to throw in a few mismatched chairs. I know. Weird, huh? My daughter thinks I’m nuts. I don’t think it took her 22 years to figure that out, however. So I will keep you updated once I actually put my plan into action. You know – “before” and “after” pics. All that stuff. In the meantime, I have my eyes open for unique vintage mismatched plates. Or glasses. Or chairs…
This is a sweet little story that has made it’s way through the world of internet emails. Perhaps you, too, have been the recipient at some point. Regardless, it is a simple story that bears repeating. It continues my reflection on living our lives to make a difference… even when that difference is just a tiny footprint on the world.
Many years ago, a 10 year old boy walked up to the counter of a soda shop and climbed onto a stool. He caught the eye of the waitress and asked “How much is an ice-cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The boy reached into his pockets, pulled out a handful of change and began counting. The waitress tapped her feet impatiently. After all, she had other customers to wait on. The boy squinted up at the waitress and asked “How much is a dish of plain ice-cream?” The waitress sighed, and rolled her eyes. “Thirty five cents,” she said with a note of irritation. Again, the boy counted his coins. At last, he said, “I’ll have the plain ice-cream, please.” He then put a quarter and two nickels on the counter. The waitress scooped up the money, brought him the ice-cream, and quickly walked away.
About 15 minutes later, she returned and found the ice-cream bowl empty. The boy was gone. As she picked up the empty dish, she stared and swallowed hard. There on the counter, underneath where the bowl had been, were two nickels and five pennies. Even though that sweet little boy had enough money for a sundae, he chose to order plain ice-cream so that he had enough to leave her a tip.
And one final piece of inspiration for your tiny footprint… “That’s Why I Pray”.
Today I just wanted to share with you a dialogue that transpired this past weekend with my new (Facebook) friend, Eunice…
“To welcome my newest Facebook friend, Eunice Hohn, from the beautiful country of Germany… I share with you one of the most recognizable landmarks of Germany – Neuschwanstein Castle. It truly is what “fairytales” are made of! We were there in 1987. An absolutely GORGEOUS country! Breathtaking. Munich, the “Black Forest”, Baden-Baden… Ahhhh; so many beautiful memories 🙂 Welcome, Eunice!”
Eunice: “Olá, muiito obrigada pelo carinho e receptividade essa foi a melhor desde que estou no Face … realmente esse País é cheio de encantos…com pessoas honestas…pontuais…e competentes!Vivo aqui há quase quatro anos e minha única dificuldade é o idioma…nao sei um dia conseguirei vencer esse obstáculo…mas vou vivendo e aprovetando da melhor forma possível o que posso.Desejo um excelente final de semana com muiito carinho a Creations by cathy.”
Translation: “Hello, muiito thanks for caring and responsiveness that was the best since I’m in the Face … actually this country is full of charms … with honest people … timely … and competent!Live here for nearly four years and my only difficulty is the language … do not know one day be able to overcome this obstacle … but I’m living and aprovetando in the best way I can.Wish you a great weekend with muiito affection the Creations by cathy” (Translated by Bing)
” It IS a beautiful weekend here, Eunice… blue skies, sunshine and a cool breeze. Absolute perfection! I wish, for you, the same…!”
And just to prove to Eunice that sometimes the language barrier is NOT a problem… A little German video for you to enjoy. Watch this video until the end because the last two gals are proof positive that we ALL laugh in the same language!! German water bed prank… live happy
Who would have ever guessed that three little numbers would forever change the lives of a nation. Our nation. 9/11.
We all remember where we were on that fateful morning. It’s etched in our memories forever. The horrors of the day; the names, the faces, the stories…. They will all be relived today. We mourn as a nation. We pray for the lives of those whose hearts still ache for loved ones, lost forever.
Yes. There is evil in the world. But there is also good. And lots of it. I have this outlook on life that is kind of a “rock, paper, scissors” kind of thing. The way I see it, besides kind and evil, we also have the obstacle of indifference. As a nation, our problems are too overwhelming. It’s just too much. After all, we are just one person… Right? So what to do. Well, for me, it’s really all about me… You see, I feel that in this “rock, paper, scissors” game of life… good always wins over evil AND indifference. The problem is, it’s two against one! I can’t control the thoughts or actions of another human being – but I can control what I give to this world. I choose kindness. Honesty. Respect. Love. I vow to make a difference within this tiny little footprint that I have in this world, because it’s all that I have. And even though I cannot “control” other people; I most certainly can influence them through my own actions. After choosing the quote (above) to include in this post, I had to smile. It’s from Nike; a company that truly is all about “the game”. And in this particular quote it is “the game of life“, as well. As a nation, we will never be able to eliminate evil; nor indifference. But we do have that tiny footprint, and we can choose good. Every day. Kindness is contagious… Just do it!
(This is actually a re-post from my old blog. Just decided to share it with you today…)
Yellow is “the color of happiness” – which really comes as no surprise to me. No color in the world makes me happier than bright, warm, sunshine yellow. It is also “the color of forgiveness, peace and joy”. I like that. Yellow is perky. Today was a rainy, gloomy day – but these beautiful yellow mums were just smiling at me from my kitchen table, begging to have their picture taken. Naturally, I obliged.
They say to use yellow to suggest freshness and citrus fruitiness. Perhaps this explains, in part, my recent obsession with lemons. If you have been following me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know that I have had a case of “Lemonade-itis” lately! Two recent posts were recipes for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes and Cherry Lemonade with vodka!! OK – I’m sorry, but they just sound delish! And guess what. I found yet another recipe for Lemon Cupcakes (just wait until you see how cute they are)!! Oh my – Someone please stop me! Did I mention that yellow is also “the color of… insanity“?! Seriously. ( Oh well. Sanity is SO overrated!!) OK – No more lemon “food”. Let’s think “SPA”. How about a wonderful lemon scrub to exfoliate and smooth away dead skin??? Ahhh… There we go. And since we’re at the spa now; how about some refreshing lemon water… Simply slice several lemons and add in your choice of other goodies. Some of my favorites are lemon and fresh mint, lemon and cucumber or a combo of lemons, limes and oranges. Fill your pitcher with fresh cold water and ice and you’re ready to be refreshed. Calorie free!!!
Yellow, by any other name ( banana, cadmium yellow, chiffon, cream, golden, goldenrod, lemon, mellow yellow, saffron, chartreuse, topaz, yellow ocher) is still yellow. So maybe yellow isn’t your favorite color (Hmmm… trying to process) – but perhaps you are redecorating a room or planning a dinner party, and you would like a few tips when it comes to mixing yellow into your color palette… Well look no further. Here we go:
All natural “General Cleaner Upper Spray”
Add dish soap, borax, lemon juice and vinegar to bottle. Fill bottle with 1 quart hot water. Place the spray nozzle on the bottle and shake until all ingredients are well mixed. A few drops of your favorite essential oil will make it smell yummy. You could use lemon, lavender or tea tree oil (All three are antiseptic and antibacterial). If you have a problem with hard water stains, use 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp vinegar.
Well – I think you’re pretty much ready for the party. Just one more thing before I go. Do you believe in serendipity? I was in the middle of writing this blog when the phone rang. It was my neighbor, Deb, and she needed a missing ingredient for her dinner. Any guesses? Yep. A lemon. Make that two lemons. I quickly took a pic of the three lemons on the plate for this blog, so that I could share them with her. When she walked down to get the lemons, she told me that she had a little gift for me. Something she saw and thought of me. It is the tea towel in the pic. She had no idea that I was writing a blog about lemons or that I would post a recipe for Cherry Lemonade – with vodka on Facebook and Twitter. That’s just how friends are sometimes. True friends. They just know.
Oh – and one last thing that I forgot to mention.
Yellow is also “the color of friendship”… but, then again, I already knew that.
So we watched “Bridesmaids” again this weekend when my daughter was home for the weekend… oh my! Then I saw this blog post on my Pinterest page this morning from a fun site; “Pizzazzerie“. That got my creative planning juices going. “Girl’s Night In”. OMGosh… what a fun idea!! That is SO going on my bucket list (that I am currently “drafting”. More on that later!!)
“If you laugh really loud, talk spontaneously and you don’t care what your face looks like… You’re probably with your real friends.” – unknown
It’s time to invite the girlfriends over and host a girl’s night in! I’m sharing 10 ways to entertain the gals in style. From the perfect movies to the perfect food, you won’t ever regret “girl-time”. I love designing parties around colors so this one was naturally PINK!
1. THE INVITATION – I am head-over-heels in LOVE with Polka Dot Design’s new glitter line! Seriously it is so cute. I already ordered address labels. Customize this one for the perfect Girl’s Night in Party! This helped set my color scheme of pink + gold!
2. NAIL POLISH – Pick up some fun nail polish colors for manicures! I love Essie’s All Tied Up + Essie’s Golden Nuggets
3. CUPCAKE TIME – Making cupcakes or other sweet dessert is a total must for a successful girl’s night in! Add some pizzazz with gold disco dust or gold luster dust for some pretty shine!
4. TASSEL GARLAND – I have a turquoise version of this garland in my office. Pick it up in pink + gold for your Girl’s Night In! Hang it from the doorway, in the dining room, the mantle, or wherever else you’re celebrating with the gals! Find this one at The Flair Exchange!
5. SIGNATURE COCKTAIL – Weddings aren’t the only events that call for a signature cocktail! I love this Pink Lemonade Cocktail on Somewhere Splendid!
6. DECORATE – Add a framed print to your coffee table or dining room table! I love this one! Find the sign here!
7. MOVIE TIME – While the cupcakes are cooling and nails are drying, turn on some fave flicks like Bridesmaids or Sixteen Candles!
8. PHOTO STRIP FUN – I love this app – Pocketbooth – that lets you create photo strips and even has a print-and-mail function! Your girlfriends will love documenting the fun night!
9. TABLE DECOR – A pink tablecloth and striped runner will add lots of pretty flair for your dinner table! Or keep it casual and lounge on the couch for dinner but either way, add some pops of color! {Tablescape via 100 Layer Cake}
10. FAVORS – My favorite part of EVERY party! Girl’s Night In favors can be anything from a cute nail polish, a bag of sweet treats, or a grab bag of cute craft supplies (think gold glitter and pink ribbon!).
live happy… laugh, love, dream, create