Sunday, March 30, 2008



Here is the spring wreath I just made for our front door. I had been using a wreath that I made about 7 years ago when we lived in NJ. I think it was about time I made a new one. The sun is so strong here and deflects off the brick so the ribbon and flowers fade out after awhile. I used daffodils, lilac, snowball, ferns and little bird's nests with eggs in them. I used a green ribbon (in honor of hubby's Irish heritage!). I enjoyed having a project on my "me" day!


This is the necklace my husband bought me yesterday. It's a little hard to see but I love it and hope you can see it well enough. The round medallion is abalone and shimmers in the light. We had alot of fun having lunch together and then shopping a little.

Friday, March 28, 2008


It is so beautiful out! The weather here today is awesome!! I wish I was out in the sunshine enjoying myself, but I am at work until 4:00. I played "hooky" yesterday. I spent the day with Jenny, my youngest daughter. She had a bad day on Wednesday and I felt we needed a "girls" day out! Sometimes you just need one of those! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sunday, March 23, 2008




I hope all of you have a Happy Easter (if you celebrate)! Today we will go to Church, Megan and Ken will be joining us. After Church unfortunately John has to go to work at 1:00 now instead of 2:30 so he won't be having Easter dinner with us. Jenny has to work also. So Megan, Ken and Hiliary (a friend of the family who was going to be alone) and myself will be having dinner together. John will be home around 7:15 and we'll have dessert then. Jenny and Kevin are going to come down after she gets off too! I hope everyone has a wonderful time with friends or their families today. Enjoy!!



This is where I went to a Bridal Shower yesterday (March 22, 2008). This is the Dunhill Hotel in Charlotte, NC, which is the oldest hotel in Charlotte. We had a lovely time! We had a high tea of sorts and everything was delicious!! We were all asked to sign a Chef apron for the Bride-to-Be, so we all left our best wishes on that. Then we were ushered to one long table in the middle of the room. On the table there were about 4-5 antique silver tea services on magnificent silver trays waiting for us. There were about 6 varieties of tea to choose from and they came in those wonderful silk tea triangles! We then were served scones, mini muffins, triangle sandwiches (herbed egg salad, cream cheese with cucumber, cream cheese with salmon and dill) and then the third course was desserts!! The desserts consisted of Key Lime bars, mini strawberry cheesecakes and mini cream puffs filled with cream laced with Bailey's!! The Bride-to-Be got some lovely gifts and she especially loved the Cocktail Shaker and 6 martini glasses Megan and I gave her. It was a lovely shower had by all!

Sunday, March 16, 2008



The Silver Needle Murder: A Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs

I started reading this book Friday night. I love Laura Childs tea shop mystery series. Here is a review on Amazon:

In Childs's diverting ninth Tea Shop cozy (after 2007's Dragonwell Dead), Theodosia Browning, proprietor of Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop, is in the audience of the recently restored Belvedere Theater when someone shoots celebrated movie director Jordan Cole on stage during Charleston's first film festival. Theodosia glimpses the murderer escaping in the theater's old dumbwaiter, but doesn't see enough to identity the culprit. Cole, a handsome rake, had more than his share of enemies, including his recently ditched girlfriend, Isabelle, granddaughter of curmudgeonly Timothy Neville, the festival's organizer, who asks Theodosia to fill in for a judge who quits. Despite being burdened with catering duties as well, Theodosia feels compelled to investigate the crime, much to CPD Det. Burt Tidwell's consternation. The savory recipes at the end will leave readers hungry for more.

Friday, March 14, 2008



NEWSFLASH-THERE IS A NEW DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK BOOK COMING OUT APRIL 8, 2008!!!!

For all you DBF fans the name of the new book is Bull's Island and here's a book description:

Book Description

A satisfying tale of honor, chance, and star-crossed love infused with Southern wit, grace, and charm from the New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank

After twenty years, Elizabeth “Betts” McGee has finally managed to put her past behind her. She hasn't been home to beautiful South Carolina and untouched Bulls Island since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston's golden boy, J. D. Langley.

And why is that? Really, this is the story of two old Southern families. The Langley family has more money than the Morgan Stanley Bank. And they think they have more class. The Barrett family made their nineteenth-century fortune in a less distinguished manner—corner grocery stores and liquor stores. It's no surprise that when J.D.

and Betts fall in love and decide to marry their parents are none too pleased. And when the love affair comes to an end, everyone is ready to place blame.

Now twenty years have gone by and Betts, a top investment bank executive, must leave her comfortable life in New York City to return to the home she thought she'd left behind forever. But spearheading the most important project of her career puts her back in contact with everything she's tried so hard to forget: her estranged sister, her father, J.D., and her past.

Once she's home, can Betts keep the secret that threatens all she holds dear? Or will her fear of the past wreck her future happiness? And what about that crazy gator? All will be revealed on Bulls Island.


I decided I really didn't like the amethyst dress. First of all the color wasn't the same as the one I tried on, secondly I'm pretty sure it isn't the same dress I ordered and thirdly I just didn't feel that comfortable in it. Today I went to David's Bridal and bought this dress and I love it! This is definitely the one. I will be selling the other dress on e-bay!

Saturday, March 8, 2008



This is the dress my oldest daughter, Megan will be wearing on April 12th. This is not a picture of her but just the dress. Her dress is also in ivory not white. The time is speeding quickly to "her" day! It should be a wonderful wedding and a really nice reception. Just thought I'd share!


Currently listening to The Deception and the Emerald Ring. I am really enjoying this BOCD very much. Here is a review from Amazon.com:

From Publishers Weekly
Harvard Ph.D. candidate Eloise Kelly continues her research of early 19th-century spies in the smart third book of the Pink Carnation series, following the well-received The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and The Masque of the Black Tulip. This installment focuses on 19-year-old Letty Alsworthy, who, after a comedy of errors, quickly weds Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe, her older sister's intended. Geoffrey, an officer in the League of the Purple Gentian, flees to Ireland the night of his elopement. Unbeknownst to Letty, his plan isn't to abandon her; it's to quash the impending Irish Rebellion. When Letty tracks down her prodigal husband in Dublin, not only does she learn of his secret life as a spy, she's sucked into it with hilarious results. Willig—like Eloise, a Ph.D. candidate in history—draws on her knowledge of the period, filling the fast-paced narrative with mistaken identities, double agents and high stakes espionage. Every few chapters, the reader is brought back to contemporary London, where Eloise gets out of the archives long enough to nurse her continuing crush on Colin Selwick. The Eloise and Colin plot distracts from the main attraction, but the historic action is taut and twisting. Fans of the series will clamor for more.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews



Just started reading this book. So far so good. I have read Mary Kay Andrews before and really love her books. Here is a review from Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Andrews (Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit) delivers a trademark romance set in her native Deep South. Gina Foxton is a 30-year-old chef with a health-conscious approach to classic Southern fare whose public access cooking show gets canceled when the show's big sponsor pulls out after finding the show's producer (and Gina's boyfriend) in bed with his wife. So news that the Cooking Channel is looking to add a new show is a welcome development. The producers are also interested in another local cooking show called Vittles, hosted by Kill It and Grill It Tate Moody. The competition between Gina and Tate ramps up when the network decides to turn their competition into a reality show. The close quarters and competition create the right atmosphere for the two chefs to fall in love, though things never get too racy. Andrews takes a long time to get the romance off the ground, but when it starts moving, it moves fast. Andrews's readership will eat this one up.