Archive for July, 2009

Parties where you least expect them!

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

OK.. it wasn’t a party. It was a lot of hard work. It was a large crowd and not everyone had ‘company manners’. A few folks were gracious to say ‘thank you’, but most did not. And we didn’t care at all if they did not remember to bid us thanks and farewell, because we were not there for the thanks!

Two groups from our church join together about three times a year each to cook and serve meals to hungry people through a mission of another denomination. Some are homeless, most are simply hungry. The young, the old, the middle aged. Small children anxious for a warm meal. The little boy who couldn’t see over the counter, but returned over and over for more salad.

Salad. Imagine salad being a special treat for a very small boy.

No, it wasn’t a party, but it was joyous! We who cook, serve, clean up and make small talk with the people who flock to the old run down former Dairy Queen are overjoyed at our experience. I invite each of you to look for and find such an opportunity in your own communities. The need is everywhere. Just do it… we had a woman from a small town 15 miles away that just showed up to help. she wasn’t a member of our team, she wasn’t even a member of our church. In fact, she didn’t know anyone there, but she was drawn to ‘come to town’ that day and help. We put her right to work! Of course, this being a relatively small area, as we visited during our work, we found that some in our group had mutual friends with her! Amazing!

If you can’t or don’t cook, there are other ways to help! Those of you who have gardens or fruit trees, take the produce that you cannot use to your local food mission. Don’t know where one is? Call any church or social service agency and ask!

Don’t have a garden to share your harvest from? The next time your favorite grocery has a ‘loss leader’ (below wholesale markdown) on bananas or apples or milk, buy extra and deliver it right away to the mission. Those items are gold for families! There are many hungry children out there. In this economy, there will be more children. It’s not ever their fault, but if we don’t help, it will be ours!

So give your heart a party… and feed souls!

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Birthday Cocktails

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Recently my good friend, Babette, in cahoots with my daughter, Jordan, threw a birthday cocktail party for me with some of my close lady friends… I believe we are past the ‘girl friend’ marker!

Around her lovely pool area in her recently redesigned home (which I had a wee part of), we feasted on tamale bites, homemade guacamole and homemade salsa. Babette also serve two ’signature’ drinks: a white sangria with strawberries and what we call ‘Lake Burton Lemonade’ which is actually my step-dad’s recipe and consists of frozen lemonade concentrate, bourbon and lots and lots of ice! Lake Burton Lemonade was the hit of the party and reminded me of summers past when Grampie would pop a big kettle of corn and whip up some LB Lemonade… those are the nights that dinner was served well past 9 p.m. because we just couldn’t manage to get up and fix it! Of course, we could only do that when the kids were at camp until they turned 21!!  

Jordan was the youngest at my birthday bash by several decades, but she seemed to enjoy us as we sat around telling funny (and sometimes outrageous) stories and laughing ourselves silly! I enjoyed catching glimpses of her during the evening, the laugh on her lips and the twinkle in her eye!

So to those of you who think getting together for a birthday is child’s play, know that you are right! Then go forth and play like children!

Thanks, Babs, for a great night!!!

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Fall is on it’s Way!

Friday, July 17th, 2009
Fall's Glory!

Fall's Glory!

In Texas yesterday it was 103 degrees… no wonder I’m think of Fall and all the great ideas I have for fun parties! While the stores are beginning to place their Christmas holiday wares on the shelves, I am longing for the crisp mornings (not the 85 degrees I awoke to this morning at 5:00 a.m.), the cool northern breezes and all the wonderful colors of the season: pumpkin, amber, greens, golds, russet…

So what to celebrate? There’s Halloween and Thanksgiving, of course, but there is also football tailgating to be done, birthdays to honor, engagements and weddings to celebrate, the changing of leaves to be admired!

A visit to a pumpkin patch can be turned from simple outing to a great party by including several families, special snacks for the pumpkin choosing, a pumpkin carving activity and dinner afterwards! Even if the ‘patch’ is a load a pumpkins in a church parking lot or lawn, it can still be great fun!

While the air is crisp and before it turns bone chilling, an evening outdoor gathering is made all the better with an outdoor fire in a chiminea or a bonfire if you have plenty of room and no burn ban restrictions! Add mugs of chowder, hot apple toddies, crusty bread and Divine cheeses for a simple supper or go all out with a wine tasting, grilled meats and topped off with gourmet chocolate-caramel apples! Candles flickering when bonfires and fireplaces are unavailable, set the mood for a harvest event.

More ideas will follow shortly! I’m gearing up for fall… I better turn the thermostat down to ’slightly frosty’ to get in the mood!

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Party in the Big Apple

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Sometimes a party is a party because of the people you are with. Such was the case this past week of non-stop party merriment with my son, Winn, his lady, Cheryl, my daughter, Jordan, and good friends and travel mates, Babette and Morgan. Jordan and I traveled with Babs and Morgan to NYC for a semi-impromptu trip to have a fun mother-daughter weekend, do some bargain shopping along Canal Street in Manhattan and on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and best of all, spend fun times with these great folks.

My son lives and works in NYC and the opportunity to see him doesn’t come very often. Our group dined well, had great mini cocktail parties at sidewalk venues and laughed often. Our time together was a party!

Here is the key to traveling with a group… you don’t have to do everything together. Simple as that. When some of our party was worn out from shopping (my daughter and myself), but others were ready to see the new exhibit at the Met, we readily parted company and then rejoined later in the evening. That gave our traveling companions the opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and discover an outdoor free movie event at a park near the bridge! In the meantime after a brief rest, Jordan and I were able to meet up with Winn when he finished at the studio, have dinner together and have a great time, Babs and Morgan joining us for an after dinner refreshment!

We spent those 5 days celebrating Babette’s birthday, which gave a reason to celebrate, but being with people you enjoy is the beginning for any great party. However, that said, a couple of phone calls made a fun evening at a theme restaurant more fun when Babette and her birthday cake became part of the floor show and the entire restaurant joined the fun! The more the merrier and the usually ‘not wanting to be in the limelight, Babette’ had grand fun as well!

Morgan and Jordan in Times Square

Morgan and Jordan in Times Square

Brother and sister!

Brother and sister!

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