Enjoy this special day....

I have to turn on my Word Verification for a few days...The "spammers" are attacking my comments!

Carter and Candy!

Carter and I made Easter Candy treats today!

We melted Colorburst Brights candy onto waffle-weave pretzels and plopped an M&M on top:

Then we took Lemon Meringue marshmallows and dipped them into Key Lime Pie melted candy:

and plopped an M&M on top of these, too:

These were easy candies to make with a 3 1/2 year old!

Busy Being Nana....

Carter took his first vacation without his Mommy and Daddy.  

(Lunch at McDonalds)

We brought him from Ohio to NY for a few days, so I have been quite busy!

Be back soon....

A Touch of Spring - even though it is snowing in CNY

I am SO anxious for spring.  Some bloggers are showing off their daffodils and spring blooms - we are still shoveling snow!

So, this is the closest to spring flowers I can bring you:

I am using dinner dishes from Marshall's and luncheon plates from Mackenzie-Childs:

A simple brunch will be served - quiche, coffee and juice...

...and fresh fruit:

I placed my artificial basil plant in a squash pot as a centerpiece:

I recently purchased the chair covers at the CTS for only $3.50 ea:

This is the reverse side of the table band I made in December:

You can see how it is tied in the back:

Can you see how white it is outside - it's still snowing!

I am on the hunt for more pieces of the M-C Buttercup pattern - it has been retired for years.  Isn't it funny when you start to search for something, that you can never find it?

Time to put the quiche in the oven!

Sharing with:

Let's Dish@ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Swizzle Sticks

My last post brought me many, many emails - bringing back memories of "Swizzle Sticks" to many of my readers.  

These emails prompted me to give the Swizzle Stick its own post!

This is some of my collection from the 70's and early 80's, most collected while in college.

 I had fun going through them today, walking down memory lane and remembering some specific events, and travels during those years.

They are stored in a ziploc bag and when we have a party, I reach in a grab a handful for the bar.

Most are from Massachusetts, where I grew up and went to college:

Richard's was in my home town, Avon, MA

Some places are still around:  Baxters in Hyannis, the 99, and 

The Windjammer, until a few years ago.

A few remind me of hours of "dancing and drinking" and great food: Zelda's in Boston, Liam's and Timothy's Too in Framingham, Marconi's in Ashland, The Merry-Go-Round in Boston, and the Great Gatsby in Park Sq.   The stick from Mildred's Chowder House on the Cape reminds me of the best "chowda" that could ever be found - I was sad to see that close down.

These are from TWA - remember when they also served meals on airplanes?  They don't even pass out the mini bags of pretzels anymore!

Top of the Hub in the Prudential Tower in Boston was always a great place to be at dusk, and Anthony's Pier 4 was a family favorite:

Some are from all over, the yellow one is from our honeymoon and the top blue stick is from the Skylon, a place we still dine in Niagara Falls!

And this is a very special one - it's from our wedding!

Did any stick catch your eye? 

 Many of you said you also have a collection - do you use them?  Thanks for prompting me to pull out this bag and stroll down memory lane, especially looking at the ones from college - "those were the days"!!

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Memories of Guadeloupe and an Impromptu Cocktail Hour

I bought these cocktail napkins last year at Anthropologie.  I love the colors and funky prints and have used them quite often - but I only have 4:

While I was in Guadeloupe 2 weeks ago, I fell in love with the madras plaids in the colorful marketplace:

 So, the hunt began - could I possibly find cocktail napkins on an island where most of the vendors speak French Creole?  I had fun using my basic french, but the closest to "cocktail napkins" I could translate was  "le fabrique pour la table, pour le bouche"... (you should have been there when we tried to find "une toilette" - but that's a whole other post)

 ....so the hunt took me to a fabric store where I bought two different pieces of madras:

 ...and I made 8 more cocktail napkins to coordinate with the Anthro napkins:

 I used them for the first time over the weekend for an impromptu cocktail hour:

 The napkins coordinate well with my favorite little hors d'oeurvre dishes and they will always remind me of a fun day (journee de plaisir) in Guadeloupe.

They also share the colors of some of the swizzle sticks I collected back in my college days - - do you remember when bars and restaurants all used swizzle sticks rather than those silly little striped plastic straws?

I am glad I kept my collection - it's fun to walk down memory lane, especially during a fun happy hour!

Sharing with:

Tabletop Tuesday@ A Stroll Thru Life

Let's Dish@ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Some Treats Found on my Caribbean Table....

Here is a sampling of the Caribbean cuisine from our cruise last week:

First and foremost, margaritas....

....cold fruit soups.... 

 ...delectable dinners...

 ...traditional island cuisine...

 ...tapas...

 .....divine desserts....

...scrumptious light meals...

 ....vegetable carvings....

 ....fruit carvings...

 ...lots and lots of rum punch - perhaps too much...

 ...and many frozen drinks.

The tables were set to perfection each night and our waiters, Stephen and Erhan, were so attentive and entertaining!

 

I think there is nothing better than being served delicious meals, divine desserts and fruity drinks while enjoying this view daily, so I just might run away and live on a Caribbean island for the rest of my life!!

Sharing with:

Tabletop Tuesday@ A Stroll Thru Life

There is a little green for :Let's Dish@ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch