Gettin' Back to Business

     So the last year and a half have been a bit of a challenge, my arthritis reached what's known as 'end stage' - it had gotten to the point where I was having problems functioning day to day. So after much discussion with  my orthopedic surgeon we decided that it was time to build me a new hip.

     On Tuesday, September 9, 2014 my husband took me to Reston Medical Center. I got prepped, which included getting this fancy new outfit and being filled full of holes!

     I was whisked off to surgery - it only took an hour and a half - I was in my lovely private room by 6:30pm with one of these....

Then came the amazing part - physical therapists showed up bright and early the next morning. They showed me how to get dressed, climb stairs, manage the car and do my exercises - and they sent me home!! Less than 24 hours after full hip replacement!

     So now I'm home getting stronger by the minute and planning all the things I'll be doing as soon as these staples come out!

     Modern medicine --- what a marvelous thing!

Home Away From Home

Recently I had to go on a little business trip. The company I work for sent us on a little jaunt to meet some folks from our corporate office. So, I drove to Pennsylvania to a town called Narvon. Which is truly in the middle of nowhere. It's a camp resort called Lake in Wood - near Lancaster.

I got to stay in the most amazing little 'cottage' - a converted train caboose!

 

So, even though this isn't a home reno in MY home - I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing it! I loved all the little details in here. The 1950's kitchen table, all the railroad pictures and lights and the stove!

This is the view from the front door. All the way at the back on the left is a tiny (no REALLY tiny!!) bathroom with a little stand up shower and a very small sink.

 This is the bedroom to the left when you come in the front door - the Master Suite!!

The kitchen 'stove' is actually storage for the dishes, but the microwave, coffee pot and fridge are recent additions.

A few of the other unique options! They also have a yurt on the lake, a converted boat and frontier cabin. There are plenty of cabins, RV sites and even some tent sites as well. It was one of the most interesting business trips I've ever been on!

Ladies Day!!

   This month was my turn to host our Lady's Day - a day to get together with friends and learn something new. Well, I decided that I'd like to learn how to make the perfect martini - so of course, everyone else wants to learn that too, right?

   So, here's my version of the perfect martini cocktail party.

First - select the martini's you want to serve. For each martini there should be a food pairing.

 I decided that we should start with the classic - James Bond type martini - vodka, vermouth - 'nough said.
When you want to learn how to make a perfect cocktail you go to the experts.... right? I went to Esquire - they have a really nice web site full of great drink recipes!

According to Esquire - the key to the perfect martini is quality ingredients and cold... cold... cold! I use Grey Goose Vodka and Noilly Prat Vermouth.  Swirl a little vermouth around your chilled glass, dump it out, add the vodka and an olive or lemon peel. I served this with a baked brie - so easy, so elegant looking, so delicious and gone so fast!!

The second round was a tribute to the 1980's  and Patrick Swayze - whew! We had a Cosmo and paired it with shrimp cocktail - delightful!

1 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz cranberry juice

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.

I had to end with a killer dessert martini right? As a modern tribute to Ryan Gosling... I served an absolutely decadent Espresso Martini with a fruit plate. This was by far the favorite of all the ladies!

1oz Vodka

1oz Espresso

1\2 oz Creme de Cacao

1\2 oz Kahula

The fruit was served with Amaretto Breeze Fruit Dip - not gonna lie, there were spoons involved!

So, have a variety of martini's - there are hundreds to choose from - and pair them with great foods. Also, if you're serving several different martini's, you can get sample size martini glasses at any good party supply store.  There are also tons of great websites that will help you with your food pairings. Round up some great friends and a few supplies and get ready to enjoy the day!

A Derby Hat Break

   My sister owns a condo in Soloman's, Maryland. A lovely place to go relax, nice home, great neighbors, a boat.... the works. They have a lot of free time on their hands so they have a lot of ... events.One of the events they have every year is in May - the official Opening of the Pier (or somesuch title). All the neighbors form teams, there are costumes, great food, too much to drink and a pretty serious competition for which pier has the best overall theme.

   This year my sisters group has decided on a Kentucky Derby theme - so, of course she needs an awesome Audrey-Hepburn-My-Fair-Lady-type-derby-hat. I love this idea, its one of my all time favorite movies so of course I offer to make the hat.

   No, I don't know how to make a hat.

   No, I've never attempted anything like this, although I did make a large cheese head for one of my kids.

   Yea, sure -- I got this.

Step 1 - Gather supplies...

 A big (no, really big!) hat
Feathers
Ribbon
Flowers
Hot Glue
Wire
Stuff that sparkles is especially nice.

Step 2 - Add the hat band, ribbon and feathers - it's all background. Feathers are essential - fluffy  movement is elegant and adds to the general awesomeness of the hat. (Note the sparkly ribbon)

Step 3 - Add the flowers - if they're really big, wire is a great way to secure them. If they're not too heavy the hot glue works. Go for flowers with a ruffly, romantic feel - it suits the event.

 

Step 4 - Check the back and sides, add some ribbon and a few touches to the back - you have to look good coming and going. Try the hat on to make sure its not too heavy on one side - you can't be listing to one side all evening - people will think you're drunk.

 

Final Step --

Find a dress that you can rock with the awesome hat - a parasol is a handy item as well - if it rains you have to protect the hat. If it doesn't rain, you can serve chips in the parasol.