Let me start by saying that I spent the most wonderful Sunday afternoon having lunch and visiting with my friend, the card designer. From the moment she arrived we were laughing and chatting; sharing mom stories (yes, we still do that even after our kids are grown) and secrets of the heart. A perfect day.
You know how sometimes you have one of those days where everything goes just enough off schedule or hiccups ever so slightly to keep you off your game? I had one of those days yesterday. During our perfect visit, the card designer pointed out that folks out in blogland most assuredly think that I never set a table without cute little place cards, and extravagant desserts. (Well, I am here to shatter that fantasy today, people.)
Arriving home later than I planned after church (OK, they had a root beer float event going on after the service and I stayed a little too long chatting with a friend) I realized I needed to run back to the grocery store for some ingredients for my luncheon (Curry chicken salad, my favorite summer meal!)**edited to add: Click here for the recipe. I use yellow raisins instead of grapes. This extra trip to the market cost me my leisure time of doing a cute table scape, so I had to settle for a basic set up...knife, fork, spoon, napkin and plate. (Sorry Melissa, there were no "You" and "Me" place cards....)
I then got carried away and made enough salad for a small army (or the Osmond family, take your pick) and was in the middle of attempting to doctor up some existing frosting for the chocolate cupcakes when my sweet friend arrived. The reason I was doctoring it up? Well, I had done a cupcake order on Thursday for a Hawaiian surf party theme, where the birthday girl wanted blue and orange cupcakes. I had leftover frosting, but I myself have an aversion to eating anything that bright and unnaturally blue, so I thought I'd tone it down to my favorite Robin's egg blue with some freshly made white buttercream. (don't even ask me why I didn't just simply frost them with white buttercream...) In my haste, I added about a fourth of a cup of milk to the frosting, making it very thin...and therefore, when frosted, the cupcakes appeared to be... uh..well...depressed I guess would be the best description. (Believe me on this one folks, they were so droopy that we had to eat them with forks.)
The reason I share this is because while it is nice to set a pretty table or to create a dessert worthy of a cover shot on Bon Appetit's August issue, it is not what really matters. It's about investing yourself in a friendship and letting others know you value and treasure them.
But you knew that.
