Home Again and Party Award

Hello everyone!  I am back home - sweet - home again after our visit to the Smoky Mountains and beautiful Waynesville, NC!   Doug and I spent a few days at the Waynesville Country Club and Spa relaxing and re-energizing. 

Before I share the highlights of our time away, I have to share some fun news!!!  I love the PBS show Downton Abbey.  One of the blogs that I follow regularly is called DOWNTON ABBEY COOKS, and is owned by Pamela, who is married to Lord D!!  Pamela is a wonderful inspiration for all things Edwardian and shares recipes, customs, etc. from the Downton Abbey (and Titanic) time period. 

Pamela ran a contest offering prizes for the two best Titanic Parties and I am thrilled to report that I am her first winner (which you can read about further along in Pamela's regular Tea Tuesday post)!!!!   I will be receiving a copy of the new book, Wentworth Hall!!!  Thank you, Pam - I am thrilled!!!

Okay so now back to NC!!! :-)

The photo below is my poor attempt to share the country club with you while missing the cars in the parking lot!  Sorry.  The Country Club opened in 1926 and has grown and expanded through the years.  Doug says the golf course is great.  He kept talking about having never seen such a well protected par 3!!!  I, of course, loved the spa!  They country club teams with Biltmore Spa to provide on-site services and actually has packages for "while he is golfing". 

I liked the mountain setting, but the rooms were a bit dated... My way of saying that if you are going to get a fabulous room, stay someplace else.  If you are going to enjoy the golfing, the spa, the dinning and the tap room, you will have a nice trip

Our room had a cute little balcony that overlooked the golf course and the mountains!  How is this for a good morning view?

Or this?

Or this?

While in the area in addition to doing some antiquing and shopping, we visited lake Junaluska.  We love the walking path that surrounds the lake!

And what did we eat in our trip?  Well, I forgot to photograph all of the food but the first night we dined at the CC and I had shrimp and grits.  They were quite yummy!

Doug had a southwestern pulled pork wrap with mango salsa and a side of cheese grits.  The grits were fabulous!  (For you non-southerners, think Polenta!).

On Monday we visited City Bakery on Main Street.  For 60 years or so the bakery on Main Street was called Whitman's Bakery.  It was started by Doug's grandfather, DeWitt Whitman.  His sons Charles and Fred took over from him.  Finally Fred retired and his daughter Linda ran the bakery for a number of years, and added a sandwich shop. 

A couple of years ago Linda was ready to retire and enjoy her grandchildren so the bakery was sold, along with the name, to a different family.  The town was unhappy with the new owners and the poor quality of the products.  The locals did not support the bakery and the tourist season could not keep them in business year around so they ended up selling also.  They sold to an established bakery family out of Asheville, NC - the owners of The City Bakery.

To wrap up this long story (!), we visited the bakery on Monday and are PLEASED to report that things are heading back in the right direction!!  The baked goods are once again home baked and wonderful tasting, the sandwiches are back to their former standards also.  We introduced ourselves to the owners and wished them well - it is sad to no longer see Whitman's Bakery but it was a pleasure to see another family will carry on and offer high quality, great tasting food in the same location!!!

Above is my lunch plate at City Bakery - Turkey, Brie and Chutney sandwich with a side salad.  Below, enjoying a lemon cookie!

Doug had the Key Lime pie for dessert and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the taste and texture!!!

In addition to everything else we did, we did spend some time with Doug's aunt Ruth and Uncle Jimmy, who retired back to the Waynesville area.  We spent part of an afternoon visiting with them and then they took us out for a BBQ Rib dinner.  I don't want to think of the number of calories I ingested - but the dinner was quite yummy!!

Titanic Tuesday - Errrr... Monday - An Early Wrap Up

Hello Everyone - happy Monday.  I know that I am a day early but I just could not wait to share the details of our Titanic Party with you.... Well that and I was too tired on Sunday to complete my Bitten by the Bug 2 project - Sorry Donna and Carole!

Our Titanic Party was a huge success!  We had 17 friends who shared in our Titanic garden party.  We had three dinner tables, two tables of six and one table of five.  I would have preferred it if we could have had one long table that held everyone, but my stash of garden furniture was not quite that extensive!

 Above, my friend Marcie, my daughter Bethany and my friend Kimberly model some perfect period looks!  Marcie and Andrea (pictured later in this post) truly stole the show with their historic costumes.  I should have had prizes for the best period look costume!!

Now for the party details:
I completed all of my shopping on Friday and devoted Saturday to cooking and decorating.  I had previously completed my Cricut Projects - the invitations went out weeks ago, the cones were fill and wrapped, the menus were ready and I finished the place cards on Friday.  My daughter was a Godsend and helped me with the cooking and decorating details all day long!

I used linen cut work table clothes and hem stitched dinner napkins.  I used black and gold chargers - alternating at every-other place setting.  I used white dinner plates that looked great on the chargers.

I used glass beaded napkin rings and along with the napkin I placed a menu on each charger.  As discussed in a previous post, the menu cards were created with the Cricut machine and two cartridges:  Straight from the Nest and New England Shore.  We did not use salad forks as I had decided against a salad course.  I used the salad forks inside for appetizers.... And speaking of the appetizers, they were to die for!!!  I was sooo pleased with how they turned out.  My daughter Bethany made the sausage stuffed mushrooms and the guests RAVED!

All of the place cards matched - I used Cricut's Straight from the Nest cartridge along with an oval punch and New England Shore to craft the place cards.  The red circle behind the ship's wheel were throw away negative areas from another cut!  Can you say RECYCLE???

My crystal matched on all tables as I am fortunate enough to have 18 of each stem type.  I also have 18+ place settings of silver.

For centerpieces I used black lanterns (keeping with my black, gold, white and a touch of red colors) filled with red candles and white baby's breath.  I also used two silver mint julep cups at each table, filled with white roses, red alstroemeria, and white baby breaths.

Our dinner was plated and served by our two waitresses - Bethany and her friend Britney.  They were fabulous and I cannot say enough about how much help they were to me.  They plated and served the food, filled drinks, removed plates, and served dessert.  Between courses they cleaned dishes, loaded the dishwasher, hand washed the silver and crystal, and then they returned to collect dessert dishes!  They were amazing!!! 

Following appetizers and cocktail hour inside, dinner was served outside.  I named our dinner menu "TITANIC SOUTHERN FUSION".  We had three items from the original Titanic menus and some fun southern traditional food.   Our dinner course consisted of Roasted Beef Tenderloin, Shrimp and Grits, Roasted Rosemary potatoes, Green Beans and bread & butter. 

I forgot to photograph dessert but our Eton Mess with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream was a HUGE hit!

Our sweet, sweet next door neighbors, Tom and Penny.

There I am carrying my own dinner plate as Bethany signals to Britney on where to place the second to last dinner.

Guests chatting as dinner was served.

Our wonderful neighbors Paul and Andrea.  They rocked the historic look!

Paul chatting with Bill, the engine room worker!!!  How cute is that?

Courtney, who lives across the street, chatting with Tom and Penny.

Bethany, Doug, and I - getting ready for dinner.

Kathy, Marcie - who by far had the best costume, Beth, Suzanne - who also looked adorable, and Pat.

Kimberly had a fabulous costume.  She dined with Doug (not pictured), Wendell & Kim (who later in the evening confessed that they wished that they had dressed in period clothing), and Bill and Ruth, who said they were representing the steerage passengers.

Our neighbor table - Thanks Paul and Andrea for sharing your photographs with us!!  Oh and there is Britney standing in the background ready to assist!!

We had one fun photo opportunity for our party guests.  I found the 1997 Titanic movie poster and purchased it at six feet tall!  I mounted the poster to foam board and cut out the faces.  Below Beth and Kim pose as Jack and Rose!

As we dined the sun set and we had a lovely South Carolina spring evening with temperatures in the mid sixties.  Doug lit the fire pit and we were all comfortable.

Center pieces!

The girly table after dark.  The star field behind them is our ten foot umbrella covered with white lights!

Back indoors - lanterns and flowers. 

Our beverages consisted of punch, mixed drinks, sodas, beer, dinner wine and water.

 

And as I stated in a previous post, every guest went home with a treat cone - filled with dark chocolates, caramel filled chocolates and white chocolates.  I had intended to make divinity to fill the cones - small icebergs! - but the weather leading up to the party was too damp.  So we switched gears and went with wonderful chocolates!

Our evening wrapped up five hours after the first guest arrived.  Doug and I had a wonderful time and we hope that our guests did also.  I have received two calls and a lovely email message from some of those who wanted to thank us and let us know that they enjoyed the party and amount of detail and work we put into the effort.

My friends Marcie and Andrea were spot on with their costumes as were Kimberly, Paul and Bill & Ruth.  I loved Tom and Penny's look as well.  Suzanne was adorable and I was so thrilled that she made such an effort especially as she had been away all week before the party.   Our invitation did read "cruise casual" (or period costume) and Pat, Beth, and Courtney were the picture of Cruise Casual - Fab job ladies! - as were others who attended and chose not to dress in period clothing.  Doug and I had a wonderful time and feel like we were right to suggest period clothing and details, especially as they mixed so well with our southern spring time charm.

Thanks for making your way through this lengthy post and for following along on the Titanic Tuesday posts!

Titanic Tuesday - Invitations

Hello everyone.  Today I am starting a new three week long series titled "Titanic Tuesday" to share with you the projects I am creating for an up-coming event.  First, how about a bit of Titanic history:  The  RMS Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland and was the second of three of the White Star Line's luxury fleet. She was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage. 

The Titanic's maiden voyage begin on April 10, 1912. On board were some of the wealthiest citizens of England, the U.S. and Europe.  Also on board were over 1000 emigrants.   On 14 April 1912, four days into the crossing and about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm  and sank in under three hours. 710 people survived the disaster and were conveyed to New York, Titanic's original destination, while 1,517 people lost their lives.

The Titanic disaster was the catalyst for many changes and safety features we take for granted in modern day cruising. 

With the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's fated maiden voyage approaching later this month, there is a renewed interest in the ship and the disaster.  There are is also a surge of Titanic related stories, movies, and exhibitions.  Personally I would love the see the new Titanic museum in Belfast!

In honor of the centenary anniversary, my husband and I are planning a Titanic themed party.  Due to previous plans, however, our ship will be sailing and sinking a week late - our party is scheduled for Saturday, April 21st.  I have been planning menus and guest lists and decorations.... And a surprise or two for our guests.  I hope you will enjoy my Titanic Tuesday posts.

Today I am sharing the first of a few projects I plan to make for the party - the invitations.

I used two cartridges to create the invitations:  Art Deco and Life's a Beach.  The ship was cut using Art Deco and aside from a bit too much gold, actually resembles the Titanic.  The anchors were from Life's a Beach and are attached with tiny ribbons and glue dots. 

I used original documents and an editing software to create the two insert pages inside the invitations.  I printed the documents onto white cardstock.  I hope to add a note reminding our guest to BYOLB - Bring Your Own Life Boat!

I will be back with another project later in the week, and this series will continue next Tuesday.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Flowers and Antiques

Hello everyone!  Since yesterday was my birthday I thought I would share photos of the amazing floral arrangement my hubby gave me!  He spoke with our favorite florist, Cannon House in Aiken, SC and ordered a spring colors centerpiece for our dinning table. 

I photographed my hand with the flowers in an attempt to offer a size reference.  The arrangement is 30" wide x 16" tall.  I absolutely love the colors and the unusual flowers.  One of the new flowers (new to me) is a green-eyed rose.  It is a white rose with a light moss-like center.  Very unusual and very pretty.

The cabinet above is a new antique piece I purchased for our home.  I have decked it out as a bar - filled with alcohol, glassware, bar tools, etc.  It is heavy dark wood, but I do not know what type.  The cabinet is just under 7 ft tall and is 56 inches wide and I LOVE it.

Cruise Layout - Two Ports of Call

It's time for more cruising layouts!!  I have six more pages, or three double page layouts, to share with you today.  These pages are representative of what I did with the shore excursion pages.  The two pages above are of our Freeport visit.  We acted like goof-balls getting off of the ship, playing with the Captain's Wheel.  We then took a tour of the Island and visited some shopping areas.  After we completed our shopping adventure Doug and I enjoyed a local cafe/pub where we cooled off and mingled with locals. 

Above are the first two Key West pages.  I included out City Tour pamphlet as well as various photos from around town.  I wanted this page to be an overview of what we found special about Key West, and that is what I included in my journal block on the left hand page.

Below are our last two Key West pages, but ironically there are at least four more pages that will go between the pages above and those below.  I have yet to complete the pages of the Butterfly Conservatory and our other stops.

 As I said above, these two pages are the final Key West layouts.  These photos were taking at the port, except for the lower two pages on the right page, which were taken from the top of the ship.  The port was so pretty with cute shops, pubs, and a wonderful ice cream shop!  We both enjoyed cooling off in the ice cream shop and sharing out table with one of our fellow passengers.

I may not have a new post tomorrow.  We *just* received a call from Doug's uncle and aunt announcing that they are coming to town tomorrow for a visit!!!  Good thing I did so much house cleaning today!  Yikes.  I will be back by the end of the week.