I'm so excited about this!

Check this out - this is very similar to the new sign I just got for my kitchen! (here's my exact one). I am so excited. I found Aimee, an etsy seller, and she custom made it for me out of an old barn door. I even got to pick the door I wanted! I took door #2 :-) It arrived yesterday and it's going to look great on my kitchen wall. Yes - the wall that has been blank for 13 years - finally! It's huge - about 30" x 42" - and will be perfect for that space. I just love unique, one of a kind things, and since my tastes lean toward rustic when I saw this I just fell in love with it. I have always loved this verse in Zephaniah as well. I gave Rich puppy dog eyes, said it would be my Christmas gift, and he said yes. :-)

If you like this idea, but want to choose your own verse, Aimee can accomodate! She has other awesome signs as well. Check out her blog and her etsy shop!

*Think Christmas!*

WDW - "Clam-bows"

Wow - A WDW while I'm on jury duty? How unexpected is that?? :-)

Actually, when I ran across this recipe online recently, I knew I just had to find time to make it! We love these really junky cookies from the grocery store that my kids call "clam-bows." You know which ones? Those incredibly soft cookies with the best powdered sugar icing? They are just so enticing. I recently inquired about the name with Emma and she explained that the Tubbs girls and our kids formed the word when merging "Clam shell" and "Rainbow." Clambows. You see, the cookies always come in those clear clamshell containers, and as for the rainbow part, I am assuming they are colorful? Anyways, they are SO yummy but you know that they are SO nasty. Anyways, when I came across the recipe I just knew I had to make some. They are easy to make because you don't have to roll out the dough or use cookie cutters. You know what - I like them better than those store-bought ones. I don't miss the chemical taste at all :-)

Mine aren't exactly 'fall' looking, as I made them true to the grocery store style (pink with sprinkles). You could always tint your frosting orange and decorate with some fall motif sprinkles instead. Yum.

Clambows (Soft frosted sugar cookies)

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

4½ cups all-purpose flour

4½ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:

5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)

Food coloring (optional)

Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

To make the cookies, In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. (Do not overbake! The edges should be no more than very lightly browned if at all.) Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To frost the cookies, place the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. (If the frosting begins to thicken as you decorate, just continue to whisk in small amounts of milk to keep it workable.) Top with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

My Dad's wedding reception - 50's style!

A few posts back, in late August, I announced that my dad had gotten remarried. Well, at the end of September, my sister Suzanne and I threw him and his new wife Mili a 50's style wedding reception at my house. We had about 125 guests -it was so much fun! We figured that since they met in high school in the 50's, they (and their friends) might enjoy a walk down memory lane. It was a really fun theme to go with.

Suzanne & I wanted to be in the true party spirit, so we got matching outfits! We didn't mind looking ridiculous - it was fun!



And here's a shot of Suzanne's family - the boys were such cute greasers. We didn't have any hair gel on hand so we used coconut oil! It did the trick. :-)



Rich even dug out his letterman's jacket. (How many of you know that Rich was a record holding swimmer back in his day? Yeah, quite the stud. Can you see the dates on his jacket?)







Stephanie and Lindsay looked great in their poodle skirts!






We set up a "photo op" for those who wanted a fun picture.



I think it was mostly the kids that had fun with it...











The bride and groom.



And some of us didn't really need a 'photo op' to ham it up. Love this pic of my sis - she's so fun.

The party started at 5:00 pm and we had Route 66 cater dinner. They showed up around 3:30 and started cooking tri tip, ribs, and chicken over a red oak wood fire barbecue. It smelled so good and the food tasted amazing. I highly recommend them- they exceeded my expectations in every way. They also served Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and garlic bread which was all super delish. They were fantastic.

We set up the yard with round tables and bubble gum pink tablecloths. Our centerpieces were vintage glass sundae cups filled with Good 'n Plenty candies, which we put on top of an old 45 record. We tied helium balloon bouquets on, but they got blown around so much in the breeze that we had to cut them off right before dinner!

We served old fashioned sodas in bottles. Glad to find these and root beer in bottles at Smart and Final.



Inside the house, we set up a "Sweet Shoppe" with vintage candy for favors. I have always wanted to do this! Suzanne's son Austin made the darling sign for us.

We found some fun vintage candy jars at thrift stores.



Most of this vintage candy was easily found at Smart and Final. We did make a trip to Rocket Fizz in Burbank to supplement a bit, and to get some other old time candy to decorate with.





Dad and Mili liked the old time candies.



Austin also made us some adorable signs for our "diner desserts" buffet.




For dessert, we had pies and cakes which we served on our fabulous homemade cake stands.



The table looked awesome!







Suzanne and I did make some cakes so we could have a formal cake cutting. She made red velvet and I made carrot. We did them 3 layers each so they'd look like the tall diner cakes of old. We used this one for the cake cutting. Isn't it cute? My sister decorated it and I found some vintage decorations on ebay.



Mili arranged for a DJ to play 50's music and we turned our basketball court into an impromptu dance floor. The 70-something crowd were darling dancing to the songs of their day. Here my dad had a few words to say to all the guests. The DJ and his music really made the party special.





And I think the bride and groom had a few words for each other as well. :-)



Mili found the cutest dress to wear - aren't they so cute together?



And they had such a great time visiting with a lot of longtime friends.




The guests seemed to enjoy dinner. The weather couldn't have been nicer for an outdoor party.



After dinner, we had the cutting of the cake on the front porch.



It started off nice with Mili giving my dad a nice little bite of cake.





But then my dad decided to have a little fun. He looked at me and I gave him the thumbs up to DO IT! I think Mili knew it coming by the look in his eyes...



Smash!



Yes, these are 70-ish aged people. Love it.



At least Mili was a really good sport!



We were so happy to be able to celebrate with our Dad.



Before the evening ended, Dad got a dance with his new wife. They danced to "At Last."



We love them and wish them many happy years together.

Photography credits go to the lovely Emma Leigh Harasick

Life as I know it....

...is gonna change for a short season.

I have been seated as a juror on a "high profile civil case" at the L.A. County Courtroom for a 5 week trial.

Yes, you heard me - FIVE weeks.

I think I'm pretty much over the initial shock, as I had much time to ponder its effects on my life during this week's lengthy and tedious jury selection. The court initially seated twelve potential jurors into the jury box out of a large pool of at least eighty prescreened people. I have no idea how they got their first twelve and assume it was most likely random. I was not selected in that group so I sat in the jury room for two days listening to attorneys on both sides ask endless questions of the group.

Not knowing exactly how the process worked, I did figure however, that these twelve would probably not end up being the final jury. Sure enough, one by one, about half of them were excused and the empty seats began to be filled by people from my group. It didn't take long until my name was called and I entered the jury box for personal examination and cross examination from the attorneys.

Unfortunately for me, they must have liked my responses to their questioning. After I was seated, many others were excused and replaced, but I remained firmly in my seat. I have to admit I was secretly hoping that I would hear the familiar words spoken to me "the court would like to thank and excuse Karen Harasick"... but the words never came. And after four days, the attorneys agreed on the jury and we were sworn in. After standing to be sworn in, the twelve of us sat down, all looking a bit shocked and dazed, though no one dared to let out any audible signs of the reality that our lives had just been turned upside down.

So, I'm a "workin' woman" as Rich says. I leave the house at 7:30 am to battle traffic and be at the courthouse at 8:45 am. I leave the courtroom at 4:30 pm daily, and then battle traffic once again to arrive home around 5:30 pm. A very strange life for a woman who has been a homemaker for 22 years. Just putting on makeup every day is strange enough for me!

I am thankful for God's grace in it all. First of all, I was sicker than a dog this week when we began jury selection. My several ailments were keeping me up at night which resulted in me being dead tired and highly symptomatic in the courtroom. Do you know what it is like to cough, sneeze, and blow your nose every 2 minutes in a solemn and quiet court of law? Embarrassing would be an understatement. I finally went to the urgent care Wednesday night (I despise antibiotics so I tried to wait it out) for an infection I suspected, and the doctor told me what I thought was an additional infection was just bad allergies. She suggested Claritin and it really helped. The next day, one of the jurors commented to me "the courtroom is so quiet - are you feeling better?" I'm glad to know I was so discreet. :-) Anyways, everything is working now, and I'm sleeping again and feeling much better. I haven't been sick for at least 10 years - I forgot how miserable it can be!

I am also thankful, though I would honestly rather be doing something else with my time, at this time I am able to serve. I am also thankful for all the years that I raised my children and homeschooled them that I was able to avoid jury service. That was a huge blessing! It is kind of ironic that now that the kids are off at school, Master's Kids is well on its way and I've stepped back a bit, and my dad's party is through, that I now have this. I thought I'd be settling into a new kind of life with more free time... so much for that!

Oh, and one of the biggest blessings of all about it? Rich works a block away from the courthouse and I have a 1 1/2 hour lunch break everyday! This week we had lunch 3 times - so fun! He is so excited, borderline giddy I'd say, about the prospect of having me downtown. And I'm glad that I have something to brighten my day as well!

So, I'm sorry to say that the blog may be a little quiet the next month or so, since I obviously can't talk about the trial and my homemaking will be limited to survival mode. I'm wishing everyone a happy, cozy fall! Blessings!