Sweetology

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Mouth Watering Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Mingle Monday, Made it on Monday Sumo's Sweet Stuff Made by You Mondays Making the World Cuter Mondays Motivate Me Monday Dittle Dattle Amaze Me Monday Mangia Mondays Mix it up MondaysTUESDAYTrick or Treat Tuesdays Crazy for Crust Confessions of a SAHM Delicious Dishes Cupcake Tuesday Let's Do Brunch Tempt my Tummy Tuesday Mandi's Tasty Tuesday Topsy Turvy Tuesday Handmade Tuesday Tasty Tuesday Tip Me Tuesday Time Out Tuesday Get Your Craft On WEDNESDAYMrs Fox's Sweets Party Lil' Luna Ginger Snap Crafts Whatever Goes Wednesday Wow Us Wednesday Look What I Made Wednesday What I Whipped Up Wednesday Whatever You Want Wednesday Wow Me Wednesday This Chick Cooks THURSDAYTastetastic Thursday Sweet Temptations Tablescape Thursday Artsy Girl Sweet Treats Thursday Sweets This Week Thursday Show Your Stuff House of Hepworths Brambleberry Cottage FRIDAYPinterest Party Fun Stuff Fridays Freestyle Fridays Tidy Mom Inspiration Friday Feathered Nest Friday Bacon Time Friday Party Sweet Tooth Friday Show and Tell Friday It's a Hodgepodge Friday Weekend Wrap Up Flaunt it Friday Sassy Sites Friday Fun Fridays Unfolded Food on Fridays Friday Flair Foodie FridayWEEKEND Sweet Saturdays Show and Tell Saturday Sweets for a Saturday So Sweet Sundays The Girl Creative

Friday, May 25, 2012

I love you dearly too.....

Nice way to start a weekend....

I love you dearly, Sophia.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tulips Against Tumors ~ Cupcake Style

May is National Brain Tumor Awareness Month

And today, I would like to celebrate the Tulip and

tell you about Tulips Against Tumors.

Special to my heart and life, it was more difficult

to find the words to write or desire to make something

to post this year. It has been a tough 6 months and

something in me just felt that I didn't want to

"celebrate" brain tumors.......

Then I remembered what drives my passion

for baking and this blog and I reached down in

my heart and also rekindled the passion I have

for brain tumor awareness and probably more

important to me is the recognition of research devoted

to rare diseases in general...ya know, the ones most

people can't pronounce. Kinda like Oligodendrocytoma....

"Tulips are a beautiful symbol of hope and faith

in a brighter future. Carefully planted in the fall, they

reward our patience by bursting forth as

glorious heralds of spring."

An annual fundraiser sponsored between the
National Brain Tumor Society and Tulips Against Tumors

meant to raise awareness and money to support research.

For more information visit HERE and HERE

My intention is not for the purchase of these bulbs

but to plant a seed in you today that will hopefully

bloom for a long time. That seed, I hope, is filled

with joy, love, faith and hope.

It is filled with the knowledge that despite everything

you want to be, you are marvelous at what you are.

It is tendered by the water of compassion and empathy

for yourself and others.

It is fertilized by the acts of kindness that fill your soul.

That is my hope.

Hugs.

The cupcakes were made by placing a chocolate cupcake

in a plastic plant pot as you see. I frosted it with chocolate

frosting and broken up oreo cookies for the "dirt".

Next, I wrapped the stem of the tulip in plastic

and "planted" it in my cupcake!

Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Monday, May 21, 2012

Lavender Panna Cotta ~ Tea Party Tuesday!

Happy Tea Party Tuesday!!

Hope everyone had a great week.

This week I am sharing a most delicious

and easy summer treat.

Honey Lavender Panna Cotta

The Panna Cotta is infused w/ lavender (oh heaven!)

and then I used some honey to drizzle over the top.

Placed on a krumkake and adorned with

a thin fondant flower and edible sugar pearls

this is sure to delight the eyes and taste buds!

I know I LOVED it!!!

The recipe was adapted from Tea Time Magazine and can be found and printed off my recipes page HERE!

I have been enjoying more iced tea lately and

experimenting with different flavors that I will

be sharing soon -I can't wait!!

But for now, how about a lovely

Strawberry Iced Tea Recipe I found on Pinterest?

Visit the original blog post at

Room for Dessert HERE!

Photo Credit

Have a great week!

Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Candy Survival Kit

So I am mourning the loss of a really great

co-worker at my job. As a Physician Assistant I have

worked with a LOT of docs in my 13 years. Some good, others great. ML was beyond OUTSTANDING.

A wickedly smart critical care doctor

with a great heart, she taught me a lot and is

probably one of the smartest people I have ever known.

Next to myself that is.....

When I wasn't planning her demise for leaving me, I

created a survival kit to take on to her next job.

Here it is....

HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR NEW JOB AWAY FROM

FUN AND AWESOME PEOPLE LIKE ME……

Always remember the following:

1. EVERYTHING YOU DEW, YOU ‘dew’ SO WELL

2. YOU ARE ONE HECK OF A SMART COOKIE

3. EVEN THOUGH I AM A NERD, YOU NEVER MADE

ME FEEL LIKE A DUM DUM

4. IF YOU EVER WANT TO CALL ME FOR ID QUESTIONS,

I PROMISE I WON’T SNICKER

5. WORKING WITH YOU WAS ALWAYS GOOD FOR A FEW LAFFS

6. ON BEHALF OF ALL THE PATIENTS YOU HAVE SAVED,

THANK YOU FOR BEING THEIR LIVESAVER

7. I HOPE YOUR NEW CO-WORKERS AREN’T A BUNCH OF GOOBERS

8. WITHOUT YOU IN THE ICU, I AM SURE TO BECOME A

BIG KRABBY PATTIE

9. HAVING YOU LEAVE REALLY SUCKS

AND PRETTY MUCH BLOWS

Best wishes on your new adventure!
I am sure you will be a ROCK star.

Success will come for you no matter what you do in life because you understand that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little EXTRA!

Mournfully Yours,

Monday, May 14, 2012

Herbed Strawberry Tea Sandwiches! ~ Happy Tea Party Tuesday

Hello Friends and Fellow Tea Lovers!

Life has been so exciting lately and certainly

has been taking me away from creating and blogging

but that is just fine because I am very happy.

My husband and I along with another amazing

woman, Sarah, were chairs for my daughter's

Catholic Schools FIRST annual Gala held on May 5th.

It was a years worth of work and planning and

to host the inaugural event was quite an accomplishment!

We raised a TON of money, WAY more than we

had hoped or expected and everyone had a great time.

While all the planning and responsibilities associated with hosting

such an important and large scale event can certainly be stressful, I have to say, that as a result of this experience I was able to come to know an amazing and wonderful woman, our co-chair, Sarah.

She is quite an extraordinary women for many, many reasons.

Let's just say, she inspires me and I am so glad to call her friend!

Since the event, James and I have been doing some much

needed relaxing and just "being together" as a family with Sophia.

It has been DELIGHTFUL!

With spring and warm weather in full swing, I

thought I would share one of my FAVORITE

recipes for a quick and delicious tea sandwich

that is always a crowd favorite.

Herbed Strawberry Tea Sandwiches

Yield: 24 sandwiches

8 oz cream cheese softened
3 T minced fresh basil
1/2 cup slivered almonds toasted
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
8 slices honey wheat bread
1 lb strawberries, hulled thin sliced

Mix together cream cheese, basil, almonds, lemon zest and juice along with salt until well combined.
Spread on bread and top with strawberry slices and dill if desired.

In the picture here, I used a small flower cookie cutter and toasted this in my Babycakes Cupcake Maker to make little toast flower "bowls". I piped the cream cheese w/ a #21 wilton tip.

For a printable recipe click HERE!

Now enjoy with your favorite cup of tea, iced or hot!

Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Monday, May 7, 2012

Tea Party Tuesday ~ Graduation Party Treats

Happy Tea Party Tuesday!

Graduation Parties will soon be in full bloom

so I thought I would quick bring back a fun idea

that I shared last year along with some cupcakes that

I have made along the way for some special graduates.

Graduation Hat & Diploma Sandwiches
The original post with recipe can be found HERE!!

Very Festive and Fun!
And goes well with some warm, yummy tea, of course.
The flavor combo is so tasty for both of these
sandwiches that I often whip them up and cut into triangles.

How about a little SWEET to go with it?

This was part of a set I did for a gal
who got her MBA!!!
I loved how they turned out.

And these were done last year for a sweet
neighbor girl who graduated from High School.

Have a super week!

Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Happy Anniversary

April 26th, was

our 9 year Wedding Anniversary.

Although I spent all day with James

it was not particularly romantic.

I was undergoing a catheter ablation for

a pesky irregular heartbeat condition I have

had the fortune of developing....not!

We exchanged cards 3 days later, as

I came out of the fog.

We didn't exchange gifts, although, we never have.

And this is why....

On a daily basis we give each other the
gift of EACH OTHER.

The gift of unconditional love.
The gift of unwavering support.
The gift of humor.
The gift of compassion and empathy.
The priceless gift of loyalty and friendship.

My husband took a chance on me over 9 years ago.
He never batted an eyelash when I told
him about my brain tumor and ever since has been
in my corner for each and every triumph and challenge.

I admire and love him so much.

I am profoundly lucky and so proud to be his wife!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Teacher Appreciation Ideas

May7th - May 11th

We are lucky that Sophia attends a

wonderful school and so far, her teachers

have been OUTSTANDING!

Here are some of the ideas I put

together for Teacher Appreciation Week with

links to the original credit and printable if applicable.

Monday:

A Teacher like YOU is worth

her weight in GOLD

I made my own printable for this. (I miss Picnik)

That I put with:

You were MINT to TEACH!

Cute printable over a box of Altoids.

Genius.

I am also going to put this printable on some

York Peppermint Patties to put in the teachers lounge.

You can find the printable @ Nothing but Country Here!

Tuesday:

Thank you for helping Sophia BLOOM!

Find the cute printable at Skip to my Lou HERE!

Wednesday:

You make the best teacher because you are well

aware that the difference between ordinary and

extraordinary is that little EXTRA!

Thursday:

Here is the SCOOP, Teachers ROCK!

I put together an ice cream basket with

an ice cream scoop, fun dishes, sprinkles and chocolate syrup!

The fun printable can be found by clicking HERE!

Friday:

"Olive" that YOU were my Teacher this year!

This is what I made for Sophia's Teacher

last year. I used the printable from Skip to my Lou above.

I made cupcakes with cookie toppers!

A big THANK YOU to all the wonderful

educators out there!!

Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups