Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Spring Thing

I got a bee in my bonnet and convinced Chad to let me throw a little last-minute shindig at the 1952 House. Unawares (and uninvited) our Spring Thing conflicted with two weddings amongst former coworkers, but we still had about twenty friends and neighbors stop by.


The cats were thoroughly annoyed by giving up their seats to guests, but otherwise we had fun.







No filter! Pretty sunlight streaming in the living room window.




A party is a great excuse for cucumber water.





All the best society scene-makers have glow necklaces and 
glow bracelets available for guests to don at evening parties.



Sit. Stay a while and blow some bubbles.




Springy colors are more important than flavors when considering which canned beverages to serve. Luckily the pink was berry and the orange was orange.




Made the Whoopie Pies from scratch and assembled the layer dip. 
No olives on my layer dip just like Joan Crawford didn't want any wire hangers!



One must light every possible candle in the house when entertaining.



The Whoopie Pies bear repeating. 




Monday, May 12, 2014

Vacation Ponderings


Chad and I weighed our financial goals against our vacation goals. Sadly the two are not mutually acquainted with reality. We need to get these three together at a party.

Our California coastal trip which included stops in Big Sur, the Winchester Mystery House and the Hearst Castle looked too expensive for the fun to cost ratio. (One guestimates the amount of fun to be had versus the amount of money and bother to be spent to reveal the fun to cost ratio.)

We also looked at Belize, concluding that we do not want to go during monsoon season, and don't want to wait for high season which we likely won't afford without dipping into the "emergency/don't touch it/forget it's there" fund. (Financial experts recommend that one keep six months of living expenses in savings at all times in case of unforeseen job loss or financial emergencies. This should not include retirement savings. Right. Sure. We're working on it.)

We opted for a luxurious staycation at the 1952 House this June. Amenities include: our own bed complete with fuzzy bed hogs in feline form, a fitness trainer in the form of one dog with a two-mile-a-day walking habit, our own kitchen stocked with a fine selection of items we like to eat and drink, access to our entire wardrobe (versus what could be stuffed into a suitcase), fresh organic tomatoes and basil from the on-site garden, full size grooming/personal care products and on-site laundry facility. Don't be jealous.





Spring Hath Sprung







This is what spring looks like at the 1952 House during an historic drought.