The Only Emmy Re-Cap That Matters

I didn't watch the Emmys.

But I read today that Jon Hamm's fly was down for the entire opening number.

Dang! I missed the best Emmys ever!

*WINNER*

Congratulations to "Twist of Lime" whose entry number was chosen by random.org.

You are the winner of the Queen Bea Studio bag!

Thank you for all your entries and although your entry might not have been chosen, if you order anything from Queen Bea Studio, your shipping will be free if you mention "Pink Martinis and Pearls."

And a big thank you to Kim of Queen Bea Studio for her generosity for this give-away.

Now back to cookie decorating!
I'll post later this week on what new idea I came up with for decorating them and the nautical flag tags I decided to make to go with the cookies.
Did I also tell you I am 'styling' the cupcakes?
Nieces weddings are so much fun. :)

Have a great Monday, friends.

Give-Away Ends Tomorrow

I'm still baking my little heart out today.
I'm on number 111 out of 150+ cookies and plan to begin decorating tonight but I just wanted to remind you that my Queen Bea Studio Give-Away ends tomorrow!

I can't wait to choose the winner!


Off topic ~ I was in Michaels buying meringue powder this morning I saw the prettiest Paula Deen cast loaf pan with a fall embossed design on the bottom that would make any banana bread or lemon poppy seed loaf so special for a fall gift and I have to confess I am obsessing now. It was just being put out today with all the new Paula goodies. I've looked all over on the internet for a picture but can't find one. I may just have to buy one, for the blog, you know. ;)

Hope you are having a lovely weekend, friends. :)

Monday Morning's Miscellaneous Musings

Happy Alliteration Day!
Not really, I made that up. :)

Thought I'd report in today because for the next week or two I am going to be very busy. I have 150 cookies to make for a very whimsical nautical wedding.
Today I'm going to be rolling in dough!
Here is my prototype ~


I've ran into some problems with twisting the licorice and the stickiness factor of the strips I made from fruit roll-ups which are good to hold the licorice in place but won't be good if it's a hot day. I also found out the fruit roll-ups stick to the bag. I've thought about brushing luster dust or corn starch on the strips but since they will be placed on each place setting in the sun, I rather be safe than sorry. I'm a bit disappointed. It's a mental and creative set back for me.

Another bummer for me creatively was Duff's Cake Graffiti. Instead of using a food pen to color in the custom made stencil, I thought this might be a more consistent medium to use. Due to the high alcohol content the effect spreads out more than I would like but perhaps my bride likes this more authentic stenciled effect.

What do you think? Really, I'd like to know your opinion. :)


I must also confess I have done nothing to catch up on our family's business since I returned and now a huge pile awaits me up stairs in the world headquarters. I haven't been to corporate either (our real office). Today I have no choice but to dig into both projects.
I do work best under pressure though. Do you?

I must confess here too that I find myself a little blue since son1 left. Luckily, being in the same state has huge advantages and it won't take much to talk me into an extended weekend in San Francisco. Still, it is quieter here and we, as mothers, don't particularly find a lot of comfort in the quiet unless it's our choice.

In a few weeks son2 will also depart. He is finishing up his internship at the Christopher Reeve Neuro-Spinal Center at UCI. He has been working on Alzheimer's research on mice this summer. It's been an incredible experience for him but I told him he better hurry up - for my sake!

I already have planned an extended wine country trip to Paso Robles when we drop him off so I have something to look forward to afterwards. I just read an article this weekend where planning something to pamper yourself is a good thing to do after the college drop-off. I had no idea I was so cutting edge on psychological strategies! I thought it was because I would probably need a drink. :)

In the meantime, I have a gazillion cookies to bake beginning tonight after finishing the work that puts food on our table and allows me my guilty pleasure of cookie decorating. By the time I finish baking over the next few days, hopefully I'll have a brilliant idea that satisfies my creative soul, mateys!

Have a happy, happy week, friends!

p.s. My fabulous Queen Bea Studio give-away continues this week.
Click here to enter! :)

A Son's First New Pad For Grad School With Tips To Cope For Mom

1. If you have never visited your child's new geographic location do so in the daylight. At night everything looks menacing and you'll be convinced danger lurks behind every corner and over-grown bush. Of course, things could look just as bad in the light of day but your husband can now see your facial expressions and he will instantly know his job is now to include handling you and your over-protective maternal instincts besides driving all over town and moving the boxes. I find this non-verbal delivery to be the most effective way of getting the message across.

2. Open all your boxes at Ikea before you leave the parking lot. Do not wait until you're back at the apartment unless you are very fond of Ikea. By the second time this may sink in. If not, third time's the charm.

3. Plug in all lamps before you leave the only Staples store that carries them that happens to be a half hour away on the freeway.

4. Nothing is made in America except jelly jar drinking glasses found at the Dollar Store. The fact they will be found in an archeological dig centuries from now completely intact will be America's legacy. God Bless America.

5. Your compulsive need and insistence to put in new shelf paper may not be understood by your son at the time but when it's in it will be appreciated.

6. The same can be said for insisting he have extra drinking water stored, extra batteries and candles knowing the campus lies on top of a known and dangerous EQ fault. When he scoffs at the idea of such overkill and mocks that in 5 years he'll give them back unused, I pray to God I will be made to look like a fool.

7. There is still a place where you can get sprouts on your sandwich, dread locks are abundant and pit bulls walk their owners. I would not be surprised if there is an ordinance not allowing cute, cuddly dogs anywhere inside the city limits.

8. One day there will be one more dentist in heaven who took Mr. P.M. after hours on an emergency basis when his crown fell off from eating the sprouted sandwich. The fact he did not charge an arm and a leg to do this will earn him an express pass past St. Peter.

9. CPK added something new to their menu. Food poisoning. Always plan for a wrench to be thrown into your well-oiled machine somewhere.

10. A very hilly campus is for the young.

11. My nightmares stopped after meeting my son's new room mate. He's not a slasher but a very nice guy - a Princeton grad with his bubbly girl friend in check who is an MIT alum (like son1) and will be attending the MBA program at Harvard in two weeks. Yes, I am easily impressed with academic credentials but what truly impressed me was the next morning after their arrival they left a note on a loaf of monkey bread from Schat's bakery saying for my son to share the housewarming gift with his family in case we left before they had a chance to say good-bye to us. I have now added a new pray request that there are duplicate women, like her, out there for both my sons.

In retrospect, I am wondering why I wasn't emotional in saying good-bye on this trip leaving him in an extremely diverse community without a car where being south or west of certain streets would not be a good place to be but I feel good we got so much accomplished in 4 days to help set him up even with the few unexpected bumps along the way. He is where he has chosen to be and he has made these decisions on his own.
This could be part of the reason.
The other part must be exhaustion.

He also had a birthday the last night we were there and although we didn't celebrate as I would have originally liked as son2 was still recovering from the CPK incident from the night before and it was late by the time we stopped for the night, we were able to pick up some PF Chang's located across the street from our hotel where we brought it back to our suite. As the birthday boy was enjoying his slice of The Great Wall of Chocolate that was a make-shift replacement for a home baked cake I noticed a distant gaze.
He looked at me and said,
"It's different being 23. It's not like I'm a kid anymore."

The first apartment, a new career path and a birthday all at once. I guess a revelation is only to be expected when three of your brightest stars align at once and your future appears in their twinkle.

*Give-Away* with Queen Bea Studio

Queen Bea Studio and I have the most incredible give-away to share with you and it includes your choice of bag with your monogram or one without it!

Really, how fabulous are these bags?

First, look at mine!

The Half Moon Bag

I have been lusting over this basket bag for the past year and I finally decided to order it last month and we have been inseparable ever since. L.o.v.e. it!

I chose the navy and white stripe but there are so many ribbons to choose from, plus you can choose a different monogram style.
I loved the pink and green too.
If only all my tough decisions were this pleasant. :)

You can win one similar to mine,

Or ...

You can choose this ~

The Cole Tote

Love the single monogram too.

Or...

You can choose this...

The Yoga Bag~ Have sticky mat will travel.
Salutations to the sun and to style!

Or...

You can choose the beachy inspired Sand Dollar Basket without a monogram.


And for all my followers who would like to order anything from Queen Bea Studio, Kim will deduct the shipping costs from your order if you mention
"Pink Martinis and Pearls"!

Win~Win!

Here are the rules ~

For 1 Entry ~ You must be a follower of my blog or let me know you are a new follower and leave a comment. I'm grateful and appreciative of my followers and I feel they deserve the best chance to win! :)

Extra Entry #2 ~ tell me which bag you would like should you win. Yes, you can change your mind if you do win but what catches your eye right now? The Half Moon Bag, The Cole Tote, the Yoga Bag or the Sand Dollar Bag?

Extra Entry #3 ~ Post about this Give-Away on your blog with a link back to it.

Extra Entry #4 ~ Tweet about this Give-Away with a link back to this post.

All entries must be left on separate comments because I am numerically challenged.
Ask my check book. :)

Please include your email on one of your comments.

Give-Away ends Sunday, August 29th.

Good luck!

I Traded In My Pearls...

for...

No TV.
No cell phones.
No newspapers.
No clocks or watches.
and
No computers.

And instead spent 4 days in the Eastern Sierras in a tent.
With 3 mountain men.
and
4 fishing rods.

Between the smoky laundry and nautical cookies I'm working on this week I'll be posting about an incredible Give-Away I'm hosting with Queen Bea Studios.

Here's a sneak peak...


Did I say it will be incredible and that YOU get to choose?

Incredible!

Stay tuned and have a wonderful Monday!

Blogging Questions This Inquiring Mind Wants To Know

Hi all.

I've got some questions for you and I'd love to hear your comments and get your insights on a few or all of them.

On your own blog, would you rather see the icons and faces of followers in the box (it's always nice to know we're not alone) or are you just as happy with subscribers through an email feed or reader page who are not visible for display?

I'm wondering why on some of the blogs I follow my little pink umbrella icon shows up and on others I am the silhouette face with part of my personal email prefix? Does this make sense to anyone? Ugh. I promise you if I am commenting on your blog I am a follower although you might not see my pink umbrella! Does this matter in the scheme of things?

Someone emailed me and asked what my subjects were for August.
I thought that was a very interesting concept. Do you plan ahead?
I admit I do not but this has given me something to consider.

What are the benefits to Word Press and how is it different from Blogger?

Do you feel your blog actually benefits from Face Book and Twitter?
Please tell me no but also tell me the truth if you feels it has. ;)

Thanks for your comments. I'm really interested in your opinions. :)

Have a great day today!

Mad Men Cookie Cutter *Winner *

Congratulations to "Natalie" whose lucky number of was chosen by random.org.

Email me with your address so you can get baking! :)

The First Last Days Of Summer

Monday and it's August 2nd.
The countdown has already begun.

My heart begins to thump in my chest. Matters of my heart are now pushed to the forefront as the layers that have lovingly surrounded it since June will begin to flake away by the 15th as children start to leave for college again.

I always feel such conflict when the 'back-to-school' time of year approaches. It started when my boys were in elementary school so this isn't a new thing for me but it has escalated with the college send-offs. The 'good mom' in me happily opens the door for them to go knowing this is what we have always wished and planned for them to do but then I have this ethereal vision of blocking the door with my body because I love having them here, at home, but that really does go against what I want for them so of course, thankfully, 'the good mom' always prevails.

I learned last year that I indeed could and did survive year 1 of the complete empty nest and sometimes I found the more simplistic life could also be very nice. For one thing, the house stayed much cleaner, there were less dirty dishes on the counter waiting for someone to unload the clean dishes from the dish washer and I didn't lug gallons of milk home on a daily basis. This didn't mean I escaped the funk where I felt old and wondered what my purpose in life was now that it didn't revolve around a child's on a daily basis. I didn't escape it, and neither did my husband, but it came in ebbs and flows and I learned to just let it happen and not to be so hard on myself. If I felt sad and lost for a day or two and parked myself in front of TMC with Robert Osborne so be it until I was forced to join the real world again. And I always did.

What we will really miss is the youthful energy, the joking around with eachother, the normal bantering of brothers' conversation and playful feats of strength, their unique and individual cadence of coming down the stairs or walking on the wooden floor and what I call 'the circling of the sharks' when the meal is not yet in progress but their speedy metabolisms have kicked in bringing them down stairs to circle the kitchen island looking for a hint of 'what's for dinner'?

This summer it all returned home where it belonged and it was special and we knew it and appreciated it. We haven't had this long of a time together since four years ago when son1 was between high school and freshman year. I found my heart so full at times that my husband and I would just smile at eachother without words.

Then the spell was broken yesterday - August 1 when the countdown began.

It will be hard to let this go once again but I realized this feeling is the by-product of doing my job as a parent and doing it well. We have given our boys the love and confidence to feel they can leave home and pursue graduate school, a new apartment, a new room mate, a new city, a new university, and to return for a sophomore year with a new commitment and living experience. This knowledge helps me to get over that gnawing feeling of the impending loneliness that I know will come when we step back into the house after the last drop off but it also helps me now knowing I have to rally to make those last trips to Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond to assist my shopping challenged men.

Right now we are 4.
In 2 weeks, we be 3.
4 weeks after that, we will be 2.
Make that 3 with Robert Osborne who will surely be visiting for a few days in September.