Sparks Ignites

I learned valuable things this past weekend.   I learned the difference between buttercream frosting and fondant, how to do a crumb coat, using a lazy susan turntable to frost a cake, the easiest way to make petit fours, and most of all   - throwing caution to the wind! Earlier this year my partner Gary placed the winning bid on a silent auction item for a cake decorating class with Maryellen from Cakes & Candies by Maryellen in West Chester, PA.   We won an in-home class for up to ten people. Maryellen would supply all the baking accouterments.   We would supply the people. Previously, we had participated in several baking classes, so it sounded like great fun. The other classes were with a pastry chef in a restaurant, so this was going to be a different spin on what we had done before. I was excited to have something creative and tasty to do in our relatively new kitchen. Maryellen’s business is quite hectic, so we scheduled the date in the summer when things slow d

“Oh the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!”   How my perspective of those special months of June, July and August changed as I aged.   For me now, as my days of careless youth have ended and, since I am not a fan of the heat; summer brings its take your breath away humidity, the scorching heat that makes you sweat everywhere, the need to be in air conditioning from house to car, the need to be near a fan for air movement, the fighting with bugs, mosquitoes, spiders, ticks, Lyme’s disease, West Nile virus and any other tropical disease that breeds in heat. Now living on property surrounded by woods there is the pesky wildlife to contend with too. A groundhog that thinks our herbs and flowers on the deck are a salad bar placed conveniently for his nutrition. That the wood door trim of our deck door is a place to sharpen his not so little teeth.  The deer that like to eat the foliage off the trees we have so nicely landscaped.   The skunks that like to come out in the ev

For quite awhile now my partner, Gary, has been telling me I should start a blog. Telling me that I have a talent for writing, and I do have a good sense of humor about life, etc. etc. etc. I never really saw it that way, since I tend to be on the opposite end of the self-confidence scale. My scales are always tipped toward the black hole of self-doubt. It is like "who the hell am I to have anything to say, and who would care if I said it." I did decide to give it some thought - well a lot of thought actually, and it seems that we are in a point in time where everyone has something to say. Let's face it who really cares about the Kardashians , TMZ, Honey Bo Bo or the Real Housewives of any place. It is a lot of static across the electronic media, but people do seem to listen and get involved. It is like rubber necking at an accident where you kind of want to see the bloody stump, but know you will be grossed out and traumatized if you do. Several months ago,  I was

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." OMG!! I have just started a blog and I am quoting Rogers & Hammerstein lyrics. Well. I am not Maria Von Trapp, but I do like music, so I might refer to a song or a lyric once in awhile.  I decided that it was time to explore social media and share my slightly skewed views, opinions, observations, etc. I am new at this thing, so give me a chance before you vote me off the island. I will be posting pics, things I like, maybe a movie review, some bad  and good t.v. feedback and probably shopping tips, so keep those coupons handy. You'll never know what you might find here.  Let's explore life together through the electronic media. You might not care what I think, but I promise I will always do it in style. Remember, "the hills are alive" so I am going to go explore some.