The Pinque, Inc. Diaries

Taking a break from work to make my favorite cranberry bread.

Sometimes I have to make myself take a break from work and do something domestic. I used to cook a lot when my girls were small, but that has become a thing of the past. I loved keeping house and cooking and always tried to have something in the oven to surprise the kids when they got home from school. Unfortunately, when the girls left home and I started my own business..domesticity went right out the window! Here is me trying to get a little back!

I hope you enjoy my cranberry bread as much as I enjoyed making it.

 

Cranberry Orange Bread

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (fresh is the best)
• 1  cup fresh cranberries (increase if you like more berries)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup orange juice

     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

1. Grease and flour loaf pan.
   
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and orange zest and set aside.
   
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and egg. Stir in orange juice.
   
4. Mix in flour mixture - I use a silicone spatula
   
5. Pour into loaf pan.
6. Sprinkle with course sugar
   
7. Bake for  45-50 minutes or until the bread springs back when lightly touched.
   

     Enjoy!

Happy New Year to all of our Cottage Collections family and friends!

We're looking forward to a bright new year in 2010 and to sharing it with you! Happy New Year from all of us at Cottage Collections! We wish you and yours a very happy and prosperous new year!

May all of your dreams come true in 2010!
Joyce Lucas,
Cottage Collections

Christmas is my favorite time of year.

Don't you just love the Holidays? Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Back in the "olden days" as my daughters and now grandchildren refer to, we never put our tree up until Thanksgiving night. We didn't even think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving was cleared away. Things are different now. I do what makes me happy and Christmas definitely does that. Here are a few pics of the first tree in the livingroom. Everytime I walk by the door, I see my little white tree and smile.

Sometimes it's the little things that matter the most.

A very sweet Make Mine Pink friend sent something for the keeper of slippers. What a fun pink surprise! Thank you dear friend.

A beautiful keepsake just like this could be yours. A Rose Without A Thorn is having a blog giveaway

via arosewithoutathorn.blogspot.com

I spotted this beautiful baby on A Rose Without a Thorn's blog! How do I know this baby? This baby is me! Maureen created a beautiful keepsake for me and now you can win one with your own beautiful baby pic!

Thank you Maureen!

Sometimes you just need a wee little pink surprise!

I just wanted to share a little surprise I received in the mail today from my sweet new friend Rose of Sweet Hummingbird Lane.

I have to tell you that although I have see this wonderful collectors line that Rose carries in her boutique called Wee Forest Folk, I just didn't have any idea how adorable they really are. Unless you hold one of these ultra tiny, unbelievably cute mice in your hands, you can't get the full impact of the hand painted detail and the actual definition of "wee".  These are tiny! Without measuring, I'd say about an inch - and inch and a half. The one thing I can say for sure is they will make you smile. Have a look for yourself.

This cute little piece is called Pedal Pusher "First I'll drive to Gram's house." It was love at first sight for me! I've already spotted the next one for my new collection.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness Rose. My wee surprise was a very big surprise indeed!

Baby Jack Makes His Debut

If you've been looking for me, I've been away on a very important mission. I've been in Seattle, welcoming my precious new grandson Jack into this wonderful family. I don't know what it is about little boys, but this baby has his Grammy and Papa wrapped around his little finger already! Don't you just want to kiss that little face?

  

Please excuse our appearance..

typepad is experiencing technical difficulties and can't seem to pinpoint why my blog will not load my style sheet. They assure me that they are working to get this issue resolved. In the meantime.. I think I will suspend posts until this issue gets resolved. I realize it's difficult to read and to post like this.

Thank your for your patience.

One of my favorite Cape Cod desitinations.

I'd hoped to get this posted sooner because I just wanted to share this small but spectacular town on Cape Cod. Last week I took you to the small pie shop in Chatham that makes the best pie I have ever had. Well this small town just gets better and better. Can't you just picture yourself living here? Look at the quaint downtown and some of the beautiful house I stumbled across,

Downtown Chatham

I loved this hardware store with the vintage inspired pedal cars in the window.

This is a small but charming cedar shingled Cape Cod House that caught my eye.

Ohhh this one has some character! I could picture myself living here.

If you're looking for a really charming Coastal Community to visit, Chatham would be one of my first recommendations! I know that you'd love it!

You have not lived if you haven't visited Marion's Pie Shop.

Two days before we packed up to leave our little piece of paradise, I remembered a little pie and bake shop I'd found when we explored Chatham earlier in the month. I know how much Jim LOVES pie and suggested he check them out and see if they had a pie he'd like. It didn't take him long to find this quaint little bakery on Rt 28 in Chatham.

Jim was back home within an hour with a mini blueberry pie. All I can say is.. I can't believe I didn't try her pies when I discovered the shop! This pie wasn't just very good.. it was great. I knew where we'd be going the next day!
We got up bright and early and made plans to get a FULL SIZED pie! No mini pie today! Today we were going to try a peach-blueberry pie. When I tell you that this pie almost made me weep.. it wouldn't be a lie. I have never tasted anything like this in my life! Our pie was still warm when I had my first bite. The pie was made with fresh peaches and Maine blueberries and would make you drop to your knees. Well.. if you weren't too busy eating that is! If you're ever in the Cape Cod area, please make sure you visit Marion's Pie shop. It's right on Rt 28 in Chatham and I believe it's open 7 days a week! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Paradise in the rear-view mirror

I can hardly believe it's time to pack up and leave this little piece of paradise on the Cape. It's been an interesting and eventful month! I'll post a few more pics when I get home.. but for now I promised I'd pick the winner of our latest drawing!

The winner of the fabulous PINK T-Shirt is Rhonda of Antique Cottage Rose! Congratulations Rhonda! Please email me with your address and I'll ship your prize out upon my return to civilization!

I promised you a present...

and Saturday's shopping expedition was a huge success! But I never anticipated what would happen to the present I bought you!

Joyce - handpicking your present.

A Hint...But don't get too excited.

As you can see...Lily found your present and decided she wanted it all for herself! Don't worry...I promise I'll get another!

Just leave a comment on this post and tomorrow night  (April 28th) we'll pick one lucky winner to receive a box of fresh, handpicked, salt water taffy from Cape Cod!

Just a little family time..

As much as I've enjoyed and am enjoying the time away, I've also enjoyed the visits with my grand-kids. This is one of my favorit pics of Lilly getting a kiss from big brother Mikey. Look at his eye lashes!

This afternoon I caught a pic of Lily and Katie enjoying a little fresh air on the deck. I'm so happy that they got to share a little bit of my paradise.

You'll never believe what we found at the Breakfast Room

We started our day exactly as we had last Saturday Morning - Blueberry Pancakes at a small privately owned restaurant called The Breakfast Room.

They have the best blueberry pancakes I think I've ever had! We (Katie and Lily are with me for the weekend) had just started to dig in and enjoy our breakfast when Katie spotted our waitress across the room taking an order. What would be so unusual about our waitress taking an order you ask? Well have a look at the next photo!

She was using a pen that looked much like our MAKE MINE PINK pens! Could it be? Here in West Dennis Mass.. a MMP pen?!

The very next time she passed our table we told her that we had a bit of an unusual request, but would it be possible to see her pen! She pulled it from her pocket and sure enough.. MakeMinePink.com was printed on the pen!

I immediately told her that I was the owner of the business on her pen and explained what Make Mine Pink was all about. I gave her our business card and asked if we could take her picture! It seems that someone had been in a couple of weeks ago and left the pen when they paid for their meal. Our waitress had since claimed ownership of the MMP traveling pen!

I think what really hit home for me is how we have been talking about branding and getting our name out there. Seriously..What were the odds of me finding that pen 600 miles from home? It was such a wonderful affirmation that what we have been doing to get our name out there -is working. Make Mine Pink is everywhere! I believe in my heart of hearts that we're on our way to becoming a household name. A name that is respected and known by all.

Of course I immediately called Jim and asked him to send me some pens! I'm going to leave a pen and business cards wherever I go. It will be interesting to see where they'll travel and who will run across one!

Life is good here at the Cape! Now I'm off to shop for your surprise!

Could this be my DREAM HOME?

I took a drive this afternoon and found myself in Harwichport, a smallish oceanfront community. I remember spending summers here when I was a child. My Aunt lived here and always had a house full of company. I was one of her frequent visitors! Can you blame me??
It was actually a trip down memmory lane this afternoon that brought me to my potential dream home! What do you think? Could you live here? It's smack dab on the ocean!

Did you get a look at that PINK door AND Pink storm door? This one just might be calling my name!

Postcard from my little corner of Paradise..

Just when I think it can't get better.. It gets better! I wake up every single morning giving thanks for the wonderful things in my life and do the same as I drift off to sleep to the steady reassuring sound of the ocean in my temporary back yard.

The weatherman predicted 50's and we had 60! Just that few degrees made a huge difference though. What difference you ask? Well.. the difference in me working ALL day or calling it quits and exploring the Cape this afternoon!

First before I forget.. let me show you my house sporting her new flowers.

The house looks pretty small, but it really is a good size. 2000+ Square Feet. Perfect for 1 2!I could seriously live hereand be very very happy! I've made up my mind that one day I'll do just that. My dream house is going on my vision board as soon as I find the perfect house for me! In a few minutes I'll show you one I found today in Harwichport. It even had a PINK door? A sign perhaps that this house could be..should be..mine?

Day Two in Paradise..won't you join me for dinner?

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in paradise! The sun was shining, the temperature was close to 70 and I couldn't have found a more perfect, peaceful place to be than right where I am. I was really excited to discover that I had two signal bars on my cell phone today and was even able to return a few business calls before the signal faded and left me once again. One has to wonder if my lack of signal is divine intervention! Afterall, I'm not here to spend my day on the phone, I'm here to write that book that is begging to be written. There will be plenty of time to write next week though! Tonight as the sun is setting over the sound, I am getting ready for dinner.  Wait until you see what's on the menu!

Isn't it lovely here in the evening? I wish you could join me out on the deck for a quiet dinner.

I've just about finished fixing dinner.. are you sure you won't change your mind and join me? I think you'll really like what's being served tonight!

My own little retreat by the sea..

I can't believe I'm really here! Yesterday was a day of hard work just getting here and getting unloaded and settled in. But today.. that's another story altogether. I promised the girls at MakeMinePink.com that I would take them along with me via my blog! So here I am...and so sorry that you couldn't be here to just smell the ocean air and feel the cool ocean breeze.
The house is just perfect..It's cozy and warm and there is not one single spot in the house that you can't hear the waves lapping against the shore. Eventually I'll show you every nook and cranny of this divine retreat, but for now, I'll share a few pics we got outside this morning.

This is the view from the deck... I may never leave!

The temps are in the 60s and the sun is shinning bright. There's a cool breeze coming in from the ocean and naturally the urge to be outside is pretty overwhelming!

I KNOW! It's amazing isn't it?

I told you the urge to go out there was strong! Even stronger than the urge to work! I just had to dig my toes into the sand!

Well maybe I'll just sit for a minute and think about all that I need to get done today. Yeah.. that's it. I really do need to make a list and what better place to do it than here!

That's me.. pondering the day ahead.. nothing but work on my mind!

Ok.. OK.. yes, I did take a little rest. But you know how exhausting list making can be! I'm sure I'll be ready to start my work day any minute now.

Ok.. here is a pic of the house from the Ocean side. I can't imagine not wanting to live here year around if I owned this beauty!

This is the end of my photo tour for the day. As you can see I need to work while I have any inclination at all to do so!

On The Road Again.. I just can't wait to get on the road again...

We just got back from the family "Farewell"dinner. We all met at the Olive Garden to send me off to my retreat by the ocean in style. Dinner was fair, the company wonderful! Now I just have a few last minute things to pack and I'll be on the road heading North in the wee hours of the morning!

First we'll stop in East Brookfield, MA where I'll spend the first few days at Katie's, visiting with my three grandchildren. (Mikey, Hannah and Lily) Then bright and early Wednesday Morning I'll head to my Beach House to get Settled in. Did I mention that I am loving my life right now? This adventure is what having my own business has allowed me the freedom to do. The freedom to dream and the freedom to live my dreams.
Won't you join me on my journey? I'll keep you updated as often as possible!

So now my journey begins.....

I think for the first time yesterday I realized that I REALLY did it.. I really really did it! I have been promising myself for the last three years a month at the ocean to be inspired and to work on my book. I have been outlining and writing snippets for this book for as long as I can remember. Now it's time to take my leap of faith and make it happen. I rented an oceanfront cottage on the cape a few weeks ago. I knew I was going of course, but it really didn't sink in until this weekend!

My day started like any other weekend day until Jim came home with the prettiest daisies. Daisies are my happy flower, the one that makes me think of spring and new beginnings. I looked up from my computer and he was standing there holding this big bunch of daisies and said....I'm really going to miss you while you're gone. All of a sudden it hit me. I REALLY am going! (Aren't my flowers pretty by the way?)

Well girls, I'm taking my own advice and taking that leap of faith. I'm facing my own fears and taking that once in a lifetime chance! I was filled with so many emotions yesterday. I was sad that I'd be leaving my best friend behind on this journey, yet I was excited and a little scared too! Of course it helps knowing I will be leaving the offices of Cottagecollections.com and Makeminepink.com in capable hands in my absence. Thomas will be there for all technical issues.
In my new found excitement I immediately looked for my confirmation email and looked at the pictures over and over again. I just know that I've chosen the perfect place to be inspired. Don't you think?

Can you believe that view? The cottage sits right on the sand with 65 feet of private beach. I am sure I will be inspired every waking moment. I just hope it will be to work! I will really have to be disciplined and set aside certain hours for working on the book and certain hours for play.
So now my journey begins. I have packing and planning to do. You know where I'll be if you need me.

XXOO

MakeMinePink.com your premier shopping and networking site
CottageCollections.com Unique Feminine Web Design for Small Business

Our Newest Family Member.. Lily Kate

We are so proud to annouce the addition of Lily Kate to our family! Lily was born on February 15th and is the sweetest little 6 pound bundle of pink you've ever seen! I look forward to showing her off in Chicago to some of my Make Mine Pink sisters!

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

Birthday Week Continues...

And I can't say I'm the least bit unhappy about it! Not even a teeny bit! My dear husband Jim drove to New Jersey yesterday (10 hours round trip) to pick up a gorgeously chic China Cabinet we bought from TickleMePinkBoutique.com. Unfortunately I don't have the digi-cam at home so I can't post pics yet, but I will!
Then as if that wasn't enough for one day.. I opened my email to find an i-tunes gift card from my youngest daughter Sarah! Anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE inspirational audio books! I wasted no time at all in purchasing (with my gift card of course) Jack Canfield's "The success principles". I'll save how inspired I was for another post.

As we headed out to my niece's birthday celebration I noticed a box by the front door! I couldn't wait to get home and see what goodies awaited me. So, after a fun evening of pizza, cake and good company, we headed home to see what was behind box number 3! This birthday box was from Katie, my middle daughter. She knows me so well! I love PINK (big surprise) and Love... love.. LOVE Amazing Grace by Philosophy! (see pic below)

And all my blog comments! Did I mention all the birthday wishes from my friends at MakeMinePink.com? You ladies are so awesome for thinking of me. Thank You!

This promises to be one of the best birthday weeks EVER! Now .... if I were to wake up on Tuesday to find a PINK car out front with a big pink bow on it, well that just might be THE best birthday week ever!

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

A special Thanks To Annie of Paint The Moon for the beautiful Bow I used in my gift graphic.

Getting Personal!

I've been trying to keep personal posts to minimum.. but sometimes you just can't help but get personal! It's birthday week countdown and I FORGOT! Time has really gotten away from me this month! But this morning I got a lovely reminder! I had a delivery from the UPS man this morning and since I hadn't ordered anything that I could remember (that's another story!) I couldn't imagine what it could be! Well.. SURPRISE! It was an early birthday present from a dear friend! I'm not usually easy to surprise, but when you get old(er) and forget you have a birthday coming.. well it just gets easier for people to surprise me!

When I opened the box it was filled with pale pink, pale blue and pale green popcorn. The mix was really springy and pretty. I pulled out a huge box wrapped in white and tied with pink ribbon. Ohh I just knew it was going to be fabulous! And I wasn't disappointed!
Just look at this Pink Easter Delight!
So thank you my friend for your thoughtful gift! You know how much I LOVE getting presents and getting surprised!!

Make Mine Pink and Cottage Collections are a Division of Pinque, Inc.

Christmas Eve Trial Run!

Don't you just love the Holidays! Especially Christmas? This year has been filled with so many blessings already. Our newest family member was born on December 11th. Auntie Joyce (Thats me) didn't really get to hold Zachary until last night at our Pre-Christmas Eve Dinner. I had a cold and just didn't want to take any chances. He is the itty bittiest thing I have ever seen and he smelled so good! I don't think you ever get tired of holding a baby!

Dinner was a really fabulous trial run for Christmas eve. I think our family just looks for any excuse to get together. My nephew Mark (Zach's dad) is a pilot for jet Blue and unfortunately has to work Christmas eve and Christmas day. I just wanted to be sure he got a Christmas dinner. And A Christmas dinner is just what he got! We had the thickest, richest lasagna I've ever made. It came out fabulous even if I do say so myself! add antipasto and fresh Italian bread and the meal was perfect. For dessert we finished off with coffee and delicious Tiramissu.
Tomorrow my youngest daughter Sarah gets in from Seattle. That's when the festivities will really begin.

So for now, I'm off to plan my baking and do a little wrapping. I wish you all a  wonderful Holiday season filled with family, friends and of course lots of delicious food!

Packing up the Caddy and hitting the road again...

Ohh it's good to have friends that buy you cars! I just don't know what I did to deserve this pink beauty. How ever can I thank you??!  (you know who you are dear friend) I think the best way to show my thanks is to hit the road again! This time for business though. I have people that want to meet my people! That's me. Well Katie and Thomas are also my people but as you can see.. there's just no room in that car for anyone but me and my pink suitcase. So I'm hitting the road alone. I'll keep you posted as I travel the coast (did I say that?) I meant to say as I travel to my business meetings!

Who Knew you could do all of this with a Cell Phone!

I was visiting some of my favorite Blogs this morning and came across this info on Shabbyfufu's Blog! I know there must be some way to link directly to her post.. but we all know how Blogging challenged I am! I sure hope she doesn't mind that I grabbed her info and am posting here for my visitors to see!

Please Visit Shabbyfufu for Romantic Decorating AND useful cell phone tips!

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave
emergencies.
Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool
for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find
yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile, network and there is an
emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network
to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote key-less entry? This may come in handy
someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.
Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no
object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: "It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD Hidden Battery Power. Imagine your cell battery is very low. To
activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will
get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits
on your phone: * # 0 6 #, a 15 digit code appears on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.
You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that
whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would
be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
And Finally....

FIFTH

Free Directory Service for Cells Cell phone companies are charging
us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle,
which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Wednesday night at the Inn.. I may never come home.

Oh what a beautiful morning.. oh what a beautiful day. And it WAS a gorgeous morning. Sunny, clear and 58 degrees! Oh yes I did say 58! I'd almost forgotten what 58 degrees feels like. It feels like the first butter-mint you pop in your mouth. It's cool and refreshing and makes you smile. We loaded up the car and headed in to town. Jim had already been out for coffee earlier and spotted a little cafe he thought I'd like. Mama D's Cafe. He was so right!
We sat on the porch in rockers and sipped coffee and watched the bay. I could live like this every single day of my life. Jim always says.. "Honey, money can't buy happiness." I told him today he was dead wrong! After-all.. a million or two would buy me a little house on the bay and I would indeed be happy. I almost forgot to mention that while we were sipping coffee and enjoying the view, we met a lovely woman from Germany. She is here for two weeks touring New England all by herself. She was excited as she told us about places she'd been and recommended places we should see. We also told her about our travels and of course Cape Cod. She was heading there in a few days. This was just the start of our day and I still have so much to show and so much to tell. I think it will have to wait until morning. Jim is climbing in bed and I never did type well in the dark!

Til morning.. xxoo

Sneaking in a post..

It's 7am and I've been up since 6.. showered and watching the sun come up over the Harbor. This is exactly what heaven must be like. We're in a fabulous Inn/Spa in Boothbay harbor Maine called Spruce Point Inn. Our room over looks the water and is just gorgeous. I could sit out here on the porch all day and just watch life go by. But I won't. I know as soon as Jim is awake and moving, we'll be planning the next part of our adventure.

Yesterday.. we must have passed a thousand antique shops! I REALLY had to bite my tongue not to say "STOP HERE" every few feet! I wanted this trip to Maine to be about Jim, so I stifled the impulse, but I'll tell you.. RT 1 is an antiquers dream! Now, if truth be known.. I did say STOP HERE once.. but you'll see why in a minute.
My stomach is starting to growl and visions of Maine Blueberry pancakes are dancing in my head. I wonder what blueberry season is here in Maine?

Before I sign off.. let me show you what I found. I begged, I pleaded, I just couldn't win this one!  Even the interior was pink!

Blogging from the road sounds easier than it is!

I'd planned to check in sooner, but you know how some of the best made plans go..NOT as planned! Our trip to nowhere started out at my Daughter's in Massachusetts. I'd planned to stop in and quickly get back on our Northern trip to nowhere, but again..things don't always work out as planned. We arrived at her cute little place overlooking the lake and fell in love. It was so good to see Katie and the kids and we knew we could head North anytime we wanted, so we hauled in our luggage and spent the weekend with family. Katie is always a warm and gracious hostess and the kids were so excited to show us their new home and "swimming hole". Although they did make fun of me when I called it a swimming hole.
The weather here has been perfect and the breeze from the lake, indescribable. Sitting on the porch overlooking the lake, sipping coffee and just visiting with the kids has been just what the Doctor ordered. If we were to head home right this minute, the vacation would have been perfect. But our adventure has just begun! We're packing up the car and heading to Maine as I write this! so.. OK, Jim is packing the car! Ssshhhh... the Maine part of this trip is a birthday surprise for Jim! He's always wanted to go but we've just never had the chance. Today he thinks we're heading to the Cape for a day of antiquing. Instead we'll be walking along the rocky coast and eating lobster tonight. I think I'm as excited as he'll be when he realizes where we're going.

I'll be back with pics of our adventures... but first, here is the most gorgeous (and delicious) apple pie Katie made after we went apple picking Sunday.

On the road again... just can't wait to get on the road again..

9 Hours and counting until we leave the city and hit the road. Our first day is always the most fun. The anticipation of finding some little off the road cafe or antique shop is really exciting for us old folks. My oldest daughter spends most weekends heading to the ocean, lugging children and coolers, chairs and toys. I remember the days when there was no place I'd rather be. But times have changed and so have we. Now we like the comforts of home every step of the way. When we find that special little roadside farm stand, we think we hit pay-dirt and if we don't find another thing all day, we're happy to just enjoy each other's company, stopping for an occasional cup of coffee. It's funny how our perspective changes as we get older. Nature has a way of slowing us down and forcing us to enjoy some of the things we missed in the mad rush to raise a family and have a career. I've come to love these little trips with my husband and best friend. Wherever the road takes us, we'll be there together. Building more memories to share with our grandchildren.

So... If you see a black trailblazer with a middle aged couple eating and laughing, it's probably us! We do a whole lot of both when we're traveling. Make sure you wave and say hi!

Road Trip to nowhere...and then maybe somewhere!

I'm really getting excited about my little mini vacation with hubby that starts at 4:00 am Saturday Morning! For all that know me, you know I don't have the best of luck on my trips to nowhere. So.. I am heading to nowhere, with a back-up somewhere in mind. You never know where I might show up.. or NOT show up! I'll have my faithful digi camera and my laptop.. so my adventures will be posted.

Please join Lorna and I for tea!

Fill your week with Tea Parties !!!
Starting Monday September 10, have a fun filled week with the Make Mine Pink Bloggers as they host a virtual Tea Party.
All the information and a list of participating Make Mine Pink Blogs will be posted on Make Mine Pink's blog~ so watch for more details as September 10 draws closer.

Why Tea Party? Well what can be more fun, tea for two, tea for one, a princess tea, a mother/daughter tea, best friends tea, long lost friends tea, or to just take a moment to slow down and enjoy the tea.

Join in on the fun and host a virtual tea party too. We will be visiting all the Make Mine Pink blogs and yours too if you decide to host your own party.

You will see beautiful and unique tables set for tea; many will have a special theme.
Will you join us and post a photo of your Tea Party on your very own blog?

Post a comment on Make Mine Pink’s Blog and we will include you on the list.
So expect many visitors and please have cookies ready.

Altered Art Gold Mine.. right in my back yard.

While we were out on our traditional Sunday outing, well OK.. it is a NEW tradition, but a traditional Sunday outing none the less, I remembered this Antique Mall I used to frequent. It's been at least 3 or 4 years since I'd been there and I thought it might be fun to see what new vendors and treasures might be waiting for me there. The minute I walked in the door I saw the booth occupied by what I'd always referred to as the "post card man." Back in the day, I was simply searching for pretty rose postcards and didn't pay much attention to the vast array of vintage books, magazine, prints, scrapbooks, trade cards, sheet music, old greeting cards, labels, ads and photos! But this time I saw this little room that was chock full of history and treasures in a whole new light. I was really excited as I rushed over to the large section of Vintage cabinet cards, also know and photos, and before I knew it, I'd been searching through hundreds, if not thousands of old photos for 2 hours.

I pushed away from the dusty archived photos and let my eyes wander around this amazing shop. It suddenly occurred to me that this was an Altered Art Gold Mine! I hear so many of the girls on Make Mine Pink talking about altered art and have even entertained the thought of dabbling in it a little bit myself. I sought out the owner, a very nice gentleman named John Whiting, and asked if I could take some photos of his shop to add to my blog. I was really excited to tell him about this new altered art trend and try to convince him that if he could get the word out to the altered art community, he'd have more business than he could handle. He said he'd heard some buzz about altered art at a recent show that he'd done but wasn't all that familiar with it. So, on John's behalf, I am really happy to have the opportunity to share my new favorite place with you. You can find an absolute treasure trove at Whiting's Old Paper located at the Antique Village on 10203 Chamberlayne Rd, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Now if we can just get John to list some of his papers on line. If you're reading this John, you need a web site and I just happen to know someone that designs websites!

The Sunday I should have had last week!

If you remember, last weekend I planned to spend the entire weekend at THE BAKER'S CRUST, a highly recommended bakery/bistro in Cary Town. What I didn't plan on was the watermelon festival and the unbelievable traffic we'd encounter. So, unfortunately we had to postpone our bakery fest until Cary Town was back to normal, whatever normal might be. Cary Town is Richmond's equivalent to any small artsy community like you might find on Nantucket or in San Francisco. The cobblestone streets are lined with unique little boutiques and eateries. I can't wait to go back when the weather is cooler and show you some of the great boutiques. But for today, we finally made it to The Baker's Crust. It was everything it promised to be and more. If you're ever in the area, it's definitely worth adding to your to do list.

  And yes, all of that food (well not all the cakes in the bakery case) I ate!

Saturday Morning Coffee Chat at MakeMinePink.com

Saturday morning is one of my favorite mornings to linger over coffee and enjoy chatting with the girls at Make Mine Pink. Now..what makes Saturday morning any different than any other morning? If you've visited the forum at MakeMinePink.com you know we have Coffee Chat every morning, but weekends are different because I allow myself the time to have an extra cup of coffee and catch up with what's going on with the girls behind the businesses on MMP.  The forum has really grown to become like the old-time coffee klatch of best friends you've known all your life who celebrate your successes and give you moral support when you're down. Frankly, being in the busy and sometimes lonely position of owning my own business, this human connection is really important to me. It's one of the reasons I founded Make Mine Pink. Through my own struggle to start my own business, I recognized the need for a place that anyone following their own dream, could come for moral support, for ideas and inspiration, for resources they might never have found on their own, and for friendships with like minded women. I haven't been disappointed! I hope you'll pour yourself another cup of coffee and join our forum. We'd love to meet you and hear about your dream.

Because Nice Matters..

I have to say.. I have never been tagged before and it caused me a bit of a panic and an SOS email to Blog Diva Sharon of C'est Chouette. She's NOT home! Fortunately for me, a visit to sweet Priscilla's Blog (Sweet-Remembrance) explained it all! Now I have the very difficult task of choosing JUST 7 to pass this Nice matters award on to! So..Thank you Priscilla for your kind award AND for making me have to choose JUST 7!!

I may need to be tagged 5 or 6 times to get all the NICE people that deserve this reward listed!

1. Priscilla from Sweet-Remembrance -After-all it was "NICE" of her to tag me and her blog is awesome AND I'm waiting in line for that dress form! So I tag her back! (I hope that's legal)
2. Sharon of C'est Chouette - She is so NICE to all of us at MMP that need her blog advice AND she has been so very NICE to me when I need her last minute writing services! Oh.. not to mention she has awesome "Tuffets" and I have my eye on my third! You need to keep up with Sharon's blog to catch her newest designs before they're gone. They don't last long.
3. Roxie from Jorabeels - She is such a NICE B-I-N-G-O queen at MMP! Without her awesome idea, well.. we'd have no BINGO! So she deserves this award because she is nice to everyone! Especially the new folks at MMP that need someone to take them under their wings. And have you see Roxie's blog? Well that's NICE too! As a matter of fact I just discovered it and love it!
4. Dianne from Mama's Pocketbook- Well she's just plain ole nice to everyone! Always right there to lend a helping hand. She just wrote the most awesome Mind Your Business column on Make Mine Pink. You should definitely check it out. But first, take a peek at Dianne's delightful blog.
5. Angela from Gilded Rose Collections is probably one of the nicest people I've ever met and yes, Nice really does matter. She's always right there to lend a hand, never asking for a thing in return. She offers her love and support to everyone on MMP. She's brand new at blogging and this just may give her a kick start. Her blog promises to be a class act!
6. Trisha of my2roses - She's always nice to me even when I'm a grouch and tell her I'll get back to you soon and soon turns into weeks. She didn't even get offended when I fell asleep talking to her on the phone. Now that's nice! Visit her pretty blogs! Yes.. I said Blog(s) she has more than one!
6.5 Michele of Sweet Yesterdays - She is HIGH on my nice list today and she knows why! You're a good MMP sister Michele. Michele also has some vintage goodies you just do not want to miss! Visit her blog for updates!
7. Last but not least is Cathy from Treasured Heirlooms. Cathy has such a generous spirit. I know this first and second hand. She works harder than anyone I know to touch other's lives. She doesn't even know that she doesn't  need to work so hard at it. She makes an impact by just being herself. Enjoy Cathy's delightful blog. I do!

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Our Donate button is now functioning as it should! We apologize to all that tried to donate chocolate and were unable to do so. We hope you'll try again.

Donate Button Malfunction

It has been reported that our Donate Chocolate button may be malfunctioning. I apologize for this inconvenience and will see that it is repaired immediately so that you will be able to once again attempt to make your donation.

PLEASE send chocolate!

We just finished our Tuesday night marketing chat at Make Mine Pink and I am inspired! Inspired to find some chocolate! Rich, amazing, gourmet chocolate! ooey.. gooey chocolate! Chocolate that you only hear about but never have the opportunity to indulge in. So, what I'm thinking about is a chocolate swap! I've never hosted one, never participated in one, but I just may have to have one. Of course we could just skip the swap and you could click the button below to do your part for wo(man) kind.

Did you REALLY click the button?

The hunt for Hazel Continues...

It's Saturday morning and I am giving myself permission to have 2 leisurely cups of coffee before my ongoing weekend "Hunt for Hazel" continues. How hard could it be to find the perfect housekeeper you ask? Well.. let me tell you! It's almost, no let me rephrase that, it's impossible!

Just to make myself even more miserable that my quest to find the perfect housekeeper is not going well, I rented the entire first season of the popular 60s TV show HAZEL. Some girls might rent a movie with a favorite heart throb and fantasize about being the heroin, but not me! I rent a made for TV sitcom and fantasize about finding "The perfect housekeeper!" All of my pleas "I NEED A HOUSEKEEPER LIKE HAZEL" have fallen on deaf ears. Oh I've had calls as a result of my ad, and I've made calls as a result of numerous ads offering domestic help. But before we can even set up an interview, they want to know if there's any hard work involved? any windows to be washed?.. because they do NOT do windows. How many days off would they have? Do I mind if they bring their 2 year old to work with them? He's really very good. Etc. You've heard that song, "looking for love in all the wrong places", well maybe I am looking for Hazel in all the wrong places. How do others find the perfect housekeeper? I know that someone has to have the answer to my burning question.

Looking for my very own Hazel.

It's Sunday morning and before my feet even hit the floor this morning I'd made the decision to once again ATTEMPT to hire a housekeeper. This will be my third attempt in the last two years, but what's a girl to do? I'm sure that I can justify this expense, after all, how can I be a successful business woman if I'm tired, cranky and have hands that are wrinkled and look like prunes? Impossible! Besides, I just don't like housework anymore.

So, while I was having coffee with Lorna (Doone) and the gang at Make Mine Pink, I was browsing through the domestic listings on Craig's list. I think I may need to write my own WANTED ad though. I didn't see one single listing that came close to the housekeeper Alice from the Brady bunch or to Hazel. Do you remember the TV show Hazel? If I had my very own Hazel to tend to the household duties, I'm sure I'd be a wildly successful business woman. Not that I'm not wildly successful now, but I'm talking about success beyond my wildest dreams. I'm pretty sure that behind every high profile, wildly successful woman, there's a Hazel.

I'll keep you posted on my progress as I search the world over, well... search Virginia over for my very own Hazel. For now I'm off to the office to finish a graphic design project that is due tomorrow.

Saturday morning coffee with the gang at Make Mine Pink!

Ordinarily I'm at the office already. This morning I indulged in 2 cups of coffee and 4 Lorna Doones! My new favorite breakfast of the champions! After-all it IS Saturday and there's plenty of time to work. All weekend in fact! I like to start my day on the Make Mine Pink Forum catching up with the early morning crowd. If you're up, you should join us. There's lot's of fun chat going on to help you start your day with a smile.

On the work front..I started on a new pre-designed website last night. I'm torn between finishing that project or making some progress in the sewing studio. It's a tough choice. Of course if you could see the sewing studio, you would say NO CHOICE necessary! It's admittedly a disaster waiting for some sort of order. I'd send in the maid and then the designer if I had either one. Maybe if I have the courage I'll post a pic of the disaster. FEMA might just step in and lend a hand. It's really that bad.

By the way.. did you think my coffee cup would be anything but Pink?