The Julie and Julia Fete!

I was invited to a fun party at my friend Cheryl’s house recently. It was a “chick flick” movie preview of Julie and Julia, and it was unlike any preview or party I had previously attended. My husband and I have hosted similar events but I have never hosted a “chick flick” night like this and it was such fun! With permission from Cheryl, I am sharing the invitation with you. As you can see, the anticipation started even with the invite and the event delivered!

To fully understand the event, it would be helpful if you understood my friend, Cheryl. An incredibly bright, no-nonsense kind of person, Cheryl has a passion for lots of things - as I know her, most notably four:

1. her relationship with Christ;
2. her relationship with her family – consisting of her husband, John, and their four children;
3. her work as an attorney; and
4. her role as a “hockey mom” to those students she and John have billeted for three years. And yes, she is very busy!

As you might expect from my description of Cheryl, the collection of her friends that evening is best described as eclectic! It was a fun group of young and not-as-young professional women, and among them were some who were employed, some who were retired and some who were stay-at-homers by choice.

Each gal brought something yummy to share. There were stuffed mushrooms and a delicious cream cheese-filled baked pastry that was awesome, as well as other very interesting offerings. And of course, I cannot forget the ice cream and dope. “Dope" it seems, is apparently an old Orrville term for the toppings we enjoyed with our ice cream. Who knew?! There were lots of other delicious delicacies, as well.

Cheryl co-hosted the event with her mother, Jackie - a real, authentic French lady. I do love to hear her speak, because although she speaks English very well, she also has that beautiful woman-of-the-world French accent that always has intrigued me so!

With memories of college French classes still plaguing me these umpteen years later, I felt I had to come clean (have I ever told you I was thrilled when I learned I could take French pass/fail instead of for a real grade?). As the movie began, “I really struggled with French in college,” I announced to the group (but mostly to Jackie). Jackie, without missing a beat, said “That’s ok. I struggled with English at first, too!” I had met Jackie briefly before, but I knew at that moment I was going to love her!

I should explain that the “limited seating” listed on the invitation was an indirect reference to the media room at Cheryl and John’s house. They have a projector to view movies like we do in the Matt-cave, but they also have real, original theatre seating. How cool is that?! When Orr Twin Cinema closed a few years ago, the fixtures went up for auction. Cheryl and John purchased and installed a couple of rows of the original theatre seats. What fun! John did an amazing job re-doing the seats and Jackie, reupholstered the seats beautifully (learning that she upholsters, too, I now call her “Jackie-of-all-trades”)!

I had seen the movie Julie and Julia previously, but I saw it through new eyes that evening! We laughed and ate and watched the movie together. It was such a fun evening and a terrific way to watch a chick flick! Thank you, Cheryl and Jackie, for such a wonderful, fun, enlightening evening. Your hospitality made the rest of us feel right at home. Love you both!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok guys, you voted and I heard you! Thank you to those who voted. A request for recipes received first place, with hospitality hints and home organization ideas tied for second.

Many of you have tried the recipes I’ve posted and you know I only post easy, tried-and-true recipes. Because I get so many requests for my chocolate chip cookies (most recently from a party I attended at my friend, Cheryl’s house), here is that recipe. Gloria emailed also and asked about the kind of chocolate chips I use. I typically use semi-sweet and that’s what was in the ones I took to the party. So Gloria - a person who in my mind is synonymous with hospitality - this recipe is especially for you! I hope you enjoy it!

Vanessa’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 -1/3 cups self-rising flour
1- ½ cups margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. (6 oz. serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix, dry
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3-4 cups chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups nuts, if desired (walnuts, pecans, even macadamia nuts are wonderful!)

Combine butter, the sugars, pudding mix and vanilla in large bowl; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Gradually add flour; stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Batter will be stiff.

Bake in desired size on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees and begin checking at 8 minutes. Allow to set and cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 4-6 dozen. Store tightly covered.

Here are some “secrets” I’ve learned when it comes to making highly-requested chocolate chip cookies:

1. Refrigerate batter before using. This keeps the cookie from “spreading” too much during baking.
2. Use parchment paper on your baking sheets. I LOVE parchment paper!
3. Make cookies the same size so that they cook evenly. I use a Pampered Chef cookie scoop.
4. Save a few chocolate chips to add on top of the cookies after you drop on the cookie sheet.
5. Try different combinations. Use different flavored pudding mixes, chips and nuts. The combinations are endless!
6. Save some batter for later. I try to keep batter in the freezer at all times. Just take a couple of cups and seal it in a freezer Ziploc bag. Make sure to remove all the air and label it. Try to use it within a couple of months. It’s so nice to have the batter made up because it thaws very quickly and within minutes you can have freshly baked cookies for your kids, grandkids -- or yourself!

Enjoy friends!

Feed the Fish!

By the way, you can "feed" the fish! Just click and in different places and they will be given food, which they will eat!! :-)

Why The Fish?

I bet you're wondering: why the fish? Well, I'm glad you asked (so to speak, or um, write). Actually, because I just learned they are available.

My husband has called me Fish, Baby Fish, F, Fishter, Little Fish, F-ster, (well, I think you get it) for as long as we've been together. It's been his nickname of choice for me. And yes, there is a story behind it, but it is truly too long to share. Suffice it to say that the fish are fitting...

And yes, I have nicknames for him, too. They are equally unusual, and just as difficult to describe. But the fish are just for me. As he says, I am The Fish.

We have literally dozens of nicknames for Matthew. He will be so happy to know that I will not share those here.

I bet you have nicknames for those you love, too. Amazing, isn't it, how we tag those we love with silly little names? Yet, just the mention of the word conjures up memories of days and times gone by? My husband's parents each refer to the other as "Bird" and have for as long as I can remember. I have no idea how it started but it's not unusual to hear when we are with them. It cracks me up every time.

So, my friends, I wish you a happy day with those you love - whether they are fish or bird or Bubby or Munchkin or .....

Mother's Day - Past and Present(s)

I’ll never forget Mother’s Day the year my mother died. We had just moved from Durham, North Carolina to North Canton, Ohio in February. My mom died less than 2 months later, in April.

Mother’s Day that year began like virtually every day since my mom had died, with me crying and feeling alone and helpless. I knew I needed to go to church, so Ken and I got Matthew, our 2-1/2 year old toddler ready and went to church. Of course we still did not have a home church yet, so we were visiting a new one that Sunday.

We walked through the front doors of the church and the tears began to fall, uncontrollably. I’m not even sure if we sat down; I knew I had to leave. I could not bear the thought of being with anyone celebrating mothers on the first Mother’s Day after I’d lost my own mother.

That was 17 years ago. Amazingly, it seems like it was last month. Yet, virtually everything in my life has changed since then. From an earthly standpoint, only Ken, my husband, and Matthew, our son, have remained constant. In the time since then, I’ve lost my father as well. Like I said, virtually everything has changed.

Although I still miss my mother unbelievably, time has provided much healing. God’s grace has been ever-present and His love, unfailing. My husband has been steadfast in his support and his understanding, and our son, compassionate and always willing to hear me reminisce.

All these years later, I am able to love Mother’s Day again. With our son just returning home from college for summer break, I was blessed that he was able to join us on this very special day. His presence at home is “present” enough, but his attending church with us was much better still!

There were so many wonderful moments today. We created some special memories that I will treasure. We had fun and lots of laughs while taking and viewing photos from today. I received several presents from Matthew and Ken to commemorate the day, and what made me feel most loved was learning that Matthew had made special plans for the day. He made reservations for all of us to go out for a special dinner at Flemings in Fairlawn. I had never gone there but as soon as we walked in, I knew it was a special place for a special dinner. I was not disappointed. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and I received two gifts from the restaurant – a gift card and a box of truffles to take home. What’s not to love about this place? What was most special about all of it was learning that Matthew had made reservations weeks ago for this very day. I felt so loved and so special!

I can’t deny that I love the presents and the special attention from Matthew and Ken. Their thoughtfulness is truly appreciated. But you know what my favorite gift was? It was sitting in church with both my boys. It didn’t cost a penny but it meant the world to me. Knowing we were together and worshipping as a family was a priceless gift and the one I treasure most of all on this Mother’s Day.

Thank you, Matthew and Ken, for making this day so special! We made some wonderful memories today and I cherish all the minutes we have together. I love you.