Hey do you have a few minutes for coffee this morning? I’d love to catch up a bit and see how things are going for you. How about an Iced Latte? My gym makes amazing espresso that is actually baked with coconut oil and butter (sounds horrific- tastes amazing) and I am addicted to them.
This week it will be the 90’s and I am not prepared to jump headfirst into summer yet. Spring lasts for about 2 weeks in California and then summer gets all shovey and kicks Spring out of the way. What would you like to get? Please don’t say a plain black coffee because you are getting ready for swimsuit season. You look fantastic and don’t need to lose any weight! Although I have to tell you that you look amazing. Light and happy- whatever you are doing is working for sure.
I would ask if you feel like May is as crazy as December- the kiddos are wrapping up school and I have to muster every ounce of strength to push through to the finish line with signing homework, finishing last minute projects, packing lunches and basically not telling them “Look. You are on your own until June. Mom was a trooper from August until May and now it is your turn. Make good choices 🙂 ” Ha ha! Do you feel the same with those last few weeks of school?
My wee-one just had her 7th birthday and we went with a vintage Winnie the Pooh theme. I had so much fun making all sorts of little decorations and baking the cake. This year I did a naked cake which I have been loving since they started popping up all over about a year or maybe two years ago.
If you haven’t seen them, the idea is to make the cake the focus with just a pretty smear of frosting and either fruit or fresh flowers as decoration.
I made my first naked cake for her birthday dinner- it was a strawberry cake with whipped cream and cream cheese frosting and fresh berries. Here is the finished cake- what I should mention is that I was in the kitchen all day testing recipes for the blog and also decorating 24 cupcakes for her class party the next day and didn’t really start her birthday cake until evening.
I was just finishing making her requested birthday dinner and realized it was like 7pm and I better get this dang cake done. So I literally spent 5 minutes cutting, frosting and plopping haphazardly cut strawberries on top. If you have any parties coming up give one of these cakes a shot! They are SO good and just couldn’t be simpler to make. I did that one in about 5 minutes and surely if I can do it, yours would be 10x more beautiful.
You might tell me about your summer plans… I would be so envious of how organized you seem to be! I am still scrambling to even think about summer, although I did get the kids registered for VBS and that is something.
I would tell you that I just got back from Southern California where I went to a fantastic conference and got to feel very fancy staying at the Ritz Carlton hotel for a few days. What a treat it was and best of all, I got to see some of my dear friends that started blogging with me about 100 years ago. (me on the left, Shellie in the middle, Heather on her phone and Rachel snapping pics.)
That is us celebrating the many meals we had – feasts really- and most of all enjoying not having to clean up the dishes after the meal. How stunning are these little S’Mores? I am totally doing this for a summer party this year.
You might ask me about something you spotted on Facebook and I would tell you yup! I had a little craft posted on Martha Stewart.com recently which I was crazy excited about. And I really liked that craft too it was a simple DIY candle in a pretty vintage tea can. And I would tell you that my 8 year old actually took that photo and now she has decided she wants to be a farmer, photographer and blogger when she grows up. (I tried to explain the Pioneer Woman beat her to it but ah well. There is room for everyone online.)
And then I would ask about you. Not the kids, not work, but YOU. Anything you are loving these days? You would mention a few things going on this summer and that you need to go shopping and I would tell you about how much I love every single thing at Banana Republic these days.
I just picked up the dress on the left for my daughter’s birthday and it was so light and airy and comfy and now I need to go back and get the navy number on the right. It is silky and a gorgeous color and looks fancy while being crazy comfortable.
And you would tell me about the books you are loving these days and I would mention I am completely obsessed with the BBC TV show, The Fall. I watch it on Netflix and only allow myself to watch when I am on the treadmill at the gym. I hit the incline to about 15 and walk at a very brisk pace and have been loving that workout as opposed to running like I used to do (you know how much I hate to run.)
I would tell you it is so well written and a creepy story of a police investigator and a serial killer and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I have never been a Gillian Anderson fan but she is just absolutely perfect in this role.
And then you would tell me you really need to get going because well- all.the.things. And I would say- yup! I better get going too but I am so glad we made the time to catch up.
Can’t wait to see you again next month!
Kim says
When you make the s’mores, please post the recipe or how to. My 13 year old would just love it! And the vintage tin candle is awesome!
Charlene says
Hi Kim!
This is a S’More parfait that she could probably make herself that is similar. I want to play with toasting the marshmallows though so I will post if I come up with something good 🙂
http://myfrugaladventures.com/2015/05/easy-smores-parfait-recipe/
Elizabeth says
Love this post!
As for The Fall, I think it’s funny because I’ve been a HUGE Gillian Anderson fan since the X-Files came on in the early 90s, but I really didn’t like her character in The Fall! haha To each her own.
🙂
Those smores desserts look amazing.
Charlene says
Oh you watched it Elizabeth? Did you like the show? The guy is just so creepy right? I never watched the X Files but I always heard about diva antics and I think that turned me off. If I watched the show I might like her better 🙂 The Fall changed my mind for sure- she is as creepy as he is!
Elizabeth says
The X-Files is still my all-time favorite show. She is not at all diva-like in that show. She may have been on set?! I watched Hannibal to see her too and that was WAY too sick for me. Her character in that was weird.
Her character in The Fall does some very weird and creepy things (the guy that she propositions…did you get to that part? I don’t want to spoil anything!).
The bad guy in The Fall is DEFINITELY super creepy. EEK! He has such a “normal” life and is up to such horrible things. 😮
There is a Season 2 of The Fall. I don’t know if they finished filming it or showed it in Britain yet or not though.
Stacy says
I really liked Gillian Anderson in Great Expectations. She plays the crazy Miss Havisham. I think its PBS materpiece. I will have to take a look at The Fall. Cake looks so wonderful and easy, I may give it a shot. I really get scared when it comes to frosting a cake.
Charlene says
Oh I will have to look for that. Her accent is just perfect in the Fall. Stacy I did step by step directions today in a post. Totally try it! That strawberry cake was literally 5 minutes. Really couldn’t be easier 🙂