Mom Prom

So Blossom '12 was pretty fun. 

Of course the highlight of the evening was when they killed the lights and cranked the tunes.  Nothing like a bunch of "girls" huddled on the dance floor.

Let's just say the DJ had our number and when Jessie's Girl started up everyone lost it.

:0)

Girls Night

Tonight I'm going out with some friends to support another friend and her benefit. 

It is always fun, it is always for a great cause and it is always interesting.

Even though Tacoma is one of the largest cities in Washington, "up on the hill" we are very small town, a little Knott's Landing if you will.  I'm sure all communities are like that to some degree. 

Tonight the women of our community will come together to "connect, contribute and celebrate" along with all the wine they can chug sip. 

I'm sure it will be fun, it always is. 

I'm sure I will see lots of folks I know, I always do. 

I'm sure I will feel silly for being anxious, I always am. 

What is it about a room full of women (who are 99% very sweet ~ altho there is always that 1%, meow) that is so intimidating?  It isn't just me, I've heard that from a lot of folks.  I find it ironic that a night designed to celebrate woman is stressing them out.

I guess that is why they serve so much wine :0)

Youth is Wasted on the Young

So last night we went to see Van Halen. 

Um...yeah... I think the theme of the night was "getting old sucks"

While the band sounded pretty good, David Lee Roth looked like he was in pain the whole night.  Maybe he was battling the flu or something, but he just looked so pained every time they plastered his face on the jumbo tron.  I think his current "style" didn't help.
From this..

to this...

which reminded me of this...



They say you can't go back and last night was a glaring reminder of that.  Now I wasn't foolish enough to expect this...

but I just wasn't prepared for this

which reminded me of this

Overall it was a fun night and they did sound pretty good.  Despite playing a little too much from the new album, they did play some of my favs. 

So in the spirit of burying my head in the sand when it comes to getting old, I leave you with some classic Van Halen in all their 80's glory.

Dance the Night Away ~ ahhhh ~ Van Halen Perfection

Enjoy :0)

Diamond Dave and the Boys

Tonight is the Van Halen show. 

I'm so excited.   

I'm very curious to see how good our seats are.  They were a bit spendy.  I guess I've entered the phase in life where I use the phrase "back in my time..." more and more often especially when it comes to the cost of concerts.  I really don't think any act deserves the draining of the college fund (well.. maybe Journey if Steve Perry came back), however, Van Halen with David Lee Roth comes close.  Now if it had been up to me, NO WAY would I have bought these tickets, but they were my Valentines Day gift so I guess that makes it okay.

Just for the record, this is what a Van Halen ticket should cost

Happy Saturday

Happy May Day

So if the old saying "April showers bring May flowers" we are due for quite a flowerful May.

Today, between downpours, I decided to take a little tour of my garden.  Now, I haven't really gotten into full garden mode yet, but my lilacs are on the brink of blooming.

I LOVE lilacs.  

I have many different types of lilac trees in my yard.  I would have a lilac forest if I could.  Their only draw back is that their season is just too short for my liking.  However, for a few weeks in May, my yard and house smell amazing.

When we looked at our house there was a lilac in the corner of the backyard.  It was in the summer so the blooms were long gone, but I took it as a good sign.  It turned out that the lilac was in fact a very light blushy pink.  I don't know the name, but I love the light colored blooms. 

I planted this a couple of years ago.  I love to pick up lilacs at the nursery, post season, so they are marked way down.  I don't know the name of this one either, but I'm just glad it is blooming.  Our lawn guy likes to prune.  Every year I have to follow him around shouting "don't cut that!!".  Lilacs bloom on old growth. If you prune too much you won't get blooms the following year.

Here is another lilac that barely escaped.  It looks kind of funny with the flowers being so low on the bush.  Next year I'm hoping for full bloom.

This lilac I call the Katie May.  My friend, Katie, gave me a sucker off a tree in her back yard.  I planted it and waited for it to grow. I waited and waited and then we moved.  I dug it up and took it with me and waited some more.  Finally after 10 + years, it bloomed.  There are only  two bunches of flowers this year, but I'm encouraged. 

I planted this lilac by my living room windows so they would make my living room smell good.  It is called Bridal Memories and it has a very strong (in a good way) scent.  This is another bush I dug up and brought with me when we moved.  It is amazing how much abuse these lilacs can take.

Last, but not least, is my Pocahontas Lilac.  While I like the shade of purple, it is a more bluish purple, I bought it because of its name.  My grandma was born in Pocahontas, Virginia.  She would always tell me stories of her adventures growing up there.  So when I saw this little baby at the nursery, I snatched it up.  Now every spring when it blooms I think of her.

So there you have it, my Lilac collection.  It has been a while since my last lilac, so I'm sure I will be on the look out for a new one. 

Do you have a favorite lilac?

Lemon Love

My BFF, Jenny P, enjoys a good lemon cupcake.  While I was down visiting a couple of weeks ago, I decided to whip up a batch as a little thank you for letting me come down and soak up some of her Arizona sun.  I found a promsing recipe at the Sing for Your Supper blog.  We gave it a try and I was pretty pleased with how they turned out.
A while ago I was on a quest for a good white cake, but was unable to find one.  Turns out this recipe fits the bill.  It is light, but dense enough to have that perfect "crumb".  It reminds me of wedding cake and even though it is lemon flavored, it is very light and I think makes the cake refreshing. 
I've tweeked the recipe a bit, but it is simple and pretty straight forward (although, a one bowl recipe it is not).  For even more lemony goodness pair it with a lemon buttercream.
Enjoy
Lemon Cupcakes

• 2C flour
• 1/4 C cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 350
Combine sugar and lemon zest, muddle and set aside
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt
Gently beat eggs whites and buttermilk
Combine sugar and butter and mix until very light in color
Add vanilla and lemon juice
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and then 1/2 of the milk mixture, repeat, ending with flour mixture
Fill cupcake liners half way up and bake ~ they will not brown so test with toothpick
Bake 17 min for mini and 20 for regular

Lemon Buttercream

• 1 C butter
• 4-6 C powder sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 milk
• 1 dash salt
• zest of a lemon
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• a few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

Combine and mix on med high for 3 minutes until light an fluffy

I'm linking up to Sweets for a Saturday

 

Partners in Crime

Lucy and Ethel

Lavern and Shirley

Thelma and Louise

Me and Jenny P.

Happy Birthday to my BBF.