More is More

Yes, we actually went to Club 33 last night!  

We saw it as once in a lifetime opportunity.  We were invited by friends Dave and Dana who had a cancellation in a party of 10 they were going with.  One of the guys in the party had the tickets through a corporate membership and they had been to dinner there before.  Three of the couples (including us) were Club 33 newbies.  Boy were we wide eyed and in awe!

This door is next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant.  You put a key card in a slot and push an intercom button.  Once they confirmed our reservation a hostess came and escorted us in.  We then had the choice of walking up a staircase or going up the glass elevator two at a time.  Of course Curt and I wanted to go in the old elevator!  There are two dining rooms once you get upstairs – the main dining room and the trophy room where we sat.  The Trophy Room is smaller and was originally designed to be Walt Disney’s private entertaining space.  The Pirates of the Caribbean ride is just on the other side of the wall of this room and we got to peek through a door onto a balcony and into the ride.

I must say that the service at Club 33 was the best service I have ever had in any restaurant!  Our waiter Louis told us that he has worked at Disneyland for 17 years and over 15 of those years have been at Club 33 AND he’s low man in seniority on the wait staff there.  Wow!  We were able to get up and walk around to look at things any time throughout dinner which lasted about 3 1/2 hours.  The funny thing was that any time you left your seat, when you returned you would find your napkin re-folded and sitting on the table in a little tent fold shape.  One of the girls in our group mentioned that she felt really bad that she kept getting up and Louis had to keep re-folding her napkin, so the next time she left the table, he came and did a super fancy fold for her which totally cracked me up.

The food was certainly yummy.  I had a New York Strip and Curt had Duck.  Several people in our party had a 5 course pre-fixe menu with a wine pairing.  I don’t drink much and certainly couldn’t appreciate a wine pairing.  Instead I got a non-alcoholic Pirate Punch with light up Tink!  🙂 Oh and I wasn’t the only one at the table to get one of these.  You can’t tell in the photo, but Tink lit up a bright green!  For dessert we had a creme brulee (because all the chocolate options seemed to have fruit associated with them – blech!).

I have to share something funny – the bathroom freaked me out slightly.  It was beautiful, but when I went in the stall the toilet looked almost like a big wicker chair/throne type thing.  The first stall I went in had the lid down and it literally looked like a chair.  I was so confused!  I went to the next stall where the lid was up.  *phew*  I’ve never seen such a thing!  LOL!

There were several souvineers with the “33” logo available for purchase, but we decided we didn’t need any of those (espeically after we paid the dinner tab – yikes!).  We did get a few little freebies though.  Little matchbook like notepads came along with chocolates at the end of the meal.  And when the waiter brought the credit cards slips for everyone to sign he brought each couple a Club 33 pen for us to keep.  I’m a total pen freak so this would be my first choice souvineer anyway!  He told us that up until about 10 years ago the matchbooks would be embossed with each person’s name, but it was such a tedious task that they finally stopped doing it.  I asked if they still had the embosser because I’d be more than happy to do mine myself!  LOL!

  I also took a couple of logo paper hand towels from the bathroom.  We kept joking all night about the things we were going to take to sell on ebay so Louis told us the hot tip was to take the hand towels – that they sell well.  Too funny!

Here’s a picture of us with our friends Dave and Dana.  Curt has been friends with Dave since Jr. High and I’ve been friends with Dana since first grade.  We fixed them up on a blind date (a classic pay it forward if you know our story) about 8 years ago.  The funny thing is that it was my Mom’s idea. I don’t think it would have ever occured to me to put them together.

Speaking of blind dates – if you are following my Blind Date Saga from March 11 – 20 years ago today it is Tuesday – 10 days after our blind date – and HALLELUJAH Curt called!  Apparantly Bill waited till the very end of the work day and as he was leaving he threw out a casual “hey you should really call Jami”.  Curt hadn’t been at all sure that I liked him so he had been hesitant to call.  Not sure how that happened – I thought I was clear with my signals, but I guess not.  I worked evenings at Arthur Murray so he called me at work that evening and asked me out for the upcoming Saturday night.  Let me tell you, for this date I planned to get a new outfit and put in a little more effort!  WooHoo!!  So check back with me on the 25th for our Second First Date!

Hope you are having a great weekend.  We have another dinner out with friends tonight and poor Curt has an awful cold. I’ve got to run change my clothes and get going.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Jami

I’m so happy – my luncheon was a big success and I think everyone had a wonderful time.  I know I did.  I had six women over, only one of whom I really know well.  Most of these gals only knew each other from church gatherings, but hadn’t really spent any time together.  It was so fun to begin getting to know each of them better.

I made these clippies from jumbo binder clips and they served a triple purpose…

each was a take home party favor as well as holding a miniature envelope that was a placecard and contained a question.  Aren’t the cute?  The questions were a little get-to-know-you game.  Each envelope had a number. The person with #1 opened her envelope during lunch and read the question.  She answered it and then everyone around the table answered it too.  Then we moved on to question #2 and so on.  Some of the questions were:

• Where did you go to high school and what year did you graduate?  What about college? (now isn’t that better than asking everyone how old they are? *wink*)
• Where does your husband work and what does he do?
• Give us three words to describe your personality. (I said: creative, bossy, high-strung.  What would you say?)

Funny the insights you gain from some simple questions.  This also insured that everyone got to talk and that us *loud* ones didn’t totally dominate the conversation.  LOL!

My menu consisted of a Chicken Club Crescent Ring, Caesar Pasta Salad, Cheddar and Herb Kettle Chips and Red Seedless Grapes.  It plated up so pretty on my glass snack set plates (how many of you have snack sets from the 50’s and 60’s?).  I wish I’d remembered to take a picture.  For dessert I made a Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake with Shiny Chocolate Glaze.  Yummy!

The Chicken Club Crescent Ring is a Pampered Chef recipe and can be found in their All The Best cookbook.  The cake is from the Cake Mix Doctor – one of my all time favorite cookbooks.  And here’s the recipe for Caesar Pasta Salad – so easy:

• 12 oz bag  rainbow rotelli pasta – cooked, drained, rinsed with cold water
• 8-12 oz petite peas
• 1 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 bottle Girard’s Caesar salad dressing

Mix all ingredients reserving about 1/4 bottle or a little more of the dressing and refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Just before serving add the remaining dressing and mix well.After lunch we all made a card – most of the ladies had never stamped before!  It was so fun to see how excited they got when they were done and saw what they had created! Does this layout look familair?  Very much like the card I did for class last week.  This time I used Porcelain Prints designer paper along with Celery and Not Quite Navy cardstock.  Since this wasn’t a Stampin’ Up! class I went ahead and added some Marvy punches and some non-SU River Rock brads.  I thought the piercing in the two top corners was a really nice touch for a card for total beginners. I’m just as happy as a clam about how everything turned out today – feeling really blessed.  I want to challenge you  – consider inviting a few people over for lunch or even for dessert and coffee.  Aren’t there some women -maybe from church or neighbors – that you’d like to get to know better?  Your house will never be perfect, there will never be a really good time…but just pick a date and send out some invitations.  You’ll be glad you did!Hope you have a great weekend – I’ve got a super busy one ahead.  Thanks for stopping by!

Last night I held my first Stampin’ Up! class of the year.  I was really looking forward to it even though I was not feeling well at all.  I’m so thankful Curt was still on vacation and feeling better so he could help clean house..without him I would have needed to cancel class.  I love my customers!  Everyone was so understanding about me being under the weather and not quite as organized as usual.  I think everyone still had a really good time – I hope so anyway!

We made the purse project I shared in my last post along with 3 cards using Double Time Stamping (or One Sheet Wonder).  Everyone started with a full sheet of Very Vanilla cardstock and created a page similar to this.    You can click on the thumbnail to see it larger.

We used the stamp sets A Beautiful Thing, Carte Postale and Itty Bitty Backgrounds with ink colors Almost Amethyst, Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red, Always Artichoke and Pumpkin Pie.  Then we cut the full sheet into quarters and further trimmed those pieces to make these cards:

I made 6 cards (plus a little sample for a technique reference card) from one full sheet.  In class everyone made 3 of the above cards and took the rest of the pieces home.  This is a great way to make a set of cards for a gift or to make up a number of birthday or thank you cards that you might need in a given month.

Last night was my turn to be hostess and since I wasn’t up to baking I served a choice of Root Beer Float or Hot Fudge Sundae…simple and yummy!  I was really spent by the end of class and it was so super sweet of several customers to stay and get everything cleaned up for me.  🙂

So today I spent all day in my jammies on the couch watching tv and looking through my SU catty.  At one point I saw a recipe by Giada De Laurentis for Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Spinach (click here for recipe) that looked so yummy that I mentioned it to Curt later in the afternoon thinking I might even venture to try to make it sometime.  Well around 4:00 Curt announced that he was going to the grocery store.  “For what?” I asked.  “To get the stuff to make those pork chops you saw!”

Wow!  Is he a keeper or what?  He found the recipe on Foodtv.com and went to the store to get all the ingredients and then came home and made one of the MOST delicious dinners I have ever had!  I’m not even a fan of pork chops!  I highly recommend that recipe if you’d like to try something a little special…and it was even a part of a healthy cooking episode…using low fat cream cheese, low sodium chicken stock and limited olive oil.  I just gotta say – my hubby ROCKS!

I’m sure hoping we make it to church tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow is the last day of Curt’s vacation and it’s back to regular everyday schedule.  Hope you’re having a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by.

Last night we *had Christmas* and exchanged gifts with our very good friends Geoff and Brenda and their daughter Sarah.  I was very excited about the gift I had for Brenda – a Cupcake Kit!  First she opened the book Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor (as I wondered why the heck I didn’t also buy myself a copy).  Then she opened this cupcake tin.  🙂

You may recognize the tin as a Stampin’ Up! punch box.  I’ve been saving two of these for awhile for just the right project and this was definitely it.  I can’t tell you how excited I was to find this cupcake paper by Junkitz at eclectic Paperie (thanks Joy!).  It matches the tin perfectly and just what I needed!  I used Mod Podge (I prefer Roayl Coat, but I ran out) to adhere it around the tin and to the bottom of the inside and also as a protective coating since this will be used in the kitchen.  So, what’s inside the tin?

On the left are some cupcake papers and some sprinkles I found at -get this- TJ Maxx!  One of them is sharks, tropical fish and such which couldn’t be more perfect for 9 year old Sarah who has loved all things fish since she was a toddler.  What a find!  On the right is a cupcake decorating kit from Pampered Chef.  I actually purchased that first and it started this whole idea.

The cupcake image is from Just Johanna and it’s an image I stamped from my friend Emily (WaterPixie) when we were in Portland.  I was so happy to have it on hand.  For the sprinkles I used some pink seed beads and dots of Crystal Effects.  To top off the cupcake I used a Maya Road velvet flower and a blue rhinestone brad.  I used ribbon from the big Costco collection to make a belly band for the tin that easily slides off.  Honestly I would have liked to have done more (you know me!), but I was finishing this yesterday late afternoon and had limited time.

This was super fun project!  Have you altered any of these punch boxes?  If so I’d love to see a picture of what you did.  Be sure to leave me a link!  I have one more waiting to be altered.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you are having a teriffic weekend!

This afternoon and evening I have baked 3 kinds of cookies – Cranberry Pecan Celebration Cookies, Banana Oatmeal Drops and Chocolate Chunk Bars – plus made up the dough for Curt’s favorite Ginger Snaps.  I’ve had a shower and now I’m trying to muster the energy to get back in the kitchen and make Red Velvet cupcakes before bed. 

  Thought I’d take a few minutes to post while I’m taking a break.  Tomorrow afternoon we have my side of the family coming over for gifts before church.  After church we’re having about 12-14 people here for a lasagna dinner.  I think you can imagine how crazed I will be in the morning trying to get the house cleaned up!  I’m so thankful that Curt is so wonderfully helpful in that area!

I wanted share another gift – cookie mixes I made up for neighbors and a couple of friends.  It’s the Cranberry Pecan celebration cookies pictured above – the ones dipped in white chocolate.  The recipe came from Pampered Chef and the layered mix is in a Pampered Chef Small Batter Bowl.  As soon as I saw the idea I knew I had to make up some for gifts!

Isn’t it cute?  And the Batter Bowl is so useful after the cookie mix is gone!  I made a pocket card to go on top to hold the directions for making up the cookies, the Pampered Chef product booklet and a greeting from us.

There is a jumbo eyelet at the top of the pocket and the card is held on with wide grosgrain ribbon and a pop up glue dot on thr back of the card near the bottom.  Here’s a photo with the greeting piece pulled out.

If you want to try these cookies here’s what’s layered into the mix:

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins)

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. quick or old fashioned oats

1/2 c. peacns coarsley chopped

Along with this mix you will need:

3/4  cup butter or margarine, softened
2     eggs
teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl
combine butter, eggs, vanilla; mix until well blended.  Add cookie mix and mix
until well blended.  Drop scoops of dough (approx 2 tablespoons) 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.  Flatten dough slightly using the back of a spoon or bottom of a glass.  Bake 13-15 minutes until edges are golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack.                          Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

The PC directions were for baking on a stone which I don’t have.  I did discover that the cookie sheet would be best if greased.

I was just reading a post from a week or two ago on my friend Val’s blog about crossing something off your holiday to-do list to cut down on stress.  She crossed off baking.  I almost did too, but for me that would have been really sad!  I love to bake and it just doesn’t seem like Christmas if I cut it out all together…so I just cut back a little bit.  I would have prefered to have had a whole day to do it, but I’m happy I got some done.  Not to sure about those cupcakes though…I’m fading fast.

So what do you do for Christmas Eve?  My family has always had our Christmas celebration including gifts on Christmas Eve – even when I was a little girl (Santa came to our house first *wink*).  Whatever you have planned I hope you are all ready and not too stressed!  Thanks for stopping by.

My office Christmas party is tomorrow afternoon and I always like to take in a little something for everyone.  I’ve had several ideas over the past couple of months, but when I tasted this cereal mix recipe at a vendor fair I was in love and knew I had to make some.  I bought a cello bag of the stuff and ate it all in one day.  The cello bag listed the ingredients, but of course not the proportions.  I’m really happy with the way I worked it out.  As I was making it I just kept thinking “reindeer food” so that’s what I am calling it.

My packaging is not anything special.  I could have done something much cuter if I’d worked on it sooner.  I was just glad that I remembered this reindeer stamp from a little TAC set I purchased last year.  Of course the packaging options are endless.  It would be great in cello bags,  jars, frap bottles, tins, you name it.

Here’s the recipe in case you need some little last minutes gifts or would just like a holiday treat.

For 4 batches you will need to purchase:

Cheerios 1 box (8.9oz)

Rice Chex 1 box (12.8 oz)

Small Twist Pretzels – 1 bag (I bought a large bag 24 oz. but I didn’t use them all)

M&M’s – 1 large bag – 21.3 oz

Peanuts – 1 jar – 1 lb.

White Chocolate Chips – 4 bags – 12 oz each

For each batch you will be making, cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.  A Tupperware ThatsaBowl is the perfect size for mixing up a batch of this stuff.  In the bowl mix the following:

2 1/4 c. Cheerios

3 1/4 c. Rice Chex

1 1/2 c. pretzels

3/4 c. M&M’s

3/4 c. peanuts

Stir gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

In the microwave melt one bag of white chocolate chips according to package directions.  Let cool slightly and then mix into bowl a couple of spoonfuls at a time.  As soon as everything is well mixed, dump mix onto your cookie sheet and spread out evenly.  Let sit for 30-60 minutes so chocolate can set.  Break up with your hands and fill bags or other containers.

The measurements above are designed to use up all the ingredients (except some left over pretzels) by making 4 batches.  For me 4 batches filled 15 of the coffee bags I have pictured.  It would fill even more cello bags.

One tip on melting the white chocolate chips – don’t do it in those disposable Gladware bowls.  I ruined one whole bag of chips when the plastic bowl melted through the bottom and left black burned plastic in my chocolate chips.  This happened at half power in the microwave for less than a minute.  I was just really thankful that I had purchased extra chips since they were on sale.

I can hardly believe Christmas is only a few days away – so much to do still.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Recently I was reminiscing and telling Curt how my Great-grandmother would make me pospsicles with Dr. Pepper using those old tupperware popsicle molds.  I told him that I needed to get some of those molds so I could make Dr. Pepper popsicles – except I would use Diet now.  So this week as I’m perusing the frozen aisle at the grocery store, you’ll never guess what I found!

YEP!  Popsicles made with Diet A&W Root Beer, Diet Orange Crush and……..*giddies* Diet Dr. Pepper!  How cool is that?!  I was so lucky to have my Great-grandmother live until I was 20 years old and I have tons of wonderful childhood memories with her.

I woke up feeling like I’m getting that dreaded cold so I’ve been running around all day getting important stuff done in case I crash at some point today or tomorrow.  I received my Club’s SU order today so I scurried and got it all sorted and bagged and ready for pick up.  There were a few fun items in it for me too *wink* so hopefully I’ll feel like playing some tomorrow.  No big plans or committments this weekend – looking forward to just playin’ it by ear and relaxing a bit.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend and hope you can find a childhood treat to enjoy.  I’m off to eat a popsicle!  Thanks for stopping by.