Seeing Red

I am trying my hand at my first Bundt cake although, actually, it's a generic "fluted pan" from Wilton so technically it's not a "Bundt."

I used a red velvet cake mix from Duncan Hines. Here's how it looked coming out of the oven:



Then flipped onto the cake stand,.. PHEW, it's all in one piece!!



With the glaze drizzled over the top.



And I couldn't leave well enough alone so I added some chopped pecans for a little Southern flair!



Drooooool....



Now I'm VERY curious as to how it will taste....will let you know!

Lavender Lane Bed and Breakfast

a.k.a. "my house." My mom is coming to stay for three days, two nights starting tonight. I've been working busily (and working up a sweat) getting ready today. Here's her welcome basket and magazines, plus a carafe and water. The basket holds lots of goodies, mostly for pampering, plus some "short read" books I thought she'd like paging through. She's an early riser so I have to have something to keep her occupied in the morning before we get up.



Here's where she sleeps. The picket fence headboard is new--I love it!! She sleeps really well here for whatever reason. It's probably the combo of a good mattress and a black-out shade!



And in case you're curious, here's the rest of our son's room/guest room.





I modified my "coffee and tea station" to be more visitor-friendly. I'll just pre-set the coffee pot for her the night before. There's a personal tea pot and a couple choices for tea, in case the mood strikes her.



This is closer to how it normally looks, and how it'll look tomorrow morning, since we'll be having "coffee to go." I have to keep my vitamins there, too, so I don't forget!!



I'll be posting more about my mom's stay soon! I loooove having company!! Tonight she's arriving quite late so all we'll have time for is some Oreo ice cream cake and a pampering foot treatment! Stay tuned!

Hospitality

This is going to be a new feature on my blog and on that I am passionate about but have neglected in the last year or so. I consider myself gifted at hospitality, partly because I've learned how to do it from the best and partly because I enjoy it so much. I entertain more in two months than most people do all year! I truly enjoy making people comfortable in my home, tending to their needs, inviting them into a warm and inviting environment and seeing them enjoy themselves. My mom and I frequently host parties and events, despite less-than-perfect houses. I don't even cook!! But we don't let that stop us.
Part of my hesitation is wanting my home to be "just so" before I invite a lot of people in. Part of it is being a working mom with a lot of activities and who wears a lot of hats (I hate the word busy). But I come from the South, where hospitality reigns supreme! Southern women know hospitality. You don't sit in someone's house without having a cuppa and a pieca! Ten years ago, that meant a cup of coffee and a piece of pound cake!
I found this quote on a blog tonight:
"Hospitality is the act of caring for one another. We can entertain all we like, but not until we care does it become hospitality."
Emilie Barnes
I'm afraid, based on this quote, that I've really been doing more entertaining than offering hospitality, because I tend to obsess over the details and not actually get to spend quality time with my guests. It's hard to "care" when you're racing around getting more ice or wiping down the bathroom mirror--again.
To me, the home is the heart of hospitality. I want my home at its best so I can be more comfortable with entertaining, which will naturally flow into true hospitality. So! I'm already in organizing mode and have been ruthlessly getting rid of stuff, with the goal being a true "open house" this December, where no rooms (not even closest) are off-limits. I want a place for everything and everything in its place. Not perfection, mind you! I love a work in progress! But I do want my home at its best for me, my family and our guests. Which is why I just posted a list of links, all about HOME. Some are quirky, some educational and some simply fun. I moved them up to the top so you don't have to scroll.
Now, tell me--where do you go for inspiration regarding YOUR home??