Yet again, it’s time for the most popular column on BeautyFrosting – my High-Low. *So what exactly is a High-Low, you ask? High-Low is the BEST & WORST part of your day, week, month, etc. I started this tradition with friends & family after I discovered it through a movie decades ago. Not only is it useful for the sake of reflection but it is also an excellent way to communicate with your spouse, kids or friends over the dinner table. By introducing this tradition to folks, parents have told me that their kids have opened up more and friends have told me that their spouses have become more communicative. Try it for yourself and let me know what your experience is…
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HIGH-LOW 4/22/14
Easter? Yay!!! Face burns? No bueno.
This week was a doozy (aren’t they all?) as it contained my favorite holiday – for which I hosted a garden party – and my not-so-fave as, well, my face got burned! And it all happened in one day. See? Doozy.
As my old boss used to say, Oy vey.
Up first? The high, of course. Here we go, here we go, here we go.
HIGH: My 3rd Annual Classic Southern Easter Dinner
I love having a houseful of people. To be honest, I feel most alive and happy when I am hosting a soiree at my house – surrounded by friends, indulging in delicious, homemade food and drinking wine and laughing. Add in some board games and I’m having the time of my life. All of that just does my heart good. And it definitely does my heart good to look around me and see the folks I hold so dear looking plumb happy.
Which is why I ignored a friend’s advice when he told me to skip hosting my annual classic southern Easter dinner this year (although he’s usually quite wise). With all I have going on, it just didn’t seem like the smartest thing to do. But I am so glad I did it!
There were old friends, new friends and enough food, wine and spirited conversation to go around. And I really appreciate that my guests who have attended each year said that they so look forward to it and it’s one of their most beloved events of the year. It might be a hefty task to take on when things are busy and bustling but anything that makes me feel so good simply can’t be a bad thing.
The theme this year? Ricky Nelson-Garden Party style. In the backyard with the tasel garlands, puffs on trees, birds and the bees. Oh, you know what I mean...
The reason I love this tradition so much is because it marries the best of the old traditions precious to my family – which reminds me of my younger days – with the new traditions that I’m creating on my own with my friends and surrogate family out here in LA. It is such a beautiful thing – and isn’t that what life’s all about?
As with everything, it’s all in the delicate details – and the delicate details are what delight me. I used my Nanny’s silver, made her Jello lime salad in her vintage jello mold and served the salad on her white and gold cake stand. I always feel connected to her when I bake but when I actually use precious family treasures that she owned for years, I feel especially connected to her.
Marrying the old traditions with the new ones. Pictured here is my Nanny's silver and my favorite new washable linen napkins from Haute Hostess (Left) and Jessie Steele (right)
We started out the day with a DIY Mimosa bar from One Hope Wine that was a hit! Guests could custom-make their own mimosas featuring One Hope Sparkling wine and select from a bevy of juices, fruits and mint to muddle, mix and design to their heart’s content. More on the Mimosa Bar (and how you can order the One Hope Wine Mimosa Bar Set) on Thirsty Thursday this week!
What else was served for dinner? Well, we always have a HoneyBaked ham, my Cowboy Corn Casserole, my Paris, Texas Green Bean Casserole, my Southern Pea Salad, Matt Marr’s Prized Deviled Eggs, mac & Cheese, turkey, salads and SO much more!
As for the best part? Dessert, of course! I baked my annual Easter Bunny Coconut Cake (this year her name was Bedelia – yes, seriously), my Chocolate Cream pie, my Blackberry Cream pie and my Nanny’s ‘Nana Pudding. Holy goodness, it was all delicious!
But even more delicious than the food was the company. Thank you to each and every one of you who came and celebrated a beautiful spring day in my backyard. The memories will live on long after the food is gone – and the memories were downright magical.
LOW: Ouch!
LOW: Ouch! Too many irons in the fire and something might catch ON fire! (p.s. That white stuff on my face? It's Silver Sufudiazine which helps burns)
I’ll keep this short. I burned myself. While busily setting the table, cooking, baking and decorating for Easter dinner, I spotted a Diptyque candle on fire in my living room. Nope. Not stressful at all. A fire extinguisher would’ve made a mess for such a small fire so I (dumbly?) decided to blow it out. Well, the hot wax splashed up and hit my face. It actually didn’t really hurt – probably because I was so focused on putting out the fire!
I’m fine - and it could have been much worse but I did receive 4 small burns on my face – one second degree that’s requiring a bit of attention so as to prevent scarring. But thanks to my dermatologist, I’ll be right as rain in no time. And, again, even though I’m calling it a low, I know that there is much, much worse than having a few burns on your face. A good reminder to yes, keep all those irons in the fire but to keep your eye out for things catching on fire with all we have going on every day.
xoxo,
BF
BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?
