As many weeks are, this week was filled with delights and happiness and some sadness and fear mixed in there, too. Let’s start with the good stuff, as always, shall we?

HIGH: Saturday Tea Party Celebrating Friends

I spent this past Saturday having a sweet and simple “sprinkle” shower for a dear friend expecting her second child. Filled with friends, my Ginger Tea Punch, tea sandwiches, Porch Pies (getcha some!), homemade Texan chocolate cupcakes, champagne and more, it was just a perfect little Saturday.

I whipped up my signature tea sandwiches:

Cucumber Dill Cream Cheese on White and Zesty Southern Pimento Cheese on Dark Rye (usually, I use Pumpernickel but the store didn’t have it!)

And…Turkey, Mascarpone & Spinach on Wheat and Zucchini-Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese and a Butterscotch Drizzle

It was such a sweet day and probably the most relaxed and relaxing little party I’ve ever hosted. It was also a good lesson to me that sometimes more is not best and simple can be beautiful. Good for this queen of overkill to remember!

LOW: The Worst Kind of Unexpected

Life moves so fast and the mere movement of time makes it very easy to take things for granted. I was reminded again of how fragile life and health can be when a friend of mine was found unconscious in his home and rushed to Cedars Sinai for H1N1-induced pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome last Thursday. He’s out of the dark, dark woods but he’s still in the woods a bit. And he has quite a journey of healing ahead of him. So, if you would, please keep Jake in your thoughts and prayers this week. And please, please get your flu shots and be grateful every day for the life and health you have today. I am preaching to you right now as much as I am reminding myself. We’ve gotta watch out for ourselves and each other.

Have a great week, beauties!

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week? 

*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 reflection sake 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!