Quiet Weekend
Today we skipped church. I know! Shame on us! Aleasa spent the night last night and the roads were so slick that we opted to stay home. After Aleasa got picked up, I was sitting on the sofa, in the quiet of the morning. The only sounds were the cracking of the ice on the branches. What a wonderful sound. Just soft and a sort of tinkling. I looked out over our “winter wonderland” in the backyard and just saw such a peaceful setting.
Sometimes we just need those quiet times to center ourselves again. As tired as I am of the WINTER, I needed to “hear” the quiet of this day.
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Chocolate, Chocolate and more CHOCOLATE!
Tuesday night at the shop we have our 2nd annual Chocolate Workshop with Chef Nancy Stark. Last year she totally wow’d us with her yummy chocolate menu and this year promises to be even better!
I know you don’t want to miss out on this class – call the shop to reserve your spot. Class starts at 6 pm, but you need a reservation to join us. (816)554-3755 Check out the menu on the website, www.athymeforeverything.com
Chocolate Crawl Recap
Once again Downtown Lee’s Summit’s Chocolate Crawl is a success! Oh my! Between my shop, A Thyme For Everything and The Living Stone we had 300 special boxes filled with coupons. My boxes were gone within 1 1/2 hours! It was CHOCOLATE CRAZINESS!
We also held our annual Kid’s Thyme in the Kitchen Valentine Surprise Cooking Class. This year we made fun boxes of chocolatey goodness to surprise our parents with. Texas Brownies with M&M’s and frosted with pink frosting, Homemade Truffles rolled in three different toppings and Salty, Sweet, Chocolatey Treats. The kids had a great time and were definetely on chocolate overload by the time they left the shop! LOL
This year I had even more truffles to hand out than last year. We had enough to last till 4 p.m. Next year I’m sure I will have to purchase even more!
While the chocolate craziness was going on, my husband Don was putting together and installing our check-out counter. It was huge job, but he DID IT! Our new counter area is now in place and ready for our move to it. It will take a bit of time, but over the next couple of weeks look for the shop to look even better and more “shopable”. This is all part of our big change that will be coming this summer, our COOKING STUDIO!
Stop in to see us soon!
Chocolate Crawl – Saturday, Downtown Lee’s Summit
I just got done trying some of the chocolate I will be giving out for the annual Chocolate Crawl this Saturday. Let me tell you…..WOW these are fantastic. I know just in a days work! LOL This year I have three different type truffles for you – Fudge Love, Chocolate Chocolate and both Milk and Dark Annaclairs. I got these all from the same company that I purchase my truffles from, Sweet Shop USA in Mt. Pleasant, TX.
This year we have 29 merchants participating in our crawl. The first 300 “crawlers” will receive a chinese take out box, filled with coupons, to put your chocolates in. You can pick these up at my shop, A Thyme For Everything or The Living Stone.
In addition to the chocolates, this year we are happy to be partnering with Lee’s Summit Medical Center for some health screenings. All participating merchants will have pink balloons outside their shops, the ones with the health screenings will also have red ones.
This is definetely one of the best events that Downtown Lee’s Summit hosts. You DON’T want to miss it! See you Saturday!
Skype is here!
Ok, I guess I’m a little behind, but I now am Skyping! My best friend lives in Colorado and I haven’t seen her in a few years. Seems like life just takes over and we never have enough time to travel and visit with each other. Her son Ryan, like a son to me, is now in the military serving in Germany. So she got Skpe to keep up with him. I signed on yesterday, and we’ve talked two days in a row now!!!! It is so great to see and talk to her at the same time!
Remember when we younger and we would watch Star Trek and the Jetson’s? We thought that type of technology would never come. I heard a commentary the other day about what technology was like just 10 years ago. Think about that, hardly anyone had cell phones, even a number of households didn’t have a PC yet! Do you know anyone without a cell phone now? We don’t even have a “landline” any longer. The future is here.
Skpe, Facebook, Twitter, Texting, Emails they are all the norm now. Everyone is “talking” to each other in these ways. Techie talking is here!
Wireless At Home
Oh my have I been living in the dark ages or what? We just got our home hooked up with wireless internet. I LOVE IT!!! No more blackberry, little keyboard! Technology is AMAZING!
Winter Doldrums
Ok, here I sit in the shop wishing, praying for someone to come in and say HI. These days have been so cold and bitter, that even I don’t want to be in my beautiful shop! But I know that you are getting cabin fever, so come on out and enjoy a cup of hot coffee with me.
Merry, Merry Christmas!
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! I also thank you all for your support for the past 3 years. You’ve been with us through thick and thin and we appreciate you.
This will be Aleasa’s first Christmas that she will be aware of what is going on around her. I can’t wait for her to open all her presents. Our daughter, her husband and Aleasa moved out of our home and into one of their own over the weekend. Today I got to see Aleasa and she was so excited to see me! Again, I say – I LOVE BEING A GRANDMA!!
The shop has lots of really great new items in stock. Make sure that you stop by soon and say HI! Sign up for one of our awesome classes in the New Year.
Life After Italy
~~sigh~~ Is there life after Italy? I’m finding out, that is for sure. Because if I could have, I would have stayed! I absolutely loved my trip to Italy! I think what made it truly a trip of a life-time, was that our guide in Italy, Judy Witts-Francini (an American married to a Florencian) knows so many people that when we met them, it was like they were already friends of ours. We were so welcomed everywhere we went.
I came back to a shop that was in full swing into the Christmas season. My husband and Susie did a great job! I appreciate that I will be able to travel again, knowing the shop is in capable hands! Now, will they let me? LOL
Lot’s of fun and new items are in the shop! Stop by and see me soon.
Day 3 in Italy
Today we had our first cooking class. It was held at a private villa here in Tuscany. The villa is over 500 years old! It was so beautiful. Our chef taught (hands on class) us to make a stuffed boneless chicken with Italian bologna, ground chestnuts, milk soaked bread and parmesan cheese. Gnuddi Gnocci with spinach, parmesan and ricotta. Caramelized onion fritatta and roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary. Dessert was an apple cake, Karen and I decided it was more like a crustless tart. All was so incredible! The food is fresh, fresh, fresh!
As you can see in the pictures I’ve uploaded to Facebook, freshness of food is very important here. The feet and most times the heads are left on chickens so as to show how fresh they are. On proscuitto today I saw boars hair. It hadn’t been cut off or even shaved! The yolks of our eggs in our Apple Cake today were so yellow!
The Italian people as a whole don’t waste food. They seem live by the saying I’ve recently heard from my friend Jasper Jr., Snout to Tail. They don’t waste anything. Stomach lining – tripe, the lungs, the innards, etc. All is eaten. The heads are also cooked. It has been such an education for me.
After our class today we traveled to Greva and did a little shopping in the town and then it was on to San Giagiamo. In the last there was a beautiful old church. Unfortunately the town was starting to close down when we got there, but not before I had the opportunity to eat Gelato at the famous gelateria – Gelatria di Piazza. Sergio makes the most incredible gelatio. I tried 4 different kinds before settling on the mixed berry. He is famous for his raspberry and rosemary though. It was a very different blend of flavors than I’ve ever had, but it was wonderful! He was so kind to us!
Tomorrow I will tell you of our travels to Siena. We will be taking another cooking class, touring the town and getting some shopping done.
Till then, Ciao!