A Beijing Birthday...

A Special Mom turning 80 brings three generations together for a new & fun dining experience for all!

Located in Southeast Portland, the Beijing Hot Pot exudes authentic Beijing, China cuisine, atmosphere and decor! The furnishings, lanterns and artwork were all brought in from Beijing!

Each table has a traditional "hot pot" in the center which holds the special cooking broth!

Thinly sliced meats, fish, and veggies are cooked by you at your table. Homemade noodles are always available too, in fact they were just made when we arrived. Also on hand are handmade dumplings and pot stickers...truly delicious!

Of course we all had birthday gifts for my mom...each one specially thought out just for her!A light & lovely dessert was a perfect touch to top off our special meal!
Here is Jean with her tray of delicious watermelon and cream puff ice cream balls!

Even our bill was authentic Chinese... and our server & host, Dillon (his American name) was attentive to our every need!

And just look at our total bill, that was for 6 of us...hmmm who ordered that beer?

Only a couple more days left before my parents head back to Southern California...so I gotta go soak in some more special moments! We are having a blast! I don't think there has been one night that we have gone to bed before 1 am! (yawn)

Recipe for Some Fudgy Fun!

Mix 5 "students" (grand-daughters)...With 1 "Instructor" (grandmother)...

Make sure everyone is wearing a fashionable apron...gotta look cute!

Now begin melting the sugar and butter over medium heat...
Pausing for a moment to pose for a photo op...

Listen carefully to Grandma's secret tips and tricks!
Keep stirring....and stirring...and stirring...
Until it reaches a "rolling" boil...
Sprinkle with joy & laughter...
Don't forget to blend in lots of smiles...
...and cups of love!
Work together as a team...
...adding the vanilla, chocolate and marshmallow creme...but whatever you do...DON'T SCRAPE THE SIDES OF THE PAN, GIRLS!
And before you know it...
Voila...you get a pan of delicious chocolate fudge...with nuts...
...or without!
FUN, FUDGE & FAMILY...a recipe for FANTASTIC!

A Good Hair Day!

One of my twin daughters, Lauren, is a wonderful hairdresser...and what visit from her Grandma would be complete without a stop at her salon for a "Mini Makeover"!

Grandpa is waiting patiently for the unveiling!Ta-Dah!Doesn't it look great! She loved the layers!Now you all know where I get my good looks (ha ha)!

Today will start off with a "fudge making" lesson for all the girls...and then a special birthday outing to celebrate Mom's upcoming 80th birthday!
We went out for sushi yesterday and saw the movie "Up"...cute flick!
More soon...

Special Guests make for Happy Hearts!

Sorry to have been a bit MIA lately...but my mom and step dad have come in town for an early summer visit filled with graduations, Father's Day, parties, fudge making and more... They have not been able to visit us for about 3 years...so I am trying to soak up every minute of their 2 week stay! Tomorrow will mark the end of their first week here...so we have seven more wonderful days to spend together!

Here they are! Are they cute or what? My mom is turning 80 this August...shhh...we are surprising her with a "Girls Day Out" on Wednesday to celebrate while she is here!

My mom & I were able to stop by a couple of garage sales on Friday and she and my daughter Grace and I went to some thrift stores today! Monday is 40% off everything for Seniors at "Value Village"! We had a blast and picked up a cart full of goodies! More on those later...

I wanted to share these fabulous embroidered dish towels I was lucky to buy from a darling "Grandmother" at her garage sale. She is 89 years old and has always loved needlework! She made them all herself! Aren't they fabulous?



This one I found at another sale!

My lovely blogging friend, Lori a.k.a. Ruby Red Slippers of Lions, Tigers and Boys Oh My, sent these beautiful note cards to me just for answering a question on one of her posts. What a sweetie! I just love it when I go to get my Boring old mail and find a unexpected gift waiting for me. It's just wonderful! You have to go by and visit Lori...she has an extra blog going this summer to let you in on her family getaway to their Summer Cottage. Yes Viv...they have a summer cottage at the beach...well actually Lake Huron!
She has posted some wonderful pics to share with you! Hurry on over and tell her I sent you!

I will try to share some more of my new found treasures soon...but I must get back to my mom and dad!
Bye for now...I'll be back soon! In the meantime...

My New Inspiration Kits!

I have put together these fun inspiration kits that I will be offering at my etsy shop, Cottage Cozy Boutique. Each kit is jam packed with coordinating pieces that were hand picked to create a fun & wonderful finished project. You can use these kits for scrapbooking, altered art, card making, collage or any other crafty creation! The large size papers that are included are 12" X 12" for all you scrapbookers out there. In addition, each set comes to you in a 12 X 12 cardboard "pizza style" box (which fits scrapbook pages perfectly) that can be used to store or transport your work!

"Retro Chicks" (over 30 pieces)

"Poodle Chic" (over 30 pieces)

"Smitten Kitten" (over 50 pieces)

There are more photos at my shop...
Come stop by and check them out...Cottage Cozy Boutique

Queen for a Night!

Last night my twin daughters hosted a "Pirate Booty Bachlorette Party" for their dear friend. She is getting married on June 20th.
I took on the task of making the Bride to Be Crown for the occasion.
Since it was a "Pirate" theme, the colors were black, red & white.
What do you think?

This is me presenting the bride with her gift. Of course it was in a hat box!

Doesn't she look darling?

Left: My daughter Lauren (bridesmaid)
Center: Bride, Sami
Right: My daughter Shannon (maid of honor)

Beside the fact that we didn't get home unitl 2:30 am... YAWN...we had a wonderful time!