October

Hello! You might or might not have noticed but I’ve been MIA from blogging for quite awhile. There’s been a lot of reasons – all varied from family life, a desired break and a strong desire to lead a healthier, less-stress lifestyle. The latter means there’s been a detour from sweets and confections from my favored drug of choice – sugar. I know. A tad ironic and possibly problematic for a blog with “sweets” prominently featured in its title. I’ve actually struggled with this conundrum for a long time as I like things all tidy, wrapped up and everything in its place. I didn’t know what to do about this but I realized not having a solution to my blogging identity crisis was one of the things holding me back from moving forward and doing something I once loved which included more than just baking.

succulent pumpkin arrangementDIY of the succulent pumpkin arrangement coming soon.

So while I’m watching my A1C, (which by the way is just dandy but I also want to keep it that way), and keeping the calories in check (because seriously how can anyone bake so much and not nibble along the way), I’d like to blog about what I used to write about when I first started almost 9 years ago when my blog was called Pink Martinis and Pearls. Remember that? The blog was sprinkled with posts about crafts, cooking, and decorating here and there and not just about sprinkles on a cupcake.

If you’ve followed along with me from the beginning, you know I would scatter in posts of a more personal nature, about me, my husband and my boys who so long ago were just finishing up high school and attending college. They’re both grown, graduated and even graduated from grad school and successfully living on their own.  One, on the east coast and the other on the west. I’ve also decided to be much more private with my personal life going forward on this blog. The reasons aren’t important and have thankfully passed but I urge caution to anyone with an online presence of having too much personal info available even if you think it’s of little importance. You don’t want to find yourself in a bad Lifetime movie like I was, believe me.

So before this Stella gets her blogging grove back, I just wanted to say thank you for visiting me here and for being old friends or to welcome new ones!  I’ll still be more active on Instagram and Instagram Stories so you’ll see different things there of a more candid nature and in real-time. I hope you’ll follow me and join me there at SweetsToImpress. I love to respond to comments and I respond to all. I can be quite chatty but isn’t that what connecting on Instagram and here is all about?

So with all this said – this is what I’m working on now – big party plans incorporating a birthday on Thanksgiving Day! At this point I’m playing with colors and textures and what I’m going to do for the invitation for the birthday girl who will be 95! My MIL is an incredible woman who has a Facebook page, writes and answers emails, prints out photos and uses her iPad and computer regularly. She deserves another palooza, don’t you think? Here’s a link to her 90th paoolza party when I featured orange and pink as the color palette.

succulent pumpkin arrangement

Thank you again for visiting today! Have a great week ahead and happy October!

Throw Back Thursday – New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day 1979 at the Rose Bowl with my room mate Cindy Lou. I was wearing my USC jersey with “Sweet Cakes” on the back.    

An Orange County Wedding

shady canyon wedding

I had a wonderful time with all my men at home these last ten days and I have to admit it’s a challenge to sit down at the computer when the feeling of summer is beckoning. It began in earnest this past weekend with the beautiful wedding of our best friends’ son at their gorgeous home. The flowers were breathtaking.  Decanters full of them.  Everywhere. More breathtaking than the flowers, the beautiful bride. The emotions of our friends, the groom’s… [Read More]

Ten Days

Today clean sheets will crack in the air and gently float down to land.  For the next ten days I’ll hear the distinctive cadence of each boy coming down the stairs where the destination will undoubtedly be the fridge.  It’ll be full.  I’ll pamper and bring the calorie count up for the time being.  I’m going to bask in familiar youthful sounds I’ve missed that have become the exception around here.  I’ll relish a clean house void of glittery project… [Read More]

“The Great One” – A Prelude To A Back-To-School Give-Away

Do you remember your favorite teacher?  Mine was in high school.  Mr. Purcey taught Health and Safety to freshman and Anatomy to upper classmen.  I was fortunate to have had him for both.  On the first day of class, he told us everyone had an “A”.  He then informed us it was up to us to keep it there.  His belief that we were capable began the year on an encouraging note.  He was the only teacher besides my forth… [Read More]

A Message From The Other Side

As my cookies dry today and I scramble to clean the house for unexpected company this weekend, I have a bizarre story to share with you.  Whether you’re a believer in an after life or in just random unexplained happenings, you’ll probably find this odd.   It happened as my husband, Rob, and I were driving up north a couple weeks ago for the parents weekend for our son’s fraternity (two posts ago).  We were driving up the 405 freeway… [Read More]

Christmas Recap

Basking. Recovering. Recharging. Putting away the silver, crystal and china. A MacFamily breakfast tradition. I can’t believe I forgot the Christmas crackers! So much fun to have received photos on Christmas morning of reader’s cinnamon rolls they made from The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever. Thank you so much for sharing! I’d love to see more so please send me your photos and I’ll post them. Here are two – from Lauren in Pasadena and Nancy in Seattle. And… [Read More]

The Best Giant Make-Ahead Cinnamon Roll Ever!

This spectacular cinnamon roll is the centerpiece of our Christmas morning breakfast and is greeted with the same anticipation at our holiday table as the Cratchit’s plum pudding is at theirs. The recipe relies on using store-bought frozen bread dough, thawed, and an overnight rise in the fridge while Santa makes his rounds. Pop it in the oven while opening presents and the scent of warm cinnamon throughout the house is what a holiday morning is all about. Of course,… [Read More]

Jeana’s 89th Birthday/Thanksgiving Dinner

The best MIL in the world! Taken with my iPad. 8 mm HD app. 70’s style. Edited by Reel Director app. Music ~ “The Brothers Go To Mother’s” by Joey Altruda

Cookies Gone Postal

This week I received a couple of disgruntled emails. These two readers have been following my blogging baking adventures as of late and feel deprived and left out of the baking loop, so to speak. It seems I have forgotten college boys cannot live on Physics and Chemical Engineering classes alone and need chocolate chip cookies sent from home. These cookies are my grandmother’s recipe. She made them. My mother made them. I make them. They are crunchy on the… [Read More]