Sorry to be so late in responding to all your lovely comments on my tablescape but my DD was home for a visit this wknd and its been busy! Thanks, Jay and your "reverse" birdcage with kitty/bird sounds like a fun idea! OA, thank you! The staff do appreciate my efforts which makes all the trips to the car to get my stuff worthwhile! Actually, I pretty much have it down to a "science" now and can usually manage with one large plastic tub and all my pretties wrapped in towels in it. Luckily, there is a "loading" parking spot outside the clinic where I work which I can use and the elevator is close by. Lynn, thanks. I had the matching green placemats in my hand when I bought those green napkins and then remembered that napkins are much more versatile as you can use them as runners, placemats and napkins. Thanks Mo. My tablescape did end up looking more "spring-like" than I wanted as the weather is actually quite "summery" here now but hey, it is still "officially" spring! Gail, thanks. Yes, the bday people were impressed! They said they didn't want to go back to work and wanted to spend the afternoon sipping lemonade and eating cake! Luvs, thanks so much. I LOVE that pitcher and matching glasses which my mom lent me. I am hoping to go out of town again and pick up a set for me...she also wants me to get another set of glasses for her in case she breaks one. Jane, thanks for your compliments. I hope to use my birdcage in a future tablescape as depending on what you do with them, they can look good from all sides which is important to me. Printer, thanks! I have actually asked that I be informed of the day chosen for each month's birthday celebration, so I can do a tablescape for it even though someone else does the cake. No one else wants to set the table (NEVER did that before I started working there) and since I love to, I volunteered! The staff are very happy! Karen, thank you! The cake actually tasted pretty good even though it didn't look that great. It is a very summer-y cake with pineapple and strawberries. DD

Thanks guys :o) They were so good! I delivered them tonight and they were well received. I will make these again and again. Seagrass, yes, I have to stay away until the Ativan kicks in :o) Grainlady, I'm so glad you found recipes at that site that you enjoy. That flourless monster cookie thing sounds intriguing. Rusty, they were very chewy in the middle and crispy on the outside.... almost just like an oatmeal cookie, which is basically what they were... an oatmeal cookie with a twist. I don't like "cake like" cookies at all, so I'm very glad they turned out the way they did.

I made Linda's frosting yesterday for carrot cake. Yum. Even Alice, who claims not to like cream cheese frosting, said "that's good stuff." I made the carrot cake recipe from Jame's Beard's American Cookery. (I'll post it with my comments if anyone wants it.) It has some orange zest in it so it paired well with the frosting. I added two pods of cardamom crushed, extra cinnamon and brandy plumped raisins to the recipe. Orange and cardamom work well together.

We learned two things. 1) We're just not a turkey family. I did a spiral-sliced ham. I just love ham, and DH loves the split-pea soup that will be on the table tomorrow. One son also loves ham. I especially like that it's just more of a reheat deal - no worrying that it will be ready earlier or later than planned. 2) I made roasted potatoes with roasted garlic from a Pioneer Woman recipe. Quartered new red potatoes on a baking sheet interspersed with 6 (yes, 6) heads of garlic with tops lopped off, all drizzled with olive oil along with some salt and pepper. After everything is done, we squeezed the ooey gooey garlicyness around the pan, mixed it up with the potatoes, and wowza! That will be a repeat and not just for holidays. PW's recipe additionally calls for half a cup of white wine to be poured over, but we don't drink white wine and could not justify opening a bottle for half a cup. While I'm sure it's wonderful, I didn't feel that I was missing anything. While there are some traditional things that do reappear each year, I love that our holiday meals evolve, just as we do. Mandie