“Don’t cry because it’s over…Smile because it happened”! Dr. Seuss, attributed. We danced through a busy, fun filled, love filled, and laughter filled Thanksgiving week. I hope you and your families had a blast and overate as well! See ya later Gobble Gobble. Santa, see you in a short 24 days.
Category Archives: Entertaining
Flower Arranging in Hotel Rooms, part one
Warning…I’ve done this a time or two…and a LOT this particular past spring and summer, all for joyous family celebrations. Jump along and take a gander. This was Brenton’s 30th birthday in DC. You may be wondering why I put myself through this exercise; the truth is that when traveling to these bashes I like the way my arrangements turn out a bit better than those of an unfamiliar florist. Now don’t give me that you crazy person look! Pic on the left is of one of my work buckets in the loo of our room at the fab Hotel Monaco. Request from the birthday gal…peonies and hydrangeas, also my favorites!
And here are a couple of the completed arrangements placed in the lovely courtyard of the divine Co Co. Sala, venue for the celebration.
My Wedding turned Party Cherub!
Happy Happy Tenth Anniversary to Gray and Marc; It’s been a grand ride! Back I track… I acquired this little cherub thinking it would be used to stage a floral arrangement for Gray and Marc’s wedding dinner. But Lou’s creations were so fab that the cherub was voted out. So the embarrassed cherub was hanging out with the wait staff drinking her gin and tonic when Steve escorted her outside as hostess for the departure favors. As we waved Gray and Marc off in to the night she whispered “Thank you Steve”. And I decided right then that I would use her as a welcome at my home when I entertain and/or have family arriving; and that I do! She is stacking up more wonderful memories than she could have ever imagined that night as she proudly premiered at Anderson House.
Mother
Mother (muth-er) – noun
Simultaneously the most difficult and the most rewarding job in the world
(See also: Saint, Superhero, Wonder-Woman, Love)
Well, yes. It is Mother’s Day Weekend, an official holiday. So I am selfishly featuring the Mothers in my life (self included…you bet)! And I wish each of you the best for the Mothers in your lives. Enjoy.
Lilies in the Dining Room!
Elegance, Period.
Elegance is more than a simple bit of attitude. And it is an ever so natural quality in my friend Katherine. So we knew we were in for a treat when she invited us to an intimate birthday soiree in her stunning home last week. Naturally she had her finest china, sterling, and crystal in place on the dinner table, and glorious flowers throughout. So no one even blinked when Jack rolled in with Gracie, mink collar daintily encircling her neck. Now that apple didn’t fall far at all from his Mother’s tree!
Game Night
(Pretend it’s yesterday, when I meant to post this!) Moving from the elegance of last weekend’s soiree to Flashback Friday…you can often find a casually clad gang at the Hardee Home for Friday Night Game Night. My friends are the greatest sports. Albeit I do take credit for knowing who will enjoy these shenanigans, and who would rather be included in an evening of a different theme! These were Friday night parties in 2012. Get ready 2014! So here ya go: Minute to Win It and Beer Pong straight up in the kitchen following supper (yes, supper!) PS…where was the kitchen fairy when I needed her?! PtothePS…Absolutely no Southern Cocktails involved here. Try it sometime…it’s a BLAST! It’s so simple to make the Minute to Win It games. And most of the time we don’t even mess with a timer. We’re too busy laughing and having fun! Cheers!
TnT!
Sometimes Stars Just Align! As they did for TandT. So this past weekend we threw a partee to celebrate this bride and groom to be (thank you Jackie for sharing your magnificent home)! Served a few of our favorite things, yessiree; so I’m just going to hook you up with one of my personal favs, a bit of a surprise at a cocktail buffet. Gotta get your “starch on”! But first…a couple of pics from the partee!

Thank you Miss Bethel for the Gorgeous Arrangements! Photograph ©PEGhardee

The Bride and her Sister. (Look at those smiles. I mean these gals should be in print ads for a dental practice…umm…I know just the right practice!)
Mini Potatoes with Cheese and Bacon
24 small white or red potatoes
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
8 strips precooked bacon, warmed and crumbled
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated Monterey jack
3 Tbs chopped green onion
Preheat oven to 400°.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Boil potatoes for 8 – 10 minutes, or until tender.
Drain and allow to cool.
Cut top off of potato.
Scoop out part of center of potato, leaving 1/4 inch wall.
Combine cream cheese, sour cream, half of the bacon, salt, and pepper.
Add additional cheeses, and onion, and stir.
Spoon mixture into potato shells.
Top with remaining bacon.
Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet.
Bake 15 – 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with pepper and serve.
Note: If using as an appetizer rather than as a dinner starch, I cut the potatoes in half rather than just slicing top off, before prepping, for a smaller bite.
PS…I did not use bacon this particular time as we were serving yummy brown sugar, maple syrup bacon as well! But that’s for another time.
Atlanta
Well just pack my suitcase, again! Lucky me…the don took me along to Atlanta this past weekend with a few members from his office staff. In hind-site I believe my purpose there was to provide the comic relief following their long days at the dental conference. Doesn’t bother me. I delivered the comedy AND roamed around Atlanta! Atlanta ~ Fabulous and Southern are only two of the two thousand adjectives that one could use to describe this charming (oops, another one!) city. Tall buildings, hotels galore, traffic … and it still feels warm and friendly (two more!). Did I mention the gorgeous homes along the tree-lined residential streets that seem to have sprung naturally from the land? No noise or heavy traffic there! You can’t even believe that just around the corner is the hustle and bustle of commercial and business life. And the entire time as I ambled through and around Lenox I kept thinking of my friend Frances Schultz’s swellegant book Atlanta at Table. It’s not a stretch to imagine her inspiration to pen this one! Style and Southern Know How leap off the pages; and the recipes are all top notch, from Gingered Asparagus, to Grilled Pork Tenderloin, to Brandied Crème Anglaise. Atlanta was Frances‘ home when the book was published in 1996; trust me, both the book and Frances have retained their beauty, exquisite taste, and relevance. Hurry to this link and snag a copy. It will become your manual for entertaining with flair and confidence. Ready.Set.Go!
Birds of Paradise, and More

Patrick Mavros sterling creatures on the right, one of Kate and William’s favorite things! More on that later!
Gray and her sweet Liam were in ENC from Boston for 72 all too hasty hours a couple of weekends ago. So we had ourselves a mojito party, ok, a “show off the darling 2 year old” party! I wanted flowers, but couldn’t dare to take precious time away from “sweet cheeks” (nod to Bonny!) to create complicated arrangements; so I came up with these simple ones to dot around the house. Worked well and took all of 10 minutes! Did a bit more for the dining room center piece; but, silly me, I forgot to photo that! Placed both the bar and nibbles on dining room table so as not to have a lavish spread for a 5pm Sunday afternoon party. Simple, casual, still stylish!
AND…here is “sweet cheeks” himself!













































