Back To Boyne City

Wow, what crazy weather we are having here in the USA!   Our hearts and prayers go out to all those in harms way and those recovering from the devistation caused by the tornadoes and flooding.
 
Hopefully Memorial Day weekend will end up being nice and peaceful.

Tomorrow we are going to Boyne City on beautiful Lake Charlevoix in the north-west portion of the lower penninsula of Michigan for the Memorial Day weekend.  Our family spent summers there for many years before relocating to Harbor Springs.  After selling the cottage there we were renting most summers.  This year we are back in Boyne City and happy as can be about it.  Our daughter and son-in-law bought a cute little cottage there right across the street from where our son and his wife keep their boat.

I will be back next week with pictures.

Mother's Day

Wishing you all a very happy Mother's Day.

This will be the first year that my sister and I will be celebrating Mother's Day without our beautiful Mother but she will always be in our heart.

The Pear Trees About To Burst

The first signs of Spring are beginning to appear after weeks of cold temperatures and rain. This picture, out our front door, shows the Bradford Pear trees that line our streets about to burst into full bloom.

If you disregard the mess that my garden is in, because it has been too cold and wet to get out there, you can get a glimpse out our back door of the tree lined street ready to put on its finest show of the seasons.

Hope things are warming up in your part of the world if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.
I am sooo over this cold weather!

Home Made Lemoncello

A week ago we went to an Italian Cocktail & Dinner Party where the host and hostess set up a Make-Your-Own Lemoncello bar. They provided all the lemons, canning jars, decorative jars, the directions to complete our Lemonchello at home, and the little bags to carry it all home.

While at the party we each pealed the skin off of five lemons and put them in pint sized jars. After that we added a cup of any kind of vodka, that we chose and were instructed to bring to the party, into the jar.

The rest of the instructions were printed out on these cute cards that were attached to our take-out bags. If you click on the above picture you can see them close up.

Because we had a busy weekend I am a few days late in completing the process but I don't think that will cause any major problems with the mixture.

This morning I boiled the sugar syrup, let it cool to room temperature, added the marinated lemon mixture, then strained it into the decorative bottles. It was a little tricky straining the mixture and a bit of it went down the drain but all in all it was time consuming but easy.

If you are looking for a theme for a Dinner Party I would highly recommend incorporating making your own Lemoncello into the program. It was a big hit at the party and it takes care of your party favors in a big way too.

My whole house smells lemony delicious too!