<p>pour favor</p>
<p>Mango mimosas sound awesome. Do they go with cheese doodles?</p>
<p>Tonight we had a toast with liquor in those little chocolate cups. To DS, our child #4, who has finally decided where he is going to college! 
And the price is right. ;)</p>
<p>Throwing confetti, peanuts, and cheese doodles…</p>
<p>Just made some chocolate dipped strawberries - any drink suggestions?</p>
<p>Champagne is yummy with chocolate covered strawberries. But this is the alley-- we aint got no highbrow champagne. So a round of asti spumanti for all. Mommusic-- whats the final choice???</p>
<p>jym–we ain’t supposed to talk colleges in here either…but do you know what a Bearcat is?</p>
<p>And where are my manners? Here I’ve been throwing confetti & cheese doodles when I should have been treating everyone to a round! Barkeep! Your best asti spumanti!</p>
<p>Barkeep…a round of drinks for my friends! My S will be cheerin’ for school with feline mascot…decided before May 1–hard to believe. After the round, kick me out… I need to go unbury the dining room table of the mountain of college paraphanalia…</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, cheetos, too, please…</p>
<p>Here’s to spring flowers, sunny days, and happy teenagers!</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>How about some afternoon iced tea for this gorgeous weather?</p>
<p>I’m happy cause our living room remodel is going well. The fireplace mantel that S made in Woodworking class is gorgeous! :)</p>
<p>I knew it would be, but considering this project started as a crazy idea in my head, that I talked S and the hired carpenter into putting together, I am somewhat amazed that all the parts came out as planned. :eek: </p>
<p>Sure it would have been easier to have bought an entire mantel online, or in the local expensive-fireplace store, but we have a spirit of adventure at our house! And creativity! And not much money cause it’s all been going for college tuition!</p>
<p>I’m happy, too. DH is in Barcelona of all places and dreaded all the hassle of going and just called and said he is having a terrific time. Yeah! Son who has to write “An Important Paper” at college just texted that he met with prof and all is clear sailing now. High school daughter and I are bachelorettes and enjoying our dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches. And yes, my peonies are about to pop and the big daddy hydrangeas look as if they came through all the spring frosts.</p>
<p>“The fireplace mantel that S made in Woodworking class is gorgeous!”</p>
<p>A toast to schools that still teach this very important skill!!!</p>
<p>^Absolutely! They have Woods I and II, as well as Sewing and Fashion Design, and Cooking. And tons of APs. We love this school. :)</p>
<p>Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! A Dos Equis, please. Or maybe a margarita? Can’t decide…</p>
<p>It’s my birthday today! There’s always a party on my day - Cinco de Mayo. I’ll have a margarita on the rocks, please!</p>
<p>HB, lilmom!</p>
<p>Virtual balloons and party hats flying your way, lilmom!</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>Any gin martini fans here? I’ve always ordered Beefeater when I’m out, but at home I’ve never wanted to spend the money, instead opting for the cheap stuff. Well, I recently invested my very own bottle of Beefeater, and boy oh boy, am I glad. I don’t know what it is, but the stuff is someone subtly hearty, like a steak in a glass. Even Bombay Sapphire, which many consider to be the very best gin, can’t touch Beefeater in a martini, in my opinion. (Tip: All vermouth is cheap, so don’t ruin your martini with three-dollar-a-bottle vermouth. Spend the eight bucks and get the good stuff. You’ll never miss the extra few bucks, since a bottle of vermouth lasts forever.)</p>
<p>agree about the vermouth! I even cook with good vermouth; it adds a great flavor to mushrooms and/or chicken.</p>
<p>But I do not love gin. I am a vodka martini gal (yes, I know, true martini drinkers believe that vodka martini is an oxymoron)</p>
<p>A splash of vermouth does good things for spaghetti sauce as well, especially if it has, as you say, mushrooms.</p>
<p>The worst use of vermouth I’ve experienced is my stepmother’s baked potatoes. She cuts the potato, inserts a wedge of raw onion, dumps vermouth on it, seals it in aluminum foil, and bakes it. The result is the most medicinal-tasting thing that man has ever called food.</p>
<p>Vodka is good in tomato-based sauces. My FIL told us this trick.</p>
<p>He also likes his vodka in conventional fashion. ;)</p>
<p>Our little store in the center of our New England town has a cute T shirt “Choosy Moms Choose Chardonnay”. I tend to agree. 
</p>
<p>Only it’s pronounced, “Shoosy Momsh Shoose Shhharrrnay”.</p>