LoveFeast Table

It’s Fancy Friday and Inspiration is in the air!!  I love this table from Ruffled.  If this was my table or

this was my table (from Making It Lovely)-  I would probably eating something lovely like this-

from Canelle et Vanille’s table.  I would have loved to be seated at this table-

from Joy The Baker’s party gals’ On the Lamb.

Unfortunately, I missed sitting at this table, for Kristin’s party.

I have already been to Blissdom!!  At least I have in my mind.  I’ve been thinking about it all week.  I’ve even had time to sit in a coffee shop and carefully read the welcome packet!!  (Note:  This is what a professional mom disguised as a professional blogger looks like in case you don’t know…deep in thought, typing in a coffee shop, phone close at hand for all the important calls from advertisers. ;)  Everyone in my family is taken care of - their laundry is done, the fridge is stocked, there is a schedule prepared and my clothes are laid out to pack.  You could say, I’m ahead of the game!  At least for the moment.

But, I’m feeling freaked!  This is obvious because after two double cappuccinos and some advanced multitasking to get ready for this event (I told you I was prepared) I could not get to sleep the other night.  Instead of nodding off to dream land, I wrote this in my head.

Top Ten List of a Blissdom Blogger

l .  You make what you’re eating for dinner in the morning so that you can shoot it in the “good light”.

2.  The people who know you in the “real world” frequently ask you, “now, what exactly is a blog?”

3.  You think “Twitter Power” is good beach reading.

4.  You sometimes daydream in tweets.

5.  You ask a total stranger to photograph you in a coffee shop blogging.

6.  Your children frequently roll their eyes and ask, “is this for the blog?”

7.  You’ve gone from coveting a clean house to coveting an IPad.

8.   Your “virtual friends” are about to become your “real friends”.

9.   You bought new jeans this week and packed, ’cause your going to Blissdom!

And, finally…….drum roll!!!!

10. You know what a Poken is and you’re not afraid to use it!

(Your concerned pause.)  I know… it’s worrisome.  And, after I read it to Kristin (my blogging partner in crime) on the phone …she actually said it wasn’t that good and could be funnier… um, OK,  what-EV-ER!!…..Hellooo, I can’t recreate what happens after multitasking, two espressos and a Mellow Yellow - on demand! (And, I’m not talkin’ about the drink… if you don’t know what that is, find me at the conference and I’ll hook you up….with the knowledge people, the knowledge!!)

So, the list stands…or perhaps sleeps.

Also, there are so many of you bloggers to meet!  I’ve strained my eyes late at night reading tweets, trying to make sense of who you are and what blog you belong to!!  But, frankly it’s just too much work!  I would prefer if you would came to me.   Seriously, I have four kids…I’m tired.   And, there are a bunch more of you too, that are experts…people who really know how to do this thing!  I am so excited to meet you and seriously if I had my way…lock you in a hotel room and make you tell me all the secrets to good blogging.  Ahem, um…sorry, did I say that out loud?  Well, that won’t be necessary I guess because I’m going to hear some of you speak as well as attend some of the blogging, Wisdom Workshops.

So, in an attempt to introduce myself to you let me tell you quickly that I am a somewhat sane mother of four (from Minneapolis, MN) who co-blogs with her bff who is also a somewhat sane mother of five (from Baltimore, MD). This blog is about what happens on and around our tables.  We sometimes barely manage to get food on our tables and sometimes have great parties.  We like to visit restaurants, travel, and drink good wine.

I am hoping  to wrap my mind around who you all are and get to know you as well.  I would like to ask you to comment back to our blog- an intro of your own and a link to your blog and what you are looking forward to at the conference.  Now, this is risky thing to propose.  And, let me just tell you why.  I am pretty sure that none of you read this blog, us being newbies and all.  So, I’m going to throw it out to Twitterland-#Blissdom and run my own little “social media” experiment and see if any of you chicks hear my tweet!!  And, for heaven’s sake if you have some advice, share it!!

From one half of LoveFeast Table representing at Blissdom, Chris Ann

*You can read more Top Ten Lists over at OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday

1.  This is my favorite picture this month because I got a new camera lens, and it makes even my dirty dishes beautiful.

2.  I love mornings in Minnesota when they are frosty, pink, and serene.  This is an untouched photo.  The little strings of red our my neighbors bird feeders.

3.  This is our silver chalkboard frame.  Kristin brought it over to me as our moving truck was loading up for our move to Minnesota.  You can read the back-story on all that here.  The chalk board use to be in their coffee shop.  It holds lots of memories for us all.

4.  When my husband and I were in college we took a swing dancing class.  This is our Wild Horse Experience.

5.  After many years, we finally bought furniture for our bedroom.  I tracked down the very last one of these Anthropologie dressers in the United States of America.  I almost gave up, but I made one last phone call and they had it.  I drove to Chicago 4 months later and picked it up.  It was a clearanced for 300 bucks.

6.  This is the first time I ever shot a gun.  I loved that I did it, but I didn’t love it.

7.  I love my dog.

This Random Sevens idea came from Ryan over at his blog, This is Reverb.  A while ago,  LoveFeast Table presented a  TakeOn Challenge with Ryan and he made this.  I’m sure his food was as tasty as ours.

What’s a Happy List?  A list of things that are putting a smile on our faces right now!  It can be anything that just makes us…happy!

Kristin’s List:

one:  Pink’s Funhouse CD, given to me by my killer daughter!

two:  My new red power bag (from Chris Ann).  Tag on this gift read “For the chic board member-business woman-entrepreneur-non-profit head-artist-blog-writer & mom on the go!”

three:  Smith’s Rosebud Salve…the fragrance and color make my day!

four:  This little coin purse my mom brought back from Spain.

five:  Kinerase…if you’ve never tried it, stop by Sephora and ask for a sample!

six:  This gorgeous hat my sister gave me!

seven:  My son’s drum sticks and new drum pad! (I really do love listening to him play!)

eight:  These bowls I laid my eyes on at In Watermelon Sugar in Hampden, Baltimore…to die for!

nine:  These nesting dolls my mom painted, representing my family…oldest to youngest.

ten:  Celebrity International’s goat cheese with cranberry and cinnamon crumbled in a baby green salad with toasted pecans, cucumbers, vadalia onions and pomegranate vinaigrette.

Chris Ann’s List:

one:  My Mom’s fresh homemade bread and chokecherry jelly my Dad hand delivered from five hours away.

two: My baskets and tags for my newly and extremely organized linen and bathroom closets.

three:  Bad Girl Lash in blue - the perfect amount of edginess for a metro mom.

four:  The artsy lamp I bought at Mudd Lake.

five:  My very fluffy reading list for my trip to Cancun next week.

six:  My new Mother Mac to run my world.

seven:  The fleece blanket my Dad made me for Christmas.

eight:  Bangles!  My Christmas gift from Suburbia Man.

nine:  My deck snowman.

ten:  My new camera lens.

Um…ya’…..we’re still here….here in blog land.  We’ve taken a little hiatus (to lounge) (I wish) to tear down the tree and wrap up the ribbons and bows (and eat all the leftover cookies)…….and then that led to other things (like sofa plopping) (only from sheer exhaustion)…..like a mean streak of spring cleaning in this frigid winter!!  Even Kristin and I hadn’t chirped a snip to each other (really) until today via text.

(Slightly modified…unlike MckMama who is all about honesty in 2010…I edited for a slightly less authentic take on our texting….lol….and that’s honest!)

Kristin:  “We were invited to go to club tonite….Wish u were here.”

(I know…even some moms go clubbin’)

Me:  “Fun….am hiding out, cleaning, purging, organizing, etc….now running errands.”

(um, this is like what I do every day)

Kristin: “M going through piles of paper work, packing away decor, purging, emailing, laundry…”

(this is why we started blogging!—escape!)

Me:  “M doing all the same..am even throwing old sheets..”

(it doesn’t get any more mad housewife than this!)

Me: “We crack us up”

(Total narcissistic humor…we’re funny to us!)

Kristin:  “Totally dreamin’ bout post w/ before new years clean up pics and aftr clean up pics.  Calgon!”

(wishful thinking)

Me:  “Also, am going to go thru the china via camera with you”

(so totally housecleaning 2010)

Kristin:  “Virtual china piking, nice. ….We should make a goal of web caming this year both our computers…”

(we can do this!)

Ahhhh….and what woke me momentarily out of this blogging slumber?  It was our friend Kate over at, Kate in the Kitchen, who kindly linked our Cranberry Orange & White Chocolate Scones recipe…..which than reminded us that we were suppose to run a little GiftAway of the Godiva Dark Hot Chocolate!!!  We’re so sorry we were pokey!!  That was sooooo 2009 of us!!!  Anyway…the winner we are happy to announce is Cara….who has a lovely little blog about motherhood and her little bean….called Land of Bean.  We are sending her out a box with some Godiva Dark Chocolate mix asap!

(Hey, this is Kristin butting in….) I see you’re finally writing a post…you beat me to it!  But, great minds think alike! ha ha…going narcissistic again….we’ve been left alone with ourselves too long!  Anyway, congrats Cara!!! (I met Cara at a playground once.  She’s a momma who deserves a moment sipping hot chocolate!)  And (excuse me for one more second) Chris Ann, you wanted a picture our our party peacock, in the snow,  to announce the winner…I think you forget, we’re not in the Minnesota tundra here in Baltimore, so here is a picture of the peacock in “snow”!

A forlorn, middle aged mom walks out from stage left.  Her eyes are cast down onto the floor.  She slowly shuffles in wearing old sweats with paint on them, an oversized t-shirt and her hair just-right-messed up with bedhead product.

In the middle of the stage is a large box with velvet curtains drawn closed to conceal the little room.  On stage right, just next to the room is a  desk with a computer, candle and incense on it.

The mom walks slowly over to the desk and strikes a match to light the candle, then the incense.  She pauses for a moment.  She leans over and turns the computer on.

She slowly turns around and proceeds to draw the curtains back from the doorway.  She enters into the small room and slumps into the computer chair that is inside.

Mom: “It’s been about a year since I’ve truly confessed.”

“You see, I’ve been too embarrassed to come here.  I was afraid of what you’d think.  I was afraid of your judgment.  I mean, what mom does this to her kid?  What mom puts her teenager at risk, night after night…offering him up as the bait?”

Mom lets out a little gasp and puts her head in her hands.  She sits quietly crying.  She slowly sits up and dabs her eyes with the edge of her t-shirt.

Mom: “All along, I was deceiving you!  I’m so sorry!  I painted you pretty pictures of happy people eating nice meals. I mean, they were nice, and the food was delish!  I shared stories of NY escapades! I shared pieces of poetry about heaven. And parties about “Men Gone Wild”.  I gave you glimpses of LoveFeast rehearsals and weddings and cute pictures of happy kids!  But, meanwhile there was something more…something lurking in the shadows.  I can barely whisper the name.  I shutter to even think about it…about me, and what I did.”

The woman leans closer to the wall next to the computer.

Mom: (in a whisper) “Bed bugs.” (a little louder) “Bed bugs.” (louder still) “That’s right, I said it! Bed Bugs!!”  We had them.  Those nasty little creatures, that multiply faster then you can say Terminx!  We didn’t notice them at first.  Most people don’t.  You can barely see them, I can tell you that…except in your nightmares!  Our teenage son, Drama Boy, began to wake up in the morning with welts the size of half dollars all over his body.  Sometimes they were on his face, or in a line down his arm.  We thought at first it was an open window allowing mosquitoes in…that his blood was sweeter than our other kids.  See, no one else had these welts.  Just him.  Let me paint a picture.  Three of our boys share the upstairs “flat” in our house.  Drama Boy has his own little room, really the size of this confessional.  He has a bed in it, a small table with a lamp and stacks of books…oh, and since I’m confessing…dirty socks on the floor, scraps of paper and shoes heaped in piles.  So, he was the only one coming downstairs with these disease looking bumps.  My husband and I looked at each other after this went on for two weeks and said, ‘Bed Bugs?’.  A phone call later, our suspicions had been confirmed.”

Mom starts crying again, this time a little louder.

Mom: (in between sobs) “It was the beginning of a four month saga from hell!  That’s right! On the outside our life went on.  We hosted, we cooked, we entertained.  We drove kids to sporting events and school.  We wore a great big smile on the  outside, but were dieing on the inside!  We had bed bugs!  I can’t tell you how many times I stripped the whole upstairs of all fabric, pillows, bedding, curtains, sofa covers and rugs.  I can’t tell you how many times I filled my suburban and lugged it all to the laundry mat, to wash and tumble it all on high heat!  I also packed all of Drama’s boys things away and wrapped them in plastic bags!  His room was sterile.  No cobweb was left unturned.  But, it’s worse!”

Mom stands up and begins to pace in the small room.

Mom: “We made him be the sacrificial lamb!!  Our Drama Boy…we kept leading him straight to the slaughter.  Yeah, we’d give him a break and let him sleep on the sofa downstairs, after he had stripped and changed his clothes before leaving his room!  He’d have a break for a few days, after the exterminator had come.  But, then, someone had to sleep up there to see if the bugs were gone!  Someone had to do it!  Each time the bug guy sprayed…and when I say spray, I mean spray!! (I asked him to do anything short of three mile island!)  We’d think to ourselves, ‘This is it!’  Drama Boy would perk up, look hopeful and climb the stairs.  Once or twice, he’d come down without any new bites.  But, inevitably within two or three days, they’d return.”

Mom begins to pull her hair…but, kind-of in a “fix-the-bed-head-way“.

Mom: “We were losing our minds!  The hope of ever ridding ourselves of these creatures was dwindling, knowing they can live up to a year and a half without a host!  What is that?!  I was frazzled.  I put duck tape around every crack and crevice.  The bug guy gave us our own bottles of spray (he was beginning to get too close to the situation.)  I kept my facade up!  My readers were never going to know, the pain and agony I was going through!  I know, some of them are brave.  Some are brave enough to confess right away and lighten their burden.  But, not me! I’m super mom!  Yeah, right!  I began to fall apart…there was only one thing I had not done.  I had all the boys in the house drag the bed frame outside.  We sprayed and bleached it.  We aired it out.  We returned it.  I put fresh sheets once again on the bed.  I tucked Drama Boy in and said a prayer of protection.  I left, feeling utterly defeated.”

Mom sits down again and leans her head back.

Mom: “The next morning he came down.  There was no new evidence.  The next day, the same thing.  Still we held our breaths. I can say that it’s been 6 months since we’ve seen any bites or bugs.  Drama Boy is back in his room amongst his piles and stacks.  He has pillows on his bed again.  Shew!  What a load!  I can’t believe I’ve carried that around for so long.  It feels good to unpack it.  Thanks for listening.”

Mom stands up, leaves the room and walks out stage right.

We were on the phone again tonight… one of us Twittering and Facebook-ing, one of us loading dishes in the dishwasher and waiting for a teenager to get off the computer.   And, we are both reeling with giddiness!  Why you ask?  Well, one year and a half ago, two friends (and their husbands - whether they liked it or not!), set out to find an adventure!  We weren’t really sure where it would lead or how we would do it.   In fact, we didn’t always feel very - clever.   One of us didn’t even know how to cut and paste, yet, let along operate Wordpress or connect a link.  Sometimes we struggled to cook.  And, here we were forging ahead in the food blog world.   We struggled and learned and laughed and schemed…two moms at large in the blogger world!

Seriously!  A little over a year ago, we were having lunch at the Golden West Cafe in Baltimore when we began scribbling crazy dreams on a small scrap of paper, dug out of the bottom of a purse.  We dreamed of travel, culture, friendship, and food!  At, some point in our hysteria, or possibly because of the heat and the beer, we coined the phrase, “From dryer lint to dreams!!“  And, to this we clinked our beer mugs and fell over in heaps of laughter, with a few patrons looking over their menus, our way to see what the midday revelers were up to!  Somehow, what seemed impossible with nine kids between us, busy entrepreneurial husbands, and a carpooling lifestyle, seemed possible!

What exactly does “From Dryer Lint to Dreams” mean? You might wonder.  Well, on any given day, we are up to our necks in laundry and life!!  We wanted to do more, we wanted to create, express ourselves, and explore.  This is the year we have worked hard at learning the art of  blogging!  We have made new friends-friends that saw a diamond in the rough!!

It’s hard to imagine we have climbed to a place where we can even be side by side some fantastic bloggers!!  Amazingly, we have climbed from number 20 to number 4 in less than a week in the Mobbies Award for the best Foodie blogs in Baltimore!!

And, for that…our friends at the table–we thank you!! This has been a pie in the sky moment!!

And, it’s not over yet!! Please keep voting for our blog at until this Friday, October 9th!!  You can vote everyday for us in the Foodie category as well as Best Overall blog — CLICK HERE!!

Thanks for coming to our “virtual” table and feasting with us!!  Cheers! Chris Ann & Kristin

Today is the end of an era.  Today, I sent my little-est flower into the world of all day kindergarten.

To bloom and grow…

So, for the first time in fifteen years I am going to have something I haven’t had in a while - time.  Now, that the kids will be back in school, we will again be able to focus on our business here at LoveFeast Table.   Kristin and I discussed this in detail this past summer…during one of our high powered meetings.

Of course, we will still have our hands full with chauffeuring, laundry, and running our households.  And, Kristin still does have a little one running around (in semi-gloss paint) at home.

So, while at times we may feel we are just walking in circles.

We know we are on a path.

“The Labyrinth’s path is like the path of life.  There are twists and turns, feeling of being lost, encounters with others on your path, the thrill of accomplishment at the center and sometimes a flash of insight before returning.”

-From the marker at the labyrinth of The Catholic Basiclica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We’re coming up on our one year anniversary here at LoveFeast Table.  We’ve learned so much this year and yet we’ve only just begun.  Stay tuned!  We’re going to be on a grand adventure!   We hope you join us on this journey called LoveFeast Table!

Kristin and I have a little saying called “breathing the dust” — and by this I don’t mean flour dust…I mean more like pixie dust.  Dust that when you breathe it in, makes you dream crazy things.  Dust that makes you believe crazy things.  Dust that makes you do crazy things.  Things you barely have time to do because the laundry is piling up, and you drive in your van running kids all day long.

This dust makes you dream things you are technologically underdeveloped to do.  But, you do it anyway.  But, sometimes it makes you want to whack things.

Occasionally, you just want to toss your dream away.

You feel like your brain has been flattened out, your feet in the fire.

But, then something like a good idea, falls from above.

Again, things look greener, more beautiful.

And, definitely better when divided and shared.

I’m sitting here sipping my steamy hot Americano and nibbling (against my better judgement) on a Baked brownie.  It is the first time in over a week I’ve had a chance to blog.  I have to tell you, my mind is so full!  There is so much to share and so many stories to write about.  You see, this past week, my husband and I decided to let our lives be interrupted by an entire wedding party!

For three years, we had a young man named Marc live in our home and he became a big brother to our kids.  He was the boyfriend of (now try and follow) Brielle, who is the daughter of very good friends of ours, Mike and Terrill.  About a year ago, our friends and Brielle, moved to Georgia and Marc, trailed on down there with them.  Well, after nine years of dating, Marc and Brielle decided to tie the knot!  They decided that since most of their friends and some family were up here, they’d have a small ceremony in Baltimore.  The plan was to keep it small and intimate…and do it on a budget.  So, they picked a gorgeous spot, at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore.  Brielle found bridesmaids dresses for $10 each and her gown for $30.  You would never know it!  They were all beautiful!!

Last week, the wedding party descended on our home and the party began!  We bunked the bride’s parents and most of the boys.  There were lots of late nights with bachelor and bachelorette parties, a rehearsal dinner and a wedding!  It was a whirlwind of activity as our home quickly became central station.  But, this is what we live for!  This week really is a good example of how Chris Ann and I have chosen to live our lives.  We believe every moment should be celebrated in LoveFeast fashion.  As much as I want to write all the details on a daily basis and try and capture the moments, real time, for you to read…I’d rather stop what I’m doing, and enjoy the LoveFeast taking place around me.  The people that stayed in our home were not blood related.  Some of our other friends weren’t sure why we would go out on such a limb for Marc and Brielle…letting our schedules be changed, our wallets stretched and our time go to someone else, but we do.  Our lives are on a LoveFeast journey.

(I’m gonna get a little deep for a moment.) You see, our lives are busy.  We have schedules to keep (play rehearsals, baseball games, gymnastic practices, driving to and from school at all hours of the day) and chores to do (gardening, potty training, dinner to make, laundry to fold, elbows to band aid) and people to tend to (I have 5 kids, Chris Ann has 4)…plus, two hard working husbands to keep happy!  I’m sure it sounds like many of your lives as well.  How do we take time to pursue our dreams without taking from the other important areas in our lives?  Do we sit and enjoy a coffee and write a blog, or do we finish decluttering our closets?  Do we keep with routine and schedules or stop and share a meal, or a wedding with friends?  Do we cut corners and watch our pennies, or do we splurge once and a while, knowing the time spent (and money) is worth the investment in a relationship?   Chris Ann and I are desperately trying to find that balance and at the same time enjoy the choices we make! (Thank goodness there are two of us to pick up each other’s slack!)

Back to this week…I decided to let it all go…including laundry…in order to help Marc and Brielle create a wonderful Love Feast memory!  We had eggs and pumpkin seed toast for breakfast with Mike, Terrill and Corey.  I went to Sei for Brielle’s bachelorette party and had a wonderful ginger vodka cocktail called Mischief as well as a killer sushi roll.  Devon made a wonderful oven roasted tomato, mushroom and artichoke risotto served on a bed of arugula and we shared it around our table with the entire wedding party.  I whipped up a sour cream pound cake with cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries for the wedding cake and we enjoyed that under a tree, with the wedding guests.  We celebrated their union with dinner at Marrakesh in Washington DC and enjoyed great conversation with many different people.  I will get to the details of all those wonderful events in days to come.

For now, I wanted to unload some of the thoughts in my head and a bit of the passion in my heart.  I believe we should enjoy every moment with the people around us.  Yes, most of the times we have to stick with our responsiblities and routines, but we have to, take advantage of the LoveFeasts that present themselves to us!  Enjoy the moment…now to catch up on the laundry!