a wonderful Memorial Day weekend...

I spent Saturday at the beach with my two older daughters...
I SO enjoyed the one-on-one time with them and it was a gorgeous day.
We vowed to continue going every other Saturday - weather permitting. *wink*

Sunday was a quiet day at home except for a quick trip to the park with Ella.

And although J had to work for part of the day on Memorial Day,
we enjoyed a festive dinner with the girls, my mom and stepdad yesterday...

sliders

homemade rosemary garlic french fries

fresh peach crisp 

(peaches were picked from our very own peach tree - WHAT??!!)

bing cherries

(creatively displayed on The Pastry Pedestal™)

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend as well.

I'm looking forward to a fun productive week ahead!

Remember the Father's Day giveaway I've mentioned a couple of times now?

It's scheduled for posting tomorrow, so don't miss it!

Enjoy your Tuesday - make the most of it!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I can't help myself...

I absolutely have to tell you...

I LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! the way the cherries look on The Pastry Pedestal™! 

SO cute!!

And I'm loving the photos I'm receiving from those of you who've ordered yours!

Keep sending them in!!

ella | mystery of the missing chocolate bar

I'm happily preparing lunch in the kitchen one day...
when suddenly the silence in the house rang loud in my ears.

The sort of silence moms immediately know indicates "trouble".

I tip toe quietly from the kitchen...
hoping to quickly dispel my intuition...
but knowing all too well to be prepared for what I might discover.

empty chocolate bar wrapper

fingerprints...

the culprit caught red chocolate-handed...

Trust me...
I wanted to cry when I saw my keyboard and mouse covered in chocolate.
But I calmly grabbed my camera (while discreetly hiding my smile and chuckles)
Took photos of the "evidence"...
Took "mugshots"...
Took the "suspect" into custody...
And with the evidence insurmountable...
and the mystery solved...
The cute little culprit did her time...
"timeout" that is. *wink*

KEEPiNG iT REAL
These photos were from a couple of weeks ago.
I decided to share them today though because I just felt like I needed to end the week with something a bit light-hearted.
It's been an emotionally draining week for me.
I've been helping a neighbor work on a memorial program for the one year anniversary of her husband's tragic death.
I attended a funeral service yesterday for a dear friend's mother who passed away from pancreatic cancer...
So I really NEEDED to end the week with something light-hearted...
Something to make me smile...
And a reminder to appreciate the little things.
Let's all be exceptionally aware of the "little" things as we head into the weekend.
Hugs to each of you...

life | a painful reminder...

My thoughts today are with a childhood friend of mine...

Her mother lost her battle to pancreatic cancer early yesterday morning.

The news brings a rush of emotions...

Remembering when my sweet grandmother lost her battle with the same devastating disease...

Remembering the same friend supporting me when my grandfather, my hero, passed away.

Remembering my friend's mom - a genuinely sweet, kind person with amazing creative talents.

Thinking of my friend's children and their loss of someone who I know was a wonderful grandmother.

And of course, thinking of my own mom...

whom I'm fortunate enough to have living close by and who's enjoying good health.

There will be even more emotions tomorrow when I attend the service...

Knowing the loss and heartache my friend is feeling/facing...

Being in the same funeral home both of my grandparents' services were held in...

Being surrounded by a sea of friends I haven't seen in a very long time.

I intentionally went out this morning and cut these roses that have been waiting on me for a couple of days.

I liken them to life...

and ultimately the people we share life with.

We're only here for a moment.

And although we are gorgeous individually...

Collectively, we're a beautiful bouquet.

I believe death is life's painful reminder to live...

Thinking of you Missy...

Will miss you SO very much Peggy.

family | happy birthday claracakes

Clara celebrated her 15th birthday over the weekend...

At her request...
no fanfare.
Just a simple pool party...
with her best friend Brittany...
her favorite cousin Kalie...
and her family.
Along with a request for an oreo cheesecake for her birthday cake...

I made mini oreo cheesecakes on Saturday... 

I still managed to find a way to sneak in a little bit of party decor by creating a pretty place for the cupcakes.

(I dressed up a styrofoam block with wrapping paper, ribbon and a tissue paper flower.

I then used my adorable cupcake stand to create a focal point.)*wink*

Sunday night we had her birthday dinner request: Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder.

My mom and stepdad showed up with this....

an absolutely delicious oreo cheesecake my mom made...YUM!!

It was a weekend filled with a lot of family time...

something I definitely enjoyed...

and needed!

Happy 15th Birthday Clara!

Love you to pieces!!

Stay tuned for that Father's Day giveaway I mentioned last week!

It's going to be great!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

As you might imagine...

I'm disappointed Clara no longer wants "themed" parties and would rather keep things simple.

At the same time...

I'm okay with it too. (knowing I can still full focus on Ella for a long time - and possibly squeeze a few more out of Ema). *wink*

I enjoyed taking her for her annual birthday pedicure on Saturday morning.

And as you can see...I can still sneak in a little bit of creativity...

leaving BOTH her and I content with the overall results! *wink*

coming up | father's day inspiration

Just wanted to give you a peek at some upcoming Father's Day inspiration.
You won't want to miss it!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I feel like so many different things in my life are being neglected right now. (blog included)
Ella and I finally got out and took a walk together this morning...
I hadn't exercised in WEEKS!!!
When is "busy" "too busy"? *wink*
Heading over to read "Small Business Advice" posted by Amy Atlas today.
Perhaps some of you will benefit from reading it too???

behind the scenes | the Pastry Pedestal™ outtakes

Good Morning everyone...
As many of you other bloggers out there know...
there were some major issues with Blogger last week that prevented posting and made a mess of things.

So...
I figured I'd make light of things...
Here are some "outtakes" from some of The Pastry Pedestal™ videos I made over the weekend:

The Pastry Pedestal™ - Outtakes from Jessica Kirkland on Vimeo.

Enjoy the laughs...

The final videos are posted on The Pastry Pedestal™ website.

I hope you find them informative and fun!

Have a GREAT Monday everyone!!

And for those of you who've already received your packages of The Pastry Pedestal™ Starter Kit...

I hope to see some photos of how you are using them and I definitely want your feedback and suggestions!!

Thank you SO very much for your support!! It's been invaluable and so very appreciated!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I think the video today is keeping things COMPLETELY real! *wink*

My mom helped video tape the first round of videos - putting up with my shenanigans and all of the retakes. (thanks Mom).

J helped finalize the videos - I couldn't have done it without either of them!! 

Love you both!!!

behind the scenes | the Pastry Pedestal™ production line

WOW!!
I am speechless at the amount of
support...
congrats...
and the orders I've been receiving
since the launch of The Pastry Pedestal™ only two days ago!!

I've had people order from all over the United States: California, New York, North Carolina, Arizona, Utah, Michigan, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania...
and even multiple International orders from Australia and Argentina!
It's been an amazing amount of feedback!

Jenn from HWTM even surprised me yesterday with a feature on them! (thank you Jenn!!)
And my Facebook Fan Page has been on fire with people linking and giving me shout-outs!
I am SO grateful and humbled!! Thank you everyone!!

Want a peek into how the orders are filled?

We've got a "production line" set up on our harvest table...

Stamping, counting, sorting, cutting, punching, wrapping, printing, filling, taping...
We. have. been. BUSY!
Everyone helps...
J, my older girls, my mom & stepdad...

It's been a FANTASTiC launch everyone!
I sincerely appreciate the positive responses and look forward to your feedback when you receive your orders!!
This is what dreams are made of...isn't it?!
I feel completely blessed!

Hoping to finish up a how-to video this weekend to add to the site!!
Busy week for me...
How about you?

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I definitely didn't realize how quickly these would sell...
We are overwhelmed with gratitude.

find | cupcake stands by Jeanette Zeis Ceramics

I have been SO excited to share these with you...

Adorable little CUPCAKE stands handmade by Jeanette Zeis Ceramics

They are the perfect conglomeration of my addiction to cake stands...

my love for handmade pottery...

and my adoration for all things mini-sized!!!

I love that each one is hand stamped with the signature of the artist...

and that they each vary slightly - a characteristic reflective of anything genuinely handmade.

I happened upon them a couple of months ago.

I wanted to share them with you immediately but had to test out the product first...

so I ordered one.

The cream colored cupcake stand 

(photographed here using the Wedding Cupcake from Cupcake Delights - adorned with a paper flower I created)

I loved it SO very much...

I contacted the vendor to see if I could do a feature on her.

When she agreed...

I ordered two more from her...

These are SO adorable for all sorts of confections...macarons...

Mini cakes or pies

(Jack Daniel's mini cake, Creme Brulee Cheesecake and Caramel Apple Crumb Tart from Truly Scrumptious)

European Chocolate Truffles

(from Truly Scrumptious)

For more gorgeous photos of these adorable cupcake stands, 

be sure to check out the feature I wrote for  HWTM posted yesterday.

I'm so seriously in love with these.

Jeanette Zeis Ceramics offers more than just cupcake stands though.

She's got a beautiful selection of tiered cake stands, berry bowls, candy jars, mugs & even dinnerware.

You MUST go check out her shoppe.

She'll even customize your pottery with a hand-stamped name or message.

Ready for a WONDERFUL offer?

Jeanette has graciously offered my blog readers, facebook fans and HWTM readers a 15% discount on any purchases made today through May 20th. How sweet is that deal?! Just type in the discount code at checkout: hostesswiththemost

I hope you're left feeling as inspired by Jeanette Zeis Ceramics as I've been.

For more information on Jeanette Zeis Ceramics:

the Shoppe

Facebook Fan Page

Blog

Flickr Stream

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

omgoodness!

I've been overwhelmed with the amount of outpouring support, encouragement and feedback since the launch of 

The Pastry Pedestal™ yesterday!

And I am scrambling already to keep up with the orders!! WOW!!

Thank you so very much everyone!

It means the world to me.

I'll be sharing photos of our assembly line we've got set up on the kitchen table...

(good thing it's 11 feet long...*wink*

official launch of The Pastry Pedestal™

Today is the day I've been preparing for and talking about for MONTHS!

The launch of the patent-pending party product I've designed and have been working on for about 9 months now.

The Pastry Pedestal™

Please go check out the website....
Let me know what you think!

I'll be adding more photos and I'm working on a video to post as well.

In the meantime, those of you who've been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to purchase these...
they are NOW OFFiCiALLY AVAiLABLE FOR PURCHASE!!

With the limitless creative options for using these...
I can't wait to see what you all do with them!!

Thank you so much everyone for all of your support and encouragement leading up to this day!
I'm completely excited to watch these take off...

It's a VERY good Monday around here...
Wishing each of you the very same!!
Hugs!!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Such a bundle of nerves making the website "live" this morning.
(My hands are even in a sweat as I'm getting ready to push the "publish post" button for this blog entry).

Luckily all of the pampering I received this weekend for Mother's Day
offset all of the anxious feelings of showcasing these to the world!!

Thank you especially to J who went above and beyond to make the entire weekend extra special!
Thank you to my girls for the one-on-one time together...
Thank you Ema for the extra pampering...
And thank you Mom...for being you!!
I love each of you!!

I hope ALL of you thoroughly enjoyed the day with your families as well!!

pretty things...

Just wanted to share some simple pretty things with you today while I continue
to work out the bugs for The Pastry Pedestal launch...

Adding fabric flowers to cupcakes...

If you are uncomfortable using pins - substitute toothpicks instead.

(If you missed the DiY I did on decorating cakes with paper flowers...check it out here)

A peek at some pretties that will be shared later this week on HWTM...

Sending you all wonderful Wednesday wishes...

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I'm creating the Pastry Pedestal website all on my own...
it's been quite a learning process and I think I've pulled out more than a few strands of my hair along the way! *wink*

Did I already mention I also made some changes to the original logo I shared with you?
Just stop overthinking everything Jessica and just "put it out there!!" *wink*

the pastry pedestal | soft launch/opening

Good Monday morning everyone!!

This is a BiG WEEK for me...

The week I've been anticipating for some time now.

(as well as for many of you that have been following along and waiting patiently). *wink*

The launch of the patent-pending party product I've designed:

  The Pastry Pedestal™

I'll be hosting a "soft launch" this week with a few select individuals...

allowing them to purchase The Pastry Pedestal™ through the website and then having them provide feedback...

as to the fluidity of the ordering process as well as the user-friendliness of the site.

Once any little kinks have been ironed out and all looks well on our end...

The Pastry Pedestal™ will officially go live!!!

(pinch me....I can't even believe I'm quickly nearing the day for this to happen)!!

If I can squeeze it in...

I'd love to get a video up on the The Pastry Pedestal™ site as well...

Demonstrating how easy and versatile these are to use...

and just how quickly you can personalize them to coordinate with any celebration or event!!

I hope you all got to relax a little bit over the weekend.

Now it's back to the hustle and bustle...*wink*