salted caramel butter bars.

This is a promotional post for both a great bar and a great blog.  I would highly recommend that you try these amazing Salted Caramel Butter Bars.  You can find the recipe on my daughter Hannah's blog The Knead To Know. You can easily access it my clicking on the link on the right.

Mother Rabbit proudly recommends that you frequent this blog.  Hannah posts on a very regular basis.  It is attractive, whimsical and chock full of great recipes.  As a Nutrition major, she also spills in informative food facts and dietary insights.  Another bonus, sometimes she includes photos of one of the world's cutest babies.

the classic black dress.

Every woman needs two black dresses in her closet.  We all know about the "the little black dress" with the cocktail dress subtitle.  It might have a scoop back or scoop front, and it might be a teensy-bit short. This is an important addition to every closet because it can see you through any formal occasion, wedding or party.  You can accessorize with jewels and heels and head to the city with confidence.

But don't forget about "the classic black dress".  This is a more serious dress that is not as fun to wear.  In fact, part of the importance of this classic sister to the party version is that you don't want to stand out at all when wearing it.  It is not fun to talk about, but every woman needs a classic black dress in her closet for funerals.  And believe me, when a need for one arises, the time & energy to purchase one will not be there.

Do yourself a favor and make sure that you have both versions ready and waiting to serve you. 

mother rabbit's summer sangria.

 

Mother Rabbit's Summer Sangria

Pink Moscato

Perrier Sparkling Water

Fresh Juice

(I used Raspberry Juice from Fontenelle Orchards)

Fresh Fruit of your Choice

 

I used:

Pineapple

Peaches

Blueberries

Granny Smith Apples

Bing Cherries

 

Cut and distribute fruit into mason jars, wine glasses or fun glassware of your choice.  Cover with Pink Moscato and chill until the party starts. (The glass should be about half full at this point.)  Just before serving, add ice, a splash of fresh juice and a splash of sparkling water.  Add a festive straw for party points.  I had spoons and forks available so that the lucky guests could enjoy the wine-infused fruit after the sangria had disappeared.

 

This was a big hit and it will be my go-to drink this summer.  The alcohol content was mild, it was super refreshing, and it provided a healthy dose of the fruit section of the food triangle. 

 

Cheers!

don't clean for your guests.

I appreciated one of my favorite mantras this week.  For years I have said to my bunnies "Don't clean for your guests, or you might hate them when they walk through the door.  Clean for yourself."  I taught my girlies to set apart one day a week for CLEANING.  Have a routine to cover the basics.  This way your house is relatively clean on a regular basis.  This prevents what you want to avoid at all costs: Knocking yourself out when guests are coming. 

It is worthy considering that it might make more sense to clean AFTER your guests leave.  Especially if the guests include young children.  Or messy adults.

Today's post is a few tricks to give your house that just-cleaned feel even when it might not be perfectly scoured & scrubbed...  a few suggestions that give guests the "illusion" that you slaved all day in preparation for their arrival.  Sometimes 'life happens' and you just don't have the time to spend the day power cleaning your house.  Here are a few things that you can do in a single power-hour before the guests walk in the door:

1.  Softscrub bleach all the sinks.  They will sparkle & shine.  And the fresh smell permeates the bathrooms and kitchen.

2.  Dust at least one piece of furniture in each room.  Again, smell is paramount.

3.  Pick up the clutter.  There is no easy way around this one.  You just have to pick up all the stuff.  Of course it is best to put things away as you go.  If time is really limited, you can always take loads of stuff to your car until you do have time.

The reason I selected this photo is that minutes before I snapped this photo, the area was scattered with dozens of movies which our family had viewed - or thought about viewing - in the past week.  The scene is now serene because someone took the time to tuck them back in.

4.  Put out a beautiful, freshly ironed linen towel.  This gives a wonderful impression that you are so organized that you had extra time on our hands.  ha.  For some reason, placing this lace-trimmed towel on the handle of my dishwasher right before my guests arrived on Monday night made me forget all the things that did not get deep-cleaned.  It instilled a sense of peace and pleasure.   (And no, I did not have a glass of wine before I hung it up.)

5.  With scissors in hand, check your yard for something of beauty that you can put in a vase.  Even plain hosta leaves can add a touch of freshness to a room.

Then, open the door and welcome your guests!  Enjoy them.  They came to see you and will never notice there is dirt on the floor.  Maybe hand them a refreshing beverage. Recipe to follow.

Mother Rabbit wishes to apologize for the long delay in posting.  I will return to my travel tips but for now I just had to get back-in-the-blogging-saddle.