Eleven Eleven Mississippi, a St. Louis Restaurant

We celebrated our 38th anniversary this week!  We celebrated all week long with our Facebook friends!  Bob gave me a card and gift each day.  He knows my favorites, my splurges and my pitter pats (of my heart) and from this list you see below he hit them all! Monday:  gift card to Starbucks Tuesday:: BT Nails gift certicate Wednesday: a brick for my alma mater Thursday: flowers and a piece of pottery Friday:  gift card to Subway Saturday: dinner out I have Bob six tickets to Samantha Fox, one of his favorite musical artists. We chose to have dinner at Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Located in Lafayette Square, the restaurant is housed in a brick building with an outdoor courtyard. We sat upstairs and had a view of the kitchen and other diners.  Our server was very attentive and got us drinks right away. We ordered the stuffed grape leaves which were delicious.   Next was the Tuscan kale salad with fig, blue cheese, almonds and mint. I really enjoye

Tenacious Eats~The Blues Brothers!

For Mother's Day Bob treated me out to a brunch at Tenacious Eats to see "The Help."  It was so much fun that I repeated the event for him on Father's Day and it was such a blast.  First, the movie choice was spot on for dads: wild car chase scenes, rhythm and blues concert, hilarious, and slapstick, all at the same time.  If you haven't seen this iconic movie (and there was one in our group who hadn't!), it is worth your time to do so! When we arrived we were greated with Duo Denim, a music duo who entertained us with the clarinet and guitar.  Oh my word, that lady could play the clarinet.  I could have listened to her a lot more! We grabbed up their email just in case we ever needed such great entertainment! There is always an alcoholic punch to greet you and the selection for this movie was a blue vodka punch.  It was delicious but I was remiss in asking what was in it.  I just enjoyed it!  There was also beer for the dads who preferred it and, ther

Around the Garden

We have had 98% rain since last Monday and although some of my flowers like it, most are starting to feel the effects of too much water.  Just like anything else, too much of a good thing is, well, too much.  We made some adjustments to our garden now that the sales have really kicked in.  At the Farmer's Market this week all hanging baskets, annuals and perennials were 50% off.  That means it is time to do whatever replanting we need to do.  For instance, one of the pots held lettuce.  The lettuce is done so now the pot has impatients in it. We purchased three of the hanging bags of flowers, like seen at amusement parks.  We are trying them out to see if we really want to add them to our list of must haves each spring.  We also purchased two more summer rugs, one under the dining table and another for the lounging area.   We moved the lounging area from the deck to here.  This space feels a bit more private for sunbathing, even though it is closer to the fence. My

Happy Father's Day!

It's Father's Day!  I would like to take the time to let you know about my husband Bob, as a father.  Many of my family and friends know that he is a great dad and father.  Nearly everyone knows that he had a wonderful role model in both his own father and his older brother.  Good role models are important. What people might not know is this:  I had to convince my husband that having a family was a good idea.  We had been married for seven years and we really liked our life!  We traveled, purchased a house, continued our education, bought what we needed and things we didn't, and enjoyed being able to GO without a second thought.  He was sure that having a baby would change all these things and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them up. He was right, having a baby changed all these things.  What he didn't realize though, was all the things we would GET.  Like hours and hours, days and days, years and years of constant entertainment!  Our daughter made us laugh

Father's Day Giveaway

I am happy to participate in the Two Gals Giveaway for Father's Day! Today is the last day to enter, so be sure to get your entry in. I have included the link below. My dad taught me the fine art of the comeback.  He was a quick thinker and always had something to say to our comments.  We were quick, too, but he always had the last word (in a good way, mostly). What would you do with $300???  Here's my list: 1.  Paloma's Venezia Goldoni heart band ring in sterling silver. From Tiffany's. 2.   MICHAEL Michael Kors 'Bedford Tassel - Medium' Convertible Leather Shoulder Bag  in red. 3. I'd do a spa day at my favorite spa! Since it is not budgeted money, I would definitely splurge!  The only way to win is to enter and you can do that HERE!  Good Luck!

Summer Tour of Homes

Head over to  Shelstring Blog to see our home on the Summer Tour of Homes.  Here is a teaser of what you will see...

Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

The June theme for Bundt Bakers is lemon!  My favorite of all flavors, I was excited to participate in this yummy celebration. There are so many delicious cakes on this month's list.  I had plans to do something with ricotta cheese and blueberries, but if you will notice, there are already two selections this month with those flavors.  You-might-guess-who was slow in getting  my  her cake listed this month. All it did was to force me to confront the only issue I have with confetti cake.  It's the wrong flavor.  It screams to be lemon, not vanilla.  It really does.  I heard it.  This is too easy for words, too. When you taste this cake, you will agree with me that this is how confetti cake was supposed to be. Lemon Confetti Bundt Cake by  Terri Steffes Cook Time:  40 minutes Ingredients 1 Confetti cake mix 3 eggs 1 c water 1/3 c vegetable oil 1 T lemon extract 1 T powdered sugar Instructions Preheat oven to 350. Prepare Bundt pan with Cris

Green is Good, part 2

Last week I had a guest blogger writing about some products that are good for the environment and for us.  Justine sent me a few samples of the products and here is my review of them. Laundry detergent:  The laundry detergent, liquid, is super concentrated so I used the recommended amount, 1 tablespoon, per load.  Bob and I do not get very dirty in our line of business and we usually only wear each outfit once before we through it into the washer.  Our clothes came out smelling wonderful and seemed clean and fresh. Dishwasher tablets:  The dishwasher tablets seemed to work fine as well.  The dishes were clean and sparkling, and the scent is very nice.  They are smaller tablets than the ones at the store, but I am sure they are concentrated as well. Dish soap:  This stuff is very concentrated!  A basin full of water and only a couple of drops of soap made all this lather!  It lasted for a long while.  As a person who usually puts a drop or two on a sponge, I am sold on filling up

Lemon Bits Oatmeal Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

Lemon and summer go hand-in-hand.  Think lemonade, iced tea with lemon, and now...Lemon Bits Oatmeal Cookies!  #CreativeCookieExchange is a group of bloggers who like to bake cookies and each month we are guided by a theme and this month our theme is Chips, Chunks or Bits.  When I found these  lemon bits at King Arthur's Flour , I knew I would be incorporating them into my cookie for this month. I love this cookie.  It's different from my usual cookie in that it is thin, a bit chewy and lightly flavored.  The oatmeal, flavored with a bit of ginger, is a nice compliment to the lemon bits. The lemon is not overwhelming at all, just a bit of freshness at the end!  Lemon Bits Oatmeal Cookies by  Terri Steffes Prep Time:  8 minutes Cook Time:  11 minutes per batch Ingredients  (3 dz) 1/2 c softened butter 1/2 c brown sugar, packed 1/2 c white sugar 1 t vanilla 1 egg 1 c flour 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1/4 t ground ginger 1 c

Around the Garden-New Town Garden Tour

This week I am going to share with you photos of the New Town Garden Tour that was held this weekend.  These are just teasers and I am hoping others will share their photos, too.  The Garden Club held its pre-tour on Friday so that all the workers could see the gardens on the tour. Each garden was unique to its special properties which I will try to highlight in each photo.  I hope you will enjoy the tour! The back porch to a really beautiful garden.  Hanging planters on the privacy fence and a special water feature and eating area are not seen.  The garage is detached and creates this pocket garden between the house and garage.   These flowers grace the front of the house.  The house is located by a canal on its west side and all the garden space is there.  The sitting area has a beautiful pergola with a beautiful ironworks light in the center. This house faces a lake.  This backyard courtyard features the beautiful fountain you see in the background. These flowe

Flag Day!

Enjoy these photos of Flag Day around my neighborhood, New Town of Saint Charles!   Add caption Flag Day celebrates the adoption of the American Flag in 1777.   In 1916 the day became a national holiday but not a federal holiday so you don't hear much of any parades or cookouts!  In any case, it is fun to see all the flags flying throughout the US.  Happy Flag Day!

Food Wine Design

Last year Bob and I attended the Food Wine Design event.  When we had the chance to go to this year's event, we knew we wanted to go and we also knew we were going to spring for the VIP tickets.  We are so glad we did! Here is how the event is promoted: Indulge your senses at St. Louis Magazine’s Culinary Week – Food Wine Design. Each night, a duo of the city’s most celebrated chefs will prepare a one-of-a-kind meal complete with carefully selected wine and beer pairings. Plus, enjoy live music, cocktails from top mixologists, and inspirational tabletop designs. Chefs Lou Rook — Annie Gunn's William Cardwell — Cardwell's at the Plaza and BC's Kitchen Music Fanfare Wine host Ward on Wine Mixologists Brooksey Cardwell of Cardwell's at the Plaza Spirits of St. Louis When we arrived, we were met by Mungenast Lexus of St. Louis for a cocktail party.  The featured cocktails were a Blackberry Sage Gin Fizz and a Strawberry Rhubar