January 6, 2009
· Filed under Confection Company, Family Stuff, General, Lists, Melissa's Wedding
I am not quite sure if I am getting old and my memory is starting to go or if this has been a pretty boring year. I have sat here racking my brain trying to think of all the great (and even not-so-great) things that happened with our family in 2008.
- Probably the most exciting and time-consuming event was my sister’s wedding. We love our new brother-in-law, niece, and nephew!! They are a great addition to our family.
- We were devastated when I lost my job over the summer, but felt so blessed when I found a new one a few months later.
- This is the first year probably in my entire life that I did not go to the beach. The last time we were there was Labor Day 2007, which feels like forever ago. That is why one of my resolutions is to slow down a little and take more time for ourselves — a beach trip will definitely be in our near future.
- The family Savannah trip – The only place we did get to visit this year was Savannah in mid March for my Granny’s 76th Birthday. It was one of the greatest trips ever! Savannah has long been a special place for Jonathan and me, but now it is special for my whole family. He wants to move there so bad he can hardly stand it!
- THE Driver’s Permit — In October, Phillip got his driver’s permit. That makes him a grown up now — didn’t you realize that? Me either! He is doing a great job, however.
- Jonathan left the fire department – After 20 years as a volunteer fireman, Jonathan hung up his turn-out gear for the last time this year. I think, more than anything, he just needed a break. I actually hope he will decide to return in a few years.
- The Confection Company grew tremendously — In this failing economy, 2008 was actually a really great year for the Confection Company. We added a lot of new products, did several new shows, and now have the excitement of moving! I predict that 2009 will hold even more surprises!
- Another year and no baby — This is probably the saddest part of my year for me personally. Each year around this time, my mom tells me that this will be “our year” and “it’s going to happen…I just know it will,” but each year she is wrong (usually just about this; she is usually right about everything else), but I am praying will all my heart that this will be the year she is right and we will find a way to bring a new little one into our lives.
- Since Jonathan and I have been together, we have had a difficult time finding a church where we can both be happy. A nice blend of the churches from our past. Little did we know that a church unlike any other we have ever attended would fit the bill! Brick City Community Church has been a blessing to us both and I hope 2009 will allow us the time and resources to become even more involved.
December 31, 2008
· Filed under Confection Company, Downtown Sanford/Lee County, Family Stuff, General, Restaurant Reviews
As you can tell, I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog…not intentional might I add! The Confection Company had a very successful Christmas season, and it really kept me busier than anticipated. So much has happened over the last couple of months – I’ll try to squeeze a lot of it into this one post.
- We are almost moved out of Shops of Steele Street and the transition into Added Accents and Cafe 121 is occurring over the next couple of days. We are very excited to have teamed up with two fabulous businesses!
- New website — Amy’s is getting a whole new look! A wonderful website designer is in the process of finishing up the new site and I will post as soon as it launches.
- Christmas – Christmas was wonderful! I could not have asked for anything better. I think all four of us really enjoyed the entire Christmas season (along with our extended family). Christmas Day, as usual, was a whirlwind, but it was great fun!
- Breakfast at Myra’s – Myra’s Kitchen has started opening for breakfast Monday through Saturday. I few weeks ago Jonathan and I were able to get by there on a Saturday morning to try it out, and I am so glad we did! Myra knows that I do not eat eggs and that I think most French Toast tastes like bread soaked in scrambled eggs — gross! So, she made me the most delicious egg-free French Toast ever, and it was stuffed with cream cheese and pecans and topped with whipped cream. IT.WAS.TO.DIE.FOR! Jonathan had eggs (still gross), bacon and sausage (I know…can you say I had a heart attack three years ago?), home fries with onions, and a biscuit. He also loved everything, especially the home fries!
- Honey Baked Ham Store – About 5+ years ago, I started a new Christmas tradition for my mom. I always buy her a Honey Baked Ham a few days before Christmas. Jonathan and I ventured to Cary the day before Christmas Eve and he was kind enough to wait in the line that stretched WAY out the door to get THE ham! And it was well worth the wait. It was the best Honey Baked Ham we have ever had. Everything about it was absolutely perfect!
- Handmade gifts – When my sister got married in August, she was blessed with two amazing stepchildren – twins no less, a boy and a girl (10 years old). Two of my favorite gifts this year came from my new niece and nephew – a hand-painted birdhouse and a handmade “baking lady” ornament. I love receiving handmade gifts and these are two I will always treasure.
- The magical amazing fabulous Jawhorse – For literally months, I have listened to Jonathan talk about wanting a Jawhorse. Every time a commercial would come on he would drool in silence as he stared at the screen. Not to mention the full infomercial — the whole world would have to stop for 30 minutes (it feels like hours) while he watched it AGAIN! I would remind him that it was the same commercial/infomercial that he had already watched 50 times, but he would watch it anyway. We had agreed to only buy each other small gifts (which ultimately did not exactly happen), so I did not buy the Jawhorse for him for Christmas. Fortunately, the after-Christmas elves at our house ordered him one a few days ago and it arrived this morning! I cannot wait until he gets home and can open it up and try it out! I really hope it is “everything” he hopes it will be and it does not disappoint!
- Speaking of those “small gifts,” I was so excited that Jonathan gave me a set of Paula Deen Cookware. This is what I have drooled over every time we go to Sams. He was very generous this year — I also got a huge painting from the Carpenter’s Shop that I have had my eye on for a while and several other wonderful gifts!
- Shopping the day after Christmas – I had not planned to shop the day after Christmas, but somehow my sister conned me into driving us both to Apex. I have not been to SuperTarget in Apex in probably 5 years. We usually need to go to several other places in Cary, so we always go there if we need to go to Target. Boy am I glad we went…I had no idea there were so many new stores – Old Navy, Kohls, Circuit City, Home Depot, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and the list goes on and on. SuperTarget, in my opinion, was worse than WalMart the day after Thanksgiving. People were pushing and shoving and reaching and grabbing. It was crazy. After a while, I had to get out of the Christmas section. I just could not take anymore. Melissa, however, is another story. She thrives in that kind of environment. I planted myself in the automotive section down the aisle and she would bring her “finds” and put them in the cart. If there was something I liked, she would go back to wrestle some little old lady to get one for me also (not really, but it sounds more exciting that way)!
- My musician – Phillip started guitar lessons maybe 7 or 8 months ago (I cannot remember for sure) and has really developed a great talent. We bought him a new book of songs that we like (luckily he likes many of the same things we do) and he has been breezing through it, serenading me with songs that I love. I am so proud of him!
There are so many other things that I am sure I wanted to write about, but I have to get back in the kitchen…truffles are calling!
December 9, 2008
· Filed under Confection Company, Downtown Sanford/Lee County, Family Stuff, General
Note — I wrote this a week or so ago, but apparently forgot to publish it!
I have missed my blog over the past several weeks. I often have good intentions and think of several things a day that I would love to write about, but somehow I usually get caught up in something else and never find the time to do it. It has not helped that the power cord for our laptop has basically died and I do not think I can find a new one locally. Ordering one on-line has also been on my to-do list, but has been neglected!
Thanksgiving: It was AWESOME as usual!! My granny, mom, sister, and myself all cook way too much, and everything was extra-tasty this year. Jonathan fried his famous turkey and there were no leftovers, which was really disappointing! Phillip spent his first Thanksgiving ever with us. In past years I have always been just a little sad on Thanksgiving Day when he couldn’t be with us, but this year we were complete. He spent lunch with us and Brandon was with us for our “leftover supper.”
I feel like we have so much this year to be thankful for. We have a great family and wonderful friends. We finally found a new church home this year. The list could go on and on!
Open House: I haven’t really had time to write since open house. It was a great success. We had a great turnout and met a lot of great new customers. We passed out lots of samples of Mr. Amy’s dips and many of the other new Christmas products. I think I will probably try to also have a spring open house this year.
Christmas and the Confection Company: I think I pretty much run off of adrenaline from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Eve (with a little break and then back to the adrenaline to get me through Valentine’s Day). I spent most of the weekend stocking the shop and putting the final touches on some new recipes I have been working on. I’m excited about the Christmas season at the shop!
Black Friday: Practically every Friday after Thanksgiving of my adult life has been spent battling other crazed shoppers with my mom and sister. And we are not your casual Black Friday shoppers — we are hard core, doning walkie talkies, maps of Wal-Mart — you name it and we have probably done it! But this year, I just did not have it in me! Last week truly exhausted me…between filling customer orders and preparing my personal Thanksgiving dishes, I was so tired Friday morning. My mom called with my 3:30 a.m. wakeup call and I could not manage to pull myself from the warm covers. The thought of the cold night (or rather early morning) air was not as inviting as it has been to me in past years! Maybe part of it was knowing that we have decided to drastically cut the amount that we spedn this year and I have really been having a hard time figuring out what to buy for everyone — or maybe I was just feeling lazy. Either way, mom and Melissa had a great time and returned with two cars loaded to the brim!
Upcoming events: So much coming up, but more on this later!
October 30, 2008
· Filed under Confection Company, Downtown Sanford/Lee County
This weekend will be the “unofficial” kick off of the downtown Sanford holiday season! This Sunday afternoon will be the open house for Floral Designs by Eddie and The Design Team. I enjoy this open house every year and they never disappoint!
The following weekend, November 8 and 9, will be the official “Downtown Sanford Merchants Open House.” More information should be in The Sanford Herald next week. I will post more details closer to the event, but for the Shops of Steele Street open house, which, of course, houses our Amy’s Confection Company open house, we will be sampling a wide variety of our products including our Mr. Amy’s Dip line, offering door prizes, and previewing our 2009 holiday line.
For the first time in a very long time, our Christmas parade will now be on a Sunday afternoon. I am really excited about the change and hope it goes well. It is scheduled for Sunday, November 23 and more information can be found on the Chamber of Commerce website.
After the parade, Thanksgiving will be just days away…and then the holiday season is really on!!
May 9, 2008
· Filed under Confection Company, Downtown Sanford/Lee County
It’s no secret that I love to cook, but I often just do not have time and my kitchen is usually full of food being prepared for the rest of the world. During the Christmas craft shows of last year, Jonathan and I decided we wanted to carry a line of dips, spices, rubs, etc. We wanted something that could be quickly and easily prepared and didn’t require a lot of thought or extra ingredients. With Jonathan growing up in Bud’s BBQ, he has a passion for grilling and BBQ. He also wanted more home-cooked meals in the midst of the Confection Company growing like crazy!
It has taken us this long to do it, but finally, we have Mr. Amy’s Gourmet Dips and Spices! We brainstormed names from the day we came up with the concept and we finally settle on this one just a few weeks ago. Why “Mr. Amy?” When I do dessert caterings or go to set up a cake or even just when we work together at the shop, everyone always says to Jonathan, “Oh, you must be Mr. Amy.” Of course, each person thinks they are the first one who has ever said and they get a kick out of it. Jonathan being the great man he is has always taken it in stride and loves to tell people he is Mr. Amy. Many of our customers do now know what his name really is. So, it made perfect sense to us to call them Mr. Amy’s.
I don’t often write about what I am selling at the Shops of Steele Street, but I just love these mixes, so I wanted to share the info with everyone else!
By far, my favorite one is J.B.’s Best Garlic Butter (Jonathan finally got to use his real name in there somewhere!). It is excellent with olive oil as a bread dip or…and best of all…it makes awesome scampi! We are not big shrimp fans, so I just cut up a couple of chicken breasts into bite-size cubes. I then put the spice/oil mixture in a saute pan and brown the chicken. I then add the sauce to a pot of cooked pasta and mix it all together. Add a salad and some italian bread and it is an amazing dinner! You could use it for a delicious shrimp scampi instead of the chicken.
Jonathan also used it on ribeye a few nights ago on the grill and it was the best steak I have ever had! I want to try the Tuscany Blend on chicken on the grill this weekend.
Our other current favorites are the Key Lime Pie and Royal Hawaiian dessert mixes. I put them in the mini graham cracker crusts (in the Jello section of the grocery store) and we each have our own personal dessert. The Hawaiian is great with a can of crushed pineapple added.
As we find new uses for each of the dip mixes I will post the recipes! I hope you enjoy!
UPDATE: There will be samples of many of the new dips available for tasting at Shops of Steele Street tomorrow from 10 to 5:30!
UPDATE II: Probably no dip samples today! I couldn’t find anything I loved to put them in and keep them cold. I’m making it my mission today to find something and next Saturday will be “Sampling Saturday!”
May 4, 2008
· Filed under Confection Company, Downtown Sanford/Lee County
During the Downtown Sanford Bike Criterium last weekend, another merchant and I had a chance to chat about what we would like to see happen downtown. She and I both do several craft shows a year across North Carolina and really enjoy every one of them. We both also have friends who frequent the Pittsboro First Sunday festival and Siler City Third Fridays. Both are great events that seem to bring a lot of folks into each downtown.
I love our downtown and I feel honored to be able to have my little shop there. When we travel, we always try to spend a day in the downtown district of whereever we may be. We look at the distinct arcitecture and see what we unique spots we can find.
I try to look at our downtown through those same “touristy” glasses every once and a while…like a few weeks ago when I once again noticed the georgeous tiles around Carolina Sporting Goods or the beautiful stonework above DWA Photography or even the little Coke bottles on the old Coca-Cola building (my favorite! — I’m try to get Beverly Brookshire to do a painting of this one!).
In a recent editorial by Billy Liggett, he asked “Why Can’t Sanford Do That?” I have asked myself this same thing my entire life. This time, however, instead of just asking, I want to actually do something. Why can’t we have a monthly festival to bring folks downtown? It wouldn’t require the amount of work that a huge annual festival would and could easily be maintained. I would love to do it possibly on a Friday evening with all of the businesses staying open later and hopefully drawing in crafters from around the area. There is a lot of talent in Sanford. Lots of people make lots of different things. I realize this every time I do a show and meet a Sanfordian crafter I didn’t know about. This would be a great time to show off these talents. I know in Pittsboro, for example, for many crafters it is sort of their regular “shop” in that their customers know they will find them there each month.
I would love to have some feedback on this topic and see what the rest of you in the blogosphere think!!!
April 8, 2008
· Filed under Cake, Confection Company
People always ask about what kind of cakes I have coming up or what I just did, so I thought maybe I would share some info about this from time to time.
The wedding cake I did this past weekend was for a relatively small wedding of about 100 people in Raleigh. It was unusual for me in that the groom was the one who originally made contact with me and the one I dealt with through the entire ordering process. When I finally met the couple and their wedding planner, they were so wonderful! I meet with some brides and can feel a real disconnect and then I meet with others (quite often perfect strangers) and hit it off from the moment they walk through the door.
I remember my meeting with this couple quite well, as they were my very first meeting at Shops of Steele Street. We had just moved in about two weeks before and I was so nervous about hosting my first tasting there. All the arrangements for the meeting had been made by the groom and this was my first contact with the bride.
We had an awesome meeting. They were my favorite kind of client in that they LOVED their cake samples. They ate and ate and ate and ate some more and raved with every bite. That makes what I do that much more rewarding!
Both the bride and groom were of Asian decent, so they decided to go with a “paper crane” themed wedding, as an Asian saying states that if you make 1000 paper cranes you get a wish. So, they made 1000 (yes, a whole 1000) paper cranes of all different colors and sizes to use to decorate their wedding. Some of them were even for the cake. Needless to say, I had never put paper cranes on a cake, but I loved it!
Due to the nasty weather Saturday, their quaint outdoor wedding was moved inside to the same location as the reception, which was Caffe Luna in downtown Raleigh. It was a beautiful location, the staff was great, and all in all looked like a great place for a wedding!
All in all, I thought it all went great. We had to drive a few circles around Raleigh, as many of the streets were blocked for a race, but we finally made our way there. I hope their wedding was everything they hoped for and that making all those cranes paid off and they get their wish!
