Don't Panic Design

Whether you are having a small intimate wedding, an elegant soiree, a large raucous party, or a destination wedding, the wedding rehearsal dinner is a wonderful time to connect with the people closest to you - family and friends who have given their support and are likely to be involved in planning and the events of the day itself. This pre-celebration is a time to mingle, chat, say thank you, and spend a little real time together, as the wedding day is likely to be busy, and the reception a whirlwind.  Rehearsal dinners are often hosted by the parents of the groom, but whether it is the groom's parents, the bride's parents, the couple themselves, or some combination,  it is up to the hosts to choose what kind of dinner to have and who to invite. The hosts and the couple can discuss before planning to decide how involved each wants to be, and work together to create the right event.  Both the host and the couple should try to stay flexible - it's meant to be fun!  He

What is I.C.E.?  I.C.E. stands for In Case of Emergency.  Hopefully you already know this, and you may already have I.C.E. contacts marked in your phone. As a back up, you should also have a physical card with names and phone numbers.  Carry one in your wallet, and keep one with your car registration, if you drive. For kids, consider pinning on in their backpack. Emergencies are by definition unpredictable. By taking a few minutes today, you can prepare yourself, or those caring for you to be able to identify you and contact family members or friends in a time of trouble of need. My mom has been a nurse for 40 years.  She loves her job, but she has seen a lot of things - and had a lot of bad days as witness and caregiver to terrible disease and destructive accidents.  Her job doesn't stop when the patient has been admitted. As a professional care giver, she is also responsible for contacting emergency contacts or relatives. Not only does it make her job harder whe

When I was in college, I was lucky enough to live with the best cook I know, my best friend Christina.  I would walk home from class, crossing my fingers that she was home, because if she was, the most magical thing would happen.  While I would look around the kitchen and see nothing to eat, Christina would open the fridge and say things like, I think I am going to make a quiche, would you like some? The answer, of course, was always, "yes, please." She has an intuitive sense for flavors I've always admired, and I finally smartened up enough a few years ago to start asking questions. After watching her cook, and getting her to tell me some of her secrets, I slowly started experimenting.  This is a fritatta I made last year, and that comment is from Christina - which is high praise! I knew that part of what I was lacking was an understanding spices and how they work together.  I started testing recipes with random spices I had to see how they tasted.  I looked for

In the spirit of Halloween, add these printable posters to your decorations. Click on each link below to download the Free 8" x 10"posters.  Classic & Beautiful Fun & Modern:  These are each a pdf file with 1 page set up on a U.S. Letter size page.  Print on regular paper or card stock and hang it up as it is, or trim off the edges  (1/4" from the left and right, and 1/2" from the top and bottom) to fit an 8" x 10" frame.   It will also be easily printed onto an A4 page.   Throwing a party? Download some or all of these posters to decorate, then check out the some halloween invitations  here. •  •  • Happy Halloween!

It's that time of year again: the season of all things pumpkin flavored.  I live in the northwest U.S., and so it's also the time of year of changing colors in the trees. There is a chill in the air, which makes the afternoon sun feel even better.  It's time to start breaking out my sweaters... I don't love winter, but I do love sweaters. (This love contradicts my dislike of wearing socks, but that's a different conversation.) That means it's almost Halloween! Halloween around here is an often secularly observed, fun, time of year. It's a 'holiday' because we do it every year, we have parties and rituals for it, and there is an air of excitement around it.  I still have to work on Tuesday, but that doesn't make Halloween feel less to me. It's also a time of reflection; while Halloween and it's associated observances have long and varied histories, it's generally accepted as a time to reflect on the dead - those in our fami