Did you miss me?

Yes, it is now the day after Valentine's Day. I had fully meant to post more lately but, well, I was on vacation. At least, that was my excuse for last week. Leading up to that point, I plead the fifth.

Back in the Seattle area again for a week to watch my incredible nephew who is growing SO flippin' fast - I can hardly believe it! He is running everywhere, and on the verge of talking, but does a fair amount of baby sign language in the meantime. The week went by way too fast, but I had an absolutely splendiforous time visiting the folks I could. For whatever reason, this last visit made me a bit more homesick than ones in the past have. Miss you all!

My sis also threw a baby shower and I got to help with the cake preparation. They have a zoo theme, so I made some characters out of marzipan (almond paste). Here's the front:

And here is a side view. You can see the aligator tail sticking out the back. If you look closely, you'll also see a bite out of part of the "y". It was all so fun to do!

So now I am back in the land of sunshine, bare feet and, oh yes, a business to tend to! Today I have about a dozen phone calls to place. Remember those boxes I sent out? Well, apparently the reception has been quite good, so I should soon have another list of clients added to the roster! Woo-hoo!

Hope everyone had a smashing Valentine's Day! I made dinner for the hubby: herbed crepes filled with chicken poached in chicken stock and a bit of white wine, topped with a light cream sauce with artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Spinach salad with apples and grapes plus a honey-yogurt dressing. Dessert was homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies and cookies and cream ice cream! I told the hubby that his Valentine's gift was a week of really good food, so more delights to come! He gave me a fantabulous purse! Check it out!