Individual Margarita Key Lime Pies: The MOVIE

I know someone who won't be needing an
Academy Award acceptance speech...

Making movies is not as easy as it looks.  

Making cute recipe videos is also not as easy as one might think...

I found that out --first hand.

Hats off to all those Hollywood directors and sound mixers...  

your careers are safe from this Midwestern blogger.
  (at least for the foreseeable future)

Have you seen those snazzy food videos on Facebook??

I am absolutely captivated...
for 30 seconds they have my full undivided attention.

If you have not yet seen one...
Let me set the stage:

 A set of mystery chef  hands...
quite possibly a hand model,

whips up a delicious looking recipe....

The video shows a person make an entire cake,
or pie, or roast in 30-45 seconds...
highlighting the important steps...
There is no mess... no dirty dishes..
no fumbling about,
no opening packages or chopping
celery...they get straight to the point.

The whole recipe is condensed into
 easy to follow visuals...
beautifully lit...pretty food shots...

all the while

super cheerful music plays in a background...

and me, the viewer... 

 I'm left thinking...
"Wow... I am going to make that recipe!!"

If they can do it in 30 seconds...
what will that be in real time for me... probably
5 maybe 10 minutes...   right??

I do believe however,  I may be their target audience...

 so...
(begin adventure)

I told myself

"Hey...I can make one of those videos too!! Why not??!!"

And yes,... 
I probably can, eventually, someday make a recipe video...like a pro..

That day is not today...

sigh...

... there is a huge learning curve...

huge...very, very large.

 Here are three very valuable and
transferable lessons I learned:

Lights! Camera!! Icing On The Cake!

I ran into a friend at the grocery yesterday...and she asked...

Astonished... 

"How is all this happening??"

By "all this" she was referring to the 
recent flurry of media activity... 

abundance of good karma and the outpouring of

fabulous opportunities...

The reason for this post...  

"All this" very wonderful stuff...

... it's kind of a mystery... 

...except for the fact I am doing what I love... 

Could it really be that simple??

***

Mother's Day Gift Idea Guide: A Few of My Favorite Things

Don't panic...  

It's May the 4th!

(May the Fourth Be With You...for

those that LOVE Star Wars!)

It's also only four short days

until Mother's Day 2016.

 I thought today I would share

 with you some of my very favorite things...

If you are in need of a gift... or

a fresh new idea for mom

this Mother's Day... this post is for you.

I've been spending a little time in my garden

especially in the cool mornings...

I was pleasantly surprised to

see that the Lily of the Valley are

in bloom...

Their fragrant blooms are a 

favorite of mine... and were

also favorites of my grandmother too.

And like a good granddaughter...who

learned from her grandmother...

I collected a small bouquet

and slipped them into a tiny re-purposed 

syrup bottle, just the way she did it...

Perfect for any springtime window sill.

My grandma was so special...
(Special and loving...with lots of grandmotherly wisdom
...like most grandmothers tend to have)

and gone way too soon.

This morning, in the garden

 I also enjoyed the first iris bloom of the season...

Another little something grandma would have loved.

Whether your mother is into gardening or not...
I have put together a fun list of my favorites, 
-sure to delight any special mom in your life.

This specially crafted Mother's Day edition of
my favorite things is a gift list that is varied...

...and while I might prefer my

hand-picked bouquets of

flowers in syrup-bottles...

 You know your mom best... and there

just might be the perfect little something

for her listed below.  

From gardening implements to a little bling, 
...even handmade treasures...
I think I covered it all!