~Jack, Come back~

I have always been fascinated by the story of the sinking of the Titanic, April 1912.

The sadness of all these people who were heading somewhere .......full of hope,and excitement, or looking forward to new beginnings.
 Many with loved ones waiting on the other side.
all lost in a moment. 

The movie captured so  much of what I imagine the night to have been like.

Lives just being lived in the moment, dancing and dining the night away in their elegant surroundings, unaware that this will be the LAST night for many of them.

actual photograph of one of the dining rooms

I was thrilled to find out that James Cameron's " Titanic "was being re-released this month for the 

100 year anniversary of the tragedy. In IMAX and 3D, no less.

So after much anticipation
 we are off for our 3 hour adventure.

Tickets in hand

Snacks at the ready

Erin, ever the fashionista modeling the latest in 3D eye wear.

It was more spectacular than I imagined.  

And getting such an up close view of all the gorgeous clothing was a real treat.

Did you forget just how adorable Leonardo di Caprio was?

And it was also more traumatic, seeing it........larger than life.

I actually hoped that this time, Jack might be saved. In fact I was sure of it.  I was almost able to reach out and touch him.

but alas..............No.
It was not meant to be.


There were sniffles of course, and a tear or two discreetly brushed from a cheek
but my girlfriends and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie
 ( and highly recommend seeing it at an IMAX theatre in 3D)
But all in all it's still.... just a movie. It ends, and we go home to our lives.

For for the real passengers the horror was beyond belief.

But we still remember their story all these years later. We are still talking about them,  looking for bits and pieces of information, trying to piece together that night of nights.
We are fascinated to find a bit of china, insignia from an officers' uniform, a childs' toy....that help to bring the stark,  dry historical  facts into clearer focus,

actual Titanic china pattern being re-released for the anniversary

two authentic White Star Line china cups and saucers from the collection of historian Russ Upholster Jr, match examples salvaged from Titanic. (courtesy Tea Time Magazine)

Passenger category	Number aboard	Number saved	Number lost	Percentage saved	Percentage lost
Children, First Class	6	5	1	83.4%	16.6%
Children, Second Class	24	24	0	100%	0%
Children, Third Class	79	27	52	34%	66%
Women, First Class	144	140	4	97%	3%
Women, Second Class	93	80	13	86%	14%
Women, Third Class	165	76	89	46%	54%
Women, Crew	23	20	3	87%	13%
Men, First Class	175	57	118	33%	67%
Men, Second Class	168	14	154	8%	92%
Men, Third Class	462	75	387	16%	84%
Men, Crew	865	192	693	22%	78%
Total	2224	710	1514	32%	68

(figures from Wikipedia)

these were not just 1514  victims, they were real people and we wish to know something about them.........we want to touch their lives in some way. 

Not far from my little corner of the world, we are lucky to have a wonderful 'Titanic Museum' that really does a fine job of weaving the story with the artifacts on display.  
It's very well done.  And if you are intrigued by this particular event in history it's worth checking it out.

Titanic Museum in Branson, MO

click here

Good bye Jack.

~Happy Easter~

Happy Easter Everyone

While celebrating the joy of this Spring Holiday
 In the midst of chocolate bunnies



And peeps

Let us not forget the true meaning of Easter

and offer our heartfelt Thank You.

~April Showers.....~

You know how the rest of it goes.....

But one of my favorite plants BLOOMS in April
Meet Guernsey Cream , a lovely Clematis

I even love her name......Guernsey Cream.
I love her big creamy petals.

Isn't she lovely?

She is very happy where she lives and wears this little bird house as a crown.

She puts on quite a show in early April
And since she's the only one blooming this time of year, she gets all the attention.
So,  a big round of applause......thank you Guernsey Cream for your beautiful April Show. !!!

~Let Them Eat Cake~

From my first attempts with little fingers at patting out mud pies

to my first easy bake oven, where I stood guard over my little treasure as it baked happily away under a light bulb

to my graduation to a 'real stove'

"Let's bake a cake" has always been a happy refrain.

My hands down favorite cake has always been the 'classic white wedding cake'

Why, I've been know to go to weddings of people I don't even know, just to sample the cake.

(.....well, not really, but don't think I haven't thought about it. Ha ha)

This a pretty good little recipe, for such an easy cake. Very moist, very light.

(recipe to follow)

Since The Dressed Up Cottage is an empty nest with just me and Mr. Wonderful, I cut the recipe in half. One layer is perfect for the two of us.

It's amazing just how many shots Miss Lizzie wriggles herself into.

Hmmmm..... cakes come out so much better when not baked under a light bulb!!

Now let's just see how this tastes, shall we?

......YUM

the only thing missing now is a Bride & Groom.

Recipe found online at Recipe Girl.com

White Wedding Cake

1 Box white cake mix (Duncan Hines Moist)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup water

2 TBS vegetable or canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour your desired pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt.

Add remaining ingredients and beat for 2 minutes.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Be sure to fill them 3/4 to 1 inch below the rim. Bake for about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tips:

Add 1 tsp of almond extract in addition to the vanilla for a different flavor

Cupcakes take about 18 mins to bake.

Wedding Cake Buttercream

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter ( room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 to 2 TBS whipping cream ( as needed)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar on low speed. Mix until blended then increase speed to medium for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream ( start with just one TBS) for  1 minute adding more cream if needed to reach desired spreading consistency.

Enjoy

~The little trees that could~

"Like clouds that bent down and touched the ground"

That's what I always thought about my beloved little Flowering Crab Apple Trees

Here they are in all their glory, several years ago.

They really were quite the show stoppers.
Their branches reached out and intertwined  with one another creating a natural arbor, a bower of blooms over head.

My little concrete bench tucked between the two, has always been a favorite spot

Then we were dealt a cruel blow. The ice storm of Jan 2007
Brrrrrr.... makes me shiver just to look at the pictures

Then a tornado

Of course I thought they were goners....and I cried

Ahhh, but Mr. Wonderful never takes no for an answer. He came up with a cure, in his indomitable McGyver fashion.

So this is a testament to the power of Mother Nature to heal  herself, and also to the steely determination of Mr. Wonderful who coaxed and cajoled these two trees into believing that they would be ok.

A  shadow of their former selves, maybe, but I love them all the more for it.

Here they are the very next Spring. A little less proud and a little less showy

but standing none the less

You can see there are still several dead branches where the two trees meet that still had to be removed.

and now here they are this Spring 2012
Getting a little stronger every year

No natural arbor, no bower overhead
But....
 Standing as tall as they are able
 and blooming for all they're worth.

And I am grateful for every blossom.