The Lexingtonienne
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  • May31st

    Not that I need a reminder. I do not. But if I did…

    My favorite fruit and my favorite flowers would remind me when they come in season every May that it is time for Mike’s and my wedding anniversary.


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    Two years ago today, I carried peonies down the aisle, after which we stuffed ourselves full of fresh strawberry cake…


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    … then danced until the band was worn out.


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    Thank you, dear Mike, for two wonderful years of marriage and seven years of joyful togetherness. Have a strawberry. I picked them up at the farmers’ market just for me you.

    And since today is Memorial Day, it is my duty as the whitest person you know to remind you to load up on SUNSCREEN for the summer! Being approximately six shades paler than skim milk, I’m a bit of a sunscreen expert and wear it every single day, yearound. Here are my top picks:

    Happy pool season, everyone! And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Hubba Bubba! I love you more than all the strawberries in the world.


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    Love,

    Hannah

  • May28th

    That’s good enough for me. And yesterday I decided some homemade oatmeal toffee chocolate chunk cookies would be good enough for the Homeowners Association meeting Mike and I were hosting.

    But first, it was a rainy day, so you know what that means:

    And now it’s cookie time!

    That’s a butter-flavored Crisco stick I’m using instead of butter. I just don’t think butter does quite as good a job of clogging one’s arteries as shortening does.

    Of course you remember the scene from the movie “Troop Beverly Hills” when Troop Beverly Hills needs to sell a billion Wilderness Girls cookies in order to beat the Culver City Red Feathers?

    So Troop Beverly Hills puts on a concert to promote their cookies and they sing this really awesome song? “Come on down! Come on down! It’s cookie tiiiime!”

    Of course you remember that! Just like I have remembered this cookie recipe in my head for about 15 years.

    Seriously, I don’t have this recipe written down. But I will write it down here, just for you.

    These cookies are very nutritious because they contain oats, which the commercial says will lower your cholesterol. Hooray!

    After you add the oats, get yourself a spoonful for sampling, just to make 100% sure that you have not accidentally made poisonous cookies. You can do this before or after you add the chocolate chunks and toffee bits, but DO NOT SKIP THIS VITAL STEP.

    Bake.

    Meanwhile, cut up some cantaloupe to snack on so you can *try* not to eat all the cookies before the Homeowners Association members arrive for the big meeting.

    When the cookies come out of the oven, as a safety precaution, you’ll need to have another taste, just to make sure the cookies did not become lethal during the baking process. One never knows.

    You’ll need some of this too. It helps those yucky cookies go down easier. They’re like medicine. Blech.

    Aaaaand… Come on down! Come on down! It’s cookie tiiiiiime!

    OATMEAL TOFFEE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

    2 sticks of butter or 1 butter-flavored Crisco stick
    1 1/4 C light brown sugar
    1/2 C sugar
    2 eggs
    2 T milk
    2 t vanilla
    1 3/4 C flour
    1 t baking soda
    1/8 t salt
    2 1/2 C oats
    1 11-oz bag chocolate chunks
    1 C (or a little less) toffee brickle

    Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix on low speed. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix into cookie mixture in two batches. Mix in oats. Then mix in chocolate chunks and toffee. Drop by spoonfuls onto foil-lined cookie sheets (for easier clean up). Bake about 5 minutes, turn your cookie sheet, and bake about another 5 minutes or until desired doneness. Inhale.

    You can add a cup of dried cherries if you like, for a little punch of sour. Or you can leave out the toffee and just go with basic oatmeal chocolate chips. You can also use butterscotch chips instead of chocolate. Basically this is a very flexible recipe that will allow you to do just about anything you want.

    Love,

    Hannah

  • May27th

    Over the past several weeks, The Hubs and I have been to THREE fabulous weddings celebrating the unions of some of our closest friends. Here are some highlights from the joyful occasions.

    JENNY & ART IN MALIBU

    Jenny & Art were married at the Adamson House, a gorgeous estate nestled by the Pacific Ocean.

    Lots of colors everywhere…

    And there was dining al fresco, by the ocean, with beautifully decorated tables. Each table was a little bit different. I totally stole a peony off of one at the end of the night.

    Bollywood-style dancers!

    The crowd was SO. INTO. IT.

    But Art & Jenny weren’t so sure about THIS part:

    Dinner was a better moment.

    MELISSA & MARK IN SANTA BARBARA

    Melissa & Mark said their I do’s at Trinity Episcopal Church and celebrated afterwards at the Four Seasons Biltmore. This is the same hotel where The Hubs and I got engaged, and it’s pretty amazing.

    I love a church wedding. This was the first one we’d been to since our own 🙂

    The groom watches the bride coming down the aisle…

    Mark & Melissa were shuttled around in style.

    The bride loved her Louboutins. Can you blame her??

    They had hilarious life-size cut-outs made of themselves, which, fortunately, made their way to the dance floor.

    MARY BETH & MARTY IN CHARLESTON

    Does it get any better than historic Charleston? More on that later. Mary Beth & Marty made it official at the Palmer Home, a stunning bed & breakfast perched right on the Battery.

    Hot pink accents everywhere…

    The Palmer Home’s Battery view offered the perfect backdrop. During the reception, a light rain began to fall while the sun was still shining, and a gorgeous rainbow stretched itself across the sky over the Cooper River. It was like their wedding day winked at them. Of course I didn’t have my camera on hand at that moment, so you’ll have to take my word for it.

    Below, the bride and groom are sitting on a joggling board — a super fun seat you see on porches all over Charleston. This was Marty’s wedding gift to Mary Beth. He even put hot pink bows on it. Good boy.

    CAKE!

    All gone 🙁

    And a sparkler send-off.

    Congratulations and best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Lyons, Mr. & Mrs. Marinaccio, and Mr. & Mrs. Richard!!!

    Love,

    Hannah

  • May26th

    This morning I hung out with Liam, one of my three awesome nephews.

    These are his feet.

    We rocked some bed head and played with the farm toy that makes all the fun sounds. Liam likes to turn the radio dial, which takes lots of concentration.

    I love this little hand <3

    Then we played in the mirror…

    And then it was time for waffles and scrumbly eggs.

    What’s that? You want to see his feet again? Okay.

    And then Liam said, “Aunt Hannah, put that camera away!”

    And then we made a mess.

    The end.

    Hannah