I had 'Company' today!

I remember using the phrase 'Company's coming' in the past.....as a child and later a busy mom with my children. Long ago we would host Sunday dinners for after church. Those were the 'Summer and Jesse' years. Summer would go around and light all the candles and Jesse, Jr. would help me take food hot and ready from the oven to the table. Those two 'kids' grew up......

and then there were the 'Amber and Ben' years. 19 years from Jesse, Jr to Amber. Three years apart between each sister/brother set! By that time we had begun to host Sunday night get together's.....after church! We would bake an oven full of potatoes and have a full blown 'Potato Bar.'.....or a big pot of soup.....sandwiches....whatever! Then we would clear the table and play round after round of the card game 'Nuts!' It is like Solitaire on steroids!! We would whoosh in straight from church and Amber would help me with the food things and Benjamin would get the ice in the glasses.

All of this was preceded by the words......"Company's coming!"

Well, today I had company!! And it was SO much FUN!!! There seems to be a lot of September birthdays among my close friends so what started as a lunch for my daughter in law's MOTHER (another LINDA!) and me blossomed into including HER delightful daughter in law, Jennifer, and my good friend, Brenda. Stephanie, my very best neighbor in all the world (she knows ALL my secrets!!) popped over. We had a blast!! I had forgotten how much fun a group of ladies can have together!

SINCE 'Company' was coming - I was motivated to clean my whole house (more or less!). Louis Dean made a special batch of his famous chicken salad and he had already baked some pecan bread (the YEAST bread variety!) and when I added some olives (from the HEB olive bar in Houston - bought and brought safely home with me!), sliced cheese and some Italian Dry Salame - well let's just say it made for an easy but delicious meal!

I got up early this morning to bake this poppy seed cake!

It smelled as heavenly as it tasted!

I used the recipe from this tried and true little cookbook I bought back in 1995 at the Ardmore Craft Fair in Ardmore, OK. They have one every November and I am hoping to go this year! GREAT to have this resource at hand to doll up a basic boxed cake mix!

I am not a sherry drinker but I did have a bottle of Irish Creme in the fridge.

Does Irish Creme go BAD, I wonder? It's been in there for AGES!! Smelled OK so I poured it in! Never got around to making the glaze - so we ate it plain.

For extra measure I served an assortment of candies.......notice the divinity bar from Cracker Barrel? This idea came from BJ's blog post over at Sweet Nothings!

I love making divinity at Christmas but you can have it year round at the Cracker Barrel!

I also picked up a bag of 'Teeth and Gums!' These would be great Halloween Treats!

I sent the guests home with a set of their own!

Allow me to demonstrate!!!

It was, indeed, a fun afternoon and I am so grateful for my friends and loved ones.

I am just sorry YOU couldn't make it!

Think of all the fun we would have together!!