Candylicious!

Have I mentioned I LOVE CANDY!? I do! It really is one of my biggest weaknesses. My middle daughter, Amanda is also in love with candy! I always thought it's because her nickname, Mandy rhymed with Candy. (please, just laugh a little). When she was a little girl, I would find candy wrappers in her bed, under her bed, in her bathroom, shoes, and every corner of her existence.  I would take all candy out of the house and two days later I'd find empty wrappers in her dirty clothes.

Speaking of dirty clothes, her's smelled like sugar. I'd kiss her good night and when other kids would have smelled like sweaty puppies, she smelled like JAM! 

So…. On to the real subject here. When we were planning Amanda's graduation party we had candy table on the top of the decorating list, and the top of the food list, and dessert list, and take home gifts list…

Ok, anyway, we put together a darling candy table. 

Being that I used to work for a world class catering company, I have a few tricks that are a must for any food table. 

Before you put a cloth or cover on your table, put a few boxes or upside-down plastic bowls on the table top. Make sure they are different heights and shapes for interest. (PS I will blog this technique very soon). Then, lay your table cloths or fabric over the "risers" and allow the cloth to fall between them. Then, set your plates, bowls, or jars of candy on top of the covered risers.

Here is our candy table. I was very happy Amanda chose party decor that just happened to match my home interior! 

Candy room!

I've collected these jars over the years from flower arrangements and hand-me-downs.

Different shaped jars and bowls make it more interesting!

Ok, see the blue and green sugar cookies? They are the best sugar cookie you will ever eat! My sister brought them here all the way from Retro Bakery In Las Vegas. Oh, and they ship, I die.

We also wanted dessert for folks who don't see the intense glamour of eating nothing but candy. Fruit kabobs, always a favorite. This chocolate cake was from Costco. For some reason this cake is a huge fave with the boys/men.  Amanda and I threw some edible gold stars on the cake for a little extra sompin'.

My Mom made all of the floral arrangements from flowers we picked up at Costco and the local grocery store. Every flower is beautiful it's just about how you put them all together, and she does an amazing job! 

 Don't forget to decorate the back of the table if it's not against a wall. We put out Chinese take out boxes so people could take all this candy home with them.

 Now these little babies are a Pinterest special. They're homemade poptarts on a stick. My Step-Mama and sister put these together and they really were fabulous, and so darling, right? 

Side note: don't use candles on a candy table if

your guests are young children. It's just mean to

surround candy with burning flames.

And last but not least, here is another Pinterest trick we used. We made tissue paper flowers and tied them with a couple of paper lanterns, balloons, and curly ribbons. So easy, inexpensive, and fabulous!

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What to do , What to do…

I stand here today at a cross-roads. To do, or not to do. 

Over the last year an unbelievable amount of life has happened to me and the ones I love. Two of my three daughter's have grown and left home to start their own lives. I feel like two huge parts of me are lost… but not. It's happy, it's sad.

In October I had half of my thyroid removed and have been playing hormone balance games to try to "find myself" again. Those of you who have been here know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! OK, I'm breathing… breathing…

Over the last six months I went through a rapid onset of cataracts in both eyes. I realize it's no big deal as people live with them for years. However, for some reason, mine were here and taking my vision without being found so I felt like I was losing my eyesight without knowing why. Then, thank goodness, they were found and I had a reason for going blind and that made it so much easier. I had to wait until they were bad enough to repair and was happy that only took about 4 months. However, I was unable to drive myself, see myself, or see things around me. I couldn't shoot any "real" pictures because I couldn't see. I'm so thankful to have still been able to edit for one of my favorite photographers. She kept me busy all summer and that helped me keep my hands in the creative process. I just sat about 6 inches away from the computer screen. I also learned how to work my computer's voice so it could read emails to me.

So, now I'm back, from outer space. Wait, wrong song. Ok, I digress. I'm back in the game! I can see, I can walk, I have the house back in order after the girls left empty rooms behind. I'm sure I'll have my crazy brain in order any day now and I need to make some professional decisions. 

To shoot or not to shoot. To write or not to write. To create new art or not. I'm at this place where I want to share my heart, photography, art, ideas and stories. I really miss writing and want to do more of it. I can't maintain two blogs because I'm terrible at compartmentalizing who I am. I'm the same at home as I am at work and the same on Facebook as I am in person. I'm not good at all at being different people. I can't just show pictures here and then share my heart somewhere else. 

So, here's the deal, I'm going to transition into something new. I'm almost 50 years old, what better time to reinvent myself? Kelley Simpson Photography is going to change into Kelley Simpson Photography and some other stuff. 

Now, after almost a year of trying, I need to think about what to call myself. 

I'm building a blog of my very own where we can talk about real life and look at it in beautiful images. I am surrounded by amazing people and artists and I want you to see them and their work. Over 30 years of being a homemaker and a mom I think I have some secrets I can share with you that may bring you a little hope and peace of mind. I'd also like to share some homeschool adventures as Emma, my youngest, and I figure it all out.

I want to do this, I need to. Come with me, watch the transition or the train wreck. Either way, it'll be a fun adventure! 

So, tell me what you would like to see or hear about. Go ahead, don't be afraid to leave me a comment, they help me so much. I'm totally open to Blog name ideas because I've been coming up with some crazy ones and I think my sister is getting tired of me asking her everyday about each new name idea. Meanwhile, I'll be setting up my new site and bringing in some new content here. 

PS Don't say, "KELCO." Steve has already suggested it 1001 times and I still don't like it. I'm not a tire store.

THANK YOU!

oxox, Kelley