Bits'n'Pieces

You never know who you'll spot at the Post Office "just taking care of business!"

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I've had some odds and ends of news and stuff floating around for a few days but had specific posts planned so just held them in. (I should have made some notes!)

Facebook:

First, and foremost, I FINALLY set up a Facebook Fan Page for my Estsy shop, Splashin!!! I started out to do this almost a year ago. At that time, I didn't set it up correctly and ended up simply canceling the account. Recently, after being begged by quite a few friends, I rejoined Facebook with a personal account and have had a ball reconnecting with old friends and setting up quicker communications with family members. (Most of the younger ones moved on from e-mail to Facebook quite a while ago.) It was those younger ones who were pushing me to get a Fan Page going.

As many of you know, Facebook requires you to have 25 Fans before allowing you to have a short page title. When you start out, it's a little bit of a complicated link with several parts and lots of numbers. Right now, 30 hours into this venture, I'm still a few short of that number but you can check out my page and Fan me if you'd like by clicking on the Facebook button on the left sidebar here. Or, you can click here and get there, too. Whichever you'd prefer, I'd love to have you stop by and check it out. Please let me know what you think of the page and what you'd like to see there, either by commenting on the Wall, leaving me a note here or even e-mailing me from the Splashin page.

Splish'n'Splash Kitchen:

In other news, I'm developing a second blog. This one will still be my daily spot to chat but I wanted a designated place to discuss food and everything related to food. Yes, I admit it. I AM A FOODIE. So, to deal with that fact of life, I'm diving into a food blog.

I'll be launching Splish'n'Splash Kitchen this weekend (probably on Sunday.) There will be a recipe from time to time but this will mostly be a place for food news, food humor, cooking tales - good and bad, family cooking and eating together, features about folks who are involved with food in some way or do a craft that is food oriented or inspired (I've already lined up a few of those.) I have some food events I plan to tell you about and maybe even a food game or two. The reviews of all those culinary mysteries I love to read, will now appear over there.

This will NOT be a low-fat venture!!!

I don't know if I'll be posting there daily but I hope to get something up at least 4 or 5 times a week. I've spent some time preparing some posts to start off with and I will be reprinting a few that have run here over the last two years, also. I hope you'll take a few minutes to check it out from time to time. I'll let you know which day it actually takes off.

BBQ Competitions:
We'll be judging at the first BBQ event of our season this weekend. Pork in the Park will take place in Salisbury, Maryland Friday through Sunday. This particular contest has grown quickly to become one of the largest competitions in the country and the biggest this side of the Mississippi. They are expecting 125 competitors this year.

Keep your fingers crossed that we'll have good weather. The first few years, this event was plagued by monsoon-like rains but last year was absolutely perfect and the crowds definitely turned out. Over 31,000 people came for the food, crafts, music and other entertainment. We're definitely ready for some great slow-cooked BBQ!!! It's been a long winter.


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There were some bits of national news that fired me up earlier in the week ("enraged" might be a better word) but I've had a few days to calm down and won't repeat my tirades here. ( My family and friends were already subjected to to that!)

Weekends are just too short!!!

It's been another busy weekend. I had some orders to work on as well as some new merchandise to photograph for listing purposes. I did get some of the pictures taken but still need to work on the descriptions before listing them in the shop.

Want a sneak peek?

It seems I've had goodies on my mind so I've been fixated on items featuring baked goods. (Maybe it's Easter coming up that put the sweet stuff in my head.) I've made a few aprons, potholders and even kitchen plaques and accessories.

These items will begin going in the shop on April 1st in plenty of time for Mother's Day buying.

I fell off the listing wagon during late February and March. The weather just kind of shut down my creative juices then and I had some motivation problems. So, I'm climbing back on and plan to list an item a day in April. I hope I can stick with that plan.

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We ate Maryland style today with our first steamed crabs of the season! Ummm, ummm, good!!! They're not quite in season yet, but in just a few weeks, they should become a weekly staple for us until the season ends in November. I'm not sure how we make it through the winter without them!

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With the better weather comes a much busier schedule as we begin outdoor events and activities. Festival season will soon be upon us and for our household, that means a lot running around the region. We enjoy our music, crafts and festival food. As KCBS BBQ judges, we're committed to a number of contests which, in essence, are all-day commitments.

We're looking forward to the first competition of the season (in our circuit) which will take place in Salisbury, Maryland in mid-April. Probably the largest BBQ event East of the Mississippi, the 2010 Pork in the Park competition will feature 125-130 competitors and three days of great live entertainment. If you are anywhere in the area, it is well worth the trip.

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Hope y'all had a good one, too. (I've got to get back to finishing up my orders tonight so I can start working on making Easter candy tomorrow!)