My son asked me on a date. That may seem like a silly thing to get all excited about if you don’t have teenage boys, but it IS a big deal. Adam will be leaving for college next spring and this “leaving the nest” process is a painful one packed with constant conflict. So when he asked me to go see The Blind Side with him, I was touched. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘executive spouse’
Making Your Home Sweet Home
December 24th, 2009 by Kathi the wingspouse
Moving again? It’s always tough to get settled and feel like you’re “home.” Another wingspouse shared her secret to making her husband feel settled sooner. She hangs the same plaque in the front entrance of every home they move to. Dori packs this little treasure where she can find it quickly, and then hangs it as soon as the moving crew leaves. Her husband associates “home” with this wall decoration and looks for it when he comes in the door. (more…)
Recipe for Classy Cookies that Impress
December 16th, 2009 by Kathi the wingspouse
Everyone loves edible art. Painted cookies are right up there as one of my favorite goodies to bring to the office. The first time I proposed our family spend a day icing cookies, there were sighs and moans. Since when did boys like to decorate cookies? – Since I found this cool technique to really make it fun. In fact, just yesterday I invited another family over to decorate with us. My friend didn’t think her 15 year old son would be very excited about decorating, but he ended up making several to give to his girlfriend. Can you say “cool points?”
Don’t worry about having all kinds of special tools and ingredients. The only mildly unsual ingredient is powdered egg whites and once you find it, it stays good a long time. Believe it or not, I use plastic baggies to pipe the icing on. It’s fast, easy to handle, and I throw them away when I’m done.
Here’s the secret… Use the icing recipe below, because it has the right texture and dries hard enough to transport later.
Here’s the technique… Put some icing in a baggie and rubberband it shut. Snip off one tiny corner to use for piping. Do this for each color you’re using. Draw bullseyes on the cookie in different colors so they touch each other. Now drag a toothpick from the center of the cookie to one of the points. Repeat for each point until the cookie is symetrical. If you want a flower petal appearance, do the same thing but then drag the toothpick between the first set of lines but in the reverse direction (outside to center). Baggies and toothpicks also make it easy to drop dots or swirls of color on the snowflakes. Candied beads also dress up the cookies nicely. Since metallic beads are no longer considered safe to eat, I buy “naked” candies beads and roll them in cookie luster dust, purchased online.
If you want some great cookie dough recipes, email me. I have a nice sugar cookie, chocolate almond cookie, or spiced gingerbread cookie recipe I’ll send you.
Cookie Icing Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 16-oz bag powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp meringue powder (or powdered egg whites)
- paste food colorings (to make vivid colors)
- 1 tsp flavored extract (lemon, almond, buttercream, orange, vanilla, etc)
Directions:
Mix at low speed, powdered sugar, meringue powder, and 1/3 cup warm water until mixture is stiff and knife comes out clean, about 7 minutes. Now add extract and enough water so that the icing briefly holds its shape but then blends back in. Mix well. This extra water thins the icing so the colors can bleed on the cookie.
Divide the icing into separate baggies and then tint each frosting bag with food colorings or pastes as desired (pastes will give you more vivid colors). I always buy the primary paste colors and mix everything else. Those colors enable you to mix everything from Christmas colors to the 70′s style flower child orange-great for flowers.
Secrets to Being a Happy Couple
December 1st, 2009 by Kathi the wingspouse
Others can tell when a spouse is truly happy. There’s a certain look of contentment that can’t be faked, and a flirtatious smile that exchanges between the executive and the spouse, even in public. It’s easy to gravitate to a spouse who seems to have life figured out. The desire to have some of it rub off is overwhelming. So what is the secret? I conducted my own unofficial survey, reading other executive spouse blogs and talking with people directly. Here are the secrets I found to be most common… in order of importance. (more…)
Did I Say That
November 25th, 2009 by Kathi the wingspouse
Years ago, I had the pleasure to live in a wonderful small city where the people were unbelievably generous and the cultural opportunities were impressive. There was a lot of old money in this town, but it was quietly poured back into the museums, symphony, parks, and biking trails that benefited us all. When I got involved with several fundraising campaigns, I was told to watch what I said because everyone was related to SOMEBODY. It was good advice, and it made me realize how frequently we say things without a thought of the impact it might have. Thoughtless comments have the potential to get back to someone who may become offended, and may also have negative consequences to you or your spouse. Here’s an example.
The other day, I was searching the internet for some information when I stumbled onto a blog talking about the issues of being a corporate wife. She had a misconception that being married to an executive meant having social commitments imposed, a dress code enforced, and mandatory party attendance required. As I read the post, I got the impression she was facing the possibility of living the corporate wife life and I wanted her to know how wonderful it can be. I commented, explaining that a corporate wife doesn’t live a life of servitude. She makes choices. I wrote that choosing to stay home to raise children or supporting a husband in his career was an investment in the future, no different than investing in a career by taking classes or attending company events. Both have benefits and rewards. I suggested she check out my blog, and I clicked SUBMIT.
Later that day, I received the following email:
Are you for real?? You need to step back into the 1950′s where you belong. Your philosophy steps women back so far. Is your spouse such a control freak to you and your children that this is your role in life?? Put on your apron June Cleaver. Or is it wrap yourself nude in cellophane and meet your man at the door. Unbelievable.
I didn’t expect that. Not only had she not approved my comment, but she attacked me for my good intentions. As I stared at the email, I noticed she had signed her full name, and provided a phone number. Oddly, that name looked familiar. The phone number she provided was out of Chicago, but the connection I remembered was from the Cincinnati/Dayton area. The company she worked for was listed below in a legal statement, and it was a company in the medical field. Could it be a coincident?
I was curious now, so I googled her name and the company. A linkedin profile matched, listing Cincinnati as her location. Did she know I was from that area? Did she have any idea my husband had worked in a neighboring hospital? I’m sure the thought never crossed her mind. Not only had she insulted me, but she was a less than desirable spokesperson for her employer.
Have you ever had a “six degrees of separation” experience?
Related Topic:
Managing Your Spouse 101
