cupcakes — Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara

March 3, 2010 · by JudyL

Some things just can’t be found in my part of Missouri.

First and foremost on my list of “gotta haves” was crawfish. They’re darned expensive this year but they are big and they are good and I”ve had them twice. My favorite crawfish place is only open on weekends so I’m hoping to get more this weekend. They’re seasonal and I don’t get these every trip.

These are seasonal too. Wal-Mart stores here used to carry these and I never could understand why they weren’t available in the KY and MO Wal-Mart stores but then I couldn’t find these at the Wal-Mart here either this trip. They’re actually made in Ponchatoula, Louisiana by Elmer Chocolate. Chocolate is about at the bottom of my favorites list but these Gold Brick eggs are better than regular chocolate.

And then there are the wonderful cupcakes!

These are one of the first things I get when I’m home. Jo’s Party House cupcakes! They are so good — if you love sugar!

It’s a good thing I don’t come home more often than I do! I’d be big as a barn.

Sweet Treet

July 15, 2009 · by JudyL

One of the first things I usually do when I arrive at mom and dad’s is head for Jo’s Party House. It was hard to believe I’d been here 6 days and had not managed to get by there. I had been just down the street from them but kept forgetting to go by. When I can forget about cupcakes, that’s really bad.

I’m so glad I stuck them away til after dinner because after dinner, or they may have been blamed for my trip to the ER! Do these weird things happen to anyone else? Please say yes. I’m allegic to something and without going through all the allergy tests, I cannot figure out what it is. I think I just commented to Vicky this week how lucky I am to have no allergies. My friend and I ate at O’Charley’s and then went to her house. I had no sooner sat down on the sofa, when my hands started itching . . the kind of itch that makes you want to scratch with razor blades. My epi-pen was at mom’s and I knew there was a good chance my throat would be swelling soon. My friend had her grandkids so she couldn’t really come with me. I jumped in my car, raced to the closest ER, which was probably about 6 or 8 minutes away. They took one look at me . . by then everything was itching and in hives. I was immediately placed in a room with an IV and some of whatever is in the epi-pen, benadryl, a steroid and something for my tummy in case the meds caused me to be sick.

I ate the same things I’ve eaten for years — nothing new. This is the 6th or 7th time this has happened and I’ve never been able to come up with a single thing that I’ve eaten within the last 12 hours that I hadn’t eaten zillions of times before. It’s happened in KY, MO and now Louisiana so if it’s environmental, I just don’t know. You can bet the epi-pen will be close by my side from now on.

I looked back on the blog and the last time it happened was August 11. It happens just about every 2 years.

Of course, I couldn’t drive home so mom and dad had to come over in one car so one of them could drive my car home. My sweet friend came to the hospital to check on me as soon as as her grandkids had been picked up.

Today it’s been 3 years since my nephew was killed. I explained to the nurse who was calling them to be sure they knew I was alright . . just needed a driver. The last thing they needed was a call that I was in the ER.

Got home about 15 minutes ago. We’ve all had a cupcake so we all feel good! If this time is anything like the last time, I’ll sleep for about 48 hours. Heading to bed now . . for a long winter’s nap!