White Elegance

My daughter and I entered the ballroom wide eyed. The room was aglow with a "white elegance".
The centerpieces and decorations were all done in white. So beautiful and the perfect "accessory" to the opening evening of the Southern Lady Celebration 2009.

We had a marvelous meal. The best part was the dessert....passion fruit mousse! Not only pretty to look at but also yummy to the palate. I would have taken more pictures but the lighting was very soft and it was difficult to photograph.


The first speaker was Diana Hansen, owner of White Flowers. This is an all-white shop located in Birmingham, Alabama. Phyllis Hoffman interviewed her in an "Oprah Style" setting. She was described as "a gifted artist - entrepreneur". She was truly inspiring and is a woman who has truly let go and let God have the lead in her life. She and her husband are both truly gracious and talented individuals. Their store is completely white. The ceiling, walls, floor, and all merchandise is white. She said that every Saturday night for the past 26 years she and her husband have repainted the floor of their store white. I thought that was a very interesting tidbit. You can imagine that it would definitely have to be done in order to maintain the cool, calm, environment of an all white store. The beautiful tea towel in the photo was a gift from Diana. I love the simple elegance of the towel and the beauty of the words inscribed on it.


Sister Schubert Barnes was the next speaker of the evening. She truly looks and speaks just as you would imagine. Sweet, southern, and classy are three of the words I would use to describe her. The bread we had with the meal was her famous Parkerhouse Roll. What started in her own kitchen is now a multimillion dollar business. They produce over 5 million rolls a day! Now that's a lot of rolls. She has phenomenal faith and has a true passion for the children of the Ukraine. Amazing is a word that would best describe all that she has been able to accomplish. The picture above is a cookie that was in our "goodie" bag for the evening.


I told you that I was inspired by many things at this celebration. When my daughter and I ate the rolls with dinner we both recognized the taste. You see they tasted exactly like my Mother's rolls. I have tried many times to make these rolls. I have never been successful. Well, I was inspired and motivated. I tried again today and I am proud to say that......I did it! Thanks Sister Schubert! Yes that is my roll pictured above with some apple cranberry butter. Yummy!
Fortunately, Sister Schubert was kind enough to give us a coupon for a free package of rolls....much easier than baking them myself. At least I now know that I can make them if necessary. LOL I was also inspired by a beautiful blouse that she wore during her speech. I knew that it would be perfect for some special occasions I have coming up. I did find one during our many shopping expeditions but I thought $350 was a little much. After a lot of searching on the internet I found the pattern. I ordered it and should have it in a couple of days. I will let you know how it turns out. Keep your fingers crossed!

When my daughter and I returned to our room we spent the rest of the evening enjoying some of the magazines in our "goodie" bags. Such fun! I felt like I was a kid again going to a party everyday. Next up is Saturday morning. Gardening and cooking.......something every "Southern Lady" loves!