Wild Game Feast

You never know where our aprons will turn up--especially when worn by us! This past weekend we helped with our church's annual Wild Game Feast. I donned the chocolate sunflower, Angie wore the Midnight Fuscia and Heather, my DIL, wore the popular camouflage. This feast has evolved into more of an "unusual fare feast." The menu this year included: Duck/Goose Nuggets; (nuggets were wrapped around cream cheese and a jalepeno pepper, then wrapped in bacon and grilled)Fresh Pan-Seared Trout; Deep-fried turkey and pheasant; Elk Burgers, Deer Chili, Duck/Goose Roast, Deep-fried crappie; Deer Roast; Deer Sausage; Chicken/Sausage Gumbo; Baked Beans; Slaw; Cornbread; and the biggest hit--Boiled Crawfish. Of course the crawfish is out of season in our Midwestern area. My husband's cousin graciously traveled to Arkansas to meet a friend from Louisiana, who brought the large crawfish "haul" for our feast.

Home Town Proud

Recognition at the local level.

When we embarked on this Apronique journey, we soon realized that if we were going to be taken seriously, it would not be by those who knew us best. I'm reminded of the scripture passage in St. Mark 6:4-- Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” (New Living Translation) After contacting some local merchants and businesses, I could not deny the smirks and quick dismissals--except Patricia Ann's in Cape Girardeau! (Thanks Jo!) ...and how could we forget the negative 'disencouragements' of---they know who they are?

So..in order to establish some credibility and validation, we focused our efforts outside of our immediate area. The first shops to purchase our products for resale were in TN, AR, IL, LA and TX. The first businesses to purchase our products for their employees to wear were in OK, TN and TX. We opened a small showroom at the Dallas Market.

After months of working hard to establish ourselves as designers and manufacturers of high quality, on-trend, not your grandma's apron apparel, we recently received print recognition via the local Cape Girardeau MO newspaper. (Thanks Callie!) Kristin and Stella are on the front cover of their Winter 2008 issue of SHE. An accompanying article appears on pages 18-19. The online issue of the article can be found here.




We want to thank Dr. Judith Wiles of Southeast Missouri State University, and her Fall 2007 Integrated Marketing Communications Class. These young people worked hard to present to us a successful marketing plan. They offered several beneficial ideas, and one included increasing our exposure locally. Hopefully this SHE article will be the beginning of this increase.

"Cutting Edge" Baby Dining

With Kristin's almost-one-year-old Stella, and my two granddaughters, Alaina-5 1/2 and Alyssa 2 1/2, we swap little girl anecdotes quite often.
Below are some baby/child products that I think are "on-target" and "I wish I'd thought of that" types. Because Apronique is very much about dining, I am limiting my mentions to that department. Check out the websites for other fascinating products, also.

Calling themselves "a different kind of baby company," One Step Ahead is a company that subjects its products to tough, hands on testing, by both professional merchandisers and an independent Parents' Panel. One that does the comparison shopping upfront, and then offers only the top performers. One that tracks down innovative, hard-to-find helpers—and when they can't be found, has its Design Team create them from scratch.



Snacks, (healthy ones, of course)are sometimes the answer to quieting a child, whether it be in a vehicle or while shopping in a store. However--the spilled trail often left behind is quite messy. One Step Ahead offers the Snack-Trap solution. Their claim is No more spilled snacks! Tired of chasing Cheerios®? Our spill-proof Snack-Trap keeps munchies from tipping and spilling (keeps snacks clean, too!). Tots love it: the soft, split lid tickles little fingers. Included is an extra snack-trap lid, sippy cup lid, and stay-fresh travel lid. Quite an impressive review list!



Then there is the child like Alyssa, who thinks she must have actual silverware, but grownup utensils are much too large for her to manuever. One Step Ahead's answer--My Very Own Flatware Set! I don't THINK...she'll notice the smaller size, but she is quite sharp!




How do YOU cool the hot food quickly--no instantly! for that impatient--no inconsolable! toddler? Sometimes I throw in an ice cube, (and Alaina wrinkles her nose) or place the food in the freezer for a few (but long) minutes. The girls still hate the wait. What is the One Step Ahead solution--Mac and Cool Quick Cooling Dish. They claim that the food will be cooled in 60 seconds. I was a little skeptical, but there are 11 positive reviews on this product.



Finally, check out this product that I read about on a friend's blog. Called a kaboost this is quite innovative. Watch the demonstration--a great idea. I detest germy restaurant high chairs and booster seats. According to a recent account told to me by a certain business partner, they aren't always reliable either...



And of course--while you are doing all of your mommy-type feeding chores, look amazing in an apron from Apronique. With the stain armor finish, most spills just roll off, or, when laundered, they are more easily removed than with normal fabrics.

Studio Report

This week I'm getting ready to go back to Nashville to finish vocals and extra's on the album. I have so much to do and things were so busy over Christmas that I'll probably be spending hours in front of the computer working last minute on vocal arrangements and synth parts. I thought I'd include a few pictures of my little studio set up I have at home. You can see it's not much, but it's been really helpful with song-writing and demoing. I prepared for my first Nashville trip by pre-recording all of the piano parts which saved us a lot of time during the first week of recording. I'm really happy with how everything is sounding so far. It's been incredibly fulfilling to experience these songs taking shape. I've decided to title the album Days of Eden. It's based on a song I wrote several years ago that has been "waiting in the wings" so to speak. Release date is still TBD, but hopefully I'll know more after this next trip to Nashville.
Kristin

An Apron For Any Occasion

From time to time, prospective future Apronique wearers will comment to us how much they like our aprons, but in their words, "I just don't cook!" Well, we've been saying that whether you are a gourmet diva or take out queen, you can always don your apronique apron. So, now I'm living proof. Today Stella and I had my parents and grandmother over for lunch. For the past three years, we've included this in our normal lineup of Christmas traditions and activities, shortly after my grandmother arrives in town for Christmas. Well amidst the typical business of the season, and my inability to think ahead more, the menu was simply grilled cheese, sliced apples, pretzel sticks, extra Christmas goodies (courtesy of Marilyn), and hot tea. You can see in the picture that my spread was beyond humble. Nevertheless, I proudly wore my apron just because--well even though it was thrown together, wearing the apron somehow made the occasion seem a bit more special. See, it's not that you have to be the world's best and most together hostess or have credentials of Rachel Ray; it's that you make an experience worth remembering in the simplest of ways, even on an otherwise ordinary day.

This Christmas has been different. Usually by now we have a huge spread of elaborately decorated Christmas cookies that are days in the making. We normally make them at the home of my parents, but they have been in the midst of remodeling their house, and that kept us from being able to make them this year. Otherwise, I would have included lots of pictures of our hard and meticulous work. That just leaves more fun for next year when Stella will be able to help a little, if only to be our taste tester.(that is, if I'm willing to pass the baton to her!)

FYI--the apron I'm wearing in the picture is our Cotton Candy sparkle; this one was actually the very first Apronique prototype.

Merry Christmas and happy apron wearing!!

Kristin

Cookie Dough and Holiday Baking

As I finished a batch of iced sugar cookies AGAIN, I thought about the preparation of the first two batches that I made two weeks ago, and are now vanished.

My five-year-old granddaughter has "helped" me make cookies the past two Christmas seasons. Her two and one-half-year-old sister joined us this year. What a challenge it was to keep an eye on both of them. They had to get as close as they could to my large mixer, watching as the dough rolled in and out of the wire whip. Those little hands kept wanting to sneak into the bowl to eat yet another pinch of dough. What's with that anyway? I can still not even think about eating cookie dough. My mother preached everytime the subject of eating dough came up, of how dangerous it was to eat those raw eggs. So cookie dough is NOT for me. My daughter, however, spent time as a child making cookies with her cousin. In that household, eating cookie dough was a highly anticipated treat. She joined them, and has loved it ever since; she's passed the glee to her daughters now.

After the dough was finished, my son and daughter-in-law entered the kitchen just as I was trying to roll and cut out dough. The five-year-old was right in the middle of the scene, determined to roll dough, cut out cookies, and place them on the baking sheet--all by herself. Suddenly we realized that she was sneaking dough to her mouth, then returning her licked fingers to roll the dough. We burst out laughing. I decided to just let her do that whole tray of cookies, then when they were baked, I let her take them home with her. There was no way that I could serve those cookies to anyone else!
Marilyn

A Gala Swirl Tuxedo Night

This past Saturday night my home was the first stop for our church's annual Christmas progressive dinner. Guests enjoyed meatballs, (thanks Heather) mini-potato skins, and my first time to serve rumaki. My rumaki included water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. (No liver.) Other menu items included the usual summer sausage, cheeses, and veggies with dip. Rounding out the fare were wassail, fruit punch and coffee--yep, we don't do the liquor stuff.

Contrary to my husband's "strong" suggestions, I have hesitated to wear Apronique aprons. Why? I am afraid that I will get an order for one like I have worn, and not have another available in our inventory--probably an unreasonable concept to most people. However on this night of formal entertaining, I decided to hostess in style and donned the black and white Gala Swirl apron. I have preached to others about how well our stain armor treated fabric performs. But--anytime I have modeled an apron, I am very careful not to soil it. After all...someone might want to buy it.
As I worked in my kitchen, all of a sudden I realized that I had just, in my usual fashion, swiped my hands across the front of the "upscale trendy" apron I wore.
"Oh well," I exclaimed to those assisting me. "This one is officially initiated and I can now claim it as mine in good faith."
So I am now the proud owner of an Apronique top-of-the-line apron. I will happily wear it with pride and pleasure.
Marilyn