Napkins Are My Weakness and Other Inside Jokes...

Do you have a frivolous weakness? Mine is for cocktail napkins. I don't know why.

I just go soft in the knees for clever little squares that showcase whimsy little sayings and such.

The thing is...I buy napkins all the time with thoughts of the party they might inspire, or the boring evening they could make special just by dressing up a little a drink or a snack.

I buy them, for myself and for friends, then I hoard them. Everywhere - including but not limited to a bin that I have exclusively for napkins. I do declare that I have a problem.

Once again, eBay has the answer. You can customize your own cocktail napkins for next to nothing. Just search "personalized napkins", and you'll see.  Now, every time I have an excuse to gift someone, I think, Napkins!

Here's what I mean....

My friend Kim's mother, Mary Carole, recently had a birthday, and there was a party. At a winery. 

MC loves her wine, and is infamous for her heavy pour. Why get up after a few minutes; just pour a lot from the start, she says. MC...so wise. So, this was the perfect napkin for Mary Carole...

She loved it!

Mr. W and I paired these pretties with a nice bottle of bourbon recently and gave them to his uncle.

Just so you don't think I am trying to poison grown men with my napkin disease, I'll explain the significance. 

Mr. W and Uncle Darry at the rodeo in Durango, CO

Years ago, one our very first vacation together, we went to Colorado where Uncle Darry has a rustic cabin in the San Juan Forest. When I say rustic I mean it. No plumbing, no electricity. Just shelter. My Grandma Fran just knew this trip would be the end of the Dubs and me, but clearly we endured it.

Stop your potty thinking right now. No, those napkins are not for use here....

  The outhouse.

There is nothing for miles at the cabin but wild animals and beautiful views, so we did lots of walking to take in the sights.

One day before a walk, we were mixing some drinks to take along on our stroll. I'm not a hiker...I'm a stroller. A stroller and a sipper.

Usually my drink of choice is red wine, but when you've been roughing it in the woods for two days, you need something a little stronger. It surprised Uncle Darry when I asked for some bourbon  (I don't know why; I graduated from an SEC college!). So, in a Solo cup, Uncle Darry mixed me a drink.

Uncle Darry mixes drinks much stronger than I do, and needless to say, I was affected. Or, it could have been the elevation. We'll never know.

Fast forward to the next football season and I was requesting another dark liquor drink from Mr. W, but I made it very clear to him how to make it: Don't Uncle Darry it!

Later we told Uncle Darry the story and it became one of his favorites. So much so, that around the pool in the summer when people order up drinks they now specify....

OR

I just love to showcase inside jokes between family and friends. That story, like so many I'm sure you have and can capture on a tiny square of paper, demands it's own napkin, don't you think??

I wish you the happiest holiday weekend, full of Uncle Darry-ed drinks and Mary Carole pours!