Alabama Power Safety Renewal Expo

I was invited to attend the Alabama Power Safety Renewal Expo in May to give out samplings of my healthy Organo Gold coffee. I also sold several of the B&B cookbook to some employees! (See them on the far right?)

Inn at Norwood in Sykesville, Maryland

The Inn at Norwood Bed & Breakfast is centrally located in the heart of Historic Sykesville, Maryland. Built in 1906 by the architect J.H. Fowble, the Inn at Norwood is a Colonial Revival home retaining much of its original charm and offers an atmosphere of warmth, tranquility, and elegance. Mr. Fowble built many of the buildings in the town of Sykesville, but he built the Inn as his family's residence. Relax on the front porch overlooking the town, or just snuggle up in the parlor next to our corn burning stove with a good book.

About the innkeepers:
Stevon and Kelly Crum & Kelly's mom Eva opened the B&B on June 2, 2001. The idea of the Bed & Breakfast came about because Kelly and Stevon in their first year of dating traveled to different Bed & Breakfast's each month for a romantic getaway. Kelly and Stevon fell in love with the concept of Bed & Breakfast's. The people they met and the food they enjoyed was fabulous. They took all the things they loved from each Bed & Breakfast and incorporated it into the Inn at Norwood. Eva was about to retire from her full time job and wanted something fun to do with her free time. She refinishes furniture, and many of the things in the house are a product of Eva's work. Stevon always wanted to re-furbish an old home. This was the perfect house. Everything needed to be redone. During your stay at the Inn, you can see the before and after pictures. It is unbelievable what it once looked like. Kelly and Stevon each have other jobs as well as running the Inn. Kelly is a Travel Agent (and would love to help you plan your next escape!), and Stevon owns a local Carpet Cleaning business. 

And Macey is the Inn's Mascot. She is a Labradoodle - half Lab half Poodle. Kelly and Stevon did a lot of research before picking the perfect B&B dog. The Labradoodle is a breed originated in Australia. She has Poodle hair (No Allergies) and a Lab personality. She is the perfect dog for the Inn, friendly and loving to everyone. Don't be surprised if Macey greets you upon arrival.

Their recipes included in the cookbook: Almost Heaven French Toast & Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.

Follow them now on Facebook!

This BnB (along with delicious recipes and wonderful stories) is featured in Sunrise Sunset Across America, Bed & Breakfast cookbook. Purchase it by clicking on the link in the upper sidebar. Click on the review to read more about it.

Did I Tell You My Story??

I love baking, trying new recipes and scouring cookbooks for something new to try. Awhile back I started an online magazine for women and decided to have a recipe section. In my search for recipes to use I kept coming across a recipe site: bbonline.com. As I continued I started spending more time reading about the B&B inns while I was reviewing their recipes. The idea came to me to put together a cookbook about B&B inns and their recipes. I began contacting inns from all over the US to see who would like to be included in the cookbook…I wanted at least 2 from each state. It wasn’t long before recipes, stories and photos began being emailed to me. Some even sent me their own cookbooks!

I learned how to put it together electronically and save it to a disk and send it off to a publisher. The photo on the front came from the Grace Hill Inn in Tennessee from the top veranda and is absolutely beautiful. The stories that came in were fascinating…some told the history of the inn and some told their own personal story of how they became an innkeeper. And the recipes are what they serve their guests...who keep coming back for more!

I had a wonderful time working on it and still have contact with the inns. Once it was published I went around town to see how to set up book signings. I did quite a few of those and was also on local TV preparing a recipe from the cookbook to help promote it and the upcoming book signing. I learned how to do a press release and sent it out to every newspaper within the vicinity of the inns included in the cookbook, some cities had two newspapers (that was quite an undertaking). The latest promotion I’ve done is to set up this blog and discuss the inns and recipes and include photos. The cookbook has been reviewed and that is included in this blog. All in all, it has been quite an exciting endeavor.

Includes the recipes I've used in my catering service: yummy "Melt in your mouth" brownies, moist lemon cake, rich chocolate cake, mini cheesecakes, plus many more. This cookbook makes a great one for your own collection or a great gift even if they don't cook...it's a great travel guide to inns!

If I had a Bed & Breakfast

If I had a bed & breakfast inn, where would be the best place for it? Do people like the beaches more than the mountains? Do they like the country or the city better? Would America be the best place or would I need to venture out of my native soil for this? In 2001 I began a journey of visiting the bed & breakfasts across America online. I have a catering business and in my search for new recipes to try I kept coming across recipes from bed & breakfasts. I started reading about the history of the inns (so many are in historic homes and have quite a story to tell within their walls) and the innkeepers had stories to tell as well. I never dreamed I'd ever be an author but low and behold it transformed into a book which was published in 2003 as:
"Sunrise Sunset Across America"

Throughout the upcoming days I'll tell you stories of each inn.

Purchase it by clicking on the link in the upper sidebar. Until next time...