A "sweet" time of thanking the local LEOs

Yesterday, I got to join some friends in serving at the Public Safety Appreciation Luncheon honoring local law enforcement officers (or LEOs), and I'm happy to report it was another huge success! This year, our longtime leader, Norma, who'd been recovering from a brief hospital stay, arrived by firetruck, which I thought was brilliant!

This is about a third of the dessert table, where I serve each year. Eyes light up when the officers see all these homemade desserts. Sometimes, well-meaning folks try to sneak in a store-bought dessert, but Norma won't have it, and it immediately gets whisked away, out of sight.

I can report that banana pudding remains a fan favorite.

My friend Pam contributed a huge loaf-style pound cake, and less than half a (skinny) sliver remained at the end of the luncheon. (Guess who took it home to enjoy with her tea? Ahem …)

Peach cobbler disappeared before I thought to get a photo, and this strawberry cake got devoured too.

This chocolate cake was a hit as well.

My friend Susan, who works at the local hospital, was volunteering as well, and I love getting to work this event with her.

She was also part of the team working the beverage table, and their sweet tea is always delicious.

But most of all, I enjoyed getting to say "thank you" to the officers who came through the line! I know they got a nice lunch (pork loin, squash, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls) and plenty of homemade desserts, but that's such a small token of appreciation for keeping us safe during these crazy times!

Lipton Vanilla Caramel Tea

When I was coming home from my niece’s baby shower last month, I passed a Food Lion grocery store, a retailer we don’t have in my town, and I made a note to stop by for a few things on the way home. I always check the tea selection of any grocery store I’m in, so when I got there, I spotted this Lipton Vanilla Caramel Tea.

While these bags are pyramid shaped, they’re not silken but paper, and the scent was indeed a very vanilla-and-caramel one.

And the tea is deliciously rich, very much a “dessert tea” with natural sweetness! Even my six-year-old neighbor liked it when he tried it, and he didn’t even ask for honey with it (and he almost always wants honey, although that may be because he likes using the honey dispenser). While I’ve had Lipton’s flavored teas before, this was a new one to me. I looked it up on Amazon, and it’s clearly been around for years, but I don’t believe I’ve ever had it before. Do I need to make a habit of visiting smaller grocery stores to find different teas? Have any of you seen this tea at your grocery store before?