Mac, wind and rain!

My son, John, sent me his older (2years) Mac. I opened the box and the only thing I could say was "WOW!' The computer monitor is 24 inches..taking up half of my desk....it is wonderful. The color and the sound are awesome. I am still playing with everything, but for only having it for less than a week....I think I am doing pretty good for being technically challenged!

Hurricane Irene came and went somewhat uneventful...thank God. The temperature was in the low 8Os so it felt great outside...sat on my porch and felt the wind in my face aaahhhhhh. We didn't get much rain and the farmers could have used some, but as an weather event it turned out okay. Of course, we were over prepared and that is always an insurance policy that things will not get too bad. The worse weather happens when you are not prepared, like going to bed in February and expecting a couple inches of snow and waking up and not be able to open your back door to let the dog out because of drifting snow.

Looking forward to a great week. Blessings!

Sunday Night Sleepover with the girly girls

Amanda and Autumn spent the night last night. I know I talk a lot about sleepovers and the girls, but last night was so much fun. I guess part of it is the fact that they are getting older and Autumn does most of the same things that Amanda does.

We watched a funky movie while eating homemade cookies from the freezer. Freezer cookies are remarkably delish....and really easy. We ate all 15 cookies and enjoyed every bite!

Our main activity recently has been making murals with paints or markers. They turn out amazing. We just start with maybe a fun picture of a sunshine or a rainbow or maybe a volcano and make everything go together. One of our favorite things to draw is big names.....AMANDA or AUTUMN in puffy letters and then decorating them with designs.

Last night we had both markers and new paint sets.....the pictures were amazing and the colors were so clean and bright. They are taped on the big slider closet doors in their bedroom. Looks good!

Breakfast was uneventful, but after breakfast the girls went on a sketching mission to the third floor of our condo unit. They took pencils and notebooks and drew the decorating and furniture in the hallway upstairs. They loved it....you never know how much fun takes place with a simple idea and lots of imagination.

Next....we went to the Kangaroo for slurpies.....they were so goood! I must remember to buy them more often when it is hot! They can really cool you off!

Lunch was hotdogs and chips....Jen came and took them home around 1:30. A great time was had by all.

The girls are tracked out for three weeks, but will be traveling for two weeks. They are going to California to visit friends...just Jen and the girls. California is great all year, but especially this time of year. Take me with you!!

When the moon hits your eye..like a big pizza pie...that's amore!

Well, Heidi and I did it! The pizza turned out great. Everything being roasted ahead of time was the best thing we did. The roasted tomatoes made the pie just perfect. We could even pick it up and bite...no fork or knife involved. To me that is success!

We sat at my kitchen table and ate pizza waiting for the hummingbirds to visit my potted Rose of Sharon. They visit most every day....they are so cute.

After I had praised Heidi and Heidi had praised me and we had praised even the oven and the pizza stone, we decided we will do this again.

We talked at length about our next cooking adventure....scones or quiche??? Which one should we do??

Pizza......a success story in two parts!

Thursday started out busy busy. I knew Heidi was coming over at ten and I had things to make....I prepared my tomatoes for roasting and put them in the oven..next go the potatoes very finely cut and next go the sweet banana peppers and sliced onions. I reused the same baking pan (less clean up) but, the best thing about using the same pan was the olive oil and spices just kept making everything better. By the time I put in the peppers and onions the pan was well seasoned and made the flavors very tasty!



I run downstairs to let Heidi in....it is ten o'clock. Heidi, you are always greeting me with a smile...thanks for being my friend. She brings in bacon and breakfast sausage and tiny round zucchinis for a baking experiment later?


Now, the magic begins! The pizza stone is heating in the oven at about 475 degrees. The dough we had purchased was easy to work with. We made four small pizzas with everything on them....tomatoes, bacon, sausage, peppers and onions, potatoes and cheese...easy on the cheese! We watched the pizzas bake and we anticipated failure because we really didn't know exactly what to do, but......part II.

Breakfast Pizza

My friend, Heidi, and I went to the farmer's market and ended up going to an additional market in Hillsborough. Great little market...but what we liked best was the hot from the oven breakfast pizza. Thank goodness there was a pizza wagon on the property. Heidi and I both ate pizza with bacon, sausage, potatoes and sauce + cheese! It was so good and so different we decided to make it ourselves.

Soooooooooo, we have a pizza making date for Thursday morning. We are getting our dough from Trader Joes since everyone says they have the best dough.

You guys are going to "wish you were here"! Yum