Just had to tell you about yesterday. I was scheduled for blood work and had been fasting overnight, which brings me to also mention that how many people really get up in the middle of the night to eat, but anyway, back to story, they of course want you to weigh in the minute they take you behind the “door”. So there I am slipping off anything that might add a pound or two to the scale, earrings, bracelets, shoes, glasses and I found myself sucking in my stomach the minute I stepped on to the scale. I started laughing and the nurse asked me what I was laughing about. I told her, “did you see me suck in my stomach, like that is going to take off a pound or two?” She started to laugh and told me that that was a first. She had never had anyone suck in their tummie hoping to weigh lighter. We were laughing going down the hall and she thanked me for making her day. I’m glad it did, it certainly didn’t mine. I was still remembering the number on the scale and what it said, knowing that I must have not sucked my tummy in far enough.

We are home, home to familiar sounds (washing machine and coffee pot), home to familiar faces (dry cleaning store, grocery store and precious family and friends), and our very own couch, wing back chair and bathroom. As wonderful as traveling to different places is, coming home to your own bed, couch, kitchen and bathroom, is well, there is just nothing quite like it. In younger years, coming home to those things was just a reminder of all the responsbilites that went with them, like cleaning, laundry, etc. But as the years go by, the familiar things seem to be the things that become so very speical to us. My pillow that I lean on on the couch when watching TV, or the tree that I see everytime I look out my bedroom window, the shower that yells to me to clean on a normal day, takes on a whole new look, when I step in it the first morning back home. Yes, we had a fabulous time and yes, the view of the San Fransisco skyline our our 11th floor room was absolutely gorgeous, but……nothing is as gorgeous as the view of kids, grandkids and friends walking up the front steps to welcome us home. That is the most fabulous view of all!

I did it! I figured out how to log on and write on my blog while here in Carmel! We have had a day of going into Monterrey and exploying Fishermans Wharf! We ate overlooking the pacific ocean and Randy ventured out and ordered ahi tuna for lunch! I played it safe and ordered stuffed shrimp over linguini! Randy is so relaxed that HE suggested we go into the cookie store and buy a chocolate chip cookie! I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal but it is. He just doesn’t do that! Ice cream, yes, but cookies, never! So there we were, walking around Monterrey munching on cookies! Life just doesn’t get better!. We also went down 17 scenic mile road along PebbleBeach! WOW! What beauty! This was perfect for our first day of vacation! Can’t wait till tomorrow!

This will be my last post for a week. We are leaving for Carmel and San Fran early tomorrow and I am more than ready. We have checked the temps and they are in the  50 and 60’s. How glorious is that? I have actually packed a jacket. My kind of weather.  Will be back next weekend. Am going exploring new places to eat, hopefully take some beautiful pics to come home and paint and just sit back and relax for a few days. It will be so nice to get in a car and not have to wait for it to cool down. We can actually walk to places without having to stop and buy little portable fans to keep us from fainting. We are hoping that by the time we get back, Texas will have cooled off. Am excited to find new California recipes. We have made a list of 3 new places to eat that we found in a magazine that are already winning awards for their food. Will report on these when I get back. Talk to you in a week!

I don’t know about you, but where did the past week go? Apparently, the lazy hazy days of summer are past, because each day just got busier and busier. Maybe when school begins, things will seem back to normal. You can probably tell, from my lack of recipes being put on the ole blog, that I have not been cooking very much this  summer. I would love to blame it on the heat, but something tells me that I have gotten just a little lazy (well, it is the “lazy” days of summer, right?) Anyway, the magnet on the fridge reminds me daily that reservations really are my favorite thing to make. Randy should have never bought me that magnet. A story this week, just has to be told. I was holding a small ladies luncheon this past Tues for 6 ladies, one of which is one of my best friends. She told us that she had a great story for us, so as we began to fill our plates, she opened up with this. “Sweet friends, I think I am totally losing it. I went to bake some muffins for Ron on Friday and when I went to turn on the oven to 350 degrees, I stood there and after punching in 350, the oven didn’t turn on. I reentered the 350 and start and it still didn’t come on. I was ready to call the serviceman to come check out the oven, but thought to myself, “this oven is brand new, not even a year old, it shouldn’t be broken, so before I call anyone, let me get the manual out to see if there is a “troubleshooting” section that I could read to see what I should do if the oven won’t come on. Well, low and behold, I read the paragraph about how to begin the baking process and there it was, in black and white, you have to push “Bake” before you push start. It had been so long since I had cooked anything, I had forgotten how to operate my stove.” We all began to laugh at her, but the truth is, when I think about it, I haven’t been doing too much of that lately either.

When is the fall air going to come in and we can all go out and buy our pumpkins and light our pumpkin scented candles and peel those apples for apple cake and cobbler and start sitting down with a cup of hot tea before turning in for the night. I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for the fall, crisp air to come in. That first “northern” to be forecast, when you open your windows and feel the coolness of the air, actually thinking about what night you might need to turn on the fireplace. I am a “cold weather” person. It energizes me, makes me feel like I could just cook and bake until my feet won’t hold me up any longer. Summertime is nice for swimming, but give me the cold air and fall leaves anytime. So much cozier to curl up reading a book,  with a hot peach cobbler than a cold lemonade.

By the way, I have seperated the recipes according to chicken or beef and am working on seperating the cakes/desserts. It will make it quicker to find the recipe you are looking for.

Just to let everyone know, I am trying to update the blog and catagorize my recipes so you are able to find them easier and not have to go through pages and pages of past recipes. Will let you know when I am through updating!!

We did it! We got our new car and her name is Sadie. She is white exterior and black interior and even hands you your seat belt. A very smooth ride, even with me driving.  When I called Randy and told him that I had found a car that I liked, and it was white, he couldn’t believe his ears. I had always said that I would never drive a white car. But…..this one just “touched my heart” and I didn’t even consider the black exterior, which I have always loved. OK, does this mean that I am getting old and preparing for my next car, you know the one: The Crown Victoria or Lincoln,  beige exterior with beige interior, the one that is always parked outside “Cracker Barrel” that has the handicap sticker on the license plate. Oh my goodness, I hope not. I like to think that I am just “broadening my likes” and not getting older. Just because I hit the big 60 last month, I do not want to find out that that beige car is going to begin to look good to me a few years down the road. So is the new love of “white” just an inch closer to beige? Absolutely not! It is just a complete opposite of what I have had the past few years, and it seems to be a little cooler than the black cars we have always driven, and I won’t have to wash it as often. See……there are logical reasons why the color white tugged at  my heart. So get out of my way, I’m hitting the tollway with my foot on the pedal, seeing just how fast I can go through the toll booth in my cute little white sports car…after all, I do have to make it back home in time for “Wheel of Fortune” at 6:30.

OK, I have to admit it, this is one of my most favorite nights. I love it when people call and you ask them to drop in, and they do. It reminds me of “days gone by”. When people took the time to visit, unplanned, and sit and have a piece of pie with you and just visit. This is a treat. Some friends of ours air conditioning is broken and I called them to tell them that I had made a chocolate cream pie with whipped cream that I wanted to bring over. Instead, we decided to ask them over here to eat the pie, since we do (thank you Lord) have air conditioning again (after it was broke last month for a couple of weeks). What a nice surprise to just have them come over, and we will have a great evening. It is the unplanned nights sometimes that end up the best, gotta go and slice the pie, they are driving up……we will save you a piece! Drop on over, we would love to have you.

This is just too cute not to share. We were having a gathering of relatives to celebrate our daughter, Christi, being  pg and due in September. Our grandson, Sevy who is 6 was present and coming and going into the room where we were opening presents. Unbeknownst to him, one of the guest, Leslie, had just had a baby girl a couple of months ago. The baby had fallen asleep on the floor. Sevy, had not seen the baby  and when he came back into the room, he looked at the baby on the floor and then at Christi and said, “oh my gosh, when did the baby come out?” We all just lost it. He thought that since this was a baby shower and when he left the room for a few minutes and came back in, Christi had had the baby. It was just the cutest thing. He quickly learned that it was not Christi’s baby and he laughed at himself when he realized the baby belonged to Leslie. 

Will be puitting the shower on a Smilebox for everyone to enjoy!

It is just so hot outside, 103 degrees and just standing outside getting groceries out of the trunk made me feel like my feet were getting sunburn. So am staying indoors and cooking. We are having a little baby shower and luncheon for Christi on Tues, which gives me an opportunity to bake and cook and have people over, which is a favorite pasttime. The menu of the day will be spinach salad, chicken salad sandwiches and fruit salad, with cucumber sandwiches, dark chocolate truffles and of course the precious centerpiece of the baby shower cake. It is just so exciting to plan these little get togethers and see how the young moms react to the gifts which they receive. Christi and Tim, we are thrilled for you both to be the recipients of God’s greatest treasure and blessing to your lives. It will be exciting to see the precious little girl grow up and Iwant you both to know that your dad and I will commit to praying for this child, each and every day, as we do our other grandchildren. It will be awesome to see what God is going to do in her life. Begin today to pray for the Godly man that she will marry. Enjoy each moment, every day will be a lesson, every day will be different, but every day will be a memory, so laugh at your mistakes, laugh at her mistakes and use each opportunity to teach her about her Heavenly Father who will be directing her life. Our love goes with you when you go back to Florida next week. We cannot wait to lay our eyes on this precious new baby. We will be so honored to be called, Honey Nonnie and Pops and we will be praying that we will always be the grandparents that God intends. We love you both and cannot wait for the moment that this baby comes into the world……..it will be a moment which you will never forget.