Recipe

Truth #1. I love good food.

I could go on and on, but what more is there to say?

I love it even more when everyone else loves what I consider good food. If it's other peoples' kids (as was the case tonight) who are asking for more? Sigh...I just love it.

Rainbow Fettucini with Zucchini and Basil Alfredo Sauce, Spicy, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Zucchini (because they are plentiful right now) and Heirloom Tomatoes (but I don't know which kind...my kids picked them and brought them in)

Total Prep. Time? About 30 minutes from walking into the kitchen to plating it up. Easy/Peasy.

Zucchini and Basil Alfredo Sauce

Enough Olive Oil to Saute an Onion and Garlic
1 Vidalia Onion
3-5 Cloves of Garlic (I used 5)
1/2-3/4 Cups of Chopped, Fresh Basil
5-6 Cups of Shredded Zucchini
3/4 Cup of Milk
1 Block of Cream Cheese
A Couple of Dashes of Tobasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper

Heat the oil and saute onion and pressed garlic until onions are tender. Add the basil and zucchini. Saute until most of the liquid is reduced; 10 minutes or so. Add the milk and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy and bubbly. I added a little more milk to make it a bit more saucy. Add Tobasco Sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Back to School Sewing

Move over Vera.

It's hard to sew for a teenager. What follows are a bazillion pictures (Click on them to make them big, Gram.) of a bag I made for Alicia who is starting 9th grade in the fall. I had the fabric printed with the school mascot, her name and the year she will graduate. The lighting was not so great...but you get the idea.

Water bottle holder...

She wanted a pen/pencil holder thing. The angle of this makes it look more shallow than it really is.

How do you get a good picture of the inside of a bag, anyway? I wanted to show all the pockets and whatnot.

It's easier to photograph inside/out. 3 open-top pockets and one zippered.

Semi-hidden pocket in the side intended for her cell phone (tag...because I have a million of them and well...why not?):

Open pocket in the other side with an attached lanyard/hook intended for her school ID:

Charcoal micro-suede:

Not the best picture in the world...but, I added buttons to make the bag a little more compact (because she isn't that big of a girl). Unbuttoned, the bag expands and can hold more. Buttoned, it's impossible to open the zipper of the cell phone pocket which is important since 1. She isn't supposed to even be using it at school and 2. I'm not buying her another if this one is lost/stolen.

Inside Day-AGAIN

A heat index of 100 at midnight isn't right...it's just not right, at all.

So...a lazy Saturday. Tea, doughnuts and bananagrams. And then, sewing. I sewed for hours and it was nice. Haven't done that for a very long time. Hopefully, there will be a finished product tomorrow.

Farmville

Sort of. Without the villa and what not. I just need some bees and some fruit trees. And somebody to tend to all of that. Because, my farmville is looking very unkept this year. No pics.

Yesterday was hot. Today...blah. It didn't occur to me my lens was going to fog up transitioning from inside to outside the house. So, sorry for the picture quality. I'd skip this whole part except I'm thinking this is a first-time experience for me. I don't think I've ever been anywhere where it was this hot. If so, it didn't have the 90% humidity attached. Blah.

In...

In the shade, it's 100 degrees outside.

In my kitchen, I've been making cupcakes again...pearly and glittery this time.

In time, will I quit marveling at having beautiful and fresh eggs?

In my living room, I've been spending my best moments...reading, writing, dozing...it's been so peaceful. Music is always playing. Lately it's either IHOP live stream or my new favorite album from Will Reagan and United Pursuit. Love it.

In my mind I'm looking to cooler days and while I'm not sure mittens will be warranted for quite some time, I've got a start.

Meh.

So far, a lazy day. Mostly just thinking about:

1. Cleaning and how I'm tired of my thoughts being consumed with something so uninteresting and unmotivating.

2. Revisiting that idea to just reupholster my crappy furniture; so seriously I almost loaded the kids in the car to go get fabric. But then I remembered I'd have to shower first and well. like I said...it's been a lazy day.

3. What I can make for dinner...something with tofu. Maybe. We could have salad, but that would make 3 nights in a row and a mutiny might happen.

4. The mittens I started knitting. Doesn't everyone knit mittens in the middle of a heat wave?

5. Someone in my world...I hate that I can't just fix everything.

6. This giant owl I saw on vacation and I guessed its weight at 18lbs. Reality: It weighs 4. Most people would just say "Oh." and move on. I'm still thinking about it...two weeks later.

Mystery Trip Day

We have this summer tradition called "Mystery Trip Day". Basically, I take them somewhere. It's supposed to happen on Tuesdays. Today is Tuesday.

The problem is we've been doing this for years and have been everywhere already. And, they are big and doing stuff and it just never quite works out like it used to. Still, they say "How come we don't take mystery trips anymore?"

Al was at Hershey Park. I would have taken Jac there, but he doesn't like rides. So, I took him and his friend to Cunningham Falls. (Way closer and cheaper than Hershey Park...so win/win for everyone.)

I remembered the camera, but forgot to take pictures. We're going there again in two weeks, so you will just have to wait.

In the meantime, I remembered I documented a mystery trip a few years ago.

Here ya go:

Mystery Trip Day Summer 2007