a perfect evening

We have good friends. We have good friends who have a boat. Same good friends invited us for an evening boat ride with two other couples. Potluck dinner included.

It turned out to be a picture perfect evening. Early in the day the forecast was a 50/50 chance of rain. Debate ensued about whether or not to try to get on the water. So glad we did. We found a little cove which provided for privacy while we had our potluck dinner -- pasta with salmon, olive cheese bread, fruit and salami/cheese on a baguette. Not bad for potluck.

After dinner we ventured out on the water again. Found another quiet cove to watch the sun set. Beautiful. I even ventured into the water. It felt refreshing. Once the sun was beyond the horizon, it felt almost cool.

I find something so peaceful about water. The sound of it lapping at the side of the boat. The gentle rocking motion. The combination of the two could lull me to sleep. And speaking of sleep, we saw a houseboat pass by several times. I'd love to sleep on the water. In a boat. We're thinking it would be fun to rent one for the weekend -- 2 families to a boat -- living on the water. I want to try that.

friendship found on the internet

Some things are hard to explain. Like friendship found on the internet.

I'm not exactly sure how we found each other or how long ago but I do know that a connection was made. And I've known for some time that if the opportunity to meet ever presented itself, I wanted to take advantage of it.

In September we (my family) began plans for Thanksgiving travel. I asked Lawman if he would be in favor of a layover in Seattle which would allow me to meet Denise. Lawman was very supportive and so I began laying the foundation for that opportunity I had been hoping for. The next move would be to ask Denise. Was I setting myself up for rejection? What if I wasn't who she thought I was?

Fortunately, Denise said yes. Our meeting happened last week and it was as if we'd been friends for a long-time. No awkward silences. No uncomfortable moments. It was everything I thought it would be. And, our families got to meet too. Big Daddy and Lawman seemed to hit it off. I noticed they were chatting as much as we were and by the time we left there were inside jokes to be shared.

I considered Denise a friend before last week but now it's real. For me. I liken it to an imaginary friend coming to life. It's hard to explain but I get it and so does Denise and we decided that's all that matters.

P.S. Denise ~ it was a pleasure to meet you. You were exactly who I expected you to be! And tell Big Daddy our lights are up.

its all about the tomato

Last weekend, my friend, Rechelle, organized a party all about the tomato. You see, she planted a garden and had far more tomatoes than she knew what to do with.

First we had a little tomato taste test. She grew multiple varieties and wanted to know what our favorite(s) were so she knew what varieties she should plant next year.



You would think that a tomato, is a tomato, is a tomato, right? They'd all taste the same. Wrong. Honestly, I could tell a difference. Who would have thought?

Then after she fed us as many tomatoes as we could eat, it was time for entertainment. Sarah gave a demonstration on how to can tomatoes. She was fabulous! I think she may have a cooking show in her future. She even tried to do this with a French accent.....maybe she was trying to be Julia?

Here are a few of her very attentive pupils. Look at that concentration.



She knew she had a lot of work ahead of her so she wasted no time.




Then she put the rest of us to work. We decided anything is more fun when you do it with your girlfriends. We also learned it's important to have lots and lots of pots available as well as really good knives.

Sarah even checked our work. She just dug right in there to make sure we were getting the tomatoes cut to the proper size and that we didn't leave anything in them that wasn't supposed to be.

She uses the hot-pack method. This is what her mother does and it's also recommended by the official Ball Blue Book.

At this point I think we've received all instructions and it's time to get these 'maters in the jars.

(no idea why my photos are suddenly left-hand justified...I'm too tired to try and fix it. sorry folks.)

When we got to a stopping point, Rechelle did feed us again and this time it was way better than tomatoes. Some fantabulous chocolate raspberry cake....oh was it good. Girls must keep up their strength when they're exerting so much energy in the kitchen. Right? I wanted another slice of that cake but didn't want to be the only one to over indulge in the good stuff. So, I was a lady and stopped with one.

Rechelle's got more pics and stories about this tomato party here. If that's not enough for you, there's more here too. Tomatoes aren't your usual party theme but Rechelle is one to bust out of the ordinary. It was a great way to spend an afternoon with my girls.

And, Sarah? The gal that gave us the canning lesson? She's my friend that has been sharing her garden bounty with me all summer.

thank goodness for a well-stocked pantry

I wouldn't label myself as an entertainer or professional hostess but Lawman and I enjoy having friends over. I prefer to keep things very casual, informal, low-key. We invited 2 couples over Saturday evening for some NFL pre-season action. I said I'd have snack fare available but I didn't want to have to venture to the store. Since we'd be getting together after dinner I knew I wouldn't need much but I thought I should have something to cure the munchies.

I was glad to have basic ingredients on hand to throw together a spinach dip. I started with a recipe from this book but had to improvise as I didn't have everything on the list. Here's my recipe. Simple and tasty; just the way I like it.

Spontaneous Spinach Dip

1 - 16 oz. package chopped spinach, frozen

1 - 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 c. mayo

8 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place spinach in a 2 qt. microwave safe dish. Cook in microwave for about 3 minutes or until spinach is thawed and partially cooked. Combine spinach with the remaining ingredients. Microwave on high until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Warning: Weekend Behavior Could Be Addicting

Two weeks in a row. Does that constitute an addiction? Our last 2 weekends have been spent on the water. I'm not kidding when I tell you that it could be addicting. A boat. Good friends. Fun in the sun. Incredible weather. Making memories. What more could you ask for?

If I'm absent this week, it's due to Vacation Bible School. I'll be teaching in the crafts room each night this week.

Veggie Delivery

I had every intention of planting a garden this year. Really, I did. A teeny, tiny garden. I planned on putting tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers in the ground. I love the thrill of finding a vine ripened veggie just ready for picking.

Despite my good intentions, the tiny garden didn't materialize. I don't have a good excuse either.

What I do have is a fabulous friend who has a fabulous garden and best of all is the fact that she is sharing her bounty. See those beautiful veggies up there? Yep. Sarah, bless her pea pickin' heart, brought those by yesterday. My girl, Madison, answered the door and then she called me to tell me what Sarah left. She knew I would be thrilled. Oh, that girl knows me well.

Camp Fire Donuts

Meet my friend, Katie. Among our circle of friends she's known for her camp fire donuts.

This all started about 6 years ago when we did a big group camping trip with 5 families. That equates to 10 adults and 14 kids. Six years ago those kids were pretty little, like between 1 1/2 and 13. There's a story about that camping trip but it really isn't my story to tell. Maybe the owner of that story would share it with us sometime.

Anyway, it was on that outing that Katie exposed us to her donuts. (That almost sounds racy, doesn't it?)

Ingredients are simple ~ those inexpensive biscuits in a can and oil. You'll want powdered sugar and a mix of cinnamon sugar for dipping.

Katie cranks up the heat on the Coleman camp stove, puts the oil in her cast iron skillet and waits for it to get hot. Once the oil is good & ready she pokes a hole in the middle of each biscuit and places it in the oil. Cooking until a perfect golden brown then turning it over to do the same thing to the other side. Once they're done, remove them from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. Then dip them into either the powdered sugar or the cinnamon mixture, whatever is your preference. Mine happens to be powdered sugar. They're yummy. Not to mention healthy. Yea, right.


Turns out that Katie has taught her daughter, Maggie, how to create this culinary treat. Maggie makes a mean donut. If you try these, plan to make lots. It's easy to down these in multiples.

Princess for a Day

Finally, the big day arrived. It's been on the calendar since January.

Prom 2009.

Many preparations had been made ~ new dress, shoes, accessories, hair appointment, flowers ordered, reservations made.

Alison was excited. Madison and I were excited. Lawman was nervous. Guess that's what dads do. Oh, but he was proud. I knew it even if he didn't say it.

I went with Alison for her hair appointment at noon. She wanted an up-do. Lots of curls. She got it.

Lots of hairspray and bobby pins too. Multiply that by a couple hundred girls and it makes me wonder what happened to the ozone layer yesterday. But just look at the end result....beautiful!

Once we had the hair done we had to do nails ~ toes and fingers. Then make-up. And finally it was time to put on the dress.

Doesn't every girl love to have a day of pampering and a beautiful dress to wear? Not to mention a handsome date. And of course, the ever difficult task of pinning that flower on. Lawman gave her instructions but said she had to do it. How is it that we can make everything else in life easier with new technologies but we still have to do this with those awful pins?

That photo.....that's how I know Lawman is proud. That bike is special. He wouldn't let just anyone use it as a photo prop. His idea too.

Following photos at our place, they went to the date's house. More photos. Then meeting everyone in the city park at 4:00 for more photos. Left for dinner at 5:00, back to town at 8:30, horse & carriage ride to the dance, and making a red carpet entrance.

Oh, but that's not all. Dancing til midnight, after prom party til 4am, breakfast and finally home for a good rest.

This photo is my favorite from the entire day. I think I'm going to have to get one framed. Don't you just love the tulips? They're everywhere in the park. Thousands of them. And I'm not exaggerating.

A Girls Day Out

I share my birthday with The Country Doctor's Wife, a.k.a. Rechelle. It was just another day for me but Rechelle finally joined us this year in the "40 and up Club."

Rechelle had an olive lodged in her throat. I just gave her a good whack between the shoulder blades.

Rechelle and I are lucky to have friends like Kim and Jenny. They treated us to a girls day.

They took us to the town of McPherson where we did what girls do best.

Shop...talk...eat...shop...talk...you get the idea.

Our friend, Katie showed up too. Katie and her family moved to another town about 3 years ago so we don't get to see her nearly as often as we would like but McPherson was an easy place for her to meet us. What a special treat!


We made our way up and down the street to check out the local shops.

We stopped at The Cake Lady. Check out http://www.oldmuffinfactory.com/. Wonderful, locally made baking mixes.

Blood sugar levels started hitting rock bottom so we knew it was time to find some lunch. There was a local cafe that served Mediterranean fare. Talk about a good sandwich -- the Greco -- turkey, hummus, sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers and spinach or field greens. Mmm.


We sat down for lunch about 1:00. Shortly after, the lunch line crew joined us in this back room with their sandwiches. They were all young, twenty-somethings (if that) and I'm sure we sounded like a bunch of old hens to them. They may have referred to us as the gossipy future blue-hairs. I hope we didn't sound as bad to them as I think we did.

We took in a few more stops and then decided we better have an afternoon drink. Chai tea for me please.

This little coffee shop was a great place to sit and talk awhile. Our topics of discussion covered the gammet. Not sure they were all appropriate. The lady sitting behind our group heard every word we said. I'm sure of it because when someone mentioned they were going to go find the restroom, she immediately turned around and offered directions. I bet she wanted to weigh in on our conversation at some point during the afternoon.

Must be time to head home. Rechelle overloaded on the caffine. Can't you tell that it's killing her to stay on that couch. Jenny on the other hand looks quite comfy. Just close your eyes, dear.

It was a good day. Any day is a good day when you get to spend it with friends. Thanks girls!

Another Perspective

I spent Saturday with my girlfriends. You can see it from one of their perspectives here.

I'll be posting about it too but I'm not as efficient as the CDW.

A (Long) Day at the Pool

The swim season is coming to a close. With that is a league meet with all of the teams in our league; there are nine. This means hundreds of swimmers, 66 events and a very long day at the pool.


When I woke up I wasn't sure that we'd actually get to have this meet. It was raining. Made me wonder why I was even bothering to get out of bed before 6am. None the less, we rallied the troops, packed the cooler and loaded the truck. We were at the pool at 7:20 am and the kids were in the water for warm-ups by 7:40. Luck was on our side. The rain stopped, the clouds stayed and the meet got underway at 9:00. We were exiting the park at 3:30. None the less it was a long day--lots of waiting between swim events. Here's how you pass the time.

A Little of This, A Little of That

Meredith at Like Merchant Ships inspired this. A dear friend of ours lost his father on Friday. We knew they would be leaving town on Sunday so we took a basket of appetizer fare late Saturday afternoon -- grapes, nectarines, cream cheese spread, crostini, brownies and stuffed mushrooms. It didn't take long to put together and I know it was appreciated.

Lawman can't do anything on a small scale, including Mother's Day. He and the girls gave me two pieces of Polish Pottery -- one of my weaknesses. I received this heart-shaped platter from the girls and the vase from him. Each mother received a carnation at church today. Thanks family!