More Fun in the 'burbs

Keeping up with the Summer fun, some of us Mom's and Dad's from the neighborhood got together this past week and took the kids to a wonderful water park in Statesboro, GA. It was a blast.
The park had all kinds of fun things to try. Shelby had a ball!
Here she comes down the slide. This water park is actually run and maintained by the county park and recreation department. We wish our county would get on the ball and start one of these! By the end of the day, we were all tired, soaked to the bone and baked by the sun.

After the kids had fun earlier in the week, it was time for a little adult fun. We had our 2nd Supper Club hosted by Trina and Hal.
Trina hosted a beautiful supper and the theme was Italian. Here was the evening's menu:

Peach Bellini's
Mini Fritatta's
Hot Artichoke Crostini
Chicken Parmesan
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Summer Fruit Crostada
Chocolate-Hazelnut Tart
Trina's homemade chicken parmesan is to die for! I was picked to make the Baked Penne and Roasted Vegetables. It was all fantastic.
We had an absolutely fab time! We talked and laughed until 11:30 that night. The "Monkey" was working that night!
Last time I missed getting a picture with Stan and Annette, so here they are. The happy couple.
Thank you Trina and Hal for sharing your home with us. Your home was beautiful, cozy and inviting. Your dinner table was perfect and the conversation was outstanding. That night is going to be hard to beat!!!
Now for those of you who would like to try the Baked Penne recipe, here it is. I also recommend making the roast vegetables as a dinner side one night. They were great all by themselves.
Bon Appetite!

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
2 red peppers. cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1 inch strips
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon Italian Herb mix
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzerella
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss the cut vegetables with olive oil. 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and the dried Italian herbs. Roast until tender. Approx. 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Leave the pasta very al dente because you will be baking the pasta in the oven once everything is mixed together. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta, with the roasted veggies, marinara sauce, cheeses, the rest of the salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix until all the pasta is covered and all the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Top with remaining parmesan cheese and spread out butter pieces along the top. Bake at 400 degrees F until top is golden brown and cheese melts. Approx. 25 minutes.

Good Things

They say that good things happen to you in three's and this past week has proven that statement to be true!
Good Thing#1:
Here I am holding the new Somerset Home Magazine ready to hit the newstands. They published my artwork and article. YEAH!!! Earlier in the year, Amanda Nolan contacted us via email through Lollishops and asked us if we would be willing to submit the Clothes Pin Birds we had for sale to the Somerset Home publication. So, of course we said YES! Lee and I brainstormed last June to actually sell the birds as kits. So off we went. Here is the magazine and the 3 page layout.
My article is entitled Roosters and Robins. I totally sweated the 600 word article. I don't enjoy writing. It is not my strong point, but I swallowed hard and sat down and finally typed out something I was proud of.
It has been a real thrill to see my work in the magazine and Somerset was wonderful to work with. It was a good day!!! Thank you Somerset!
Good Thing#2:
Seeing and spending time with the people you love is always a good thing. On our way home from NJ we stopped in VA to see Luz and her beautiful family. They are every bit as special as she is.
Her daughter Loren is a sweet copy of her Mother in so many ways. You just want to keep hugging her, too. That husband of hers was some cute Marine!!!! All kidding a side, they were all very warm and welcoming. We had some dinner together and Luz treated Judy and I to some incredible gifts.
All of our handmade goodies were in this bag made out of newspaper. Luz's hubby brought them back from overseas. They had paper handles and were so neat. Perfect for her gifts. Angela we thought of you when we saw these bags... our paper Queen!
The first gift was this lovely victorian lady perched on this spoon. There is tulle and lace and the sparkly blue glitter on the spoon. I don't know....this has a bit of a vintage feel to it. Could we have converted her in May????
The second creation was made on a ladle. It is the cutest little nest and eggs. Very, very clever. I love it and will be hanging it up in my kitchen as a daily reminder of my sweet friend.
This handmade cloth book blew me away and absolutely made me well up! Luz made a special remembrance of Girls Weekend that warmed my heart and brought back how incredible the weekend was.
The black and white photos add so much to this book as well as her choice of written sentiment.
It moves me to think of her spending the time to make me something so wonderful and so heartfelt.
We meet many people on this journey called life. They come in and out of our doors some to never see again and some that change your idea of what a friend really is. Thank you, dear Luz for being so generous and caring. My life is better for knowing you and I look forward to years of laughter, wild adventures and lots of your terrific hugs!
Good Thing #3:
It's official today! Mom and Dad's house was sold today. The closing is set for August 24th. We will be heading back up to Toms River in early August to help pack and move them into storage. I know that Mom and Dad are both relieved and sad at the idea of moving out of a home they spent 40 years in. It was pure joy to hear those words today for me. I know that is selfish, but I need my parents near now and so does Don and Shelby! My hope is that they will find a home here that they like in GA and finally be here. I haven't been in the same town as my mother and father since I left for College. It's time for a new chapter in their lives. I am happy and excited for them. Say both a cheer and prayer for them to help them get through this hectic time. Good days are ahead. Again, it was a good day!!!

It Feels Like Home to Me

This is my childhood home. It has been many, many years since I lived here and much has changed. The home that Mom and Dad built at 1011 Fairview Drive will always be a special place. We arrived last Sunday to visit with my family and friends.
This house is such a reflection of my mother and who she is. All of the little details and things she has brought to it.
Dad and my brother Dave built this gazebo for my Mother many years ago. It is so lovely and welcoming. From the light blue ceiling to the chandelier hanging over head you just want to sit here and linger for awhile.
We all met as a family that Sunday when we arrived. Here are the guys. From left to right, my baby brother, Dave, my older brother, Donnie, my husband, Don, our good friend Bob and my Dad, Don. Yes, lots of Don's in the family!
I brought my large pot and burner and cooked a low country boil for everyone. We tried to bring a little bit of south home.
Shelby enjoyed her older cousins, Josh and Emma in Mom's pool.
The one thing I wanted to do most when I went back home was to go to the beach. So much of my childhood and teenage years were spent at the beach. It brought back so many memories. Here is Shelby and Mom. They are inseparable when they are together.
Keeping my Dad on the beach for half a day was a challenge. He loves the ocean, but can't sit still. He was a real trooper for us.
Here is Sissy, soaking up some sun!
I let hubby take my picture and as you can see I cropped the bottom half off! So the head shot will have to do!
The castle builder.
My brother Dave treated all of the kids and us adults to a day at the Seaside Boardwalk. It is full of amusements, food and rides. Everyone had a fun time.
Who doesn't love the carousel?
Our last day we spent at an old beach town called Ocean Grove. This town somehow got stuck in time and stayed a slow, quaint breezy place to visit.
There is a lot of history about this place, but the really cool thing about Ocean Grove is the community of summer tents. These tents are setup every Spring and they are rented out for the summer.
They have a wooden floor and are separated out into 2 rooms. There is a small kitchen and bathroom in the back and the front portion of the tent is the living space. As you can see, some people make a lovely place to stay for the summer. There is a really long waiting list to rent and some have passed down their spot from generation to generation.
I lived about 45 minutes away all of those years and never knew it existed. What a great experience to see this town.
My little trooper. She is such a good traveller and was so good about us dragging her from place to place.
After 10 days it was time to head home. We headed back down I-95 and stopped at South of the Border for Lunch before we turned west onto I-20. Shelby got a kick out of the hotdog. We also made a short stop in Virginia to see a wonderful friend. I will post about that soon.
It was a wonderful trip to see our family and the next time I am in Toms River will probably be to help Mom and Dad pack up. The house is up for sale. I hope that it goes soon so they can move down here to GA to be with us. Until then, we will call Mimi and Pa everyday and look forward to more good times ahead.

New England Charm

We left home last Tuesday and traveled north 1107 miles to Providence, RI to spend the first part of our holiday visiting with Don's son Corwin and daughter-in-law Erin. We always enjoy New England and it is was so good to see the "kids". This is their pretty little home in North Providence. I love the shutters with the sea green paint and orange sea shells.
We decided to spend our first full day in Boston at the Museum of Science.
They had lots of great things for the little ones to do and see.
Shelby was very interested and wanted to touch everything, of course. Her favorite and ours was the butterfly garden.
There were so many butterflies flying all around us. Some were even landing on us.
Here they are on Erin. We think they were attracted to her green jacket.
This butterfly is called an Owl Butterfly.
I took so many pictures of the butterflies. They were all so unique and wonderful to watch.
We enjoyed the city and then left to go to Foxborough to the New England Patriots Stadium. Anyone who really knows my hubby, knows how much he loves football and his Patriots!
What a phenomenal place. It is not only a stadium and sports store, but a complex that has a huge movie theater, restaurants and stores.
Corwin stood up above and took a pic of Don and I on this patch of astro turf.
This was as close as we could get to the field. It is a beautiful stadium.
This is the Patriot Place store. Don was like a kid in a candy store!
How cool is this. Even in a sports store I can find something vintage!!
It was great to be able to visit the stadium with Don and see him enjoy it. We then picked the CBS Bar and restaurant upstairs and celebrated Corwin's 31st birthday.
It was a cool, but pretty evening to eat on the outdoor patio.
My daughter-in law Erin and my stepson Corwin.
Father and Son. Don is so proud of Corwin. He is a wonderful son and brother. We miss him everyday. It was a wonderful day we all spent together.
We headed out the next day with Corwin to Newport and Jamesport, RI.
We stopped for lunch and of course had to have some New England Clam Chowder. Can you say Chowda???
Of course Corwin knows where to find the best. We had lunch outside at the Black Dog Cafe. Lunch was great with mudslides, chowder, and sandwiches.
Me and the man.
Shelby and Aunt Judy.
We strolled around Newport for awhile and enjoyed the sites. This town is true Americana.
With full bellies we headed off to Jamestown to enjoy the lighthouse and the bluffs.
Absolutely no fear in this child. She just wanted to take off on these jagged rocks to see it all.
Her brother had all to do to keep up with her.
I forgot to pack my rock climbing shoes!
What a lovely sea town.
To finish out our visit , we went to Federal Hill in Providence to a cafe called Pastiche for coffee and some goodies.
This street in Providence is lined with Italian restaurants, cafe's, deli's and shops. This is still the best place I have ever been for Italian food!
We arrived close to 9pm and it was very busy. We waited outside for a table. Judy and Erin sitting under that gorgeous flower box.
It was sooooooo worth the wait!!!!! Yum.
We enjoyed some wonderful coffee and outstanding desserts. Shelby enjoyed eating her way through all of the icing on that chocolate layer cake.
This was my choice. A lemon custard tart with blackberry sauce. Just delicious.
We had a great time visiting and seeing a small part of New England. We are off to Toms River, NJ next to see my family. I will be back to show you some more of our summer road trip.