It's Fall, Y'all

Wreaths of Thanksgiving

A Message from God

Harvest of Plenty

And our Cute Little Dog!

Only in Texas!

This past weekend, Emily,Josh, and two of their friends who are also newlyweds,Taryn and Chase, spent the weekend with us! It was a great time and we ate lunch at our FAVORITE West Texas Restaurant, Perini Ranch Steak House in Buffalo Gap! For those of you who have never been there, it is by far some of the best food in Texas. It is located off the beaten path in a woodsy area with big ole longhorns in the surrounding fields and sometimes just walking through the dusty parking lot. Texas at its best......and here are pictures to prove it!

Good to the Last Drop!

This is going to sound somewhat like a commercial but I have found some of the BEST coffee ever. It is Folgers Vanilla Biscotti. I think I could even get Mark to drink it! Give me a call and come over for a cup! See ya!

Dining Alfresco!

Tonight we cooked out one of our most favorite meals! Teriyaki pork tenderloin, sauteed asparagus, baked sweet potato with pecans and brown sugar topping, fruit salad and sun dried tomato hot bread!! Yummy, easy and fast!! Mark did the pork tenderloin on the grill and I did the rest in the house. Try it......................I think you will LOVE it! Oh, and by the way...you might just want to "turn up the music,too!"

It's Raining, 63 degrees and the Soup's On!

Today we had our first hint of fall! It rained a whopping 2 1/2 inches at our house last night and it has been raining off and on all day. The best part is the temperature is 63 degrees, my air conditioner is off and my windows are rolled out and open!! Would you believe I'm kind of chilly?? Needless to say, it's a "soup kind of day"! I just went to the store and got the ingredients for Tortilla Soup....one of my family's favorite. So tonight, Mark and I will be having it for dinner and I would love to share my recipe with those of you that don't have it. I think you'll love it!

Tortilla Soup

Brown 1lb. of hamburger meat, chopped onion, and 1tsp of garlic. Drain

Add 3 cans of chicken broth, 1 can of stewed tomatos, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 tsp. cumin, 1tsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. tobasco sauce, 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 can of chopped green chilies.

Simmer for 1 hour.

Serve over tortilla chips with grated cheese and chopped avocado.

A Few Creations

Just thought I would show you a few of "my originals" that I have put in our space at Palazzo Reale. Nothing great, but they are original and I had lots of fun doing them. I took pictures of decorative nests I had around the house, Mark made color copies of them for me, and then I used them in several of the collages. I also used vintage jewelry, scrabble tiles, and several other pieces of miscellaneous items that I thought would work in the overall look. Enough said.....here they are!

Some Great Adventures Going On Here!

Instead of writing, I think I will list all of the "stuff going on" with us! Some are "firsts" in our lives and are pretty special,too!!!! So.......here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Stephanie, our oldest daughter, lives in Denver and is watching the Democratic National Convention protesters through the windows of her office building.Now that's a BIG first!!! Quite a bit of craziness going on all around her as she goes to and from work! Be careful Steph!

2. Emily, our youngest, started teaching 1st grade in Addison this past Monday. I went in last week to help her get her classroom ready. So much fun! She will be a great teacher!

3. Mark, my hubby, was just honored (for the first time ever)with the quarterly Small Business Award here in Abilene. We had a reception at his office just this morning! It was very humbling for him to receive this, although I truly believe he is quite deserving of it! Congratulations, honey!

4. This is the first time in 22 years that I have not had a "child in school". I still get nostalgic when I walk down the school supply aisle! Sigh.............

5. We have our first son-in-law who we think is "pretty special" and who's being a great help and support to Emily as she starts her new job. Thanks Josh!

Each one of these things are definately life adventures that God has given us for today , some for years, and others for a lifetime! May we all follow our "Leader" in whatever adventure He takes us on!