Has it Been That Long?

I can't even give adequate explanations for my absence. I can say that it has been ridiculously hot, although I guess that doesn't excuse my absence. Um, Paco was traveling for a bit...he severely sprained his wrist the night he returned because he *had* to play softball. Does that excuse me? Anyway...

We had an 80th birthday party yesterday for Paco's grandmother. It was really nice because so many family members came even though we all live in different places (and states) and have entirely different schedules. Despite my being rather nasty to a woman who *dared* to mutter that TBell was a brat (while I admit that my kids can misbehave, I take great pride in their public behavior), I had a good time and am glad that we went. This party marked the third or fourth time that my kids have been in the company of great-grandparents this summer...what can be better?





I made a great cake for the party - it's called a Cannoli Cake. I PROMISE to post the recipe soon. If hadn't been so hot, causing the stupid thing to start to melt, it would have been perfect! It is a triple layered vanilla cake filled with chocolate chip Cannoli filling.

Have I mentioned how stupidly hot it has been?

Life's Great Reminders

So, there are times when I feel like I just haven't done enough during my 31 years of life. Sure, I went to college. I am married and raising three children. I work. But, I haven't really done anything. Then, I read stories like this and feel very inspired. What a great story! I am going to work on a list of things I really want to accomplish; look for it in the near future!

Sunday Eats

We had dinner at my parents house last night. It was actually hosted by myself and Paco, but they have air conditioning and Grandma Jane wouldn't come unless there was air conditioning because it has been so hot and humid. Anyway, it was great fun - the kids and Paco enjoyed the newly purchased Slip-n-Slide (after Paco cleaned out the gutters) while the rest of us enjoyed watching.

The best part of the night, though, was the food. Now, I know that I have mentioned my sloppy joes before...if you haven't made them yet, you must try them! It has been so stinkin' hot here that I didn't really want to cook. So, I made crock pot sloppy joes for dinner and there were a HUGE hit! We also served home-grown corn (which we prepare by soaking in the husks for a few hours then putting them directly on the grill - until parts are black from cooking). For dessert, I made (prepared) ice cream pies. Take a pie shell (individual or regular sized) and fill with softened ice cream. I used two granola pie crusts and filled one with creme brulee ice cream and one with butter pecan. Then, put the pie in the freezer to set. Just before serving, I covered both pies with caramel sauce and toasted nuts, then topped the pieces with whipped cream. The whole meal was fantastic and incredibly easy.

Vacation is Over

It is so sad that normal life starts tomorrow. We have had such a great week of playing! Our camping trip was a great success; there were family reunions/introductions as well as roasted marshmallows and s'mores. However, tomorrow the kids go back to the sitter and Paco and I head off to work. Blech! (I have included one picture from our trip. For some reason, I never took one of all three kids or had someone take one of the five of us - I clearly wasn't thinking of this blog!)



On another note, I have started thinking about Christmas presents. I know it's early, but I like to make a lot of gifts and need to start early so I don't have a nervous breakdown right before the holidays. I think that I may try to make jam for our grandparents and other hard to buy for individuals as that is something the kids can help with and can be done in more of a bulk form. I also have some other thoughts for my sisters and Paco's sister, but since one of said sisters reads this blog, I can't mention it! (To give you a better explanation as to why I need to start thinking about Christmas now: last year I gave my mother-in-law a scarf that was still on the knitting needles; I took it back and it is now sitting on top of my china cabinet...still on the needles.)

On a final note for this evening, I want to say good bye to a co-worker who is leaving our company as of tomorrow. I will really miss her - she can always make me laugh! Good luck, Amy, our office will not be the same without you!

For Those of You Keeping Track at Home...

...I got the signatures, the car is packed and we are ready to go. Paco and my father are playing in a golf tournament today and we are leaving as soon as they are done. (I have to admit that I did the petitions this morning - they are due this afternoon. Plus, we were up until 1:30 in the morning doing laundry and packing since we did mostly nothing this week!) I can't tell you how excited I am to be leaving!

By the way, I added some fresh cilantro to the Texas Caviar earlier in the week. I didn't love the way it turned out, but I got a lot of compliments on it and many women took some home with them.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!