Homemade Pizza after a busy week........

WOW, Last week went by so fast.  I guess that's normal this time of year. Can't believe it's December already and Christmas is just a few weeks away.  Guess I better buckle down and get those cards in the mail and my shopping finished.

 I had a small growth removed near my eyebrow (Benign) and then on Tuesday we took a trip to the Dermatologist for Rich.  Family doctor suggested that he have a spot on his back looked at.  NO problem there, but they did do biopsy on three spots on his face.

Then we started shopping for our Christmas present.  This year we are doing some remodeling in the kitchen.  We ordered new appliances (frig, range, dishwasher and microwave) and they should arrive tomorrow morning.  Instead of paying to have the old ones removed, we put them out on Craig's List and sold them within an hour!   Then we stopped at AC&L Granite and Marble in Sebring to check out the new counter tops.  They came to the house to measure on Wednesday and installation of that and the new 60/40 under counter sink should be in 7-10 business day.  Got an estimate to have the cabinets refaced - so that too should be done in a couple of weeks. Made another trip to Home Depot the high neck sink.  AND.......while the guys from the Decor Store was here for the cabinets, he measured the sliders in the sun room for new shades.  I still have a little left in the budget for maybe 2 new ceiling fans for the sun room, and a new chandelier for the dining room......................

On Sunday we really just bummed out all day........and Rich made dinner.  This  is his version of pizza, made with tomato soup, ground beef and ground sausage, Italian spices and Italian Cheeses.  He's modified it a bit over the past 30-40 years.  It was delicious.

Now I just need to get the Xmas decorations out of the attic!!!! Time to get in the holiday spirit!

Thanksgiving With Friends...

Thankful for holiday traditions, telling favorite stories, and the simple joys of being together.......

Thankful for homemade stuffing, wishbone wishes, and second helpings of pumpkin pie.....



And a glass or two of wine.....

Thankful for family...


and friends like John and Diane who celebrated Thanksgiving Day with us.

Turkey, sausage stuffing, green bean casserole, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and hot, fresh rolls, with pumpkin and pecan pie for dessert.  Everything was delicious!

Just a Relaxing Perfect Weather Weekend

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful.  For those of you up north, well you'll find this hard to understand.  But it was mostly cloudy/overcast and comfortably cool.  This has been the first weekend in a very long time that you could actually enjoy being outside.  No intense sun and very low humidity.

So we enjoyed our coffee on the lanai, worked in the yard ( mostly pulling weeds) and enjoying the beautiful birds that graced the yard.  A couple of our favorites; the Blue Heron and the White Ibis.  And we could kick ourselves for not making time to go out fishing.  It would have been a great weekend to be on the water.

With the high temperatures in the upper 70's / low 80's I had a request to make Chili........... So it was Chili and cornbread for dinner on Sunday. It was delicious.

Left overs for another day, and the rest in the freezer!

Starting to get serious about getting the kitchen redone.  We're talking about a possible face-lift to the cupboards ( I want to keep them white), new granite counter tops, with brick or stone back splash, and all new appliances. Can't believe what a new French Door Refrigerator costs!!!  We'll see how far the budget goes........something might have to wait until next year.  Gotta keep enough set aside for the summer vacation!

Our Monthly Night Out.....

On Wednesday we joined Buddy and Diane and Nathan and Krystal at Cody's Roadhouse for our monthly get together.  It was Veteran's Day, and for Buddy's sake, we probably should have chosen a restaurant where he, as a Veteran, could enjoy a free meal.  I was quickly informed when we arrived that he enjoyed his free meal at lunchtime!  Well deserved my friend!

Cody's was our choice this month and Wednesday was our preferred day of the week because that's the day we can enjoy the Buy one, get one Free Fajitas.  And, buy one get one free happy hour - so Rich ordered the Bud Light and shared with me.  Some had chicken and some had beef, and Buddy shared his appetizer with the table!  Everything was delicious.  And the conversation and laughter was welcomed and enjoyed!

Buddy and Diane will begin the almost daily jamming and entertaining with their Country Singing group, so we have strict instructions to only schedule our night out on Tuesday or Thursday - but not the first Tuesday of the month. Whew!!!
Next stop - Ecuador!  Don't worry - those other four  in the picture know what that means!!

Not much other news. My finger is still healing - but much much better. I had a small growth removed over my right eyebrow. You could never tell! Can't see a thing and the biopsy showed it to be benign.

We stayed up until 11:30 Tuesday, watching the GOP Debate.

OH!  And we lost our resident alligator.  The gator nuisance patrol was here a couple of nights ago to take him away.  Guess the owner next door - who has his house up for sale thought that a possible alligator in his yard might scare the buyers away!  You think???    Good news is, he was not aggressive at all and they did not harm him getting him out, so, he will have a new home at one of the Gator farms.   I know you all don't understand - but I'll miss his frequent visits.