Love It When This Happens

So today I am going to take you into my dining room and show you how it looked when I took pictures and how it looks again. But then I will show you how it looked when I am the happiest - when it is in full use and the table is full of family! Welcome to my 2023 dining room decked out for autumn.

I don't know why I love that dough bowl so much but I just do. Those muted autumn colors gets me every time!

So that is how the dining room looks ready for fall. But, we bought that dining room set many, many years ago from Habersham Plantation after I saw it in a decor magazine. We traveled up to the actual plantation to see it in person to be sure it did what it looked like it did...and it did! Lol

The two oval ends of the table are loose and can actually be put together to make a round table if you want. But, my favorite part is that there are also two leaves that lift to make the middle section a very large rectangle and then the ends go back on.  This table will fit 12 comfortably but others can be squeezed in as well. And so this weekend, that is exactly what we did when we gathered the crew for a throwback back-to-school dinner. Lucky for me that I'm such a hoarder saver because decorations were easy...it felt like old times but we sure did miss Harrison. Again lucky for me there were people here who are up on technology because we were able to Face-time with him and oh my, it was so wonderful to see his face and have him talking to us. And, I got to make our favorite chicken tetrazzini again. I love that stuff but it is just too complicated to make unless I am feeding others.

My brother and sister-in-law were also able to spend the night and helped me click a few more things off of my to-do list so I am starting the week pretty much caught up except for all of the weeds that I realized had popped up while we were out there yesterday. So that is where I am off to now. Looks like the rains will be holding off for a few days so maybe I'll just make it into the pool as well. Stay safe and stay tuned.

I'll Be the First to Admit...

OK...I'll be the first to admit that I am a dinosaur! And, most of the time I am proud to admit that! As I am today. So, let's go back a bit...a long bit. Ever since our first daughter started school, it has been a tradition to do something special after the first day-usually dinner out to talk about things and then a trip to a local store to buy any necessity we might have missed-or that might have changed since the last time we were at said store...like whose picture was on the front of the Trapper Keeper.  Lol

Those days continued throughout my girls' school lives. And then came the grands. In most cases we weren't there for their first days because they lived out of town but, as soon as we could, we would gather and do the same thing with Nana and Papa taking them on shopping sprees to buy anything still needed or perhaps just "wanted"...we were the grandparents after all. It is our job to spoil them.

Ans then, thirteen years ago daughter #3 and her family moved to town-literally about 7 minutes away. And, once again we were privy to first days-although sometimes we did postpone them to Friday nights when bedtime and homework didn't come into play. Many years the kids would spend their last few days before school started here at our house and we would do all of the preparation. Of course, as they got older and had so many more extra circulars, it came down to Nana doing all of the prep and just inviting the family over for dinner.

And now, we are at one more cross road. Our oldest grandson is now at the US Coast Guard Academy so he will not be here to share in our tradition but, fingers crossed the rest of the family will.

My brother and sister-in-law will be here overnight so I thought it might be fun to get the party together. Since daughter #3 and family just got back from NYC and a very exciting but tiring 5 days, I haven't quite asked if we will be able to pull this off this year but I am hopeful! And so,  my dinosaur and "hoarder" sides come into play.

And, so does this blog and one of the many reasons that I continue to do it. It is my family journal-especially since I don't really remember what I did yesterday. It just took a few clicks of the keys and I found documentation of lots of our previous dinners. I was kind of wondering what I served and I definitely always leaned towards "easy" to serve with not a lot of kitchen time once the fam was here.

Here are just a few of our past dinners.

Now that the kids are older, I think I have narrowed it down to chicken tetrazinni or chicken dumpling casserole...I'll ask them. Then we'll add a panzanella salad, broccoli, some kind of bread and Paula Deen brownies and ice-cream. Most of the "heavy lifting" for those dishes can be done in advance.

And, of coarse, I was thrilled to see the decorations we used. They changed a bit each year but usually consisted of a red, yellow and black color scheme and used school themed decor. And, wouldn't you know, I knew right where I could put my hands on some.

Yep! Exactly where I left it. Lol Now all I'll need to add are the fresh flowers, some apples and some gummy "book worms"..and of course, the family and the food! Finger crossed we can pull this off. Stay safe and stay tuned.

And this just in. The Eagle has set sail and my grandson was on 4a.m.-8a.m. watch so he got to see the sunrise on this glorious sight! I can't wait to see him and hear all about his incredible adventures! That is some impressive ship-praying for smooth sailing!

It's hard to believe that somewhere on that huge ship stands my little "Thomas the Train" loving grandson! Sigh Time just goes much too fast.

Back-To-School

All of the "kids" are officially back to school and we have finally had our traditional lunch/dinner. Because we did it after the "littles" already had a week under their belts, I got to hear all about their teachers, classes, friends, schedules, schools, etc. And, since both of the boys were in new schools this year (high and middle), there was lots to hear. I missed our pre-prep activities but I did enjoy hearing all of their thoughts so we might have come up with a new tradition.

The table was decked out in red, black and yellow-don't know why but those are the colors I think of for back-to-school...I guess red for apples and school houses, yellow for pencils and buses and black for chalk boards? Lucky for me, between my Halloween and Valentine dinnerware, those colors are super easy to pull off.

I use a lot of school supplies for decor and then let the kids take it all home. One can never have too many pencils, crayons or composition books...in fact, a trip to Staples was saved when Harrison saw the composition books. And, let's just say the book (gummy) worms were finished before they left!

Whenever I do a "real" from-scratch meals to serve a number of people, I wonder how I ever did this every night the whole time we were raising our family! Now a days, it is a PROJECT for me to get such a meal on the table. It took the better part of Saturday to get the tetrazzini made and all of the other things prepped for easy assembly on Sunday.

The tetrazzini is a Giada De Laurentis recipe and it is GOOD...many more steps than I am doing these days but definitely worth it for a special meal. I also made a large panzanella salad, broccoli ( 5 heads of broccoli for this gang and it was almost all gone. I think I'm glad I had girls because these boys can eat!), Paula Deen Brownies and Moose Track Ice Cream-their favorite. I will say, it made
 my heart happy to see how much they enjoyed the meal-worth every minute!

So now that all of the summer things are finished-even though summer isn't-I am moving on to autumn. My house is decorated and I am ready to begin sharing. Thought I might give you just a sneak peek of what I found this morning.

Aren't they gorgeous? I found them at a local garden shop. Right now, they are the only place in town with mums. They are HUGE. I bought 6 but if I could have fit any more in my car, I would have bought more. Once I have my mums, I feel like it is really coming and there is no going back! No matter what the thermometer says, it will soon be autumn! Ahhhh. Stay tuned.

One Week Down

When the kids were younger, we always had a "Camp Nana and Papa the week before school started and the kids would come for a few days of crafting, baking and cooking culminating with a lunch or dinner where their parents were invited as well. But, now that the boys are playing football and having practices and conditioning literally every day the last number of weeks during the summer, those things are just not possible any more.

And, me being the flexible person I have had to turn into, I am OK with that. This year we were just coming back into town on the traditional day so we switched things up a bit more and we are doing it this Sunday. I actually think that will work perfectly as I can hear all about their first week and, since Harrison just started high school and Hud middle school, I am sure there will be lots to share...as well as Presley now being "big man on campus" at her elementary school!

I am finally getting everything together. Since I will be doing the cooking, I decided to go with a family favorite, Giada DeLaurentis' Chicken Tetrazzini. This stuff is a bit of a pain to make but since it is so decadent and delicious, it is worth every minute it takes. I'm also going with a big Panzanella salad, the kids' favorite broccoli and Paula Deen's Brownies with Moose Track Ice Cream. I think everyone will be happy...and, if not, I grabbed some Bob Evans Mac & Cheese just in case "someone" gets picky. Lol

I decided to still make little goodies bags for the kids just because I always have but, with schools using more and more technology, a lot of the old stand by essentials are no longer needed. I grabbed some hand sanitizer, Kleenex, mechanical pencils, M&Ms and Smarties. They will also take home the supplies I use to decorate the table so I think we're good.

I wasn't sure how I would present the goodies but, on looking through my craft closet, I came upon a package of small yellow bags that I must have picked up last year. A few black lines and we are good to go.

I found this M&M download at oh!rubbish!blog and it was a simple matter of printing, cutting and attaching! And, believe me, they would rather have the edible stuff than any of the school supplies. Lol

 

Here is what I have so far. If I don't need an ark to run out tomorrow, I may grab a few more things. If not, we're good to go.

I will try to remember to take some pictures and I'll be back soon. Stay tuned.

This year's back-to-school photos. The "little" kids started on Monday...

Harrison's high school on Tuesday...

And Olivia's high school in St. Pete on Wednesday. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this is her last "first" picture! Sob!!

It's Officially Official!!

Even though I posted the kids back-to-school pictures, it is never officially the start for me until we have some sort of get-together. We have many, many obstacles in our way these days-schedules just keep getting crazier-but I usually hold out and in the end, we find a way to make it work. This year was no exception.

Even though I would rather have the kids here for a day to do some crafts and cooking/baking, I will be happy with what I can get. And so, this year, I did the decorating, cooking and baking myself.

I used a lot of my old stand-bys again this year. I love the red, black and school bus yellow color theme...and, of course, apples, notebooks, pencils, crayons flash cards and "book worms".

I wanted something on the menu that I could make ahead...I would rather be visiting than cooking when everyone is here. But, I also wanted to try something new. I started with this chicken dumpling casserole. Because it is done with layers and not all mixed together and has a dough batter as one of the layers, I wasn't sure if I could assemble it too much earlier than when it was oven ready. I did do all of the prep on each of the steps ahead and because it bakes for almost an hour, it worked out well. I must say, this was delicious and I will make it again!

I also made steamed broccoli and cauliflower, a huge salad and cheesey garlic pull-apart bread. The bread tasted good but I don't think it was worth the effort of all of the steps that it took to make. I thought it looked better than just garlic bread, but I don't think I will make it again. I think by the end of the prep for this meal, every kitchen appliance and lots of pots and pans had been put to use!

It was kind of nice doing this this year after school had already started. We got to hear all about the kids' new classes, teachers and changes-this year's biggest change being NO HOMEWORK in elementary schools. The new superintendent did lots of research and doesn't see the benefits of it. She would rather the kids read at night. I must say, I have not met many upset parents either as trying to get kids homework done after they have had football practice, riding lesson and some semblance of a family dinner can be nerve wracking-not to mention then baths and getting stuff ready for the next day. I guess we shall see where this leads.

Normally the kids would be making the dessert but with this year's schedule-and the "need" to get into the pool", I baked this cookie pizza ahead. Then, I just gave Presley the necessary equipment and she got going on this.

I love how our "one smart cookie" turned out! We served it up with moose tracks ice-cream and dessert was a hit!

Meet the newest member of the Holland clan. This guy is a golden doodle but his father was a standard size black poodle and I guess he is going to lean way more in that direction. He is about 18 months old and tall! His head can get right onto any table in the house so a food sentry is needed once you start serving. But, he truly is a gentle giant and gets along so well with his much smaller golden doodle sister.

So, of course, you know what this means. In my head, if the kids are back in school, summer is over!! Yep, I couldn't stand it another minute...I have started bringing out the fall. I figured if I didn't do it soon, it wouldn't even be out a month before I start getting out the Halloween. Boy, time sure goes quickly in the life of a holiday and season obsessed crazy lady. Stay tuned.

Back-to-School Fun

Well, school started today and we were not able to squeeze in our traditional back-to-school fun so plan B is to have them over this weekend-or next if they have to head out of town this week-and fit in what we can. If nothing else, the kids can make the dessert and I can handle the meal. Since they will have a bit of school under their belts, we can hear all about it.

In any case, there will be favor bags that I make up so I went ahead with them today. For some reason, I got brown paper lunch sacks in my head so I went with that. They're really not as cute as I had envisioned but once they see them and tear into them, it really won't matter any way.

This year I filled their bags with hand sanitizer, chap stick, pencils, pens, glue sticks, the traditional "Smarties" and cool pencil holders. The boys' are industrial looking with several zippers and fit into a 3-ring binder and Presley's is just clear but full of glitter...just right up her alley! They will also take home the gummy worms and composition books I bought after we use them in the table decorations.

Presley had a small birthday party this week before school started and we were so happy to be there. It was really hot outside so once we headed out, hubby and I pretty much rooted ourselves on the covered porch and watched the fun from there-hence, not many activity pictures but they had fun!

As you can probably tell, the theme was "horses" fitting in with Presley's new passion.

One activity will be Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Horse. Presley made the game board.

Then, of course, she wanted a pinata. Mom was kind of hoping they would have enough else to do that they might forget about it but no such luck. 

One of the few times they were quiet was when they were all concentrating on the horse paintings. There were stencils available for them to adhere and paint over, trace around and fill in or just plan sketch and paint. It is always so much fun to see how different else painting turns out!

Some of the master pieces.

I love that face although I'm not sure what caused it!

And then today, the four youngest of our grand children headed back to school. So hard to believe that we're down to just four. The other three will have their first days of college this year but I guess it's just not the same without Mom there forcing a smile when you really are not at all happy that your summer vacation has just ended-lol!

I just got back from the pumpkin patch-yep, I got first pick of this year's beauties. I'll explain soon. Stay tuned.