Periogies

Gheesh...HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?? We've been quarantined for what? Three years?

For me, the first month was mostly about shock and denial. I SIMPLY COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING...

By the second month, I settled down, I quit watching the news, cleared off my treadmill and actually began to DIG OUT my basement...

Depending on where you live -- America is starting to step out. Fingers crossed...with a little common sense....we'll soon be on the other side of this pandemic.

When we look back at this time, I hope there will be some things I remember fondly...

Like -- for example -- COOKING.

I fell in love with Michael Symon...and he inspired me to make make John's childhood periogies.

It was a rainy day...we'd been cooped up for awhile...and this was the PERFECT thing.

The dough was easy.  2 c. flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 1/4 c. water...

The filling is mashed potatoes with LOTS of shredded cheese.

Our shapes were all over the place...

NOT very uniform, that's for sure...

I dropped them in boiling water...in just a few minutes, they rise to the top.

Then, of course, I fried them in butter (with LOTS of onions)

I could make up a story about how much the kids loved making periogies...

But that would be a lie. They only lasted long enough for me to snap this one picture...

So -- much like the pandemic itself -- I am hoping periogie making remembers better than it lived...

Happy Anniversary, John!

Happy Anniversary, John!! I can hardly believe we are OLD NOW. Wow. We are grandparents!!

You are a wonderful husband -- even though it took years of patience and training on my part.

Luckily -- you were a wonderful Grandpa from the first moment...One of Lilly's favorite things to do when she visits is to take a walk in the yard and go see the chickens...

You helped Lillian make pancakes for her Daddy's birthday...

And you are a busy man, with many hobbies you love. Golf, hunting, you love gardening...


having people over for hummingbird lunches...

You are a man of few words -- like John Wayne in the "Quiet Man". Fortunately, I learned from Oprah that people SHOW love and RECEIVE love in very different ways. But it took me years to realize that you show love by fixing things...

And -- the nicest thing you did for me last year was this...



Gheesh...this post is already WAY TOO LONG...

But you know what you did, babe. And I smile when I see it every single day...thanks again for hanging in there with me. I have never been happier...

Apparently -- I show love by BLOGGING ABOUT YOU...!!

BREAKFAST WITH MY GIRLFRIENDS

When I decided to write about how much I enjoy eating breakfast in a restaurant... I had no idea how easy it would be to find pictures!! Last summer, during our fabulous Chicago visit -- Marion & I started every single day with a fabulous breakfast...


Really -- it is my FAVORITE meal of the day. I have always loved, loved, loved going "out" to eat breakfast. Maybe because it's the best time of the day for a busy young Mom, like my friend Anne, to carve out a bit of visiting time...

Whenever Mary comes for a visit -- we ALWAYS get off to a rousing start with a great girlfriend breakfast...

And, of course, it's always a good chance for a "Sew-And-Tell" (okay, mostly, that's mostly about Judy)...

It is absolutely the ONLY time I ever get to visit with my busy friend Sue...and a couple of times a year, we try to carve out a day -- ALWAYS starting with breakfast...

Of course, even when it's business, like my recent trip to Chicago to meet with Rhonda Pierce -- she KNOWS we need to find the best breakfast restaurant in the suburbs...to get us off to the right start!!

And, every Tuesday -- I actually have my breakfast "clubbers". Wow. WHAT A LUCKY GIRL I AM...

Really. I could have posted a hundred different breakfast pictures...and I remember every one as a time of laughter and joy. Make more time for breakfast with your girlfriends! It's a great, energizing way to start your day. Nobody has to cook or clean...it is the most guilt-free time of any day...nobody has to rush home to meet a schoolbus or start dinner...

Yep. The more I think about it -- the more I realize I owe my happiness and my sanity to BREAKFAST WITH MY GIRLFRIENDS...