Our First Fall Weekend

   Kiley, Jared, Parnel, Hannah and Keira

With her sweet hubby, Parnel, in Ohio moving his parents, Hannah planned a Girls' Game Night at her home Friday night.  The female  troops arrived to her yummy crock pot always filled with an outrageously splendid aroma, and feasted on burritos!!  After a stargazing extravaganza in the backyard, the little ones went to bed and the games began!!!!! Friend Ashlyn and her baby Grace joined the festivities for an evening of laughter, snacks, and hearty competition!!  Following a long day working at the Genesis office and then serving at B.J.'s, Joanna arrived exhausted but stayed awake as long as she could keep her eyelids popped open! All night long the girls had one eye on the door, hoping Laura would surprise everyone and crash the party!

Skip and I escaped to a delicious dinner at The Olive Garden (thank you, Laura, for introducing us to Gnocchi Soup), then drove home to enjoy a strangely quiet and deserted house!  (I think it was the closest we have ever came to the empty nest). We enjoyed every minute of it!

Today we awoke to an early time in the Bible together (Professor Horner's Bible Reading System) which was our first day without Sarah at our table (she is living with Hannah this week).   As I then attacked the kitchen to stir up cousin "Judy Tate's Pasta Salad" for the church picnic, Skip worked in the garage fixing a much needed fan with his sidekick, Landon, at his side "helping"!                                                                                    

Esther's son, Landon

Judy's Pasta Salad

1/2 lb. Rotelli Pasta

1/2 sliced pepperoni

4 stalk celery, cl iced

1/2 chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 chopped sweet green pepper

 1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 shopped red onion

1/2 sliced fresh mushrooms

(I added sliced peppercini's)

Chablis Dressing 

1 1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup Chablis wine

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. chopped basil

1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper

1/2 salt

1/2 tsp lemon pepper

 1/2 granulated garlic

1 tsp. ground rosemary

3/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tsp ground oregano

1 tsp ground marjoram

1 tsp dry mustard

Blend. Pour over salad, chill and enjoy!  This is delicious but I usually use a bottle of Zesty Italian dressing since I am usually running late:)

The church picnic was a blast--we have such an unbelievable church family at Faith Community Church whom we love dearly!!!! Hannah and her sweet girls came as well as Paul and his fabulous four!  Sarah spent the afternoon painting faces so we had tigers, butterflies, pandas, and fairies running all over the picnic area!!!!  She had such fun and did a remarkable job!!!!
                                                                       

                                                               Xander--Paul's son

It was such a creative picnic with softball, basketball, ceramics, painting, and a treasure hunt for the kids! Everyone went home with smiles!