I love a parade...or whirlwind!

G-man's folks have been staying with us since Thursday, heading home tomorrow. It's been a bit of a flying visit; I think the Juj was hoping for a bit more time together, but with school, and the school's Fall Festival as well as the church's annual Halloween Party on Saturday, and church on Sunday...well, it's been a whirlwind.

Actually managed to get a photo of us early in the evening at the Halloween party for a change, so I hope to post a picture of the "Fam In Black" soon. We went in MIB costumes - black suits, shades, and name tags that said "G", "D", and "J". And in the cakewalk, "J" won some mini-cupcakes that are still calling to me from their home in the microwave (safe from the cats, not so safe from me and Gram).

In other good news, I received my official offer letter from the company that is buying out my division. Nice equitable offer, including vacation & benefits, and so I guess my employment situation is as secure as any can be in this day and age. *phew & blessings counted*

On the food front, we hit Babe's Chicken en famille Friday night. Next time, gotta remember that it's BYOB, in Carrollton at least.

Saturday night, I made a quick pot of corn chowder (hooray for frozen potatoes o'brien -- that's the heart of your system, along with some nice southwest spices).

Sunday, Ron and Elsa joined us and we had:

• Arugula, Avocado & Fennel Salad, simply dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and perhaps a bit much salt (inspired by Verdura)
• Chicken Provencal with Orange Peel, Saffron, and Basil (thanks, Cook's Illustrated)
• Polenta with Parmesan
• Lemony Haricots Vertes with lemon-thyme & lemon zest
• Pair of Sugar Free Ricotta Cremes: Citrus and Mocha (inspired by Verdura & South Beach Diet book)

Tonight, I made a quick and yummy supper of

• Sauteed pork chops with my spicy-sweet BBQ rub
• Savory apple chutney (leftovers from the freezer, but just as delicious as the first time)
• Can o' baked beans
• Green beans & polenta reprise from Sunday

Not sure what the week will bring, other than a conference call too damn early tomorrow, then the hubster is off to Cleveland Wednesday for a UUCF board meeting, and J & I have a birthday party to attend, then Halloween weekend, then hopefully dinner with friends the next weekend, then a little surgery for me (more on that later; nothing major, except it will require some bed rest, and you can bet that will mean too much time on the intar-web for me), then before you know it, Thanksgiving, and then maybe the deal will close and the new employer will be official (God and government regulators willing), and then Christmas and New Year's...I'm tired just thinking about it!

Oh, and for all you cold-blooded sun worshippers, I have to show my true (Northerner) colors -- I LOVE our recent weather. Rainy and clouds is so much more autumnal than sun and humidity. Although it would be nice if it would get cold enough to kill off the fleas and mosquitoes! (Pet owners, can I get an "amen" on the flea infestation?! Worst summer ever; have had indoor cats for ten years here and this is the first time we've had a flea problem.)

...and there she goes!

Well, I was happy to get Sunday supper with our extended familia back up last week, but with the G-man gone this weekend (off to Minnesota to help the good folks there remember that not everyone is Anglo, straight, middle-aged and male -- although yes, I know that he actually does qualify on most of those counts), I'm thinking that I will not be cooking for more than two tonight.

Last night, after coming home from not one but two birthday parties (admittedly with pizza included at both), the best I could manage was frozen butternut squash pasta with frozen veggies, browned butter, sage & pepitas for me, and popcorn with apples & peanut butter-n-honey for the Juj. In bed, no less.

Today should be less intense -- only one birthday party this afternoon and luckily it doesn't involve ice skating or a family-based entertainment center since it's for our favorite one-year-old -- but I do have a fair amount of work (office work, yard work, AND housework) that could use to be done, so I'm thinking that State Fair will have to wait for next year. And family dinner will have to wait for next week, when the in-laws will be in town.

Gil and I did get to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary on Friday, with a nice dinner and walk around a bookstore. It's amazing how quickly time passes; I've known Gil for almost half my life now.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that we are no longer the college kids we once were -- skipping class to go to Disneyland, putting our bare hands into scary circuit boxes at rinky-dink Equity-waiver theaters, driving around in pick-ups (first all squeezed into college roommate Jefe's little truck, then chugging around L.A. in the big white rust-bucket that G bought from one of the staff at CalArts), or even the thirty-somethings who got married in a fancy hotel in Dallas with 50 of our closest family & friends in attendance, good food, and a little jazz combo ten years ago (and had to edit the judge's standard vows to make sure we could get through them without crying) -- but we've had a quite a ride growing up together and apart (thanks to touring dance companies, far flung theme parks, and all...) And now we have this giant 2nd grader who wants to be a Beatle -- or a MIB, or maybe just a spy a la James Bond -- for Halloween in the black suit his dad bought him on eBay.

Dearest husband -- I love you, and I am looking forward to many returns of the day!

Sunday Supper Club starts up again!

It must be fall! I may be busy beyond belief, but I loved making dinner for the extended family this evening (Uncle R & Tia E joined us). It was even nice and cool the past couple of days; most of my dinner companions were complaining about the overcast, but I love it!

Excellent menu from Martha, 'cept I substituted these incredible pumpkin boule rolls from Whole Foods for the brioche in the caramel croutons for dessert (and added a salad of mixed baby lettuces and grated beets):

• Boneless Pork Chops with Apple Chutney
• Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Mustard Greens and Onions
• Ice Cream with Caramel Brioche Croutons

Happy autumn...

(Oh, and I planned out quick cooking menus for the week; three nights of Rachel Ray and a nice bourride in the works. And Friday will be a nice dinner out a deux to celebrate our anniversary before G-man scoots out of town for the weekend.)

Zooommmm....

I've really been wanting to write.

I've even started a post or two -- dinner menus, Juj's birthday bash, my parents' visit, etc. -- and it would have been great to "live blog" my recent Massachusetts to Nashville road trip with my BFF from college as I even took a picture or two. But alas! time passes faster than I can believe, and many projects -- big and small, personal, familial, household, or for the office -- do not get done in a timely manner, or I try to figure how to cross them off the list altogether.

So this will have to do as a placeholder and a promise, in a stolen early morning moment while my internal clock is still on Eastern Time. A promise to myself of more posts, and more pictures, and a promise to forgive myself when I get sucked up instead in the whirlwind that is September through December. (And it should be even more intense this year, with the deal closing that will sell "my" division off to another company.) So wish me luck, and know that I'm thinking about public navel gazing, but I can barely manage any private naval gazing at the present time...