Menu Monday ~ Blog Hop

April 4, 2016 By Deanna Piercy 5 Comments

We leave for New Orleans on Thursday so there isn’t any point in making a menu for this week. Our meals will consist of whatever perishables we have on hand and whatever is easy!

I don’t want to leave you hanging with no inspiration for your own menu, though, so I’ve asked a few of my blog friends to share some recipes and menu ideas.

Monday:

Bethany at The Glamorous Housewife

“Bringing the lost art of homemaking back to the modern housewives of the world!”

This meal works beautifully for “meatless Monday”. Be sure to take a look at the hilarious videos for these recipes. Bethany is a real hoot!

Tuesday:

Victoria at A Modern Homestead

“Creating a thriving homestead in the middle of the big city. Dealing with the challenges and joys of an everyday modern homestead life…”

Lemon Honey Chicken
Christmas Day Fried Rice
garlic stir fried green beans

Fried rice is always a hit with my family and Lemon Honey Chicken looks like a delicious accompaniment. If you’re interested in cooking from scratch, canning and other methods of food preservation be sure to check out Victoria’s blog.

Wednesday:

Alyssa at Good + Simple

“Good + Simple is a blog that’s all about making life better while keeping things simple. Food, home, family life, entertaining, and more…”

“Walking Guacamole” with Grilled Avocado and tortilla chips
Simple Slow Cooker Meal: Mexican Shredded Pork

Hardly a week goes by that we don’t have Mexican food at least once. Mexican food in a slow cooker? Even better. Alyssa also has a nice collection of posts on decluttering and organizing which you might want to check out.

Thursday:

Bren at Bren Did

“Creative ideas to make a healthy, happy home a reality → simple recipes, natural cleaning tips, non-toxic body care, DIY projects & easy crafts.”

I love curry and this easy butter chicken curry recipe looks like a real winner. If you enjoy crafts and DIY you are going to love Bren’s site. Be prepared to PIN ALL THE THINGS!

Friday:

Hilary at Pulling Curls

“Blogging about pregnancy, parenting and family hacks to help families run smoother and find more joy.”

Chicken Pesto Pizza

It’s Friday and if you’ve had a busy week you’ll love this easy pizza recipe. Serve it with a salad and then settle in for the night with a good movie. If you have kids you’ll find lots of helpful information on Hilary’s blog.

Melissa at This is How We Adult

“We are so passionate about making this whole “adult” life work for us. We’ve been through it and back again. We blog all about that here. We are on mission to create a home + life on budget with intention.”

Chocolate Granola

After dinner why not whip up a batch of chocolate granola? After 10 minutes you turn off the oven and leave it overnight. Imagine the delight of your kids (or husband!) when you serve them this treat for breakfast. Do look at Melissa’s DIY projects, too.

Saturday:

Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green

“Retro Housewife Goes Green is a lifestyle blog about green living, homemaking, vintage fashion, and more!”

I make up the dry mix for these cheddar biscuits and keep it in the fridge. I can then whip up these scrumptious biscuits in nothing flat. Lisa also has lots of yummy dessert recipes on her blog which reminds me how much I miss having her at home baking for us. Yes, Lisa is my daughter. 🙂

Sunday:

Laura at Little Bits of Granola

“simple + natural living… one crumb at a time.”

I absolutely love banana cake so as soon as we get back from New Orleans I will be giving this one a try. Laura does a weekly menu on her blog, too. Oh, and she just had a baby! Congratulations, Laura!

~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Menu Monday and the opportunity to “meet” some of my blog friends. Next week I’ll be doing something special again for Menu Monday while we are in New Orleans. Be sure to watch for it.

Meal Planning Ideas

I’m linked up on I’m an Organizing Junkie.

French Friday ~ “Forever Chic” (Chapter 5)

June 13, 2014 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Chapter Five

Le Régime

The Art of Eating Well

Ask most anyone what aspect of the stereotypical “French woman” is most envied and I would wager the #1 response is the ability to stay slim despite all that delicious French food and wine. Or is that just me? Non, I’m sure it’s not.

In Chapter Five, author Tish Jett delves into this mystery. Yes, French women do indulge in cheese, wine, chocolate, etc. However it’s not quite as mysterious as it seems. There are any number of little tricks the average French woman uses to keep her svelte figure.

Here are some of my favorites from this chapter:

Minimal snacking. The French as a whole discourage indiscriminate snacking between meals. Even children are generally expected to follow a three-meal-a-day eating routine, with perhaps a small, planned afternoon snack (le goûter).
Plenty of fruits and vegetables. Healthy eating is important and by filling up on fruits and veggies, which are generally low in calories, one will consume fewer calories overall.
Mindful eating. Make deliberate choices, eat sitting down, and truly focus on your meals.
A first course of salad or soup. This is something I’ve found to be truly helpful. We don’t do it all the time, or even most of the time, but when I serve a salad or something else as a first course, I find that we eat less overall. Tonight, for instance, I’m serving artichokes as an appetizer. Experience has taught me that we will be full on smaller portions of the main course.
Enjoy your food. This is my absolute favorite tip. Food should be delicious and it should bring true pleasure. Don’t eat just to eat. Prepare delicious meals and then take the time to savor them. And if you decide to indulge in a piece of dark chocolate, don’t feel guilty. Eat it slowly, perhaps with a cup of tea, and enjoy every tiny bite.

~~~~

You can read my reviews of previous chapters by clicking on the links below:

Chapter 1: The Allure of La Femme Française d’un Certain Âge

Chapter 2: Skin Care

Chapter 3: Makeup

Chapter 4: Hair Rules

What I’m Into (October 2013 Edition)

November 6, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 3 Comments

Autumn on Apple Tree Farm

I’m rather late with this but we just returned from our New Orleans trip late Monday night and I’m still recovering. David and I both started with some mild cold symptoms on our way home. So far we’ve kept the crud at bay with regular doses of “The Potion” (I’ll post the recipe at the bottom of this post) but it’s nipping at our heels and adding to our usual post-NOLA exhaustion.

When we left for New Orleans it was still October and the landscape was still mostly green. We came home to Apple Tree Farm swathed in hues of red and gold. It’s quite lovely but damp and cool. I did my best to enjoy the warm weather in New Orleans and even managed to get just the perfect amount of slightly-pink-sunburn on my shoulders one afternoon by the river. Unless we win the lottery and take a winter vacation to the tropics that will be the last dose of color my fair skin sees for months.

So, let’s take a look at what I was into for the month of October:

Trips and Fun Stuff

We took our usual 11 day trip to New Orleans which was an absolute blast. As always. I’ll have a post devoted to that probably tomorrow, complete with pictures. For now I’ll just say that we enjoyed beautiful weather, delicious food, incredible music, and best of all – good times with great friends.

Around My Home

David installed our new wood blinds in the family room and I decorated for Halloween/Autumn. You can see photos of my decorated house in the post, “Getting Cozy for Fall”.

I also did a post for a contest on Blogelina in which I shared photos of “My Blogging Space”.

Reading – Books and Blogs

Our local library’s annual book sale is always a favorite event for me. There’s nothing quite like a new stash of books. You can see a photo and a list of this year’s treasures on my post, “Library Book Sale Haul”.

I started reading “Forever Chic” by Tish Jett for our first book club selection on the French Chic Yahoo Group I help moderate. I was in New Orleans for Chapter Two but I’ll catch up this Friday. You can read my review of Chapter One here.

In addition to “Forever Chic”, I’ve been reading two books this past month:

Chazing Cezanne by Peter Mayle (author of “A Year in Provence”)
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey

Watching – Movies, T.V. and YouTube

I’m not sure that we watched any movies this past month. I know we didn’t go to the movies and I really don’t think we watched any at home, either. We watched the first few episodes of The Big Bang Theory on Netflix but otherwise I can’t recall watching much of anything except The Daily Show which we usually watch while eating dinner.

Listening – Music

I’ve been listening to a lot of blues, both on Spotify and on the Bluesville station on XM Radio in the car. I discovered Solomon Burke on Spotify. I also listened to the new Avett Brothers album.

While in New Orleans we listened to live music every day. We saw John Boutté at d.b.a., as well as catching shows by our musician friends:

We also attended the first two nights of Voodoo Fest where we saw Macklemore, Pearl Jam (absolutely fabulous show!), Gaslight Anthem, Paramore and Nine Inch Nails.

Food – Recipes, Restaurants and Grocery Hauls

I made two lovely loaves of challah, one for World Communion Day at church and one for us. Yummy! The recipe is on my Breads and Rolls Pinterest board.

Since we would be out of town for eleven days I opted to skip the monthly big shopping trip with my daughter. I focused on using up perishables and made do with “A small grocery haul” from a local store.

As you might expect, we enjoyed some amazing food in New Orleans. Highlights included dinners at:

Adolfo’s
Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro – Toasted ravioli with crawfish cream sauce – best meal of the trip!
Rocky and Carlo’s
Coop’s Place

Lunches at:

Late night/early morning:

Clover Grill

And on our way home Monday night (yeah, that’s November but I’m including it here) we stopped at In-N-Out for burgers and fries. They are fairly new to this part of the country and we don’t have any in Oklahoma (yet!) so it’s a treat. Oh, and I also enjoyed raw oysters one evening – something I had been craving for weeks.

On This Blog

– I shared my thoughts about family and how we are called to care for one another in the post, “Living in Community”.

– For the 7th year in a row (since the very beginning) I participated in Blog Action Day. This year the topic was human rights. I chose to write about “Hunger in America“.

– I chose the important over the urgent and spent a little while “Soaking up the sunshine”.

I’m getting a late start but this month I’ll be doing NaNoWriMo. David has encouraged me to get serious about writing a book so I’m using this as a jump start of sorts. Because of that my posts here may be scanty. And if you follow me on Facebook you’ll find me less prolific there, as well. In fact, if you see me posting much please remind me I am supposed to be writing!

So, that’s what I’ve been into this past month. I’d love to hear what’s been going on in your life. Leave me a comment and if you have a blog, I’ll pay you a visit.

~~~~~

Check out other “What I’m Into” posts linked on Hopeful Leigh and if you blog you can add your own.

*The Potion:
1 oz. water
1 tbls. elderberry concentrate
1 dropper full of each:

olive leaf
colloidal silver

3 drops oil of oregano
1 packet Emergen-C

Mix all, adding Emergen-C last. Stir, shoot, chase with more water.

(The original recipe also includes echinacea which I don’t take because I’m allergic to ragweed and they are related, and goldenseal which I just don’t happen to have on hand. I also usually add a shot of vodka to my bedtime dose. I figure the alcohol might kill some germs and if nothing else, it will help me sleep.)

Life is still good in New Orleans

October 28, 2013 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Just a quick update:

We arrived in New Orleans Friday afternoon and have been going strong ever since. Music, food, and friends…yes, life is still good here. Today we have three music shows to catch – Rhythm and Rain, Debi and the Deacons, and Mark and the Pentones. It’s good to have such talented friends but it’s hard to make it to all of their shows! We are doing our best, though.

A small grocery haul

October 14, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

I did my last grocery haul September 18th, so nearly a month ago. Since then I haven’t shopped at all. David picked up a loaf of bread and some chips at one point but otherwise – nothing. I’m not planning to do my usual monthly shopping trip with Lisa this month because we will be in New Orleans for 11 days. We’ll do a big pre-holiday shopping trip in November but in the meantime I’m making do with what I have on hand (which is still a lot) and filling in a bit locally.

After church and lunch out with friends yesterday, we stopped by the local grocery store. David stayed in the truck (which we took instead of my car because we had a LOT of recycling to drop off) playing games on his phone while I ran in and picked up enough to see us through until we go to New Orleans.

Organic items are pretty few and far between at this little store but I figure since the vast majority of what I buy is organic, a few exceptions now and then won’t kill us. I also indulged in a couple of things, such as Halloween candy for the candy dish I keep on our entry table.

Apple Market-

organic milk
lettuce
organic spinach
tomato
celery (this is something I hate not to buy organic but I really needed it for a couple of dishes)
bell pepper (same as celery)
green onions
pineapple
bananas
bbq chips
English muffins
blue cheese salad dressing
sour cream
potato bread (no trans fats or HFCS)
flour tortillas
sliced cheddar cheese
Earl Grey tea (my usual subscription for organic Earl Grey is out of stock at Amazon)
crunchy Chinese noodles (made Chinese chicken salad last night)
jar of jalapeño slices
croutons
Halloween candy (1 bag Hershey Kisses in fall colors)
conditioner for David

I always donate my receipts from this local store to a food bank so I don’t know the exact total. It was right around $65, though.

Now I need to work on menus to make sure we use up all the perishables before our vacation!

What I’m Into (July 2013 Edition)

August 2, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 4 Comments

July has been a month of ups and downs, celebration and mourning, reconnecting and letting go. I am never in a hurry for summer to end but I must admit I am ready to bid July adieu.

Celebrations

July started out on a positive note with my sweet daughter’s birthday:

Memory Lane Monday: Our Sunshine Baby

And of course there was the 4th of July which we spent watching fireworks with friends. Well, until the local goofballs started setting fires. But we did get to finish the night with live music.

Around My Home

For a variety of reasons there is little to report on this front. I was getting a lot of cherry tomatoes at the beginning of the month but a grasshopper invasion of biblical proportions stripped most of the leaves and the plants are struggling. I haven’t taken on any major household projects, either.

Reading – Books and Blogs

Books: I’ve been reading “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” by Rachel Joyce, which two of my readers recommended. I’m a little over halfway through and I can’t quite decide what I think of it. On the one hand, it’s rather slow and very different. But I also can’t give up on it. I need to know how the journey ends. I’ll let you know what I think when I finish it.

I’ve also been reading “Gracious Living in a New World” by Alexandra Stoddard. I love her books and own many of them. I’ve had this one for several years but for some reason never read past the first few pages. I’m really enjoying it this go round and will have more to share about it in a future post.

In the car I’m listening to “Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion” by the Dalai Lama and Paul Eckman. A little heavy at times but still quite interesting.

Blogs:

Despite the fact I’ve accomplished little around the house this month, or perhaps because of that, I’ve been experiencing a surge of interest in my home. I’ve pulled out some favorite shelter magazines to browse through and I’ve been spending more time reading home-related blogs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Apartment Therapy

Offbeat Home

The Inspired Room

Watching – Movies, T.V. and YouTube

T.V. – Other than episodes of Frasier and Cheers I can’t recall much of anything we’ve watched this month. David managed to catch up on True Blood but I’m so far behind I’m not sure I’ll ever get back into it.
Movies – We finally figured out what the movie was which we saw on our first date – Dirty Mary Crazy Larry. I ordered a copy from Amazon and we watched it. Yep, that was it. Mystery solved. While looking for it on Amazon I also checked to see if Endless Love was finally available on DVD and it was. We saw this shortly after we got married and I’d also read the book. There were elements of the story which have always reminded me of the passion David and I have for one another, as well as the attempted thwarting of young love by family (I’ll eventually get around to that part of our love story). David had managed to find a used VHS copy years ago but since we no longer have a VCR I was happy to finally find it on DVD. It’s a Korean copy but was just fine. We watched it last Friday as part of our “at home” date night. Sigh…
I also had the opportunity to watch “Midnight in Paris” again, this time with Lisa and Kadi as we enjoyed a nice girls afternoon. Kadi then lent me “Coco Before Chanel” which I finished watching Monday evening while David was at a meeting. Lovely movie.

YouTube: This one made me cry and then made me more determined than ever to do what I can to alleviate the suffering of others.

Listening – Music

I’ve been feeling nostalgic and started putting together a Spotify playlist I named, “Childhood Memories”. Simon and Garfunkel, Jim Croce, The Carpenters, Ray Charles, Glen Campbell, Gordon Lightfoot… It’s a work in progress but if you have Spotify, you can see it here. I started looking for a copy of Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits album and when David heard I wanted it, he got on eBay and ordered an album for me. It arrived the other day and I’m going to make time to sit down and listen to it this evening. I did manage to find Cat Stevens and Steely Dan albums at a record store in Norman so they’ll be on my listening list later tonight, as well.

Food – Recipes, Restaurants and Grocery Hauls

I combined this and this, added my own touches and ended up with a delicious vegetarian casserole for dinner last night. I just had some of the leftovers for dinner this evening (David is out of town) and it is every bit as good the second time around.
Last Friday for our at home date night, I made a traditional French roast chicken. Delicious!

David and I haven’t eaten out much this month but when I was in California my cousin, Jeanne, treated me to a wonderful meal at the Savannah Chop House in Laguna Niguel. We both had the ribs with bourbon peach barbecue sauce, coleslaw and some amazing “Jalapeño Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes”. The meal was delicious and the opportunity to spend time together was truly special.

July Grocery Haul

Farmers Market Haul:

Out and About – Trips and Events

I already mentioned Lisa’s birthday and the 4th of July. I also made an unplanned trip to California to help my parents drive following my uncle’s diagnosis of leukemia. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. You can read my posts about the trip and my uncle here:

I never got around to blogging about it but last Wednesday I did a solo shopping trip to Norman. I went to Barnes and Noble, Bed Bath and Beyond, Victoria Secret (had some coupons!), Guestroom Records, Sprouts and Forward Foods. It had been ages since I spent a day shopping for things other than groceries. I came home with three magazines, new sheets for the guest bed, a couple of kitchen items I’ve had on my to-buy list, new bra and panties, two vinyl records, and a few grocery items. It was a rather nice day.

Featured Blog Posts

Special Moments

helping my parents make the long drive to California
the opportunity to see my dear uncle one last time
peeling and freezing dozens and dozens of peaches for my aunt
making homemade peach ice cream for my dad – twice!
reconnecting with a cousin I don’t see very often
watching special movies with David
a few precious minutes with my feet in the ocean
hot dogs and banana splits with my church family on a gorgeous summer evening:

I think that about wraps things up for July. If you write “What I’m Into” posts I’d love for you to leave me a link in the comments so I can read yours. I’m linking up with What I’m Into at Hopeful Leigh. You can also check out my daughter’s post here.

Love and the City

July 1, 2013 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

I often wonder what I ever did to deserve the life I live. This weekend was simply wonderful in every way. David and I had planned to leave Friday morning around 10 but it was more like 11 before we actually got out of town. We spent the drive reminiscing about the early days of our relationship and I even took some notes for my blog series, “The Hippie and the Pirate: A Love Story”. It was fun to relive those old memories.

We ate lunch in Norman and then did a little shopping at Kohl’s (David needed some Levis and a few shirts; I found a cute dress.). We arrived at the Skivin Hotel in Oklahoma City a little after 3 p.m. As soon as we got to our room the phone rang. Next thing I know a gorgeous bouquet was being delivered. David had arranged this for me even though he had already had flowers delivered on our actual anniversary. Yes, he spoils me.

He also had brought a bottle of champagne which he iced down but we never got around to drinking it this weekend. It’s now in our refrigerator just awaiting some random day when we feel like celebrating. Personally, I think we should celebrate ordinary days more often.

One of my cousins is a partner in a private investment company and he had invited us to come see their offices. About a year ago they moved to the Oklahoma Tower in downtown OKC, just a couple of blocks from the Skirvin. They are located on the 30th floor and the view is absolutely spectacular:

The entire suite of offices is impressive but the break room is what they are especially proud of. It’s designed to look like a pub, complete with a pinball machine, kitchenette, wine refrigerator and beer on tap. Here is my cousin getting ready to pour David a beer:

This picture doesn’t do it justice but you can get a bit of a sense what it’s like:

Back at the hotel we stopped at the Red Piano Lounge for pre-dinner drinks. We ended up having a great conversation with another regular as we so often do. We then went back to our room, changed clothes and got ready for dinner. Mike, the limo driver, gave us a ride to The Mantel:

We both had filets and they were perfect. After dinner we met up with *our* bartender and her husband. She was on vacation and not working at the Red Piano Lounge this weekend so she invited us to join them at The Wormy Dog Saloon to hear the Kyle Bennett Band. We’ve gone out with them before and it’s always a good time.

We finally called it a night at 2 a.m. and walked back to our hotel. Isn’t it beautiful at night?:

We ordered up room service for breakfast Saturday morning and then went back to bed. When I woke up it was almost 3:30. We were supposed to be at my cousin’s 50th birthday party at 4. Fortunately it was a come-and-go event! We arrived about 5 p.m. and had a thoroughly delightful time. Here is a picture of me with the birthday girl:

As you might guess, the party had a beach/luau theme. They had a really nice spread of finger foods and sandwiches on croissants. They were also mixing up pina coladas and daiquiris. Yum!

We had been hearing about this tree house they had recently had built for the kids:

Check this out. I would have LOVED this as a kid. Heck, I’d like it now.

The backyard is so nice and the kids were having a great time in the pool.

After an exceptionally nice time with everyone, David and I headed out across the city to the Hefner Grill. It’s located on Lake Hefner and I had read that dinner at sunset was really spectacular. There weren’t any tables available on the patio when we got there but they did seat us where we had a nice view out the windows. There was a four-piece jazz band playing, which was a nice touch.

Both of us ordered the blackened tilapia topped with shrimp and scallops. It was very good:

Before our meal was served I went out on the patio in order to get a couple of pictures. It was every bit as beautiful as I had hoped:

After dinner we went out on the patio and enjoyed the beautiful evening for perhaps 20 minutes or more. There were a few boats coming in, including a sailboat. Fish were jumping in the water below us and the temperature was so nice. It was just one of those perfect nights.

We then drove back to the Skirvin for a nightcap which turned into about 2 or 3 hours. We met a woman who is a teacher and had recently taught in Dubai. She travels a lot and we had such a fascinating discussion with her about, well, all sorts of things. I love talking to people who have had unusual experiences.

And speaking of unusual, at one point I ended up chatting with a guy with a HUGE goose egg above his eye. I don’t know the whole story but he was part of a wedding party that had come into the bar a little while after we got there. Ever the nurse, I had to ask if he’d lost consciousness after the fall and a couple of other questions. I then told his girlfriend what to watch for in case he had a concussion. Yes, I’m everyone’s mom.

This morning we had room service again, requested a late check-out and finally, reluctantly checked out at 1 p.m. We ate lunch at Abuelo’s in Bricktown and then headed home. Tomorrow we will be back to our usual routine but this weekend was a much-appreciated break and an opportunity to celebrate 32 years of wedded bliss. I’m a fortunate woman, indeed.

Adventures in Austin

March 1, 2013 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Have you ever had one of those weekends that was almost too fun to talk about rationally? Well, our trip to Austin last weekend was one of those. Train travel, a nice hotel, live music, great friends and a beard competition – what could be better?

I think I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

We arrived Saturday evening and we all went out for Mexican food. Everyone had had long days of traveling so we called it a night around 10:30. On Friday we all did some shopping and browsing in vintage shops. David and I didn’t buy anything but this hat was tempting:

Little Alex was quite the trooper:

David and I hit the record shops and added to our collection:

Marcus, the birthday boy, found himself a vintage suit and rocked it:

The place we tried to see live music Friday night was sold out so we went to The Continental Club and lucked into what pretty much amounted to a gospel revival in a bar. These guys are from Louisiana and absolutely awesome.

Friday night was beyond amazing. So much fun! On Saturday we did a little more shopping, ate lunch at the food trucks, went back to get ready and then met up for the main event, the Mohawk’s Beard and Mustache Competition. The line was down the street but fortunately we had all bought tickets in advance.

Larry and David tried to look as intimidating as the bear but it didn’t last long:

I had no idea what to expect at a beard competition but it was highly entertaining. We will definitely do it again sometime. Here’s our view from the outdoor balcony down toward the stage:

Marcus and David with Captain America:

Our whole crew plus one of the contestants:

These were the finalists. Can you guess who won?:

Part of our crew:

Can you tell we were having a great time?

After the competition was over we all decided we needed breakfast so we headed to the 24 Diner. The food was spectacular. I had chicken and waffles, a couple had the eggs benedict special, a couple more had sweet potato hash…everyone’s food was really, really good. And the service was outstanding. If you ever find yourself in Austin needing food in the middle of the night, I highly recommend this place.

But all good things must come to an end so at about 3:30 a.m. we went back to hotel so we could catch at least a little sleep before our train left Sunday morning at 9:30. We both did a lot of yawning and maybe a little snoring on the train home but it was all worth it. One of our group referred to this trip as “the best family vacation ever”. We might not be related but I’m happy to claim them all as family.

Today I decided we should have a little reunion so we are having the group over this Saturday for games and pizza. One of my goals for this year is to entertain more often even if it means putting aside my perfectionist tendencies regarding a spotless house and serving a home-cooked meal. I still enjoy those types of parties but I know we’ll have more gatherings if I don’t set the bar quite that high every time. This will be my inaugural “easy party” event. I’ll vacuum up the Shiloh hair and make sure there’s toilet paper in the bathroom but otherwise I refuse to work myself into a state of exhaustion before the party. I’ll let you know how it goes.

*The first few pictures are mine and the last four were taken by Lindsay Shane.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 25

November 25, 2012 By Deanna Piercy Leave a Comment

Last night we had my parents, Chris and Kadi, Lisa and Justin over for our own Thanksgiving meal. I cooked a turkey breast, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, peas, corn, and two coconut cream pies. My mom brought a really nice salad with all sorts of toppings and a pecan pie, and Lisa brought homemade rolls. It was quite a feast!

This house doesn’t have a formal dining room, something I really do miss at times. But we improvised. David picked up a large table and chairs from our church which we set up in the family room. I don’t think he quite understood why this was important to me – he would be just as happy for everyone to crowd around the table in the kitchen or even the coffee table in the family room – but he did it for me anyway. I pulled out my wedding china, crystal and my mom’s silver which she gave me year before last (she hadn’t used it in years and knew I would enjoy it). I quickly pulled together some items from around the house for the center arrangement. This sort of thing brings me pleasure. I’ve always loved to “play house”.

With our plates filled and one of Chris’ playlists on the stereo, we gathered together around the table. My dad offered the blessing and we then spent the next couple of hours enjoying good food and the company of people we love. We shared stories and laughed together and once again I was reminded of how blessed I am. Today I give thanks for the pleasure of breaking bread with loved ones.

Thursday Three…Tastes Like Summer

July 22, 2010 By Deanna Piercy 6 Comments

I haven’t done one of these in ages! I just finished eating the most succulent, juicy, sweet peach and was reminded with the first bite that THIS is what summer tastes like. Here are my top three “tastes like summer” treats:

Peaches
Corn on the cob, slathered in butter and seasoned with a little salt and a lot of pepper
Homemade ice cream

What about you? What taste treats remind you of summer?

Photo by Gabrielaaa

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