Wassup???

There's nothing better than hangin' with friends---scrapbooking, reading, stitching, eating, drinking, listening to good music and having an "Anne of Green Gables" marathon! It's just heaven out there. Add to that, a mid-week swim at Nancy's where Katie made lunch and waited on us. All in all, a great week. I'll post some of the layouts soon.

I got home on Friday and prepared for the arrival of the Lapps family. Greg is on the quest for a new job. Sandy and he are in Houston (actually, Beaumont---near Houston) to check out the area. They haven't decided which job he'll take, but are grateful for so many choices.

Anyway, they arrived on Friday night. We started Saturday with a trip to the mall. Last weekend, I saw the cutest sun dress at Nordstroms that I thought would be perfect for Mindy. It was. That meant, I needed to get dresses for Stephanie and Sandy. Then I decided that since Victoria's birthday is at the end of the month, I'd let her come and feel special to get to go with the big girls. One look on Elizabeth's face and I couldn't leave her behind. As it turns out, one dress purchase has turned in to 7! I'll be taking Morgan and Jordan this week. Oh well, that's a nice way to kick off our vacation. Did I mention we're taking the family to the Dominican Republic this year? Cheaper than Disney---which is our family's favorite vacation destination.

By noon, the entire family gathered for another swim party, bbq and games. There are 11 of us, but with assorted friends, that made 16 here. When it comes to pools, "size" doesn't really matter. Proof:

Everyone hangs together. When the little kids start getting too wild and "splashy," we make them move to the other end of the pool.

I included this picture because Mindy and her friend Drew went to the "Gay Pride" parade in the morning where she got this temporary tattoo. The guy asked her if she was a dragon or dolphin type of girl. No questions there.

I was in the pool for about an hour and a half, then had to start cooking. The girls are so willing to pitch in to help, but I love seeing them all have a good time. Just makes extra work for me. The amount of food this family consumes is unbelievable. I started with appetizers---guacamole and pizza dip---a new recipe from Connie.

Pizza Dip

1- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1-14 oz. jar pizza sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 pkg. mini pepperonis or cut up big ones

Spread cream cheese in 10x8 or similar casserole. Pour pizza sauce on top (not necessary to use all of the sauce---maybe save half for another time.)

Sprinkle cheese over top. Place pepperoni on top of cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

I got ribs from Corky's (guess how much---$103.00). I did all the side dishes and a few new things. We had fried corn---Karolyn's recipe. 14 ears of corn cut off the cob and cooked with butter. Squash from Nancy's garden, tomato salad and fresh lima beans. I love vegetables at this time of year.

To be continued....