Happy Early 30th Anniversary to Me...

For those of you that know me well, you know I love old rather than new, retro rather than contemporary, aged imperfection rather than modern perfection. That's why I have been searching for a vintage dinette set to go with my retro 50's kitchen. I have been looking for years for something in my price range that is original and in decent condition (not perfect condition, but decent). Well, today, my favorite fella brought home an early 30th anniversary present for me. Our actual anniversary is not until June, but I will be beaming from ear to ear about this find for many anniversaries to come.

Thank you, Honey! It's absolutely perfect for me...just like you.

FDN (Family Dinner Night)

One of the things I really missed when I became an empty nester last year was cooking for my family. After some thought, I came up with the idea of a weekly family dinner night at my house so I could fulfill my passion for cooking, my love for finding new recipes, and my mother's heart to nurture my kiddos. Steve was totally on board with the idea, so I quicky zipped off emails to all the kiddos with a hopeful heart that they would be receptive.

Well, Holly immediately replied with a big thumbs up for her and Kyle and Amy's positive response for her and Sam followed shortly therafter. Alas, FDN was born and we would be meeting on Wednesday evenings.

I have to say, Wednesday has become my favorite day of the week. All week long I eagerly anticipate the moment they all descend upon my house, including my granddoggy, Scout. Yes, I love everything about FDN. I will admit that the biggest challenge is coming up with food everyone enjoys. I have two very picky eaters, but I won't rat them out (Steve and Amy, you know who you are)!!

What has been a really great surprise is that we always end up playing some sort of game after dinner. My house is filled with noisy, silly, banter and my favorite sound in the world...laughter.

The funny thing is that the kids think they are the ones being blessed because they get dinner, dessert, and usually go home with leftovers too; however, I know differently...the blessings are truly mine...

Valentine's FDN