Just a little beggar lurking below as I made my breakfast. We used to call the hole we cut out of the bread ,  lil toast. We called the dish "pig in a poke". Some call it egg in a hole. I still remember the time Spike got Sophie's lil toast. She was so mad at him. 

Book Club at Priscilla's new house!

She was only partially moved in but still had a great event! Gumbo and yes that is  savory seafood King Cake!!

Here we are discussing the book Dispatches from Pluto. Great conversations about the Mississippi Delta. 

Great tasting and beautiful cookies from Broadstreet. 

This picture does not do justice to this 180 degree view from her back windows. It felt like being on vacation. 

After hearing talk at book club about cabbage steaks, I tried some. 

They went well with our Valentine lobster tails. Hard to believe we celebrated our 33rd anniversary. 

Empty nest

Well, all eras come to an end. Ivy is gone and the space is empty. We had the carpet cleaned and took the last load to the new apartment. Pepper and I took stock of the area. 

It feels very surreal to think that 3 girls grew from babyhood to womanhood here. 

I'm reminded of a writing by Erma Bombeck about telling her children to be quiet and then they left home and all was silent. Sniff, sniff. I can just hear the laughter and play in the silence. 

Pepper and I wondered why she stuck Velcro on the wall. 

What shall we do with the space? 

Still a few vestiges of youth here. Look at those ballet shoes. 

Just recovered her vanity stool. 

Why didn't I do this ages ago. It looked awful. 

Our Super bowl party for 2. Obviously leftover napkins. 

If Toby got any closer , he would get singed. When Ed moves the screen to add wood, he gets close. 

Dreams

Ok...so Ed keeps trying to define what retirement will look like. 

We always wanted to fix up an old house. Well he found a gem in Yazoo City     

We decided to take a drive and look. It was beautiful. Original family owned. Not overly renovated but maintained. 

Here is Ed in the side yard. 

Decided it was just too far from home and family. 

A few pet pics. 

Truffles

Toby

Grandogs, Daphne and Dupree 

Dupree's close up. 

Kickin it pot roast

Ok. This is the second post today, so don't miss the previous one (Mom). Perfect pot roast. 

Secret ingredient? 

Leftover Bloody Mary mix (?). Adds a little kick and made it so tender. Pepper approves. 

Work in progress

Still don't have good pics of the apartment yet. Here is the dining area for the first day or so. 

With the help of good friends and family things shaped up later. Candy brought over spaghetti and quiche. Each to their strengths. I promise I will post better pictures. 

It was so cold and rainy today that I wanted some homemade hot chocolate. I used to always make it for the girls. 

I tried it with Truvia. Decided it needed a little something so I added Mexican vanilla Sophie and Paul brought back. A little squirt of whipped cream on top. 

Sunsets

Madison county sunset this week

Had an unexpected happy time today. Old friend Jennie was in town and texted to get together for lunch. We met at Broadstreet for our catching up. She knew I had funeral duty at Broadmeadow. It was a longtime church member who passed away. Another sunset. We both remembered him as our Sunday School teacher in our high school years. We sat together in the pews and were immersed in nostalgia. She had not been back since her (and my) wedding in 1983. I got married in February and she in the spring. So nice. 

In another epic event...Ivy and Tripp get their first apartment. A sunrise. 

Took the first load over on this snowy evening. More tomorrow !!

Food and such

Succeeded in attending 4 swim classes and walked a few times this week. Post swim one day, Candy made this virtuous lunch. 

That is salmon salad, Asian coleslaw, raspberries and pomegranate seeds. 

Made an old standby from MSU days. This came from my Meal Management class. The only class I ever made a D in. Changed my major to Interior Design the next semester. 

This is good to use leftover ham. I use 3 slices of bread, 2 whole eggs and a half cup of cheddar cheese instead of what it says. 

Book Club was at Kathy's lovely house. Look at this lovely display of crocuses. We read The Signature of all Things by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you need a good book, go out and get this one immediately. 

Salmon, asparagus and gorgeous salad. Those are chunks of roasted butternut squash on top. 

She showed off her new espresso machine with lattes. 

My lucky day to have buttermilk pie so close on the heels of the 2, Paul's mom made for us over the holidays. 

Got to meet her new babies. So sweet. 

Walking with Jan Saturday morning we spotted an opportunity. 

Came back and snagged 2 for Ivy and Tripp's new place. 

They can leave them as is or paint them a fun color!!