There Was A Boom Boom....

and then they landed safely.



Welcome Back to earth. Glad you all landed safely.

Just another perk about living in Sunny, FL. You get to see and hear the shuttles.

Next launch is scheduled for the very early morning hours of August 25th. Night launches are so beautiful.

If you are ever near Cape Canaveral, I highly recommend a visit.

Wonder if the crew had the forethought to pack cheesecake for yesterday's celebration?

Do You Know Why Today Is Such A Wonderful Day?

Today is National Cheesecake Day! Isn't that some of the best news that you could expect to hear today?



What kind of cheesecake should I have today? I love plain cheesecake, but fresh fruit on cheesecake tastes great too. And I simply cannot resist any type of cheese that has hot fudge or caramel on it either. Lots to think about today. So many choices...



Go out and celebrate. Have a slice for me, OK?

Just To Make You Smile...

because she has that same effect on me. Don't you just love watching kids eat noodles?

I posted the rest over here...

So Sorry...

about the lack of posts lately. Just been really busy with the girls and preparing for heading back to school. Besides, has anyone else fallen into that dreaded blogging slump?

See Honey...

Tabby does love you...and misses you when you're gone...



so much so that she is laying on your stinky flip flops because they smell like you.

Now that is what I call "True Love".

Help Wanted - Vacation Planning

This October, my husband and I will be celebrating 11 years as husband and wife.



As a way to mark this event, we decided to take our first "Just Us" vacation in almost 7 years. Originally, we had talked about going to some tropical place in the Caribbean...and then remembered that hurricanes really like to visit that area in October. Our wedding was almost postponed because of a hurricane and our first and second anniversaries had "run ins" with the mighty wind & rain machines as well.

So, now we are planning on our first visit to California Wine Country.



The first place that comes to mind is Napa, but I'm worried that it has become "too commercialized" with one tourist trap after another. Then we talked about Sonoma Valley. Our brief online research leads us to believe that Sonoma is quaint and not going to be "wall-to-wall" with buses full of tourists.

With that being said, could I get some ideas from any of you who have been to either place? Which location has a better "non-touristy' feel? What is a "must do"? What should we not even waste our time and money on? Any and all advice is going to be greatly appreciated.

Just Have To Give A Shout Out To Cool Gal and her Rib Recipe.

We had it last night and had to tell you about it. They were super easy to make and tasted heavenly. And for me to rave about a Rib recipe is something. (I'm the type of person that cannot eat any meat on the bone...just one of the many quirks that make me who I am...)

Here is the recipe -

Cool Gal’s Easy Baby Back Ribs & BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1 rack of baby back ribs, membrane removed (butcher can do this); cut into individual pieces (A little over 2 lbs.).

Place ribs in a baking dish. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.

Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile put together BBQ sauce.

1 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vinegar (white, distilled)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar

Cook on stove until combined. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour sauce over ribs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours (Don't forget to drop oven temperature to 350 degrees.)

The ribs will be so tender they will fall off the bone. There will be extra sauce in the bottom of the pan which you can stir and drizzle over the top of the ribs

I also had to "borrow" her photo



because this is all that was left of 3 racks of ribs once my family got a hold of them!



Wish I could share her blog because she is just as wonderful as her rib recipe, but unfortunately she had to make it private. I'm just thankful that she decided to continue to write. Why some people feel the need to leave nasty comments about other peoples' personal thoughts is something I will never understand. Didn't every ones' mother teach them that "If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, then don't say anything at all". I know mine did.

College Football Season Is Almost Here!

Let the rivalry begin!

Scarlet O'Kara is so excited that my former Tennessee Volunteer-lovin niece Kadence is now my Gator Girl!



Take that Uncle Kebin!

What Do You Do On A Rainy Day With Seven Little Girls?

Have a cupcake decorating party!



Head over to my photo blog to see the rest of the fun!

Want To Enter A Give-Away?

If so, head over to Madras And Pearls. She is hosting her first giveaway.



Leave a comment and you get one entry. Follow her blog and you get two entries. Post about her giveaway and you get three.

Can you guess which one I did?