I left my heart in San Francisco...well part of it anyway!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and our family is headed to the city by the bay! Just a quick little get-away for a few days with our list of favorite restaurants in hand. Nick will be running in the Dana Point Turkey Trot bright and early and then we'll hit the highway. We lived in this wonderful city in the early 90's and it remains a favorite and special place to visit. Our boys look forward to walking across the golden gate bridge. The last time I did that I was trying to induce labor with my first son - it did not work. We'll be dining at some favorite places; The House of Nanking for Chinese and E'Angelo in the Marina District for the best carbonara just to name a few.
We are very blessed and we wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The Sugar Plum Show

My friend Linda and I had an outing a few Saturday's ago to the OC Fairgrounds for the Sugar Plum show. We ended up spending hours there walking the aisles being inspired and amazed at some of the talent. We were a little disappointed with some of the dealers selling a lot of "catolog" merchandise. We bought several things which I have not taken photos of yet. My friend Pam of My Country Fields was there selling her creations and we sat and had lunch together with her and of course talked non stop about ideas for the future! Pam is the creator of my fabulous custom canopy and is so talented! She's so sweet and so is her daughter Brittany who makes the most wonderful pillows.

Lastly we made a not so quick stop at Debra's Cottage in Costa Mesa. I just love the varied selection merchandise that all of the vendors have to offer. The store is amazing and it happened to be their open house. Debra was home sick with the flu but her teddy bear of a husband was running the show with a group of really lovely ladies!

Favorite Scone Recipe

Thank you Martha Stewart for one of my favorite recipes "Cranberry Scones". This recipe is easy and delicious - we rarely have any left after they are taken out of the oven! I use dried cranberries ~ not fresh. Enjoy.

Ingredients
Serves 8
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
5 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for topping
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup (plus 1 tablespoon) half-and-half
1/2 cup halved cranberries, drained on paper towels

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half until just moistened. Gently fold in cranberries.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges; place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon half-and-half; sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Photo and recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com

Our Champion!

We just returned home from our Seaview League Cross Country Championship and our little guy finished third for the freshman!! YEAH! He and his teammates made us proud tonight; the freshman boys came in 1st, 2nd, 3rd (Nick), 4th and so on. You guys rock! It was an awesome season and I am such a proud mom.

Here is neck/neck with his teammate "Toto". They all have nicknames and some of them are very funny! Nick's is "Big Black" ~ go figure!

Coming into the finish; his time was 17:16.

The boys! Nick is 2nd from the left. Congratulations Boys!

Let it Rain!

Our annual Halloween Costume Party was last night. It was a beautiful night with friends; nibbling delicious food and sipping ghoulish beverages! The costumes were fun ~ it's always great to see what everyone comes dressed as. Hubby made his wonderful chili and strung festive lights around the yard. Today we have a little rain in the forecast - how nice it would be to be in the house today listening to rain and the football game on tv. Here's a little peak from last night; My husband's brother Tim and Mercedes
Two Sarah Palin's are better than one right John!

Sarah Palin & Joe the Plumber

Our front porche

The backyard lit up with twinkle lights and candles

The ghoulish punch ~ it was yummy!

What a little devil you are Jake!

Our annual Halloween Costume Party was last night. It was a beautiful night with friends nibbling delicious food and sipping ghoulish beverages! The costumes were fun ~ it's always great to see what everyone comes dressed as.