We Love NY

One last chance to get all of our New York love in today, but mostly a chance to relax, take it easy, catch up and get ready to take on yet another week.  We had such a busy weekend that it was nice to have a day that everyone was just cool with taking it easy for the most part.  After breakfast (my donuts by popular demand along with some yummy Howell Melon Gary picked up yesterday!) we bid adieu to our company.  The kids were bummed out but we've reassured them that a trip to Illinois is in the cards here soon, and Gary will be coming back for the Bean's birthday in December.

After they left the kids and I took some time to check out the mail that Evangelia had sent us from Andes and the pictures from New York City she had emailed me. You may remember that the wonderful Miss Evangelia helped us out with Louisiana week as that's where she's from.  But she had so much fun that she told me she'd be on vacation in New York over the summer and would be happy to send something from there as well.  The kiddos enjoyed their postcard and the pictures of the World Trade Center Memorial, Central Park and Orange County Choppers.

Then I tackled laundry and went on a grocery run while Grant and the kids swapped out NY wall out for our NC wall, played outside, grabbed some lunch and ready library books.  I spent the majority of my afternoon working on some state project odds and ends and getting tomorrow's North Carolina kick-off meal prepped up because the kiddos and I won't be home tomorrow to do so.  (Good thing I planned ahead and picked a crock pot meal!)  We are going to Toledo to meet up with the Waterstraut family at the zoo tomorrow!  Yes, the amazing crew that brought us Flat Noah and Flat Mikayla are going to be in our neck of the woods and we can't wait to catch up with them!

For dinner tonight I got one last New York recipe in with Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy.  The dish was invented by New York son and American Physician J.H. Salisbury.  Salisbury Steak, if you're not familiar, is a dish of minced beef shaped into a patty kind of resembling a steak and then served usually over noodles with a brown gravy.  Cheap steak :-p  I knew it'd be something easy to make tonight and a pretty simple sell to my crew who did all give the dish a thumbs up.

Currently, as I type, we are getting ONE LAST New York inspired piece of fun in with a viewing of The Muppets Take Manhattan.  Aunt Mary, if you're reading this, I think of you and Uncle Craig every time I see this movie and it makes me smile :)  Oh to honeymoon on the moon...

Looking forward to our zoo adventure tomorrow and the official start of North Carolina week!  (There is a hummingbird cake on my counter currently in need of frosting that I can't be sure is actually going to make it to NC's kick off without being sliced into!)  So until then....

Post card fun!

Checking out pictures of the 9/11 Memorial

Salisbury Steak

Manhattan Melodies with the Muppets!  Together Again!  (This may be my favorite of all the Muppet movies)