i'm here for the party!

 i am hugging all of you.
Donna, i am honored to have received your invite!
i'm sorry that i'm late...i worked 12 hours today. (it
was a special event and fun, and OVERTIME, so no 
whining here!)

now you all know that i adore The Holiday, and It's
Complicated. I also love Letter's to Juliet.
Practical Magic is PURE magic that was filmed here in the Pacific Northwest.
Another house that i love is the stone farmhouse in
Christmas in Connecticut. The Notebook is my Mom & Dad!


~My girlies really know how to pick a movie!~

my fave Nick & Nora's

it's about 11:00pm, i'm WIDE AWAKE, and ready to share a movie that

is sooo close to our family's heart. it has a house that we have
been a guests in and a high school that is pretty much one of
the coolest in the country!

Chrislyn and Jay bought them for me to wear on MOM'S WEEKEND at WSU!

on my way home from work tonight,
i stopped to buy this...

so i could bring you this...

The

WORLD'S BEST' MAC AND CHEESE

SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH

• 6 ounces penne pasta
• 2 cups Beecher's Flagship Sauce (recipe follows)
• 1 ounce cheddar, grated ( 1/4 cup)
• 1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated ( 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Oil or butter an 8-inch baking dish.

Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water and set aside.

Combine cooked pasta and Flagship Sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: If you double the recipe to make a main dish, bake in a 9-by-13-inch pan for 30 minutes.

BEECHER'S FLAGSHIP CHEESE SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS

• 1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 14 ounces semihard cheese, such as Beecher's Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 2 ounces grated semisoft cheese, such as Beecher's Just Jack
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, salt, chile powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days.

NOTE: A single batch of sauce makes enough for a double recipe of macaroni and cheese.

we'll wash it down with...

~here~

it's a crisp ale from T- town, where i live
and where this movie was made.

do you like Shakespeare?

~here~

i do!

Kat and  Bianca's house is actually the McGovern's house.

it's in north Tacoma!

it has a beautiful yard and a fab view!

do you see that ship with the black bottom on Commencement Bay? 
i live on the hill right behind it!

i have politely partied in this house a couple times.

it is a beautiful home. it was built around 1905.

the house was entirely taken over for the movie. the family
was moved into a condominium nearby.

the deck... do i need to say more?

~*~

but the coolest thing about the movie is

Stadium High School

both Chrislyn and Jay attended here.

this is the courtyard, where i dropped them off, before they started
driving on their own.

this is a principals office.

Heath (bless his soul) walked the halls and was
great to the kids!

the production company hired all students that were 
interested in a summer job to work as extras.

~*~


the theme of Chrislyn's senior prom was "Can't ake my eyes off of you".
for her 18th birthday her friends showed up at our home
with a vintage Fender guitar and a rock band!

the movie had a big impact on the students of Stadium High!

 this is my favorite scene from the movie. 
i apologize for Heath's little
touch of profanity...

let's dance at Donna's sleepover until dawn!

[withLove]

just checking!

it's September's reminder...

~via~

...that i LOVE you!

[w/L]

the Great Northwest (travelling) Pumpkin Patch...

...features 2000 hand blown glass pumpkins.

if you live in the PacNWest, visit here!

if you can't make it to the patch, you can visit here!

A portion of all sales during the month of 

October are going to help children in Tacoma 

and in Botaga, Romania.

this little cutie is appropriately called


Spiced Latte!


which reminds me...


happy first day of Fall 2011!

here's my morning toast to all of you!

[withLove]

patches...

~via~

~via~

~via~

~via~

~via~

~via~

~via~

welcome Fall!


[withLove]

sprinkle some Sunday sugar!

On the Back Porch

~via~

by Dorianne Laux

The cat calls for her dinner.

On the porch I bend and pour

brown soy stars into her bowl,

stroke her dark fur.

~via~

It's not quite night.

Pinpricks of light in the eastern sky.

Above my neighbor's roof, a transparent

moon, a pink rag of cloud.

~via~

Inside my house are those who love me.

My daughter dusts biscuit dough.

And there's a man who will lift my hair

in his hands, brush it

until it throws sparks.

Everything is just as I've left it.

~via~

Dinner simmers on the stove.

Glass bowls wait to be filled

with gold broth. Sprigs of parsley

on the cutting board.

~via~

I want to smell this rich soup, the air

around me going dark, as stars press

their simple shapes into the sky.

~via~

I want to stay on the back porch

while the world tilts

toward sleep, until what I love

misses me, and calls me in.

~*~

it's just the romance in me, wishing you the sweetest
early evening moments.


[withLove]