Mmmm for the Month – May Edition

Hey there   I hope you are all having a nice Memorial Day.  I have a little extra time on my hands so I decided to put up the Mmmm for this month.  This month I am posting a recipe that we like to make fairly often around here.  If you like Philly Cheesesteak, you will probably like this sandwich.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich with Ajus

1 loaf french bread, sliced open lengthwise

3/4 lb deli roast beef, sliced for sandwiches

1 packet ajus gravy mix (we use Lawry’s)

1 large onion, chopped

1/3 cup green pepper, diced

6 slices of swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute the onion and green pepper over medium high heat until the onions start to turn golden brown.  Remove from heat.  Prepare the ajus gravy as directed on the package.  Place the beef slices in the ajus sauce and simmer on low heat.  Place the french bread on a cookie sheet and cover one side with the swiss cheese slices.  Heat in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese begins to melt.  Remove from the oven.  Remove the beef slices from the ajus gravy, letting them drain a bit, and place them on the loaf of french bread.  Top the beef slices with the onions and peppers.  Slice the sandwich into 6 portions and serve with the ajus gravy.

I hope you like it.  Have a great day!

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It’s nice out there :)

I love this time of year. First of all, school is coming to an end. That means we survived another school year. Maybe not gracefully, but we made it to the end and that has to count for something. The weather is usually very nice. It is warm and sunny but not the punishing heat of mid-summer. And most of all, my yard starts to really shine in the months of May and June. I took a few pictures to share with you. It’s funny, I was standing out there taking pictures of my own flowers and wondering if my neighbors would think I was crazy Anyway, first up is my violets. They will be pretty all summer and until the first frost. I bought these at a local greenhouse and I think there was one little flower there. They have spread like crazy.

     

Next, is a picture of my lilacs. I love lilacs! I have a purple one and a pink one. They are both in bloom now and smell so pretty. The blooms will be gone before mid-summer so now is the time to enjoy them. This is a picture of my purple lilacs.

The best part of my yard this time of year is the irises. I have at least 30 of them. I have purples, whites, pinks, plums, and burgundys, as well as a really neat variegated iris. The variegated irises are just about to bloom so I didn’t get a picture of them. The white ones were the first to unfurl and I got a picture of them to share.

Finally, I have some pictures of a little visitor we had. The kids loved this! It’s a little toad that hubby found out in the garden. I was surprised how close he let us get. Hubby carried him over so the kids could take a look. The little toadie was very cooperative for a little impromptu photo shoot. Everyone was very amused when he nearly jumped into my lap. I decorously… erm, squealed and jumped out of the way! Then he got carted around the yard by my oldest boy until I made hubby put the poor thing back in the garden. I was worried that the poor toad was terrified

                   

                   

Have a great day!

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What have I been doing?

Hey there I am so proud of myself! I have been wanting to try my hand at broomstick lace for quite some time. Last night I finally got around to it. It was a bit tricky learning because I am left handed and there really aren’t tutorials out there for lefties. But I stuck with it and finally figured it out. I figured a small project would be best to learn with so I made up a dishcloth.

Last week I finished up the pattern for the 4th square for the Afghan/Lapghan Project. I am really excited about this one. It turned out really pretty. Here’s a tiny sneak peek:

                          

I also found some time to finish up three more afghan squares for the Afghan CAL on Ravelry. I think this afghan will be really pretty. It’s going to be hard to give it away.  For some reason, the pictures for the afghan squares won’t load up.  So, if you would like to see them, you can check them out on Ravelry.  My favorite is the Lacy Sun.  I also finished the Flower Burst and Lovely in Green (which I did not make in green because it didn’t fit in my color scheme.)  I hope you enjoy them.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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Walk Now for Autism 2008

       

On Saturday, we went to the Walk Now for Autism event.  My brother helped with organizing the event so we showed up to give our support.  In our family, it is an important cause because my nephew has autism.  The walk was organized to help raise awarness about autism and earn funds to further research into treatments for autism.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  We were thinking we would be there for an hour or so.  I think we were actually there for about three hours.  It was a really impressive event.  It is going to be held annually so if you didn’t make it this year, you can always go next year.  Also, if you want to learn more about autism, you can visit the Autism Speaks website.  It’s a fabulous resource.

The walk was held at Cottonwood High School this year.  We arrived at Walk Now for Autism right as some skydivers were floating down to the football field.  Very cool!  It took us a few minutes to find my family group.  We stood in line for awhile waiting for the walk to begin.  There was some live music and clowns with balloons to keep everyone entertained.  There were some characters in costume too.  We saw storm troopers, Darth Vader, and Buzz Light Year.  There were some big sponsers there.  Bottled water was provided as well as milk, cereal, ice cream sandwiches, and ice cream dots.

On the walk we saw several groups that were wearing matching t-shirts.  Some of them had pictures of their family member affected by autism.  And there were some really clever group names there.  One team had named themselves Rally for Riley and I saw some cute sun visors with the team name of Parker’s Peeps.  We were there to support my nephew Alex and my brother has named the team Alexander Link.  We aren’t listed as team members but we went out and took a walk round the high school for Alex and donated a little to help.  It was really moving to see these families rallying for their loved ones.  Some of the groups had even worked out chants like “We love Riley, yes we do.  If you knew him, you would too!”  and a song about “We are Friendship Ministries.  We help children with special needs.”  It was really heartwarming to see the support and the great attendance.  They had to direct people to park in the neighborhoods and at Gold’s Gym because there were so many cars that the High School parking lots were filled up.

After the walk, we took the kids over to play in the jump tents and inflatable slides.  My wonderful hubby followed the boys from line to line, carrying three sets of shoes.  There was also a dance group that put on a fun performance.  Then he took them to visit the booths and get little party favors and prizes.  Finally, we packed up and headed home.  It was a really nice day.  Hopefully, we’ll see you there next year ;D  Have a great day!

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