We are headed to Disney World tomorrow, Meg's choosen destination for her graduation trip.  I have to admit that at first I was hoping she would pick a carribean destination and that my toes would be in some warm sand and a fruity tropical drink in my hand tomorrow.  I'm over it now though and actually excited to return with her to the place she loves more than anywhere one more time before she's off to college.  Now if I could just get the laundry done, pack, go to the grocery store, clean a bit, and get a good night's sleep before our 5 o'clock departure then I'll be ready for fun!     

Steak Kabobs

We had steak kabobs for dinner last night.  It was the perfect summer dinner and another opportunity for my hubby to use his new grill.  Other than the cutting of veggies, it's really quite a simple and healthy meal.  Here's what we needed to make ours: 

2 lbs Steak 

1 Red Bell Pepper 

1 Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Zucchini

1 Yellow Squash

1 purple Onion

Fresh Mushrooms

Tomatoes

First we cut the steak and veggies (except the mushrooms) into inch cubes/pieces. Then, seasoned the meat using a steak seasoning and the veggies using Chef Paul's Vegetable Magic.  You can also use italian dressing to marinate the meat and veggies in separate containers in the refrigerator for several hours if you have the time.  Last, we skewered the ingredients, alternating between meat and vegetables.

Here's ours before hitting the grill.

Richard did the grilling and they turned out great.  I think next time we make kabobs I am going to do it a little more fancy by purchasing some of these cool skewers from Organize.com.

Texas Hill Country and Great Barbecue

My first weekend out of school I went with Richard to Austin.  It was a quick getaway but just what I needed after Meg's graduation, entertaining out of town guests, and attempting to keep excited second graders from totally losing it before the last day of school.  I was exhausted and in need of some relaxation!  While there we took half a day and headed for the Texas the hill country.

How do you know you're in hill country?  Well, if you find yourself on a country road outside of Austin surrounded by rolling green hills and the occasional rocky cliffs then you are probably there! 

There is also a change in vegetation.  You will find a variety of cacti, mesquite and pecan trees and some of the most beautiful wildflowers you've ever seen, especially in the spring.

Our winding hill country road lead us to here...

Salt Lick Barbecue!

Salt Lick had been featured on some of our favorite "foodie" shows so we were intrigued to visit our first time (several years ago) on a trip to Austin.  Our recent trip was due only to the food, which was delicious, that we enjoyed during our first trip.

Above is the outdoor courtyard area where you can eat. 

We chose to eat in the main dinning hall area.  It's bring your own beverage (alcohol) and we did.  Here's Richard bringing in our cooler.

This is the barbecue pit that you see right upon entering Salt Lick.

The views from our picnic table once seated.

Richard's arm and our cooler....

My food (above) and his (below).  It was just as delicious the second time as the first!

As we walked back to our car with full tummies this is the sign we passed on our way out.  We will be back...

Meg's Graduation

On May 27th, Meg graduated from high school.  I can't believe it has been almost a month!  She and two of her close friends had a  graduation party together at Mariah's beautiful home a couple days before.  Here's a picture of the three of them in the back before guests began arriving. 

Richard's parents, sister Marcy and her husband Paul came from Iowa to help us celebrate.  We snapped a couple of pictures of her with her grandparents before she got the graduation gear on.

We made a quick stop at Kyle's to get a couple pictures of the two of them together before dropping them off .

My mom and I drove separate from Richard and his family since Kyle and Meg had to get to graduation early. 

After we dropped them off we had about an hour to kill so we decided to stop into a Mexican restaurant located right across the street from where the outdoor ceremony took place.  A margarita and some chips were just want I needed before watching our youngest take one step closer leaving us and heading off to college.

When we finally made our way to the pavilion and met up with Richard and his parents we were pleasantly surprised by the location of our seats.  The sea of students were only a couple of rows ahead of us.  We also were in the perfect place to see each senior walk by on their way to the stage.  We snapped a few pictures of Meg and her friends as they walked by. 

Congratulations Megan!  You did it!    

Egg and Hashbrown Casserole

We were so fortunate to have Richards's sister Marcy, her husband Paul and his parents come in town from Iowa for Meg's graduation.  I was preparing to make the usual sausage and egg dish for our guests, when Marcy offered to make her own different version that included hashbrowns in the recipe.  It sounded good so I stepped aside as she quickly whipped it together.  It was a hit with everyone.  Very delicious.  I especially like how simple it was to prepare the night before and ready to pop in the oven the next morning. 

Here's what you need:
1 package of Simply Potatoes shredded hashbrowns
1 package of cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1 can of Rotel with green chilies
1 cup of milk
9 eggs
1-2 cups diced ham

Directions:
In a large bowl beat eggs with milk.  Combine the remaining ingredients and transfer to a greased 9x13 casserole dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until set, at 350 degrees. 

Meg's Prom

It's hard to believe but Meg graduated and is off to LSU in just about two months. These last weeks have just flown by but I thought I'd take some time to post some of my favorite moments beginning with Meg's prom.

The day began early with appointments for nails, hair and makeup.

She was among a sea of girls having their hair done at Visible Changes.

Makeup was done at Dillard's.

Britty came home to go with her sister. She was the photographer.

Three hours later she was ready to head home and get dressed.

The entire group meet for pictures. It had just rained earlier but stopped in time to get a lot of great photos.

Here is most of the group posing for pictures.  Meg's dress was found all the way down at the Galleria. It was a long trip but worth it in the end. She looked so pretty!

The Fabulous Five

 The group heading to LSU!

 

They all were transformed from cute high school girls into beautiful women!

What a cute couple!

We reserved a private wine room for their group at an Italian restaurant near downtown.

The only snag in the entire night was the expensive limo they rented broke down on the way to pick them up and take them from where pictures were taken to dinner.  Instead the bus below showed up.  Look at them all though... still smiling!

The limo company did get a replacement, however, and apparently it was spectacular.  It took them from dinner to the dance and then all the way to Surfside where they all spent the weekend.   

Above is Meg and Mariah standing up in the limo.  It looks more like a club than an actual vehicle!

The next day at Surfside, Texas.

Here they are getting ready to have crawfish.

They all had fun and came home safely thanks to a great group chaperones who spent Saturday to Monday dealing with a large group of teenagers.

 Thankfully I had school so we couldn't participate!  Phew....