Monday, September 2, 2013

Pasta Fagioli, MORE Fall Decorating and a BLAST from the PAST!

This Pasta Fagioli taste just like the one you order at Olive Garden!
It is my FAVORITE soup! I can buy their salad dressing and can now make the soup - but those BREAD STICKS!!! I need to order some as take out to go with this recipe!


Last night I served it WITHOUT the pasta.....it was good!


Tonight I added the shells - wish I had bought the smaller ones but it was STILL good!


This is the hand written recipe from my sister, Nita.
It is now my newest September 1st tradition!
THANK you, Nita!!


For dessert I made a cake.
Yesterday Louis Dean mentioned he was really hungry for CAKE!
Now he has one!


As soon as I got up this morning I redid the little breakfast table.
I wanted to use the Halloween tablecloth (a birthday gift last year from Nita) somewhere else.
We bought the plastic goblin wine glasses in October 2009 when  my son and daughter in law went to Scotland to visit Amber and Mike and we stayed at their house to keep the grands. The first evening there I could find no wine glasses so I picked these up at Walgreens. We've used them every fall since.


All my decorations have memories associated with them.
This light came from some shop in Alabama in August 2009 when Amber and I took a road trip to deliver her cats to a cousin who consented to take care of them while they were abroad.


I finished cleaning and decorating the kitchen today.....


and I added button eyes to the pilgrims Amber and Ben made way back in their childhood.
The eyes had fallen off long ago and I have just hung them 'blind.'
I did these with the grands during that October 2009 visit. Made of paper plates, felt, cardboard, fabric, paint, ribbon and brads - not the easiest project! I made kits and it was fairly easy for the kids to do. Just lots of prep! Guess that's why I have kept Amber and Ben's all these years!
I always do a craft every fall with the grands. Have not decided on one for this year yet. Any ideas??


This morning I drank my coffee from my favorite fall cup.......


which triggered a blast from the past!
Amber, Ben and I made a field trip to Marshall Pottery in Marshall, Texas.


Our friends, the Freemans, joined us.


Can you see the cups?
This was in 1992!
One cup broke years ago but I continue to treasure the other one.


We had shopped at the pottery and then stopped at the RV park they had where we let the kids play end Debbie and I made us up a small pot of coffee right there!
Good times!

Glad I still have my cup.

Happy FALL, Y'all!!!




11 comments:

darlin said...

Wow, you're well ahead of the game... I'm refusing to accept that fall is almost here (see still in denial! lol) Today it hit 29c here, such a gorgeous day, too nice to be indoors reading but reading it was and shortly I have to get back at it.

Your decorations look fantastic, I love your old photos and see that you have always been a beautiful lady.

Have a wonderful week!

Bernice said...

Just finished reading your post from yesterday,your cookies pasta and cake sound/look and I would imagine smell wonderful,Amber seems to be following in your footsteps with all the great dishes she shares on her blog.
Fall is my favorite season also, love all the colors. Your home is so warm and inviting,I love all your decorations. Love the pictures from the past you look marvelous.
Thanks for sharing the pictures of the quads, that Kailey is a hoot, so glad Harrison is doing better.
Enjoy your September Days:)

Sarah said...

You could go to craft/hobby store and get an assortment of orange, red, gold, yellow beads....put onto strands of wire twisted together, tie raffi at top.....have some fall looking Indian corn to hang or stick magnet on back. I use to make these with the 2nd graders I taught! Have fun!

Vee said...

You and Amber haven't changed a bit! I love your strong sense of tradition, but not so strong that it doesn't have room for new traditions. The soup looks and sounds delicious. That it can be made in the crockpot is super. (I think that there is a recipe on Pinterest for the Olive Garden salad dressing.)

Kathy said...

Oh the soup looks good. It's not soup weather here yet, but I am going to keep the recipe for later. I see you put up all fall decorations at once. I save mine for each month. Just fall for right now. But I love those little pilgrims.

Pondside said...

I love that soup - a perfect choice for a fall supper.
I loved the photos from 1992. You haven't changed much at all, have you?

Linda said...

Thank you, Sarah! That's a great idea!

Linda said...

Thank you, Sarah! That's a great idea!

Jackie See said...

Love the photos, and the pasta recipe! Fall is my favorite season and my favorite season to decorate! Your fall decorations are so pretty! Thank you for sharing! I don't think you have changed much since 1992!

Susie said...

Linda, What a wonderful memory. You are still a cutie, you haven't changed much. My g.daughter made a scarecrow like your pilgrims. Your pineapple upside down cake makes me think of my mom. That was one cake she could bake.:):) xoxo,Susie

Carla said...

Wow what wonderful memories!