I totally get it. The house we own now was that way for me. I passed it at least twice a day for years. Though hard to see from the road, once I noticed it, I looked for it each time. The first day I looked in the newspaper for a larger house that would house our expanding family and business, there was an advertisement for an open house. "I know that house, I've always loved it. We need to go look." They were asking way too much money. The paint on the outside was peeling. The electric bill was sure to be more money than our current mortgage... We low balled them, contingent on the sale of our property. The realtor didn't even want to waste his time... Sure enough, the owners received a full price offer and we were dead in the water. We kept looking but couldn't find anything that met our needs for both business and family. This house had a full basement with an outside entrance and plenty of room for our family. Meanwhile we put our house on the market. As usual, we were selling it ourselves with no agents involved. It sold in one day. We were starting to freak out when we got a call from the Realtor stating the full price offer fell through. We upped our bid by $5,000 and made another insulting offer. This time, they countered. We countered back and ended up getting the house for $47,000. Less than the asking price. I was never so excited in my life. My dream house was built in 1912, was solid in build and had been updated in the early 70's. It had harvest gold everything, including shag carpets, plaid wallpaper in the kitchen with contrasting vinyl flooring. Some original windows existed but many had aluminum replacements that were failing and sliding glass aluminum doors that led to a rotting (huge) deck. It needed a new roof, electrical, a new well, plumbing and the paint was peeling. Bathrooms all needed work but I was thrilled. My best friend couldn't believe it when she saw it, after telling her I found my dream home. Lol. Twenty four years later, we are still throwing money at it but I still love my house and I honestly believe that my house loves me. I know it's a long story but I believe if that place is meant to be yours, it will be yours. Just keep the focus and good luck!! Believe!!!

A frittata is always a good breakfast dish for entertaining, since it can be served warm or at room temperature and can be made ahead of time. They're also very adaptable to whatever you have on hand. Here is my favorite recipe...I make substitutions for everything but the eggs from time to time! Vegetable & Cheese Frittata 8 eggs 2 t lemon juice (preferably Meyer)& 1 t zest (optional) Chopped fresh herbs (For mild, leafy herbs, 1 T or more but if you use rosemary, use significantly less, as it's so strong) 4 oz of cheese(s)grated or crumbled 2 green onions, chopped (or 1/3 c carmelized red onions) Minced garlic (I like garlic, so I use 4 or 5 cloves, but if cooking for folks whose tolerance I'm unsure of, I use 2) Salt & pepper olive oil A mixture of vegetables-your choice, 1 to 1 1/2 c, after precooking. 1/2 c Balsamic vinegar, simmered until reduced by half. Preheat the oven to 325. Prepare your vegetables. Most veggies will need to be at least partially precooked, both to reduce water content and to ensure tenderness, so saute them in olive oil with the garlic and some salt & pepper. Roasted red bell peppers is one of my favorites for this dish, with sauteed mushrooms or greens of some kind. Asparagus is wonderful with some oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (saute the asparagus in some of the tomato oil...yum!). Eggplant works well also, I usually brush it with oil and cook it on the grill, as it absorbs too much when sauteed...I like the eggplant coupled with the tender tips & leaves of celery hearts. As for the cheese, I like to use a combination, but it isn't necessary. I like blue with mozzarella or jack, or feta with Parmesan, but sharp cheddar is good as well. Mix all the ingredients except for the eggs & Balsamic in a bowl and mix well. Whip the eggs with a whisk until good and foamy, then pour over the other ingredients. In a 9 inch frypan with an oven proof handle, heat one T of olive oil very hot but not smoking. Turn the pan to coat it with oil, and then pour in the egg and veggie mixture. The pan should be hot enough to sear the bottom of the eggs, but then immediately move it to a low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the sides begin to set up, and then finish in the oven for about 20 minutes. The frittata should be firm and turning gold on top, not brown. Use a heat proof rubber spatula to loosen the frittata in the pan, and when it is free, put a plate over it and turn over, so that the bottom of the eggs are facing up. Brush the frittata with the reduced balsamic just before serving.

We are still on vacation and are in Tyler, Texas right now. On Tuesday evening we had dinner with Jaybird who lives in Waco and used to post here. Had a great time with her and her husband. Yesterday afternoon after we got here and got all set up Jen TX, who used to post here, stopped by and visited for a couple of hours. She brought a delicious cranberry apple cake. Today we had a get together at Vannie's house with Eva TX, Redfeather and I. The other gals in the area could not make it so will plan on seeing them after Thanksgiving 2013. The rest of this weekend we will be here in the Tyler area and will go see the oil museum in Kilgore. Will look around for other areas of interest also. We will be heading back out on the road on Monday morning. Hope you all have a very enjoyable weekend.

Things are changing hourly, lol. Good thing we are in a festive mood. Our boiler stopped working, scratched our heads about that mysterious 'boiler' room downstairs and the temp seemed sorta fine. Turns out we have two...one for upstairs and one for down. Rarely use the downstairs heat as it is half in soil built into a hill and keeps a nice 65. DH was fussing down there and cranked the heat... Called a # on the unit and the owner of the company stopped by in an hour and changed the thermostat. (when does that ever happen!?) Turns out he installed the originals and was full of stories about the neighborhood and our original owners...and yes, we need a new boiler and it is ordered...MerryChristmas, yikes. $ Had to postpone our trip by a couple days...travel xmas morn. Menu is still the same. Pork butt is in the oven on low and slow for tamales. Ground all my spice mixes. Making 3 mustards. Toasting croutons for the oyster stew that is now going to be a seafood stew Saturday. Soaking salt cod for cakes. Managed our shopping trip after the boiler was semi-fixed. Near a re-peat of the Thanksgiving shopping...one of everything for a mixed veg roast with the turkey. Crazy crowded but they had all lanes open for quick check-out. Jolly crowd and seems good moods are all around. Scrapped Costco and Rockland Bakery as the traffic was unusual for 2pm and it has been gray and raining for two days. Can live without any of that. Guessing it is gift shopping and kids are off school tomorrow so mom's are doing the last minute things. Always amazed what little it costs for feeding 6-8 for 5 days when so much of it is harvest garden goods. Food, meals and cooking is always my gift so no other shopping is needed and the type of shopping i don't like is gifting and wrapping. Need a substitute for file/sassafras. DH has everything for an oyster/andouille gumbo he is insisting on making...thought i had some deep in the cupboard. (but it would have been 20yrs old) If this was colder temps we would be deep in snow right now. Wow is it raining non-stop....