two day pass

friday night i took lily and a friend ice skating.

on our way, the evening sky gifted us with the most stellar of sunsets.

i really wanted to stay home, but i quickly realized that sitting in the warming house beside the roaring fire was not asking too much.

and if i'd holed up at home, i would have missed the sky on fire.

i happily read while the girls skated circles around the rink.

i watched other parents with young children and didn't feel nostalgic over what a production gearing up can be.

i helped lace and tighten skates, but they are mostly independent and that is to be celebrated.

we cooked pizzas for dinner and i settled in under both my cats for a movie.

we watched the constant gardener.

it was not until the second to last scene of the movie that i realized i'd seen this film before.

not sure what that says about my memory or the movie.

saturday ted headed out for a long day of skiing, and mike was out of town for a funeral.

lily and i headed to brady street to stock up at our favorite italian market and bakery.

these are the kind of neighborhood stores that make shopping fun.

lily's friend came over for the afternoon and i made the girls a pesto pasta lunch inspired by our bounty.

then i got to work assembling a lasagna for sunday dinner with all the fresh herbs, cheese and pasta.

the secret ingredient was goat cheese.

at ina's suggestion, i added 4 ounces to the ricotta.

it added a creamy richness and a tangy dimension that was perfect.

lily joined me in the kitchen to help with saturday dinner only she made the entire meal.
more blossoming independence,

the only thing i was allowed to do was the dishes.

go figure.

she made roasted lemon garlic chicken with baby red potatoes and green beans.

it was a tasty one pot meal, and very much appreciated by the boys when they returned home.

sunday i was up early, but lazy to get motivated.

we all chipped in to clean the house.

then my brother and sil joined us for games and dinner.

we're still loving fish bowl and the lasagna was a hit.

after dessert of assorted tarts, the cassata cake being the stand out, we lingered planning our webb lake vacation.
even at the tail end of summer, it's only 7 months out.