A Family Wedding Kept Me Busy....Seasonal Tomato Salad.

I hear I was suppose to emotionally miss the opening of the school year.  I retired early in June and many questioned what I was doing.  Financially it may not have been my wisest move but emotionally I know it was right.

My husband's niece chose to marry August 31.  Her parents are from out of town so I offered to host a family gathering and some of the over night guests at our home.  This seems easy until you realize there are seven children in my husbands family along with their children it tends to add up.

And you ask, what do the two have to do with each other? This lovely celebration helped me focus on family, cleaning, entertaining and moving on with my own life.  I spent days baking for the dessert bar and the breakfast foods for each morning.  I made a special blanket for the new couple and planned a menu that I hoped would be memorable. 

In fact I was so focused on the family gathering that I did not even think about the beginning of the year workshops until a couple of friends emailed me about the start up of the school year. 

So thank you to the new couple for picking this time of year to start their life together.  I know that I am in the right place and I will find a new direction for the next journey in my life.  Spending time with family is always a reminder of how lucky I am and to cherish the time that I have with each of them. 


This is the tomato salad I made for the gathering.  This is so tasty and so easy.  Use as many different tomato types you can find.  (Easy at the farmers market this time of year).  Chop fresh basil and sprinkle over the tomatoes and sprinkle with aged balsamic vinegar.  Looks lovely and is oh so quick.  (P.S.  many questions about the purple tomatoes.  They had great flavor and added so much color.)

 My family:  Husband, our sons and number 1 son's girl.

 My husband, his siblings and his mother.

With love from your retired FACS teacher, Jane