Yep, we're watching the Super Bowl, but nope, we didn't order pizza. I made it! Customized pizzas, from a basic bread dough recipe, one for each of the four of us. The boys go heavier on protein (pepperoni and cheese), pretty light on the veg. My stepdaughter is a cheese purist. I love lots of mushrooms, onions, and green pepper, with just a smidge of cheese. I haven't had pizza for awhile, forgot how filling it is! Even with a thin crust, a rib-sticker, fo sho.

Man, what happened to the days of snacking through the whole Super Bowl? Con queso, anyone? Meatballs, bean dip, chili, chips of every flavor, smoked nuts, and lots & lots o' beer? I'd say ahh, the good ol' days, but I don't really miss them much, I have to say. It makes me feel bloated just reading that list!

Go (insert Giants or Patriots, depending on for whom you're cheering; I'm no dummy)!!!

And oh! As a sweet reminder that yes indeed, summer will again come to this frozen, gray land, I just got the sign up for my '08 LaFinca veggie share. Woo hoo! Check out their website if you're interested in a weekly supply of locally grown, organic vegetables!

I braved the heat and humidity to snip some herbs from my deck (OK, it was only a few steps, but it's HOT out there!) and found a couple of colorful visitors (black swallowtail caterpillars!) feasting on my parsley. And some pretty little blooms on my rosemary. Very not October (poor buggers, I don't think they're going to make it to butterfly stage this late in the season), but lovely!

The rosemary is for the appetizer I'm making for Nathan's class parent party tonight. A room-temperature pizza, lightly topped so it's almost like a hearty foccacia bread. It's very easy, do-ahead, and most important (!), tasty. I vary the toppings, depending on what I have in the cooler. Tonight's version has a bit of crisp bacon, fresh tomatoes, said rosemary, caramelized onions, olive oil, and mozzarella. Sprinkle of coarse salt, few grinds of pepper, good stuff. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Man, I think I have to wear a tank top to this party tonight - 90 degrees is truly sweltering, even if it is October. Wild.

A relaxing, mellow Saturday today - hot as hell, but that's OK. It was a good day to not have to do much of anything, given how tired I am from staying up so late last night. Why oh why do I do it? I know that I'm too old for such shenanigans...but there I am anyhow, closing down the house, chatting and noshing and sipping away. It's the party-girl in me, the Badger Gamma Phi, the Kollege Klub Dr. Shots...suburban mommy, yes, but the party girl lingers just below the surface. (And she sure is feeling her age, ouch.)

John and I had such a lovely morning babysitting our nephew, Cooper. He played, and chatted, and played some more before eating lunch and getting very, very tired (as in head resting on the highchair tray tired). Post-lunch, he absolutely crashed in Nathan's cool, dark room for a long afternoon's slumber. I was actually jealous. Of a sleeping one-year old. Yeah.

But instead of napping myself, I headed out to the pool. I know I'm getting more than a little repetitive here. But hey, what can I say? It was 97 degrees out there today, with 40% humidity, and not much of a breeze, so into the pool we went. First just John and me, then Nathan joined us, then our neighbors the Hatzungs joined us too, and away we all cruised (and splashed!) into cocktail hour and then dinner, with a quick (and delicious!) delivered pizza (thank you, Hatzungs!) supplemented with a salad (thank you, La Finca CSA veggie share!). Now, it's bedtime, man, dang I'm tired. This party girl is all partied out. Until tomorrow...