Ladies' Lunch

A few weeks ago, I selected a small handful of neighborhood ladies that I don't know very well to come over for lunch. A couple of them cancelled at the last minute and there ended up just being four of us. It turned out better than I hoped... The smaller group was really fun and we were able to dig deep and have real conversations instead of surface chit-chat, which probably would have happened otherwise. It was a great afternoon and we had a good time eating, drinking, being merry and moving from  dining table to porch to enjoy the day.

Speaking of dining tables, mine is functioning as a desk for a certain nursing student/husband these days, so this was the last time I got to see it look pretty. Let me bask in it for just a moment.



I put a jar of peach and ginger jam at everyone's seat:



And here are the lovely ladies... you can tell how sweet and fun they are just by looking at them, I think.



I was so grateful to get to know them a little better and I look forward to getting to know even more of my neighborhood gals on a more-than-surface level soon!

On the menu was:
Pineapple/strawberry/limeade punch with strawberry vodka
salad with blue cheese, cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette
vegetable pizza (croissaint crust with cream cheese/ranch spread a topped with cheese and veggies, served cold)
Penne with  roasted butternut squash and goat cheese
roasted veggies
sausage balls (brought by one of the guests, who is the perfect gracious southern lady from her sausage balls to her thank-you notes... She's one of a kind! Love it!)
And two desserts: Chocolate chip pie and Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cakes.

It's safe to say no one left hungry!