Hospital, Pizza, Cold Meals, and a Report Card

Day to day, you never know what may occur.  We just received word that my mother-in-law had to be rushed to the hospital this evening via ambulance.  She was feeling really sick, just before the church's potluck dinner, and was bad enough that she felt the need to call 911.  My father-in-law is with her.  We've continued to check in with them by phone and text, and while she said she's feeling a little bit better, it appears they're going to keep her overnight.  No word on what is ailing her.

If you're the praying type, your prayers for them are appreciated.

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Today is National Pizza Day.  I didn't know there was such a thing.  To celebrate, I made a homemade pizza.  I've changed my recipe a bit from what I've made over the years.  I found a very thin flatbread that works wonderfully as a nice thin crust.  I don't think it's necessarily designed to be a pizza crust, but it works for me, and with carbs being an issue for me, the fewer, the better.  Del Grosso makes a really good pizza sauce, and the one I'm using is the New York Style.  It has a moderately sweet tomatoey flavor.  I like it.  I use a low-fat mozzarella-provolone mix, which gives it a great smoky taste.  Then I top it with a mix of turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, sliced grape tomatoes, black olives, and, sometimes, pineapple.  After baking it, I sprinkle a moderate amount of crushed red pepper, and the result is a very flavorful, spicy-sweet, very thin-crusted pizza.  And I like it!  While I still have a place in my heart for the old Chef Boy-ar-dee pizza kits, this is a really good substitute, and certainly a little better for me.

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Faithful Pup Scout is stuck in a very frustrating routine pattern.  She always goes for a "walk" when we arrive home at 4 p.m.  Then, a short three hours later, and almost always while I'm in the middle of eating dinner, she begins her incessant annoying barking telling me she has to go outside right that second, and not a second later.  I never get to finish a warm meal.  I feel like the mom in the movie THE CHRISTMAS STORY, who never gets to eat a hot meal, because by the time she's gotten her husband and all of the kids their food at dinner, and she finally sits down to eat her first bite, one of the kids needs something else.  By the time she's ready to get her first bite of food, it's cold.  Well, that's me.  All because of this rather selfish little 9-pound white furball.  It's a good thing she's not an ugly dog.

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My daughter's birthday is next week.  I still haven't figured out how we're going to celebrate.  Sure, we'll have the standard birthday dinner with the family, along with cake and ice cream, but she really wants to do something fun with her friends.  If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.  Currently on the table is a spa day (manicure/pedicure/facial) with a few friends, or bowling.  She deserves something special (especially after an awesome report card - one B, the rest all A's!).

Have a great evening, everyone!