Shop to Benefit Ronald McDonald House

So excited to  be helping the Texas Hill Country / North Austin ADPi Alumnae group with another fundraiser to benefit Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in Austin.

We've made it both a physical even and a virtual event.

If you're in the Austin area we'd love for you to stop by, but if not you can shop ONLINE NOW by clicking the pic above!

Not familiar with RMH? Check out this great video: 

Lilly Pulitzer Shop & Share to Benefit The Ronald McDonald House

I pledged Alpha Delta Pi (fondly known as ADPi) back in 1988 at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas. My mom was an ADPi in 1964 at Sam Houston State University in Humble, Texas.

I loved that I was going to share this bond with her for the rest of our lives.

I loved the ladies that I met and the instant friendships that started from day one. Now with Facebook I've been able to find sisters that I had lost throughout the years and enjoy watching their families grow from afar.

In 2010 I received a notification about an newly forming Alumnae association in the Texas Hill Country North Austin area and decided to attend the meeting about it. I ended up taking the role of VP of Membership. As a recruiter thought that would be a great role for me.

Three years later it's been such a joy getting to know women that also share the love of my sorority and working with these women in philanthropic ventures and just enjoying their company. Our main philanthropy is The Ronald McDonald House.

For those not familiar with The Ronald McDonald House program they provide a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost. If you or one or a loved one has ever had a critically ill child you understand how uncomfortable hospitals can be for extended stays. Most of The Ronald McDonald Houses - there are 300 of them in 56 countries - are near hospitals so families are close to their children as they receive treatments and necessary medical care.

Today another great organization is stepping up to the plate to help The Ronald McDonald House. The Lilly Pulitzer store at The Domain in Austin is donating 10% of their proceeds to the House.

This is where you come in. If you live in Austin, we'd love for you to stop by from 6 - 9 pm and shop. Be sure to tell them your shopping with ADPi.

Not in Austin - not to worry - call them anytime today at 512-835-8200 and tell them you'd like to place an order from items you've found at www.lillypulitzer.com and have the proceeds benefit the ADPi Shop and Share.

We're excited to see the results of income this brings to help many, many more people take care of their kiddos! Thanks for being a part with us.

Remembering Gizzy

This morning Charles and I said goodbye to our sweet, eldest dog, Gizzy. She died peacefully in her sleep after battling kidney failure over the last few months. She was a handful and the epitome of an alpha dog in our family. We are happy knowing she is no longer suffering.

Charles adopted Gizzy from an abusive home. She was the runt of a litter and the children of the family were happy to tease her in unkind ways. In 2006, Charles and Gizzy moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to join me and my two cats, Belay and Zambezi. In 2007 General our Shih Tzu joined us and in 2010 we added what is now the last dog our our clan, Colonel. Before adding Colonel to our brood, Gizzy and General were best buds. Although, in this video you might beg to differ. Once Colonel came along, Gizzy had a new puppy to boss around. Actually, all of our animals did whatever Gizzy told them to do. She was our alpha dog and made certain that everyone knew it. We will miss her snotty, snorting, joyous, bossy self! Thanks to Banfield Pet Hospital at Louis Henna and I35 in Round Rock and The Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Center.

Yummy Quick Dinner - Tomato Basil Squares

I was probably introduced to Pampered Chef's Tomato Basil Squares in 2002. They quickly became one of my all time favorite go-to recipes and I don't have many of those. They're super easy to make with minimal ingredients and it gives me a reason to grow basil! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) can pizza crust (you can find them by the biscuits)
  
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half
  
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1 garlic clove, pressed (sometimes I add a second, just because I LOVE garlic!)
  
• 4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
  

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Roll out pizza crust onto a rectangle baking stone (or cookie sheet if you don't have a stone). 
3. Sprinkle crust with one cup Mozzarella cheese. 
4. In a bowl, combine remaining Mozzarella cheese, basil, garlic and mayonnaise. 
5. Mix well. 
6. Place sliced tomatoes on top of pizza crust. 
7. Spread mayonnaise mixture on top of tomatoes (I actually use a small melon baller and drop heaping balls on top and smash it down a bit). 
8. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. 
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly