What a difference this weekend has been from last. Last weekend, despite being Labor Day, wasn’t very fun for us. But this weekend was! Had a fabulous evening last night with our pals Diane and Dave. We ate at the Bonefish Grill. Have you ever tried it? You definitely should. Get the bang bang shrimp if you go.

Today’s been another day of work (which isn’t unusual) but the feeling and pace of the weekend has been very different. Today we also put up our Fall and Packer stuff. It’s the start of the football season, people! Every year we try and celebrate in some small way. We have a few traditions, and one of them is putting up a bunch of Packer stuff. The other is planning a Sunday menu. This year we’ve decided on soups and stews. Each week we’re going to make one of our favorite soup or stew recipes. Today’s recipe is this great Provencal Vegetable Soup from Ina Garten. The saffron really adds something special to this dish, as does the pistou at the end. It’s not difficult, and even my meat-loving husband loves it. Definitely a winner on a chilly day. (Which today isn’t, but we’ll pretend!)

We also put up our Packer junk. First, the tree:

We’ve collected ornaments for years. I started almost twenty years ago and every year we’ve added one or two. We find them at rummage sales, flea markets, and even get them as gifts. (We’re frugal, I told ya that right?) We also have a couple Packer figures we’ve gotten over the years. Last year we saw the Green Bay offensive line at a flea market:

We have them lined up behind a mini-Lambeau field, which we got at McDonald’s a few years ago. The Title Town towel we picked up for $1 at a rummage sale last year. (Frugal people are more fun!)

The Pack plays late tonite against our division rivals Da Bears. I think it will be a good match up. I’m ready to relax and have some fun, how about you?