The Cheesecake Factory

Hello from Tampa!

Rachel and I found a great mall yesterday. We went to find the Crate and Barrel, just to look around, and then we found this huge mall on the other side of the building. We also saw the Cheescake Factory sign attached to the mall. We found lots of great stores. Rachel found a nice sweater/shirt at J. Crew. I found a Lucky Brand store, but I only walked around in it. I love purses made by Lucky Brand, and I have quite a few of them. Last Christmas, I found some purses by that brand at T.J. Maxx for a good price. This particular mall had very high end stores and regular stores, like Nieman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, etc., as well as Fossil, the Loft, and Banana Republic. Of course, I was ecstatic to find a Williams Sonoma there as well! I have wanted a tomato press for about five years, but I never would order one online. I found one at a Williams Sonoma store in North Carolina, when Rachel and I went to the Biltmore. The little village there had a quaint little section of stores, and Williams Sonoma was one of them, but I didn't buy the press. So, I had my mind set on getting one this time and avoiding shipping charges. I went into a kitchen store in Savannah last year and got talked into buying a more expensive item, a food mill, to try and do the job of the tomato press. Alas, I was not satisfied with that. That is okay, though, because I now have my tomato press;) I will let you know if I ever figure out how to make salsa with it!!
We had some great news yesterday! Vicky got a job in her field!! She will be working as a graphic designer for a young advertising firm. She is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design and has searched for a job in her field for several years. Of course we needed to celebrate, so we went out to the Cheescake Factory to celebrate her good news. I was at Publix yesterday and bought a sunflower bouquet for the house, not knowing that Vicky was receiving a call about her job at the same time. The flowers are making a nice addition to the house, and they are great for the celebration as well.
We are having a good time here with Adam and Vicky. Tampa is a nice place to visit. Adam has been wanting me to go to a store called Let Them Eat Cake that is right down the road. I went there yesterday, thinking it was a cake supply store. It is a bakery, but the guy talked to me for a while. They do have some supplies, although I got sidetracked and didn't look around. He said they offer individual lessons, if I was interested. I didn't dare ask how much they might cost, but I thought it might be something nice to do for myself. I told him that I took lessons at Michael's and that I make cakes for my family. Then, I told him that I am going to make a castle cake next week. He showed me a video of one of his bakers making a castle cake! I wonder if he was trying to persuade me to come in for a lesson on how to cut the cake into that shape and frost it with sugar :) I thought about going back over there today, but I haven't done it yet. Vicky is off today, so we are just hanging out with her.
We had a terrific supper last night and some great cheesecake! I had a chicken dinner with THREE chicken filets. It was delicious. I also had asparagus cooked to perfection and tasty mashed potatoes. Vicky had a humongous chicken burrito! Rachel had some New Orleans shrimp that was kind of like a gumbo. Adam had fish tacos. We all had something different and good. Then of course, we ordered cheesecake!



Rachel and Vicky ordered a turtle type piece, with caramel, pecans, and chocolate. De-lish!! Adam and I ordered their 30th anniversary cake with chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate. It was de-lish as well. We had so much food that we brought some of everything home. I already ate my leftovers this morning! The cheesecake is still in the fridge, though. I wonder how long it will last....




I am having a wonderful time with my kids! We miss having Don with us, but he is hiking the Appalachian Trail right now. I miss having Adam and Vicky in Savannah, but I suppose I will have to get used to it. That is what Adam told me anyway :D


Have a terrific day!!