Every time I set foot in Easy Way or Schnucks, I can not resist buying one more bag of Ripley or Arkansas tomatoes, if they have them. I actually prefer the Arkansas variety, although this might be anathema to those who revere Ripley tomatoes.

One of my favorite summer dishes is tomato pie. I got the recipe out of a Southern Living book years ago and have added a few ingredients. You need the following: deep dish pie crust, green onions, fresh basil, mayonnaise, 4 or 5 tomatoes, Monterey Jack Cheese, frozen spinach and seasoned pepper.

 Poke holes in the pie crust with a fork and bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Slice tomatoes and dredge in flour and seasoned pepper. Layer tomatoes green onions and fresh basil (about three layers is sufficient). Mix about a half a cup of mayonnaise, about three fourths of a bag of thawed chopped spinach and about a cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese (Pepper Jack cheese is good also). Spread mixture over the top and add a few leaves of basil. Cook at 325 or 350 for about 30 minutes.

Do you have any recipes to share with those of us with a surplus of homegrown or store-bought tomatoes?

Stay-at-home mom Kelli Ciaramitaro is an ace at finding garage sale bargains — she once found a dress nice enough to wear to a special dinner with her husband for a dollar — and she and her pal Maureen had long consigned and shopped the big kid’s consignment sale, KidsTown, held twice a year at the Agricenter. Finally, they thought: Why not start a sale of their own, one that focuses on women’s clothing, handbags, shoes and belts? So on July 14 and 15, What’s N Your Closet will hold it’s first sale, with new and like-new clothes from all seasons.

“It’s a great way to help other women and make some extra money,” Kelli told me last week. She consistently makes $100- $150 consigning/selling kids clothes. “I’m happy with that.”

Click here to find out everything you need to know about the sale. And let me know about any dollar dresses you find!

Thank you Divas for your advice on where to find a new sofa. You prodded me out of my paralyzation and Monday, I met with an interior designer! She is going to help me get my living room/den looking like an adult lives there. This is long overdue.

I went looking for couches with my mom, and saw this one (at left) that I like. It’s relatively inexpensive – maybe too inexpensive, as I know that quality can cost a pretty penny. I’ll keep you posted on how the sofa search goes. In the meantime, any redecorating advice or stores I should be sure to visit?

The Guest Diva and metro columnist,
Wendi C. Thomas

My sweet sister is getting married soon in Chicago, and has asked me to help put together the after-wedding-feast food for all of the out of town friends and relatives who’ll be coming over to her house once the wedding and lunch/reception are over. The groom is Greek, and we’ll be feasting at the reception on lamb and spanikopita and pastitsio, so we don’t need anything heavy, and it needs to be pretty quick and easy to execute, since I’ll be dropping in from out of town the day before. One more wrinkle: There will be lots of kids there. I’d hire a caterer if I could figure out what to tell him or her, but I’m totally stuck for ideas. Can any of you Entertaining Divas help me out?

I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions this year. I’ve decided that bold new initiatives that struggle against the grain of my “actual” life haven’t worked before, so I’m trying for BALANCE, that elusive thing that involves discipline, choices, exercise, rest, friends … well, read for yourself in my column today.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Why, or what kind? Do you stick to them?