De Ja Vu

Well, we have had our annual ice storm but this year we got sleet on top. That is giving us a bit more traction. Also, we still have power. Yea heat!!! I thought I would share some pics I took this morning. The little twig of a tree is our new tree that took the place of last years loss. We call him Sherman. I had to completely redo that garden. Also, the pic of the little shrub sticking up out of the sleet is actually in a garden. It is probably my favorite holly bush. It is called a "Little Rascal" I love the shape of the leaves. He is not looking very pretty as we had a new roof put on last week and the front half of his branches were broken off by things being dropped on him. The kids are enjoying their "snow day" so I guess we will be relaxing at home.

Is It Happening Again?

Well, today it is lightly raining. The first precipitation we have had in a while. The only problem is it is 27 degrees outside. It reminds me of last winter when we had sooo much ice that we lost our oak tree. The first photo is a spider web with ice on it on one of our shrubs. Second is my poor Japanese maple I had planted just a couple of months before. The third is the morning electricity started going off and our tree started giving up on the fight against the ice. I looked outside and there was a hawk in our tree. The next is one of our trips to Starbucks while our electricity was out. (I have to have my coffee :o) ) The last is what our tree looked like by the end of the day. I got out about an hour ago and hit a few slick spots and saw one accident.

Our Next Dog

I do believe I have found the breed of dog that will become the new dog member of our family. This isn't something that will be happening soon but I do know that Zorro (our 117 lb. black lab) is 12 years old and we want our next larger dog to be mid-size. This being our boys will be in college and out on their own. I have relied on them to help me get Zorro to the vet for many years as he does not like getting in the car. We want a dog that sheds very little and is hypo-allergenic. I saw a Portuguese Water Dog this morning on the news and fell in love. I looked it up online and think if would make a great addition to our family when the time is right. I plan to make him my jogging buddy.

Bacon Penne Alfredo Recipe

Last night I made a pasta dish that has become a favorite at our house. It is from "Southern Living Ultimate Quick and Easy" cookbook. It is soooo easy.

16 oz. uncooked penne
1 lb. bacon
1, 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 C. whipping cream
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 C. sliced green onions

Cook pasta according to package including salt. Place back in pan after draining. (You will be mixing the pasta with sauce in this pan) While that is coming to a boil, fry the pound of bacon crisp. Drain on paper towel and reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Crumble the bacon.
Place the reserved drippings in the pan you fried you bacon in and saute the mushrooms and garlic for 3 minutes or until tender. Pour this over the pasta along with the Parmesan cheese, whipping cream and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, stirring often. Stir in crumbled bacon and sliced green onions and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

One More To Go

Here is my first attempt at mittens. I have finished this one and have "one more to go". I have made several scarfs, a ribbed beanie, and a pair of socks. This was a good pattern to work with and went pretty fast. Especially compared to the socks I made Abbie. What do you think?

Oreo Delight Recipe

I made a dessert this past weekend that we have not had since we were first married. My mother-in-law used to make this and it is great for a group. It is easy so anyone can do this. All you need is:

1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened
8 oz. container of Cool Whip
1 pkg. of Oreo cookies

Set the ice cream out on the counter for a little while. Thaw your Cool Whip. Place the whole bag of Oreos in a gallon ziploc bag. Pound them with a mallet or something similar. Place the ice cream, cool whip and crushed Oreos in a large bowl and mix together. Pour your mixture into a 9x13 and cover. Place in the freezer to set up. Slice and serve when ready. I made mine on Saturday and served it on Sunday. Enjoy.

Annual Visitor

We have this unexpected visitor show up at our neighbors house every year. This crane has made an appearance for the last 3 or 4 years. We live next to a wooded area that attracts a lot of different birds and wildlife. In fact, the land used to belong to a man very interested in birds, George M. Sutton.

My Baby is Growing Up

Well the day has arrived. Abbie starts driver's ed today! How exciting for her! I remember being pregnant with her. On her first birthday we got her an enormous balloon. (She loved them) She would call them "boons". Now she is nearly 15 1/2 and next month we will be making the trip to the DMV to take her written test and then the driving begins. I don't know how well you do with that but the whole time I am riding with my "new drivers" I am a nervous wreck. I am exhausted everytime we arrive at home. So today Abbie I say, Congratulations!!! You've reached another milestone. I love you very much.

More Details

Ok, my youngest sister has informed me that I left out a few details when writing about Riley's college applications. First, he is applying to NYU and OU. Second, he would like to major in Drama, Musical Theater or Linguistics. He has auditions in February for the first 2. We have scheduled our audition for NYU and only have to send in the RSVP's for the other 2 auditions at OU. Next, we will be putting together his Resume and Headshots. But like I said previously the applications are in and that was the biggie.

Waiting game....

College applications are now in. We have audition forms to get in but that is small potatoes. Now we play the waiting game. I don't know if Riley is as excited about this as I am. To me it's like waiting to open Christmas presents when you were a kid. My prayer is that God will open the door that he wants Riley to go through and prepare us all for what lies ahead.

New Year

Well the holidays are behind us and now it is time to get ready for duathlons, gardening, organizing closets, etc. We had a wonderful trip to Copper Mountain for skiing (me) and boarding (the rest of the family). Abbie made it home safe last night. Thank you Olson family for entertaining our daughter!!! Terry is back to a full schedule, Riley and Abbie are back to school with plays and semester finals approaching. Travis is job hunting and working on his music. I love the new beginnings of January. It feels like you could tear a sheet out of a notebook and start over fresh. I hope you have a wonderful New Year.