mid winter days

Another end of a nice long weekend.....
We made some good food over the weekend.  We made one of our favorite meals, which is homemade pizza.
 I  made chocolate chip cookies yesterday.  I have had them for breakfast both weekend days.
Today I made heart cutout cookies, which I will bring to work for my birthday treat.  I REALLY  like frosted cutouts!!  I tinted the frosting pink.  :)
Dan made a new recipe.  It was zucchini/basil soup.  The zucchini was from our garden, and I made light rolls to go along with it.  The soup will be a "make again", recipe, as we enjoyed it thoroughly!
I knit a little on the cowl.  I made a few errors, and will make a trip to my mom's, so that she can show me how to fix them.
I started to make another bag that I will felt.   I am making make-up size bags, with zippers.
This knitting is going to take a long time for me to get good at it, and I want to be good NOW!!
The following pictures are two that I took while out walking today.  The sun was bright, and the air was cold!!  The cold air feels nice, when you are dressed properly.

The blue sky looks pretty through the branches.  
Our farm is a nice place to walk home to.

winter magic

I have a few more pictures to share with you.   Hope you find them interesting.
Birch trees are a popular subject of mine.

I made cole-slaw, and found the cabbage to be such a pretty color!

We got 5 inches of snow on this day.  Snowy days are the best days to go outside.It was just starting to get dark out as I was walking home.  The woods looked magical.

This small tree looks like it is in a yoga pose..


Me

 This happens only once or twice during the winter, after a snowfall.  Isn't is neat!!

Picture this!

I like to go out and walk on these cold winter days.   I enjoy taking many pictures while I am on my walks.  The subjects seem to communicate with  me, and say "take my picture".   So I just do!
The following are just a few of my favorite.

Picture number one is named  "Monster giving peace sign."  I find that the trees often look alive!
Picture two is looking out of our kitchen window on a very cold winter morning.
Picture three is looking up on a cold clear day.
Picture four, is a tree with a sense of humor.
The tree in the fifth picture often makes me chuckle when I walk past it.  It seems to be tall, skinny, and with a small head.  It's mouth is wide open, with a surprised expression.
The next picture is where the keebler elves live.
The sky was so pretty on the way home today, I had to stop and take this one.
The last one speaks for itself.


 

One more Hurrah for 2010

This last day of 2010 has been a good one.
We slept in a little this morning, until eight!  I watched Oprah, and JK Rowling was being interviewed.  It was really interesting to watch.  They are both really likable ladies.  ;)
The day was warm and wet.  It did not rain, but the temps were in the upper 40's so the snow is just about completely melted.  I enjoyed a nice long walk out in the fresh air!
I mixed up 2 loaves of whole wheat/rye bread.  I then made a large batch of  granola.  This time I made it wheat-free, just for the fun of it.  I wanted to test the flavor.  I used homemade applesauce, maple syrup, and raw honey to sweeten it.  It turned out good!  Dan made some burritos with  tempeh, which were  really good too!  Currently I have some black beans in the crock pot.  I made them with sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and tomatoes.  They smell  pretty good, and we will eat them on corn tortillas, with feta cheese.  I can  freeze the extra for another day.
Due to popular demand, I am posting a video from Silas's Christmas program at school.  He was fun to watch!

Hope you enjoy it too!!  

Happy Holiday's of 2010

Christmas of 2010 was a fun time!  We went to Granny and Papa's for Christmas eve, and had our traditional dinner of taco's.  They also had cheese, crackers, and other good snacks.  Amy and Chase were able to be there too!

We also were able to go to Silas's school Christmas  program.  He enthusiastically sang all the songs.  It was fun to watch him.  He is on the end of the front row, on the right side of the picture.
Christmas eve, Daniel and Silas were able to spend some time at our home.  Silas opened up his stocking gifts, that Santa had left on our front porch!  Santa knew he would be stopping by!!

Christmas morning was here before we knew it!!
 We had a breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls, sausage, coffee and juice.

 These last two pics are a couple  I took while out snowshoeing this week. I love to take  pictures of the snow/and anything outdoors.  I hope you enjoy them.

Hope that you all had an enjoyable Holiday, and have a magnificent 2011!!

Knitting Frenzy!

Today is Sunday, and I will re-cap the last week or so.  Amy came home last Wednesday, and we were able to have her here until Saturday afternoon.   We stayed up late every night, and I do not feel any effects from that.(meaning that I am not tired, as I require a lot of sleep it seems.)  I have had four days off work and have been able to "sleep until I wake up naturally".  It has been nice to have that option.  Funny thing is, is that I still woke up at six to six thirty.
We went to Dans parents for Thanksgiving day.  Grandma Arnett was there, and her  dog "Lucky".  He is a cute little thing!   As I am writing this, the peanuts version of "Oh Christmas Tree", is playing.  That is a classic Christmas song to me.  I have been hearing it since I was a small child.  Dan's sister Connie and all of her family were there, except for Luke, who just became engaged to "Marissa".  Isn't that a pretty name?  Uncle Andy was also there.  We had the traditional holiday feast, with LOTS of food, and pie for dessert.  We got there early, and Dan put together the sausage/cheese/cracker trays.  I brought stuffing, and applesauce.
The following day we ran some errands, and got new phones.  We got Androids, and they are like a mini  computer with a phone.  We are enjoying them.  I have already taught myself how to "cast on", on U-Tube, and have had some knitting lessons.    ;)  Daniel came over in the evening to spend some time with Amy.

Dan and I went to the grocery store Saturday morning, and then brought Amy back to her apartment  that afternoon.  Amy made quesadilla's for supper one evening while she was here.  We have not made them for ages!  It is black beans, onions, peppers, cheese, and really- just whatever you want/sandwiched between two tortillas, and cooked in a little oil in a heavy black skillet.   Now we have made that type of thing before, but have not had it for a very long time.  We will have that often, as it is really good, versatile and easy to make!  Daniel and Silas were here today.  We all had quesadilla's for lunch.  :)         Silas and Dan rode around the yard on the mini bike.  Silas loves to do that!   I went to Cambridge to visit my parents and came home and went for a walk.
About the pictures.....The light fixture has Cherubs on it.  The picture does not do it justice.  It is not like anything I have seen before, and I like it!  I also took a picture of the table before we all sat down.  Pops sets such a nice table.  Dan and I got to sit at the other table by Joseph, Laurie and Amy!  
Maybe in my next blog, I will have a picture of our first snow?!

Happy Holiday's

Today starts Thanksgiving week.  we look forward  to the day!  It is always fun to slow down and get together with family  The  forecast calls for high's in the 20's, so it will be brisk!
Today, the temps are in the 40's and it is cloudy with a winter white sky.  I met  my sister Jennie at Camrock park, and we went for a walk.  It was good to see her and visit.  :)
I just finished listening to the book on disc, "True compass"  which is an autobiography by Edward "Ted" Kennedy.  I enjoyed the book, and also really enjoy listening to books read on disc.  I listen to them on my way to and from work.  Teddy kept detailed journals of his life, and the book is a history lesson, from his point of view.  He was full of life, and had a lot of good energy.  He loved his country, and led a life of service.  

The next book I plan to read, (in paperback  form) is "We Band of Angels"  It is a true story of women nurses, who were prisoners of war in the Philippines. I will tell you more about it after I finish it. 

How do you like the Halloween mask??  Pretty creepy and realistic!!
The tree, I pass on my way to work each day, and I think it is really neat what these folks have done with a damaged tree.  It is quite creative!
Silas has on "Chapel"  clothes for school, and looks so handsome with his tie on!  
The cute baby boy is Riley, and the sweet little bumble bee is Reagan.  I understand that she has 8 teeth now.  :P
I have been busy doing some other things, but you will have to wait to be filled in about those in about 33  more days!!   ;)