because she cares....

I'm so fortunate to have a crafty daughter that loves me.

She surprised me the other day with a handmade coaster for my nightstand.

Here it is personalized just for me.


It so happens the colors are based on the decor in my bedroom.

Yes, I do have an orange bedroom!

The felt has been added to help absorb the condensation from my cup of ice

water that I bring to bed every night.

Like I said....she loves me!!

frogs

When I laid my eyes on this....

I fell in love with frogs.

It was that easy...

Baked Rice...

I love brown rice, but Mike was never really a fan. In my quest to eat healthier meals, I just made the brown rice and he suffered through it like a trooper. That is....he suffered until I discovered Baked Brown Rice. Now, he loves it as much as I do and truthfully, this really is the only way I want to cook the stuff now. It comes out so yummy!

This is the recipe I use. I keep it in my handy dandy recipe binder which stays right in my kitchen. To get your own copy click here.

I double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan. Of course, one of the downsides of making brown rice is that it takes an hour to cook. It just so happens that I have a tip for you.

Bake two 9x13 pans at once. Let them cool just a bit and measure the rice out in freezer bags. Pop them in the freezer laying flat, so they can stack. Then when you want brown rice, you just have to pull a bag out and heat the rice up. I add a little liquid and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes. However, you can heat it on the stovetop or even put it in the oven for a bit. We love it with roasted veggies and a bit of broth for flavor.

This recipe has never failed me and even picky K eats it!!

Really?

Yes, really!

They are calling for MORE snow on Monday!!

Really??

I wasn't going to do this....

I decided earlier today that I was going to take a break from snow pictures. I did get quite a few goods ones yesterday when the older kids came over and played out back together...but I put them on my facebook page to share with friends and family and figured my blog needed a snow break.

Then we got news that another 10 inches is on it's way. I thought about it...nah, still going to stay on that snow picture break. Then I looked out my window and suddenly all snow picture bans were off. This is our life right now and it's actually quite monumental for around here. After all, we will need a record of this just to show the grandchildren someday.

So, what sight did I see that changed my mind? Son #2 walked by the window and all I saw were his feet! Yep, that's right. I went over to the window and pulled it up and told him to stand still. I put my camera right on the bottom sill and took a shot....

I had to lean out the window and look up to get a shot of his face.

Notice his hand resting on the roof!

Now, you know I'll have to take more shots if we do get the predicted snow storm.

Consider yourself warned.

...and it's still coming down

Random afternoon shots...

Looking at the corner of our fence...the drifts are just about covering it.

Backyard beauty


Love those pine trees.


Dodger is very appreciative of his path.

The wind is doing funny things to the snow.

Another wind creation.

Working on a fort.

A pile of snow about to be tunneled through.

She stayed out for quite a while.

K's hideaway...

Yahtzee, DS, ipod, playdough, chocolate bar, blanket, pillow and flashlight...

What more does a girl need?

What's this?

Well, it's snowman face kits. The cloth button eyes have been painted and yarn cut to make a smile. Just need to grab a carrot. Hats and scarves are folded right next to the face kits. She is prepared!!

Here's her homemade flag ready to stake claim to the fort.

Dodger is visiting inside the hideaway.


Soups on!

And now for a followup on the poor birds out back. The snow has
temporarily (?) stopped. Out our side window we could see the bird that had been sitting in the snow earlier. Looking further away we could see other birds doing the same thing.

What were they doing??

Take a look.....

He has his head down and you can see all the ice on the back of his head.

He kept shaking his body and wings and doing a little tail wag. It was cute. Just wish there was some sun to help him out.

Remember, you can click on the pictures to see them bigger.

Too bad I can't send out the smell of our homemade chicken soup.

Mmmmmm........

Blizzard update....

The weather man says our area is one of the hardest hit and it's still coming down. There is a heavy band of snow above us right now and they say conditions are deteriorating once again. We enjoyed bagels and lox for breakfast and after a quick clean up around here, I think I'll work on a puzzle with K and then curl up on the couch to finish my book.

Here are a bunch of morning pictures....

K was out early this morning checking it out.

What potential is in this yard for some major snow battles.

Here is an interesting sight out the side window....

This poor guy was just sitting there all hunched over.



While his friend watched from above.

We made some noise to scare him off....because we were all sure if he stayed on the ground where he was there was no way for him to survive the storm.

He very clumsily made it to a tree. Ice is hanging on him and he sure didn't look graceful as he landed there. It's been two hours and they are both in the same spots. In fact, in a very close by tree there is another one. Poor things are just trying to ride out the storm.


Here's the view out the front porch.

The wind is creating some very pretty scenes.

This is out back along the house.

Looking towards our neighbors you can see more of what the winds are doing. Much of the snow is coming down at an angle.

Now...here's something to think about....

Is it any wonder why the dog stops dead in his tracks when you open the door for him?

This was the path that was dug out earlier for him. Doesn't really look all that inviting now, does it?

Now, I'm off to play with the family....INSIDE.

If you are in the area....stay safe and warm!!

Morning has come...

It's almost like waking up in a magical place. The snow is still falling and the wind still lets out a gust every now and then. In the back yard I see a few branch casualties, but overall things seem fine. Our power must have stopped last night, as I find a few clocks are flashing. Our bedroom clocks are still on and at the correct time, so it must not have been more than a flicker. We're very happy (and warm) about that.

Standing on my front porch looking out.

I love pine trees in the snow.

And then, here's the traditional photo of the table. Just to help get the feel of this snowstorm.

8:30 AM Back Patio

And it keeps on coming.....

10:45

Wow...I can hardly wait to see it in the morning!

Just getting started....

There isn't a whole lot on the ground, but that was actually predicted. They still are calling for the worst of the storm to be overnight....hopefully while we are all tucked safe and sound in our beds with the heat ON.

Can you all tell we've lost power before in the winter? It was no fun....

I still obsess a little (much) about that.

What can I say?

It was three days!!

Son #2 is home from work and even though he only had two miles to go, he said it was a rough two miles. The snow is so wet it packed on the tires and made traction impossible. We're so glad he made it home safe and sound that we cheerfully opened the box of chocolates I picked up today! I knew there was a reason I bought them.

All 4 of us stood around that box at the counter and had a family bonding moment as we carefully picked up the candies and sampled them offering up our personal reviews.

(Ok...so really, we were just being little piggies and we tore into the chocolate...pretty much inhaling the contents of the box. It sounds better the other way, but HEY, I wasn't buying it either.)

7:00 PM Back Patio

Tree shots...I love snow in trees.

Blizzard of 2010

The weather predictions keep going up and up. We are well stocked and ready for it to fall. The only thing we are NOT ready for...at least mentally...is for the power to go out. So, we're holding our breath on that one and praying it stays ON. I'm going to just do a series of updates on here to share with friends and family how we're holding up.

Back Patio 3:00 PM

Notice that there is already some snow on the ground from the last storm earlier this week. Remnants of a large snowman are just beyond the table. We're looking forward to watching that grow! At 3:00, the snow was just starting to come down harder and hadn't quite gotten to the sticking on the roads part. It looks pretty though and everyone in the house feels like a kid all over again.

Yes...we love Blizzards.

brrr....

When it looks like this outside....

I like to stay inside with this....

and stare at these.

Warm summer days can't get here soon enough!!