Did you say...PLAN?

So, we had a lovely holiday break and I was gearing up to get back to the routine. Oh, the lovely routine!! Even though for years I swore I had no routine...I've lately discovered, that what seems like my lack of routine IS indeed a routine after all! <--We'll talk about that another day.

Anyway, the beginning of a new month is usually only mildly noticed around here. I happen to notice the day, because it means a new month of food budgeting and that means grocery shopping day! This is normally a very busy day with trips to not one, not two, but three OR four grocery stores. We restock our supplies and then shopping during the rest of the month tends to be a much milder affair.

Now, the beginning of January is a much bigger deal. It's a celebrated holiday. Well, throw that in with my need to restock the pantry and my overwhelming need to get back to routine....and you probably get a pretty chaotic looking picture. (maybe even experienced the same in your home!)

Mike was off on New Year's Eve and we went out for a nice lunch with some family and then off to grocery shop. We hit Whole Foods and Trader Joes. With the new year and my food intolerance, I've decided to buckle down and serve more whole foods, more raw foods, even some vegan meals...mixed in with our meaty meals to keep a balance. For us, 2011 is time to back away from processed foods and sugar overload. I've been researching and have found so many yummy recipes and blogs. So, I was set and ready to get rolling.

So, shop we did. However, the cabinets were already stuffed with holiday food and leftovers galore. Being that it was New Year's Eve and we had made some plans for the evening, there was really no time to sort, clean out, or put any thought into the kitchen. Everything was just put away...out of sight.

Monday is always a good day to get back to routine, right? For some reason, it seems like we always designate certain days and months to do things....and MONDAY is ALWAYS the day to start something. (anything... Just start it on a MONDAY, whatever you do!!)

I know the fridge is full of fresh produce, the cabinets are stocked with special ingredients to create new foods for us to enjoy....and somehow I'll weed out the bad, old stuff later. Come on, Monday. I am ready to steam, roast, soak, blend, and whatever else it takes to whip this family into total specimens of excellent health.

That's the plan! Oh...did I just say....PLAN?? Have I not learned?

Well, to HECK with the plans, early Monday morning....12:10 AM to be exact.....a nasty little bug decided it was time to rear it's ugly little head. It's claimed 3 out of 4 in this house, while leaving my fridge full of fresh produce just sitting there.

Tomorrow, I'll share what I did with my "free" time.

Funny thing about plans...

We ALL know that when you have PLANS, things are surely going to go awry. That pretty much sums up my long blogging break. No big catastrophic events took place. Nope... just a bunch of little glitches, wonky plans and one incredibly adorable baby that took my attention and time. (No, not MY baby...my GRAND baby!)

Since I last blogged, we've done some summer sight seeing, celebrated a few birthdays, enjoyed the harvest of our garden, started school back up, lost my computer and ALL my pictures(still hoping to recover those), said goodbye to too many friends that were moving out of state, enjoyed holidays with family and friends, further honed in on my food intolerance, tried many new recipes, and most importantly.....

spent MANY hours loving on this baby girl!

Isn't she precious?

Saying goodbye.....

Saying goodbye to a Faithful, Furry, Friend is never easy.

K has been drawing to express her feelings.

And she designed this stone for his memorial.


We will miss you!

Springtime Feelings....

Ack....I feel like I've fallen off the face of the earth here. For some reason, this time of the year always gets hectic for me and I get that "itchy-can't-believe-it's-almost-the-end-of-school" twitch . This particular feeling consumes me and while I enjoy it and actually look forward to it from January on, it still leaves me a little overwhelmed. Hmmm....more like a LOT overwhelmed. I'm absolutely positive that I'm ready for it and then BAM...it hits and I feel unprepared! Have we done enough? Too much? Can we finish and still enjoy summer? How do I settle this urge to spring clean for days on end AND buckle down and finish the school year strong AND handle that "Oh heck, it's almost summer, so let's just quit now" feeling? Some days it overpowers me and I wind up doing NOTHING. I hate those days.

Am I the ONLY one in the world that experiences such inner conflict!?

This year, school was finishing out strong and the house was getting in order. Key word...WAS. Mike took off his annual May week. (we celebrate K's birthday and our anniversary, by doing a mini-stay at home vacation) We had fun...until K decided to get sick. Fortunately(?), that was at the end of the week, so it wasn't too much of a buzz kill. Now I have to find that momentum again and crack the whip TOMORROW. How did TOMORROW get here so quickly? UGH!!

We WILL finish strong, spring cleaning WILL be finished and we WILL enjoy our summer!!

I can almost taste it.

It tastes like....M&M's.

Oh, wait....that might just be from my little snack.

Introducing...

Yes, the above is what it appears to be....a precious little babe.

I've been holding back this little news for months and it is now time to shout it out.

J & T are expecting and the tech is 80% sure this is a little girl. The next sonogram will be more definitive, but for now....we are calling and thinking of the baby as a girl. Thankfully, this will not inflict any real emotional damage on the baby if in fact "she" turns out to be a "he". Our love will stay the same. Right now it's just nice seeing her grow and wiggle as we get little video snippets from the sonograms. (sometimes technology is a wonderful thing) Our hearts will never forget our precious grandson, Peyton, but they will expand as we welcome his little sister(or brother) into our lives.

In fact, she already has a very special place in my heart.

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!!

Really?

Yes, really!

They are calling for MORE snow on Monday!!

Really??

...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.

creative yummies

If you ever wonder what to do on a snow day, I have an idea for you. Put your creative thinking cap on and come up with a dessert recipe as a family. In the afternoon, Mike cleaned off the car and we bundled up and hit the road. Fortunately, the grocery store is right down the road from our house. It was surprising to see as many cars in the parking lot as there were, but still the store seemed empty. After a few minutes of shopping, we were back on the road heading home.

We attempted a few things that did NOT work, but we won't dwell on those. We'll just try again another day. Instead, I will show you what did work!

Here's a bowl with mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, confectioner sugar, vanilla and orange zest. It was a rather yummy concoction.

K put sliced strawberries in individual dishes and Mike scooped the cream mixture on top.



We brushed phyllo dough layers with melted butter and I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the top layer. These were baked for a few minutes until they turned crispy and browned.

Each dish got a crispy topper and a fresh scoop of fresh whipped cream (sweetened with a little confectioner sugar). Then topped with a strawberry slice.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Yes....it was!!