Winter Snow

A Christmas memory I never want to forget....

 I was a single mom with two small children.

The first Christmas we were alone, 

started looking around the apartment for ornaments

....anything really...

that we could decorate the house with.

Realizing the boxes of ornaments we used to have

were nowhere to be found... sadness set in, oh dear!

No time for sadness though...gotta do something and quick!

Christmas was coming!

Somehow I came up with $10 to buy a fresh tree

from the stand across the street

Happy with that, I took the kids to a nearby K-Mart

where we purchased $2 plastic stained glass ornaments and

painted them ourselves

They were beautiful!!

***********

We had flour, salt and water ......

 put them all together and made

the cutest dough ornaments you ever wanted to see

painted little Santa's, stars, angels and trees

hung them all up on our little tree

along with freshly popped corn and

red and green construction paper ring garlands

Brad, Melissa and I had so much fun

making our ornaments

and so proud of our little tree

No amount of money could buy
the gift of togetherness my children and I shared.
Baking, painting, cutting, gluing and stringing....
we were busy
we were happy
my two little ones and I.

Thank you Lord for that Christmas

Michelle Tumes - Outrageous Grace (with Susan Ashton and Christine Dente)

Weekend with Jack

Words can't express how much Pop and I love this little guy...
The weekend few by like crazy!
A church fall gathering, 
neighborhood cookout 
and a harvest party all in one day..Whew!
Going to church together, sharing meals
Memories in the making
Hugs and kisses galore
fun times for sure!
Thanks Rachel, Rich and Jack !

White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo

For the recipe click here

Cooking Light Magazine just keeps getting better and better...really inspiring!

I knew as soon as I opened the November issue and saw this recipe
I'd be making it ASAP!

We had it last night for dinner and boy is it good.

It took me about 10 minutes to fix.

I let it simmer while the cornbread baked.

If you are not sure about Kale, this is the recipe to give it a go.

Yummy to the very last drop!

If you haven't tried Marie Callender's low-fat cornbread...you gotta!

Tasty!

Finally....

I've seen 10 year old kids with them...texting away. You can't pull up to a stop light without seeing someone in the car next to you, texting away....sigh. Part of me thought...who would I text? Why would I need a blackberry? Finally, I thought why not? Since buying my new phone Saturday I've been texting away...and finally hearing people a lot better. 

It's been a good thing.

Plus, I don't have to drag around my camera....I can snap away!

This was the first picture I took with my new Blackberry...pretty good I'm thinking.

We are still walking about 4 miles a day, trying to eat right....do the right thing. 

Took these pictures Sunday during our walk in Cherokee. The weather was glorious. I felt so blessed to be out enjoying it....with a really nice guy! 

 

Boo Bash 2010...

Given the chance to make a fool of ourselves...we will.

Our daughter's best friend Shannon and her mom Charlotte have thrown a Boo Bash, give or take, every year since she was in high school. Our good fortune is to know them and be invited. These two are the hostess with the mostess...true Southern Belle's.

Soooo....I thought to myself, Lucy and Desi? Or Dancing with the Stars?...nope, I thought, "Bret Micheals and his Rock of Love"....now that's something  we could really sink our teeth into! Gotta have some fun now and then...

Our beautiful daughter, nurse mommy and mermaid Leah looking so cute....

Leah and her motley crue gramma and pop pop....

No Boo Bash is complete without a beautiful vampire...

Good friends, mother of the bride Kathy, bride to be Carrie, Charlotte and Shannon

Our sweet girls at the pumkin patch

Oh how I love this baby girl....

Looking forward to seeing Jack Halloween weekend and Sam at Thanksgiving...

so much to look forward to!

Hike up Mt Leconte .....check

This hike was on Dick's check list....Bucket List stuff. He had wanted to climb Mt Leconte for years. It's kind of a big deal. Reservations open once a year on October 1st and fill up pretty fast for those that want to spend the night on top of the mountain in rustic cabins. Never appealed to me....I like electricity...indoor plumbing.

Call me spoiled, but camping ain't the life for me....

Dick however, couldn't let his dream go.

his dream included me...his girl.

There were about 4 of these log crossings...swift water running beneath them.

Oh Dick was in seventh heaven....enjoying the view

he didn't even see me fall the first time

just passed these steps in a place called eye of the needle.

I hopped up quickly...no biggy

It had rained the night before, buckets of rain they said.

We stopped the first time at Alum Cave to rest and eat a banana

The hike to that point was not too bad...

only another 2.9 miles to go...uphill

The higher you climb the more gorgeous and breath taking the views...

Hiking uphill in 90 degree hot muggy weather..

When I thought I could not take one more step...
around this next corner and down a little path...

we made it!

This picture of me is after my leg cramps stopped...

somehow the staff found some pickle juice for me to drink to help.

There's that happy guy again....

Our home on the mountain

Our view up there

Everyone has to have their picture taken outside the dining room
It's tradition
we drank cups and cups of that hot chocolate

We survived the night in our little cabin, I did have to make a bathroom run around 3am....with my HUGE bathroom key and flashlight in hand,
I headed off down the hill and to the left
 in the light of the moon.

Ewwww!!!!!

I thought of bears and things that come out at night....

It was funny the next morning when the young boys in the cabin across from us mention they heard noises at 3am...thinking I suppose it WAS a bear...

nope just me!

I included this photo of me because it was right before I slipped the second time. You can't really tell in the photo it was raining....I was on a rocky cliff...steps actually

I lived to tell about it.

I badly sprained my ankle, twisted both knees and hurt my shoulder in the process...

managed to hike out 3 1/2 miles after that.

Haven't wanted to talk about it much ...

I'd worked so hard to get into shape, lose the weight, eat right

In one fell swoop

back to square one.

That was August 17Th..

We left for England September 2ND...

I wore two knee bands and an ankle wrap

On this mountain I proved to myself several things...

the most important.... to overcome

get back up when I fall
to keep on keeping on.....
and
to never, ever give up

I'm coming back one day at a time...

We've been to St Ives.....

Boy did we ever go to St Ives....

Dick and I still dream of these hot delicious Cornish scones...

spread with smooth & creamy clotted cream & luscious strawberry jam

plus the comforting hot teapot of black tea...

We enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of so many we met along the way

Just look at this lovely town...

full of people, homes, shops, bakeries, pubs, churches, theaters, boats...

an enchanting town on the water in Cornwall, England.

A wonderful pub on the water...

The boats....

Bridges...

views...

Unique house with flowers that matched the front door..gotta love that!

Just up from this house was a shop, The Porthminster Gallery 
with this adorable ceramic teapot and cup 
created by an artist named Karen Shapley

I really wanted to take these home with me, however,

the teapot was 160 pounds and the cup was 55 pounds...

that's about $340.00 ....

this picture of it will have to do..sigh.

and this one too

The Sloop Inn

Back to the Pastry Shops... ;-)

This was apple pie...served with clotted cream

Busy, busy workers....serving perfection

Many pasty shops to chose from...no time to diet!

Hard to pick just one.... so we got two!

This little pastry shop, in the picture above and below,
only allowed for one shopper at a time...

we were in line here with a very happy lady

said she had been visiting this bakery since the 50's...wow!

The many fun shops to browse.....

Cars navigate around the narrow streets with people milling around...

Churches...

The gardens....

St Ives will always stay in my heart...

Tally Ho! St Ives!!