At Home with Maree: October 2010

Thursday, October 28, 2010

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!

Monday, October 25, 2010

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!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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!

Monday, October 11, 2010

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