calm before the storm

Waking early tomorrow morning to get ready for our most prestigious lawyer-daughter to come for breakfast before heading back to Hollywood! Katrina is flying out tomorrow afternoon to be with her hub and work, work, work! (photos coming soon)

I'll be updating my journaling - but so I won't forget, here are some reminders:

• (2) Christmas packages LOST in the mail - "thank you" FedEx!
• Anniversary doings
• Weather
• Schuy & Whit moving this weekend
• Bob studying for . . .
• Baby blessing
• and much more - coming soon

It's la88888888888888 - going to bed!

beautiful day in paradise

We were visiting Katrina and family the other day and had a little reunion at a local pizza place - might I say, it was d-lish! Twelve family members traveled to see our 'long-lost-attorney' who came all the way from California to visit during the holidays. It was fun and delicious (and I want to go back for more) and so fun to visit our extended family. After, we went to hang out at Schuyler and Whitney's place (located in the middle of 'heaven') ate pistachios and visited. On our way home, we stopped for a picture of the mighty Tetons right before sunset - the day was clear and amazing and most beautiful - then, we were on our way home.

special day & simple things

Happy ANNIVERSARY to us! . . . .

#41 and counting!

(more later - we're partying today!)

Merry Christmas 2009

I hope you had a WONDERFUL day!

tis the season - a sweet story for all

Please take the time in your busy schedule to watch this adorable clip - it will make your day, possibly your holiday season!
(please scroll down to the bottom and turn music off before you start the clip! You'll just "wuv" it!!!)

very busy - how about you?

Journal notes:
Coming soon!

meet "Tex" - experiment with light

'Tex' is another masterpiece from a guy in town who has an amazing talent of wood carving and doesn't even know it OR he's so just darn humble - can't decide what! I wanted to choose another Santa to my collection this year SO, I asked Bob to talk to him at school and he did PLUS sent a BOX of Santa's home so I could choose one! How do you choose just one? In the box was 'Tex' (just had to give him a name!) - just laying there - kind of unnoticed! So, I thought I would get 'Tex' out of his box and put him in the spotlight - I spent some time with him in the kitchen with my trusty reading lamp (for light) and camera. I love the personality he was given by Steve's carving tools - you can hear his boots click-clicking on the formica and hear his raspy voice say, "Hi there pard'ner!"

christmas baking

"That's ALL folks!" . . . I'm out of here - I have to START my Christmas shopping! Yikes, my worst nightmare has come true - no shopping done!

ho, ho, ho - mosiac monday

I have been collecting hand carved Santas for many years. A guy in our small town creates these little master pieces and I've kept him in extra Christmas money for some time! These are a few of my favorites!

This is my entry for "Mosaic Monday" - go by Mary's place and check out all the other fun mosaics.

everyday living

Journal Notes:
Coming soon!

2nd place - what an honor

I was poking around on "flickr" tonight - noticed that I had an email in my inbox. I opened it up and it said the following:

"Congratulations you won second place in GAVE_YA_CHILLS fall contest and your pic looks great on front page. Thanks again."

Wow! What an honor! You can't believe the entries in the competition (once you get there, you have to scroll down a bit) - there were some seasoned-photographers and then there was little ol' me!!!

Tonight, LARK came and bought this very print in a 16x24 format processed on 'metalic paper' (very stunning) AND a Teton print on 'metalic paper' for her Christmas present! "Now, it's more valuable, Lark - you can resell it for BIG BUCKS ! ! ! ! Haha!"

when i grow up i want to be an . . . .

(please, before you push 'start', scroll to the bottom and turn off music!)
I 'DIG' this music . . .

cookie exchange

I have the opportunity of working with girls from the ages of 12 to 18 in our church! I love it! We decided to plan a cookie exchange for tonight's activity. Everyone brought 18 cookies - cookies that are a family favorite. They came with a holiday tradition they would share with us, a white elephant gift - wrapped, and a container to take their cookies home. Someone was to bring Christmas music on their ipod-home - and guess what? WE HAD A GREAT TIME and the girls did a great job on their cookies! They were to make them by themselves to pass off a requirement for an award they are each working toward.



These cookies are called Marigoons and they contain NO flour! They are not only a family favorite BUT, a family SECRET! That means I can't give you the recipe OR I'd have to be killed ! ! ! When I was about 6 years old, my mother cut the recipe out of a magazine and the rest is history! I've NEVER seen this cookie made by another human being and I've been to a lot of parties, dinners and bazaars. So, our family has kept the recipe a secret mainly because it was my favorite cookie all the years I was growing up.



So, every Christmas the recipe comes out of the recipe box and we make lots of them. It continues, to this day, to be my favorite Christmas cookie. I decided to share it tonight with the girls and they seemed to like it with the hot chocolate they tanked down a it WAS a very cold night - about 3 degrees outside. Our high today was about 6 degrees!



Friday, my awesome daughters (Kandee, Heather and Whitney) and mother will meet to make these little gems and many other recipes for Christmas. This will be the first year grandma and I divulge the recipe to our posterity. The secret will now be in their hands . . . hopefully, they live a long life !!!!!

Journal Note:
I can happily report to Marcelle (my new WW coach, mentor and hero) that I only ate (1) carmel and chocolate dipped pretzel that easily worked into my daily points ! ! ! You would be proud, Marcy ! ! ! !

s.u.b. z.e.r.o.

coming soon!

the magic of children - mosaic monday

This is my entry for "Mosaic Monday" - go by Mary's place and check out all the other fun mosaics.

Journal Notes:
We're having "Arizona Days" in reverse here in Idaho! What I mean by that is, we're having to STAY INSIDE because it's so darn cold outside! They're expecting -20 degrees here tonight - not to mention wind chill factor which drives the temps down even more. The dogs have NO DESIRE to go outside - I caught Bella peeing on our entrance mat just because it's too cold to go out! They will probably call school in the morning - it has to drop to -20 before they'll let kids stay home.

Whit called this morning and said she had 'cabin-fever' and was coming for a visit! Schuyler has been working at the ski resort cooking and has been working 12-15 hour days. There is just NO WORK to be found in their valley. They are happy for his job and Whit and been getting some hair jobs here and there but she came down with the flu about 5 days ago and she still isn't feeling that great!

Whit decided to cook for us tonight - listen to this: Wild Salmon and couscous/lentil salad (to die for) - it was gourmet all the way - I was in savory-heaven. My ONLY regret - not getting a photo.

AND thanks-be-to-Whit, our TREE IS UP! (I told you I was needing some prodding!) Bodin had a ball with the lights as you can see in the mosaic - this will be the first Christmas he'll have some real fun as you can see in his eyes. Whit and Bodi will be going home in the morning as Schuyler thought it would be too cold to travel tonight. When they get home, they're going to go and cut down a tree - Bodin will love every bit of it!

Wish us 'luck' tonight - any guesses HOW COLD it will actually get?

have a great sunday

Hope you have a wonderful sunday in whatever you're doing OR where ever you live on this planet . . .
(note: all of the following photos were taken the same evening)



This photo was looking east as the sun was setting . . .





This photo was taken only moments after the first photo - this one is looking west - interesting, ha! . . .

christmas tree

I had to entitle this blog post "CHRISTMAS TREE" sooooooo I'd set up our tree!!!

baby it's c.o.l.d. outside and other such nonsense!

Yep, it's c.o.l.d. - at sunrise it was -2 degrees (can't imagine what it was during the midnight hours) - now, it's a whopping 2 above! Outlying areas were -15 below - and we've just started December. California and Reno, here I come!

Usually when it's that cold outside the OVEN DOOR automatically swings open and I hear Nestle chocolate chip cookies calling my name from cookie heaven (they haven't been created yet - get it!!!) and I start baking cause it's too cold outside to do anything else (blablabla). My mind is SCREAMING, 'NO, NO, DON'T DO IT!' So, since I got on the scale the other day and discovered I had gained 6 lbs in the last month (chalk it up, partially to Thanksgiving & no exercise during the H1N1 episode) I, instead, pulled out the WW scale and my food journals and I'm once again tracking what passes my juicy red lips (okay, that's a bit much) - but, as you can see, it's hot cereal/sprinkled with cinnamon, berries and protein. As soon as I do that (tell myself it's diet time) - that's all I think about - F.O.O.D! Normally, I hardly think about it and sometimes only eat it once or twice a day - why is that?

Trying to get myself JAZZED about Christmas shopping - haven't got much done. My true feelings? I want to run away to a nearby state and hibernate until Christmas is all over and then come out and hit the sales!!!!! Is that normal?

whatever wednesday

Got a call from Whit - she was going to cut and color my hair today. She decided to come into town early so we met at 12 p.m. over at the salon. I am now a brunette with much shorter hair! Nice for a change. It's nice to have her close and taking good care of her Ma. Later in the day, I did some babysitting while Kandee headed to the salon for her makeover - she too, is now a brunette!!!!!

*****berta's quick-find-list*****

http://thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com/

colorless but NOT lifeless

It was really cold outside today and totally void of any color except grayish-blue skies. I heard a rumbling on the roof that I'd never heard before - sounded like a million squirrels jumping on the rooftop! I looked out the window to see much commotion all around the yard. Looking closer I found thousands of birds outside - everywhere, trees, roof, bushes - everywhere! Click each picture for a closer look - these little buggers are pretty cute - they were getting ready for the coming snow that fell shortly after this photo was taken.

The birds were blanketing the trees - not a bird here and there - the tree, especially the evergreen tree filled with pinecones, was covered in birds. If you click on the picture you can see them sitting on the branches - you have to look close, they blend in very well. You don't see that everyday! I had to move very quietly as not to disturb this mighty group. As I look at these pictures I have to wonder how it makes this evergreen feel to have such a 'housefull'? If I were the tree, I would be honored to have such company - being a tree would be a lonely life most of the time - haha - okay, I can hear you thinking - I've lost it, right!