Welcome New Year! January 1, 2010

Happy New Year! Phil and I stayed up and watched 3 movies! Walker was out with friends and they played board games and computer games and something like charades. They shot off fireworks at midnight and ordered pizzas. He had a great time.

We didn't sleep in too late, about 8:30 ish.

Here is what we had for breakfast...Phil's fish he caught last fall, saved for when Walker was home. They are a couple of kinds of trout; I also made my green chili, cheese and egg dish and hash browns. Before that I made Rhodes cinnamon rolls. That hit the spot with a cup of coffee this morning!

Later we went to Shelton to see Sherlock Holmes. It was pretty good, better than we expected.



Here is Walker in his NRA U hat. It came pre-weathered! He got this and a two year membership in the NRA at Hillsdale, after attending a lecture and shooting class. The hats are very popular at school.

We got an alumni newsletter this week from Hillsdale, and there was Walker in the background! This was at the NRA class. The other two guys sitting are friends of his, dorm neighbors, or suite-mates as he calls them.

One of my New Years' resolutions is not to buy any more cookbooks! This is my last issue of Cooking Light. I do like them but they are stacking up and I think I could use recipes from my old ones for the next ten years!

My Christmas flowers are still looking pretty good.

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I spent a little time today journaling what all we did last year - from my calendar. Whew, it was quite a year. I feel quite accomplished looking back! It was a great year.

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Happy 2010!

New Years' Eve 2009

Happy New Year! We are spending New Year's Eve at home, watching tv, having a late dinner.

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I hope your New Years' Eve is peaceful, and exciting in the way that opening the page of a new book that you know is going to be great is!

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I worked until noon today and Phil came and picked me up. We went to Taco Bell for lunch! I love tacos, and we found a romantic spot (in the rain) in a parking lot overlooking the freeway while we ate in the car! : )

Then we went to a couple of antique malls. Phil did this for me, because I don't think he really cared much about it but I loved it. I found this cigar box, with lots of great images on it. I found others too, but this one was the only one in my price range (cheap).

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I know this is an old story, but I am going to reorganize my sewing/craft room in January! I think I'll wait til Walker goes back to school, and move everything into his room first - then bring back in only the things I have room for! I may blog my progress, or even facebook it. My blog followers are too nice to remind me I have been trying to do this for about five years!

And one last (maybe) Christmas item--This is Walker's Christmas quilt made by Grandma. 9 great snowmen with scarves and carrot noses!

And, Grandma signed it on the back. I think I may have to start making some for the grandchildren, and let grandma do the hand quilting and embroidery on them. She's got so many great-grandchildren! I think that may be why she gave me so much of her Christmas fabric! sneaky!

Happy New Year!

I love you!

On to 2010.............................................

December 29, 2009 - my guys!

I told Walker I hadn't gotten enough photos of him yet! So he posed for a few. This is one I especially liked. You can see he is humoring me.

I snapped this one of Phil as he walked in the door tonight. I don't know what he is laughing about!

This is Walker's Christmas quilt (baby size) from Grandma J.

And she embroidered "Merry Christmas" and 1998 on on it.

I still have all my Christmas stuff up, but I am beginning to organize the packaging for it. A few more days and we will have it all packed up, and the days will be getting longer, and Spring will be on its way.

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I got my hair cut today and feel like a new woman! I braved extremely icy roads this morning to get this done!

December 28 -- Happy Birthday Solomon

Its hard to let go of Christmas! We usually leave our tree up until New Years' Day. This is the view I took lying on the floor under the tree looking UP.

I bought two boxes like this at Goodwill - .99 each. They look like cigar boxes, but they originally were for tea. They are very nicely made and will fit in perfectly with my cigar boxes. That is the sort of thing that keeps me wanting to browse Goodwill once a week at least!

I had my framed photos of all the grandchildren out and wanted to take a picture. They get a little lost on the tree, so I put them all in a candy dish! my sweet treasures!

Here's the elf that Phil made! I bet this is exactly what Carissa and Alan were so scared of!!!

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I was at work most of today, but tomorrow I get to go get my hair done. It has grown a least an inch since the week before Thanksgiving! Really!

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I am hoping to spend some of my gift cards tomorrow too. I got a bunch from JCP. new underwear maybe - or a pair of shoes - or jeans... Maybe all three if the sales are really really good!

Walker is really enjoying my cooking. I thought he wouldn't care since he got such unlimited food at SAGA, but he says quantity does not make up for quality. Tonight we had lemon mushroom chicken (last night too). I still have Enchilada casserole on my list of things to make, and Tandoori Chicken, and a few other things. We'll have to diet after Walker goes back to school!

A few more things...

Grandma and Grandpa came over to see our tree and decorations today. Here is Grandpa looking over some boxes of stamps that Phil wanted him to see...

And Phil doing the same thing...Grandma and I just sat on the other side of the room and talked and visited and looked at my Christmas ornaments.

Here is another gift from Phil. He often gives me Christmas Tree ornaments for Christmas and ties them onto the outside of my stocking -- its a dangerous mission trying to get them off to get into the rest of the stocking contents! Pretty huh?

And here is my December memories book - it is stuffed! I'm not quite done yet, but wanted to give you a peek into how FAT it is!

I made lemon mushroom chicken for dinner tonight. Very good. Why don't I make this more often? It was quick and easy!

December 27, 2009

I received this Hillsdale College Christmas ornament from W for Christmas. Its hand painted by someone in Pullman. I love it!

And this is what he gave Phil...cool!
This is the painted snowman Tori made and I promised to share. adorable!

and...Tori painted this tree to go with my Christmas Village! hmmm, I think I might need more contributions to the village from the other grandchildren!

...with names and years printed on the bottoms!

December 26, 2009

The day after Christmas! And another surprise! These came in the mail for me today -- two sets of greeting cards made for me by my granddaughter! Aren't they great? She poses her dolls, snaps the shot and here you go - a work of art! Beautiful!

And another one-the dolls are wrapping gifts for Christmas!

This is a gift I received from Phil - a china box and cup. I love them - they look like they're made of vintage letters.

I was looking around for something interesting and Christmas-y to take a photo of -- these cute characters we made from fimo one year (2000 I am told). They've held up very well.

And a thank you to another granddaughter! I snapped this shot just before I gobbled up this beautiful cookie! Thank you Tori! Delicious! >>>

Tori also painted me a snowman ornament. I'll take a picture of that tomorrow.

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We are all tired and want to go to bed at 8:00 p.m.!

Christmas Day 2009

A picture is worth a thousand words! A snapshot of our Christmas Day!

December 24, 2009 - Christmas Eve!

Ho Ho Ho Here is Alan wearing his birth-stocking on his head for me! We celebrated his birthday tonight. I made a dinner of the following:.......Jalapeno Cheese dip and crackers (Walker made that)...pistacios...fresh pea pods...Dinner was Rib Roast, steamed carrots and potatoes. The rib roast was great, just the way the guys like it. I've never cooked a rib roast before but this came out great. I put it in the oven for an hour, turned off the oven and let it sit in there for 3 hours, then turned the oven on again for 45 minutes. It came out perfect, juicy and pink inside and delicious on the outside. Success! I made a chocolate cake in the crock-pot, we ate it warm with ice cream and whipping cream on top - I put a candle in each dish, lit them, and carried them in on a silver tray - then everyone made a "wish' for Alan. It was very very good!

We had English "Crackers" at the table. We all wore our hats and read our fortunes and played with our toys. I also had Thai fortune cookies, which were coconut flavored and much better tasting than traditional fortune cookies!

Here is an adorable photo of the B family! Cute huh? I love it.

And one more.

I had three gingerbread men for Tori to decorate and she had so much fun doing it! It was a very nice happy evening and when Alan got home he called to tell me again what a nice time they all had.

Tori is wearing special glasses that make all the lights read NOEL when you look at them! I let her take them home to look at the lights on the way.

One of the nicest Christmas Eve's ever! Then, we watched Miracle on 34th Street (the old one) because Walker had never seen it! It still made me cry at the end!

Tomorrow is Christmas!

December 23, 2010 - a special day!

My middle child's birthday! We didn't see Alan tonight, but we talked by phone. They are coming on Christmas eve to celebrate his birthday. I remember being so anxious to get home from the hospital on Christmas Eve, so I wouldn't miss Christmas day at home with my 3 year old! They sent him home in the hospital in a red flannel Christmas stocking, which we still have and he wears on his head on his birthday just to make his mom laugh.

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Phil and Walker and I went out to dinner, to celebrate Walker's grades for his first semester at Hillsdale. (3.7 gpa!). So, we went out to an Indian Restaurant downtown. It was delicious! Walker had Tandoori Chicken, we had coconut curry chicken. We walked over to the boardwalk to see the lighted boats, but it was so COLD! We drove around Olympia looking at Christmas lights for a while too.

When we got home, I dove into baking. >>>This first item is Chess Pie. Here is the recipe: Start with a graham cracker crust (or make your own, or use a regular pie crust). >>>Mix together the following: 2 eggs, 1 tsp flour; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 stick butter (softened); 1/2 tsp vanilla; 1/2 cup milk. >>> I just use a mixing bowl and a whisk. Then, add 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut.

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Pour it all into your pie crust and bake 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. We serve it warm or cold with a little whipped cream on top.

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Walker mixed up a batch of jalepeno cheese dip. It is a "secret family recipe" so if you ever want it it will have to be sent in private! That is for Christmas Eve.

I went back to cooking and Walker entertained me while he watched...

I popped a batch of "forgotten cookies" into the oven before I went to bed. I remember making these with the grandchildren one Christmas when I came for a few days! My oven was still warm this morning. >>>I made a batch of shortbread, rolled it out on sugar, and used cooky cutters to make cookies. They come out extra crisp and delightful that way!

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I have several more recipes to make today, and Alan's Birthday/Christmas Eve dinner: Rib roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and chocolate mud cake (crock-pot) for dessert. Last minute errands and Christmas will be here!

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