Some things I've been working on ...

Among other things, here are some photos of a few craft projects I've been working on.

The first project began on Peanut Brittle Making Day (it's not a national holiday, just a family holiday ;o), but was put on the back burner until recently. I'll take photos today of the Christmas canisters I made, but these spring cuties were finished first, so they get posted first:
These guys are just different types of containers (coffee, oatmeal, cocoa, etc.) that are covered in pretty papers and embellished with stickers and such. They're super easy, fun to make and make great gift containers for food (cookies, candies, snacks, etc.) or small gift items (scarves, notecards, etc.). They're frugal, too, as long as you find your craft supplies inexpensively. Oh yes, and collect your containers from friends and co-workers =)

Next is cupcake picks. These are so fun to make! Having found those tins of die-cuts, I wanted to find something to do with them beyond scrapbooking and card making. I think this fits the bill. I just love how they turned out - each one is different - and I love all of the colors!! Today I'll start using the cute heart die-cuts that I found and begin making those into cupcake picks, too. I can hardly wait to see how they turn out! Stay tuned...

Mr. Handsome in his new Dodger tie...

Kevin received this tie as a gift for his birthday. What do you think, Deb, doesn't he look handsome?He says 'thanks again for the tie!'

Roasted Banana Gelato

Oh.My.Goodness. If thou hast one, get thee to a Fresh & Easy -- NOW. Once there, meander over to the frozen section. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Yes, right there. That's right.

Now, cruise down the aisle looking at alllll of the delightful goodies. Why yes, that is a bag of 8 Il Fornaio rustic rolls for just $1.59 -- why do you ask? Grab a bag and keep going. Wait. Now slowwww down. Riiiiight THERE! Stop!! At this very moment, you should be standing in front of the Heaven on Earth section that contains ice creams, sorbets and gelatos. Mmmmmm ... gelato!! Do you see all of those wonderful choices? Tough decision, right? I hear ya. However, may I make a small suggestion? Pick up that container -- the one just to the left. YES, that's it! Now read the label ... see that? You read it right. ROASTED BANANA. That's right - roasted banana gelato. Do yourself a favor (okay, realistically it's more of a favor for your taste buds than it is your hips, but still ...) and put that little pint of Heaven in your basket. Good.

Now, go to the scanner and check out the rolls, the gelato - and any other goodies you may have found along the way. Pay the nice machine and scoot out the door. That's it ... good. Now, unless you have a spoon right there in the glove box, get thee home as fast as you can (if, however, you have said spoon, by all means, feel free to indulge right there in the car).

Are you home yet? Good. Now, head over to the utensil drawer and select your favorite ice cream spoon. You know - the one you use every night for that delicious, ice cold scoopy. Yes, that's the one. Leave the rest of the goodies in the Fresh & Easy bag (they'll understand - they've done this before) and tear the lid off that little pint of Roasted Banana gelato. (You hear it, don't you? It's calling your name...) There, that should do it. Now take your spoon and dance it across the top - that's right ... get a nice little spoonful. Good. Now ... open your mouth, insert the spoon and .... SAVOR THAT DELICIOUSNESS!!

Is that one of THE best things you've ever tasted in your life? YES?!

Mmmhmm ... we thought so, too!

Smitten

That's what I am with K&Company craft products! Each one is cuter than the next. Case in point: I found these today at the 99 Cents Only store: I'm dreaming of all kinds of fun things I can do with these adorable die-cuts. Ahhhh, the possibilities are endless!

If one package is good, six are better - right? Hey, they're 99 cents each - it's a splurge I think I can afford ;o)

When out from the kitchen there came such a clatter...

While sitting here at the computer, I heard what I thought was Daisy outside eating her dinner.

'Boy,' I thought to myself, 'she sure is a noisy eater tonight.'

The sounds continued and were so loud that I just had to go and see what the heck she was doing out there. Guess what? It wasn't Daisy... What I saw when I looked out the window were two full-sized raccoons. I banged on the window and they glanced at me over their shoulder as if to say 'Yeah, so what?'.

Kevin heard me and came running to find out what was going on. He saw them out there, opened the back door (protected by a heavy screen, of course!) and began yelling at them and banging on the screen. They finally sauntered away into the ivy. Kevin got a pan and one of his drum sticks and went outside to make a racket and scare them off for the night. He said he could see their eyes staring at him; he began making a lot of noise and they finally moved into the shadows a bit more. Little nuisances! You can still hear them chattering away up there.

They may be cute, but they are mean critters that I wouldn't want to have a showdown with. They're much cuter when kept at a nice, safe distance.

... not to mention far away from Daisy's food!

The Four Best Words in the English Language

Pitchers and catchers report.

... at least they are for some ... right Kevy? ;o)

Meal Planning

For about the last four years, I've been creating two-week meal plans for us. Really it's just for dinner as breakfasts and lunches are really easy and don't require much of a plan. I've really discovered first hand that creating the plan - and sticking with it (at least for the most part!) - is both a huge time and money saver.

I do a two week menu because it seems to be easier for me; if I do it for only one week, having to create a new menu seems to come around too fast. Two weeks seems to be about the right amount of time. Having the two week plan allows me to look ahead a bit and stock up on any sale items that we may be using in the next two weeks. Also, I plan from Friday to Saturday because Saturday is generally when I do our grocery shopping.

To keep it fresh in my mind - and to keep me accountable - I'm going to try and remember to post my menus here every two weeks. It's a bit late for this two week round, but here it is anyway:

2/13 - 2/26

Saturday 2/13 - hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad
Sunday 2/14 - roasted prime rib, twice baked potatoes, sauteed fresh spinach (HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!)
Monday 2/15 - roasted garlic chicken, roasted veggies (baby carrots, cauliflower, onions and Brussels sprouts), mashed potatoes
Tuesday 2/16 - French dip sandwiches (using leftover prime rib) with caramelized onions on crusty rolls, cut-up veggies
Wednesday 2/17 - spaghetti with Italian sausage marinara, garlic bread
Thursday 2/18 - scrambled eggs, bacon or sausages, bagels with cream cheese
Friday 2/19 - chicken tortilla soup (using leftover chicken), corn bread
Saturday 2/20 - both Kevin and I will be out for the day so we'll grab a bite out somewhere
Sunday 2/21 - pork roast, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce
Monday 2/22 - Kevin has a meeting and will have dinner there; I'll most likely have peanut butter toast
Tuesday 2/23 - pork stirfry (using leftover pork roast) with lots of veggies over a bed of rice
Wednesday 2/24 - chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn
Thursday 2/25 - Monte Cristo sandwiches (using leftover French toast from Sunday morning), cut-up fresh fruit
Friday 2/26 - frozen pizza (doctored up with lots of fresh veggies) (we normally don't eat frozen pizza, but it was free so ... )

Well, there you have it. Hopefully I'll remember to post the next two weeks when it's time. If not, feel free to remind me!

All Ready for Next Year

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the Maxwell women make peanut brittle. We've done it for years - it's a time honored tradition.

Different years we've had problems finding the type of peanuts we use (raw Spanish peanuts) and, if you could locate them, often times they were priced so outrageously, we didn't make as much peanut brittle as we may have if the ingredients hadn't been so expensive.

This past year, however, luck was with us: the peanuts were both plentiful, easy to find and quite reasonably priced.

Flash forward to today. Among our other errands for today's holiday day-off, Kevin and I went to the grocery store and, right at the front of the produce department (always my first stop ... what can I say? I'm a creature of habit!) was a display of assorted nuts. The very same raw Spanish peanuts we bought for peanut brittle at Thanksgiving - that we'd paid $3.99 per pound for - were on sale for just (drum roll, please ...) 99 cents per pound!

Now THAT's a deal!

Because they freeze so well, I went ahead and stocked up; we bought 10 pounds for a grand total of $9.99 versus $39.99 for the same amount when they were full price. YAHOO!

... I just love finding a great deal =)

More Great Crafting Deals!!

You may remember a few weeks ago when I was at the 99 Cents Only store I came across a great deal on tins of K&Company die cuts. They normally run about $15.00 at Michael's!! They had five tins and I bought all five (I've been making some fun things with them too! ... more on that another time.)

Well last week while I was at Tuesday Morning picking up the non-slip hangers, I thought I'd just take a quick peak in their craft section to see if they had anything fun. I'm so glad I did!! I found several great pads of scrapbooking/crafting paper - also from K& Company. I was almost afraid to look at the price. Not because I thought it would be outrageous (like it is when you pay full-price for it), but because I thought I'd fall in love with the patterns and still not want to pay the discounted price. But I risked it and looked: $1.99 per pad!! Are you kidding me?? I snapped up my three faves and left the store before I could do any more damage.

When I brought it home, I checked out the K&Company website just to see what they had it listed for. I was shocked ... one of the very same pads that I'd just paid $1.99 for was selling for $19.99!! It's this one - which I absolutely love! It's Christmas paper, but not in your typical reds and greens - it's so sweet! The other two were not listed on the site, so they may have been discontinued. However, similar items at the site sell for between $9.99 and $12.99. One of the items is called 'Party in a Pack'. It's great! It's a Thanksgiving themed pad that has die-cuts for napkin rings, favor boxes, wine glass charms, tons of fall leaves, children's placemats with word searches and other activities and even a darling pumpkin centerpiece that you can embellish with either fresh or silk fall flowers and ribbon.

I just can't believe all of the wonderful deals I'm finding out there. I've got so many craft projects running through my head, I'm wondering when I'm going to have time to make them all! I'm hoping for a few more rainy weekends so that I can at least make a dent in them.

Hmm ... of course, there's always spring break ...

Sweet Georgia Brown

In early January, mom and dad asked if we'd be interested in seeing the Harlem Globetrotters. Absolutely!! Kevin had seen them one time, I'd never seen them and neither had Debbie, Bill or the boys. Mom and dad thought, since they were coming to town, that it would be fun if we all went together to see them play. They were reminiscing about attending a Harlem Globetrotters game ... it was mom and dad's second date =)

As luck would have it, we had tickets for this past Saturday - which also happened to coincide with a long 4-day weekend (well at least for Kevin and I and the boys -- Deb and Bill still had to work. Sorry guys!), so Kevin and I thought it would be fun to pick up the boys on Friday, go out and have some fun for the day, have them spend the night, then we'd all meet up at the game. We thought it might a lot more fun for the boys than going to school with Deb since it was a holiday for them. Somehow sitting at school when you're off doesn't sound like an ideal holiday. Go figure!

Sooo ... we picked the boys up around 10:30 on Friday. On the way back, we stopped at Grandma and Papa's for a short visit, then we headed off to Panera for a bite of lunch. Afterwards, we headed to AMC where we watched 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'. What a fun adventure!! Kevin, Drew and I loved it! Pat liked it, but decided that he still liked the book better. We came home to relax for a bit and then, for dinner, we decided to check out our new Sonic. It was a hit! The boys were thrilled! It was fun to go to the drive-in and have the rollerskate-clad waitresses bring dinner to the window on a tray. The food was yummy, too! We all had a blast. After that it was home for a bit of Wii action, then, reading and bedtime.

Saturday morning we got up and met Grandma and Papa at iHop for breakfast. That was fun, too! The boys were excited about the game in the afternoon and we all had fun chatting. We headed to Anaheim about 11:30 and met Deb and Bill at our seats. It was so much fun to watch the Globetrotters play! They really did a great job of playing to the crowd and involving all of the kids. Everyone laughed and enjoyed watching the stunts throughout the game. Afterwards, the Lala's went on their way and Kevin and I headed home.

What a fun start to a wonderful 4-day weekend! Thanks, mom and dad, for treating us to a Harlem Globetrotters game! We had a wonderful time ... and I couldn't help but think of you guys out on your second date all those years ago =)

Go Saints!

Woo Hoo!! We were thrilled with the outcome of the Superbowl! Saints win - YAHOO!!

We got together with some friends to watch the game on Sunday and we were responsible for bringing dessert. Kevin suggested that we find someplace that sold pralines. Better yet, I suggested, let's make them! Oh MAN were they delicious! And oh, so easy to make. Here's a little peak to tempt you: Here's the recipe:

New Orleans Pralines

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light cream
1 ½ cups pecans, halved
2 tablespoons butter
Combine sugars and cream in a heavy 2-quart saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until mixture forms a thick syrup.

Add pecans and butter and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Remove sauce pan to a heatproof surface (such as a wire rack) and let cool for 10 minutes.

Use a tablespoon to drop rounded balls of the mixture onto sheet wax paper or foil, leaving about 3 inches between each ball for pralines to spread. Allow to cool.

Makes about 12 candies. (We doubled the recipe to have extras to share!)

Dog Days

Poor Miss Slippers. She's had a bit of a harrowing week I'm afraid.

Sunday night we noticed that she was starting to limp. Nothing major - just 'a little hitch in her giddyup' as Kevin says. By Monday morning, however, she really couldn't walk on her leg at all. Normally, she's right next to me when the alarm goes off and she's more than rarin' to go for her walk. But on Monday? She didn't even want to move, let alone go for a walk. She didn't even have the strength or energy to lay down on her favorite spot: the couch. Kevin pulled her bed into the living room and she rested there.

I called the vet and made an appointment to take her in that morning. By the time we got home to pick her up for the appointment (Kevin and I both wanted to go), she was walking a bit better, but still not great. Without so much as examining her, the vet suggested that she 'may need knee surgery'. Huh? Ummm....doc, if you look in her records you'll see that she has a history of arthritis. We've done this before. I suggest to the vet that, because this isn't new for her, perhaps we could try the medication she's gotten in the past. If that doesn't work, then we can look at something else. The doctor thinks that, at the very least, she needs blood work. Sure, fine. No problem. Then, if we can have her prescription for Zubrin, we'll be on our way. Doc thinks that another medication will be better. I remind her that Slippers has a very sensitive tummy and can't handle certain medications. Oh this will be great for her, swears Doc. Hmmmm. We'll see. So ... 90 minutes and $300.00 later, we're walking our baby back home.

By Monday night, Slippers is much better! She's walking better and seems to be back to her old self. For a day or so anyway. Then ... she throws up. Poor thing! Hmmm ... wonder if it could be that medication ... Let's try stopping it and see if she recovers. Well what do you know? No medication. No throwing up. No limping. Just a normal, albeit somewhat overweight and arthritic dog. Huh. Who would have thunk it? Oh wait a minute ... I thunk it!

While I admit I don't have a veterinary degree, I do know my dog. I wish that vets would realize that when you take your pet in for an appointment. You might not know everything, but you do know somethings. Grrrrr.

The bottom line, though, is that she's feeling MUCH better and we're very happy to have Slippers healthy and back to normal. She even celebrated today by getting a bath, nail trim and haircut! ... though, honestly ... she'd much rather have been laying on the couch =)

The Big Changeover

Tis the season - it's been raining cats and dogs again since last night. At the moment, all is quiet, but they say we're in for another 2 inches this afternoon and throughout the night. As much as we do need rain, it's beginning to be a bit destructive for those who live in the burn areas. Overnight there were many mud slides and things in the foothills are not going so well today. A prayer goes out to those who are effected.

Because it's a really rainy day, it's definitely an indoor day. I'm happy to have one of those because I'm catching up on something I've been wanting to do for quite a while and just haven't made the time for. I'm sorry to disappoint you - it's nothing all that exciting ... but it's definitely one of those little simple pleasures that make your life easier and you don't even really think about it.

What is it? Today, I'm changing over all of the hangers in my closet!! Well, at least quite a few of them. Actually, I'm about two thirds of the way through, and I ran out of hangers. I'll need to stop in this week and buy a few dozen more (I'm only two thirds of the way through and I need a few DOZEN more? Yep - I'm something of a clothes horse. Don't even ask...!) I actually thought that I'd start this project when we first moved in, but honestly, between painting the house, packing up the old house, unpacking the new house, moving into a new office at work and, thus, unpacking there, preparing to start a new school year, and everything else I had on my agenda, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. As such, this project took a back seat and has been waiting in the wings for just such a day as today.

As luck would have it, the Tuesday Morning flyer last Sunday advertised the BEST hangers for the changeover! I had some of them and decided that they really are wonderful, but I haven't been able to find any more. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I saw them in the flyer! Why are these particular hangers so wonderful? I'm glad you asked! They are non-slip hangers. YAY! If you're anything like me and you have lots of tops whose shoulders just LOVE to slide off any other plastic or metal hanger, these little babies are definitely for you. Here they are: I admit it: I have a new love. (Kevin isn't one bit jealous, though. He thinks they're a great idea!) I went this morning and picked up four dozen, brought them home, and began the process.

In conjunction with changing over all of the hangers, I'm also catching up on another project I've been wanting to do: ironing. Today seemed to be the perfect day to do that as well, so I've been quite a busy bee today!

Okay, so maybe in the scheme of things this isn't really that big of a deal. I concede. However, each evening when I look into my closet to choose the following day's outfit and all of the cute little tops stay on their cute little hangers without sliding off or looking sloppy, I'm going to have to beg to differ about whether it's a big deal or not!!

Goodies!

You just have to love the 99 Cents Only store. You just never know what you're going to find there! From time to time I meander the aisles just for fun to see what I can find.

Today, I scored! I found these: for just 99 cents each! The tins are filled with over 350 shapes and tags for card making, scrapbooking - any kind of paper craft. Plus, I love the little tin and I've got some fun ideas for these, too. They had five tins, so I bought all five. Just one tin of these die cuts is normally $15.00 at Michael's; I bought all five for a grand total of $5.43 -including tax. SCORE!

Unplugged

... that's what we were today at work. Not by choice mind you, but that's what happened. Jeff called me last night to say that the power at school was out, had been all day, and there wasn't much hope of getting it restored by morning. He said mostly he was calling to warn me to bundle up because we wouldn't have any heat in the office. Great.

I came in this morning fully expecting it to be just an awful day. They were able to restore lights to all of the classrooms and the office, so that was a pleasant surprise! I teased our contractors on the way up the front stairs reminding them how much I hate to be without the little heater under my desk, so imagine my surprise when I walked in and the office was actually quite toasty. Apparently, the offices did have heat - YAHOO! - but none of the classrooms did (sorry, guys). However, we were still unplugged as we had no technology. No phones. No bells. No clocks. No computers. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

At first, I thought it would be impossible to come up with enough work to keep me busy throughout the day. Boy, was I ever wrong about that! Just imagine: an entire day without phone calls and email. It's pure bliss! Absolutely no interruptions! I finally had time to clean out, re-organize and label all of the drawers in the office. Something that, since our move in August, I just hadn't found the time to do. I organized paperwork and caught up on a few things that were still outstanding. I organized supplies. I chatted with everyone who came in the office - a nice treat and true rarity. At lunchtime I decided to continue the uplugged trend: instead of driving, I walked to the used book store and credit union. I turned in books for credit and I deposited two checks. While walking back to school, I noticed that the local frozen yogurt shop had closed (bummer ... I'll really be missing that in May and June when it starts to get really hot before school is out.). I came back in to the office feeling quite accomplished - and very refreshed!

In short, I had a wonderful, extremely productive day. Something I would never have dreamed when I got that phone call late last night about the power being out. What a great reminder to enjoy that delicious lemonade when we it looks like we just have a pile of lemons.

It's (Been) Raining, It's (Been) Pouring

Oh.my.gosh.
We had SO much rain last week - it was just incredible! We had more rain here last week in southern California than we've had in some entire years in California. Truly. Unbelievable. We had over 10 inches in Los Angeles, and more than that in Monrovia - though I don't have our town's published figure.

It was a strange sight indeed. Last week Kevin and I were sitting on the couch and we heard a strange noise. We looked out the front window and didn't see anything ... at first. A minute or so later, we saw trash cans being pushed down the street by a river of rainwater! It was kind of funny, actually ... until much later in the day when we saw our poor neighbors up on Canyon hoofing them back up the street before the next round of rain started.

250!

Two hundred and fifty posts. It's hard to believe I've got that much to say!!



...uhhh, no it isn't.

New Jammies!

Is there anything in the world better than a new pair of jammies? Soft and comfortable and ohhhh, so cozy!

Yesterday I went shopping with mom. We went to JC Penney to return some Christmas items. While mom was searching for a new purse and a pair of shoes, I headed over to the sleepwear section. There are some beautiful spring pajamas on the horizon (note to self: go check out spring jammies on sale in March), but I was still in the market for something warm and cozy.

I found the most adorable pair of Liz & Co. pajamas on the clearance rack. They'd been $40.00 (for pajamas???), but they were on clearance with an additional percentage off. I got a brand new pair of pajamas for (drum roll, please), just $10.23 - including tax! I think that's a pretty good deal. Here's a photo of a similar pair.Mine are the same idea - black top, but mine have a white v-neck inset, and the print on the pants are a little different than the ones in the photo - mine have more of a fleur de lis pattern. I wore them last night and they're realllly comfy. Just like p.j.s should be =)

Does this ever happen to you?

You have every intention of walking in to Michael's to pick up ONE thing. An hour and $30.00 later, you're walking out the door with a bag or two filled with goodies that you absolutely had to have.

It does? Good. At least I know I'm not alone!

Tis' the Season

I don't think it's a coincidence that flu rhymes with 'EWWW'. That's pretty much how you feel when you have it.

Try as I might to avoid the flu, it finally caught up with me last weekend/week. Fever. Chills. Body aches. General-all-over-yuckiness. Saturday afternoon, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were all a complete blur. By Wednesday I was feeling a bit more human, and by Thursday I was finally back at work. All I can say is: WOW. Avoid it at all costs if you can.

On the upside: last week was cold and it rained buckets! If you're going to have the flu, I do recommend that you have it during inclement weather. At least you don't feel bad about not being able to go outside!

FPU

Kevin and I are so excited! For years we've enjoyed listening to, and reading books by, Dave Ramsey. (If you don't know who he is, check him out here.) We were surprised and happy to find out that our credit union will be hosting Dave's "Financial Peace University" program!

For 12 weeks we will attend classes covering many topics including: how to get and stay debt free, budgeting, retirement, investments, buying a home, insurance, and many others. Though Kevin and I are completely debt free, we still feel that we'll be able to glean a great deal of information. One of the great things about the Dave Ramsey program is that it has such a common sense approach. As he says, if you're looking to 'get rich quick', this program is not for you! The class is a great deal; $99.00 for both of us for 12 weeks. It includes the workbook and all classes - plus, once you complete the course, you're a lifetime member of the University so you can attend refresher classes in the future.

New Year, New You!

This past Saturday I had the good fortune to host a House Party!

I know, you're probably saying to yourself 'Isn't every party you have at home a house party?' Well technically speaking, yes it is; but this was different.

In early December I was invited to apply to host a House Party at which we would test a new Wii fitness game, a new Wii dance game and the new Mousse Temptations by Jello. It sounded like so much fun, and a great way to start the new year, so I applied. I was thrilled when I was chosen to host the party! Hostesses all over the country were chosen to host a party in their home on the same day: January 9th. We were all sent packages that contained the Your Shape and Just Dance games to test out at the party, and coupons for free packages of Mousse Temptations by Jello, spoons, napkins and coupons to give away to our guests.

I made up goodie giveaways for each guest, set up a table of healthy goodies and was all set by the time everyone arrived. I hosted 11 guests - family and friends - and we had a blast! A couple of times we were laughing so hard I wouldn't be surprised if the whole neighborhood heard us!

The bottom line is that everyone enjoyed the games, the munchies and the goodie giveways ... and we all had a great time.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Years ago when I was growing up, we had the pleasure and privilege of attending the Tournament of Roses Parade every single year. My mom was fortunate enough to work at a car dealership on Colorado Boulevard and all of the employees were given seats in the grandstands. What made it even more special is that, because mom was an employee, we could go inside and use the restrooms, take shelter in the warm building if it happened to be a cold year, and (best of all!), we were treated to hot chocolate and donuts upstairs!!

We went to the Rose Parade every.single.year until I was in high school. During high school, I'd grown too accustomed to our yearly ritual, and went out on the parade route with my friends. I did that for a few years and then, sadly, we pretty much stopped going to the Rose Parade altogether. We watched it on TV every year, but it's not really the same thing.

Many years have passed and I realize what a rare and special treat we enjoyed for so many years. Not just watching the Rose Parade itself, though that was a major part of it, but all of the charming and delightful memories we made going to the parade as a family. Bundling up in the rare years it was cold for the parade. Mom and dad shuttling us inside to use the restroom when needed. All of us going upstairs to enjoy delicious hot chocolate and donuts. How lucky we were!!

It's been a very long time since I last saw the Rose Parade in person. This year, though, I was feeling very nostalgic for those wonderful times we enjoyed all those years ago, and I suggested that we go to the parade. The boys have never seen it in person, so that made it even more special.

In an odd turn of events, though I bought the tickets online and wasn't exactly sure of their whereabouts, our grandstand ended up being just across the street from where we sat years ago! We had what we considered to be magnificent seats! There were 6 of us - Deb, Bill, Pat, Drew, Kevin and myself - and the ticket company was very clever and gave us three seats directly in front of /in back of each other. It made it much easier to talk to each other than having to holler down a long aisle. Additionally, we lucked out even more; our seats were right at the end of the aisle!

No, the experience wasn't exactly the same. Mom and dad were unable to join us. Grandma and Grandpa are long gone - as is the business where we created all of those fond memories. However, we all had a wonderful time!!! Kevin and I have another wonderful experience to share and add to our history. The boys were excited to see the parade in person for the first time. Deb and I got to regale everyone with our tales of seeing the parade long ago.

...and I brought the hot chocolate and donuts. (Can anyone please tell me why I'm making this face? Please?)

Rats!

...literally.

Just before Thanksgiving, Kevin and I discovered that we had a rat (or perhaps rats) in the garage. EWWWW!!

We made this little discovery when our brand new garage door opener (thanks Don & Janis!) wouldn't work. When Eric came over to repair the wiring, he said that it had been chewed through. Well, it was a pretty safe bet that it wasn't either of us ... or Slippers ... or Daisy, so we began looking for other evidence. We didn't have to look far. Right there, in the corner ... tufts of one of our summertime music-in-the-park blankets. Then, we noticed the picnic backpack strap had been chewed. What's this? Oh ... the tassle from my overnight bag. Rats! Great - just what every home could do without. Unfortunately, though, it's not uncommon for our area. There are many, many avocado and citrus trees in the area and they are a magnet for rodents. (As much as I love the avocados and citrus, I could definitely do without the rodents!)

To rid ourselves of the pest (or pests), we decided on poison pellets well out of reach of the animals. Kevin set out trays of bait and, sure enough, about two weeks or so later, we smelled evidence that the little bugger (or buggers) had met an untimely demise. Good riddance!

...except...

The last laugh is on us. To add injury to insult, the Sunday before Christmas, I noticed a leak under my car. Hmmmm. Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's to the mechanic's we go. It seems that our rat had a hankering for meal of rubber hoses and exhaust. That ding-dang thing nibbled it's way through a perfectly good rubber hose, which caused this not to work ... then that not to work ... and then, once at the mechanic's shop, the battery decided it was done. The end result? Oh a mere $620.00 car repair bill three days before Christmas, thank-you-very-much!

...it's a good thing that critter is dead, or I'd go out and wring his little neck myself!

A Spoonful of Sugar

What a wonderful Christmas surprise: Kevin gave me tickets to see Mary Poppins at the Ahmanson Theater, and mom and dad gave us a night at the Biltmore Hotel!! On Sunday, December 27th, Kevin and I packed up our bags and headed to L.A. for a night of historic hotels, dinner at a fabulous restaurant and an evening performance of the ultimate nanny, Mary Poppins. What a great time we had!

If you've never been to the Biltmore and you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. Built in 1923, the hotel is absolutely gorgeous and steeped in a rich history of intrigue (legend says that the Oscar statue was sketched here on a Biltmore napkin in 1927), mystery (in 1947, the Black Dahlia was last seen alive in the lobby of the hotel before her unexplained death), celebrities (the Biltmore hosted the Academy Awards Cermonies from 1935 thru 1939), and politicos (President Reagan was honored at a luncheon at the Biltmore in 1981 before he left for the White House).

Yearround, the hotel is gorgeous; however, it's especially beautiful at Christmas when it's decked out in all it's finery...
The guest rooms are very charming. Many original details such as oval brass doorknobs, tray ceilings, crown moulding......and a cozy seating area with comfy chairs...
Before the show, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Daily Grill. Filet mignon - what a special treat! We had a delightful waiting who was very accomodating and took a photo for us:
After dinner, we took a taxi over to the Ahmanson. We arrived just in time to hear the bells chime to signal the performance would be starting soon. What a show! The woman (Ashley Brown) who played Mary has an amazing voice; clear as a bell and very angelic. The man who played Bert (Gavin Lee) is a phenomenal dancer; very precise. Because of the nature of the show, there were many children in the audience. Most of them were clearly mesmerized by the show - the lights, the colors, the movements - quite a visual to be sure! Kevin and I had almost as much fun watching the kids and their reactions as we did watching the show on stage.

A perfect gift. Thanks, Kevin, for such a thoughtful gift. And thank you, mom and dad, for making our night out even more special with dinner and a stay downtown.

Had Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two weeks since Christmas. In some ways, it seems that it was just yesterday, yet in other ways, it feels like it's been months!

We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas eve, Kevin and I took dinner up to mom and dad's. Vicky was supposed to be there, too, but she wasn't feeling well and stayed home. Because we were on Winter Break and had the time to cook, Kevin and I made homemade stuffed shells and marinara. Mmmmm - it was delicious! (We even made extra stuffed shells and 'stuffed' them in the freezer for future dinners. Yay us!)
Christmas morning we headed back up to mom and dad's to open gifts. The Lala's arrived just ahead of us so it was time for Santa to distribute packages!Santa was indeed good to all of us this year; we must have all been on our best behavior.

Later, we all enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. Kevin helped prepare the turkey for the oven......and after dinner, pumpkin and pecan pies. YUM! I almost didn't want to cut into the pecan pie - I think it's the most perfect pie I've ever made...All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas. The only disappointing part of the day was that Vicky still wasn't feeling well enough to join us. We missed you, Vicky!! Mom, Dad, Deb, Bill, Pat and Drew: thanks for helping to make Christmas 2009 a very special and wonderful day!