skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Woo Hoo! The wind died down enough for me to walk outside yesterday. The weather was glorious, in fact I was able to walk in just a sweatshirt. It's even nicer today although in some places south of here the television has reported tornadoes. The picture was taken where I park my car, at Washington Park. Last year there seemed to be a huge pile of discarded trees waiting to be shredded. Is that the right word?
I hope to get some new blogging friends in 2011. That would be lovely!
Winter is my least favorite season and January is my least favorite month. I guess I'm one who only tolerates cold weather and snow. After a day or two, it bores me. The only good thing is I have quite a collection of sweaters and I do enjoy wearing them.
When I was teaching full time, January was the month I would start reading aloud the classic Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott ODell. I would read a chapter or two a day and my second graders always begged me to read more. Sometimes, one or two students would check out the book from the school library and read along with me. Reading that book always made the month go by faster for some reason.
The end of the year always makes me grateful for what I have, the love of my little family and of course, my health. I am thinking about finding a new doctor and scheduling a wellness checkup for sometime in the new year. I am ashamed to say that it has been several years since my last checkup so this is something that I seriously will do. Also, I have cut way down on my sugar intake and will continue that as well.
This pic (which I took yesterday) shows the amount of snow on the ground. The scene reminds me of a Will Moses painting with all the little houses in the background.
I'm alittle bummed today as my new computer is having some technical issues and my new Keurig coffee pot is not working. That's why you should always save receipts!
This morning I finished the book, Spoken from the heart by Laura Bush. I am not a big fan of the Bush family, I mainly feel George Bush was not intelligent enough to be our president. I also blame him for misleading our country into the Iraq war. Not only was he a bad president but he also chose less than honorable people to lead with him. After saying that, I spent my time reading Laura's book because; for one reason, she was the First Lady of our country and reason two, I guess I was curious.
The first part of her book details her childhood, the babies that would have been her siblings and how she felt when they died. The tragedy that happened when she was in high school and how running through a stop sign killed a teenage friend. So the first half was interesting. Then her husband becomes president (or steals the election from Al Gore) and she starts to tell every little thing that happens since then.
Let's just say that at 432 pages, it turned out to be a real snooze.
I have, in the past, suffered from seasonal depression. I think that when I keep myself crazy busy, it's not so bad. I also think just getting older has helped too.
Today I boxed up all the Christmas decorations and I'm in the process of taking down the tree. It was nice but I want to get back to normal.
We didn't get as much snow here as the rest of the country, just a little layer of snow arriving on Christmas morning but it's miserable cold outside so my daily walk is going to have to be on the treadmill downstairs. I'm listening to the audio book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Dear Jesus, Let Your light shine on me this coming year through my words and actions among my family, friends, and all whom I meet. Be my light and salvation now and forever. Amen
Last night my hubby needed a cheese ball so I found this simple recipe a friend gave me recently.
French Quarter Cheese Ball
2 pkgs. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons grated onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic ( I used garlic powder instead)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 cup chopped pecans, toast these
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, onion and garlic. Transfer to a serving plate, shape into a round 6" disk. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in pecans. Cool slightly. Spoon over cheese mixture. Serve with crackers.
Like I said, I'm not a foodie, but I can handle easy, simple recipes and this one is especially yummy.
Here's what I'll be serving Christmas eve. - Smoked brisket
- Rotel with sausage bits
- Party potato casserole
- Spinach artichoke dip
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Pecan pie
- Rolo pretzel delites
- Pretzels with white chocolate and peppermint
Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium garlic cloves,minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (4 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 7-8 inch decorative baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.
Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in artichokes and spinach. Turn into a prepared pan, top with mozzarella, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Leaving pan on lower rack, turn oven to broil and continue to cook until cheese is spotty brown, 2-3 minutes longer. Let cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
