Thursday, December 09, 2010
The Tree Is Up!
We are still in need of a star to top our tree but here's a glimpse of our tree this year -- our first in Holden!
Winter Day Smoothie
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but my smoothie's so delightful ...
Yes, even on cold blustery days there is nothing quite as wonderful as a nice cold smoothie to jumpstart my day. Today I mixed it up a bit and mixed tropical with earthy for a truly yummy combination.
Now it might not look like much ... brown is not the color you'd expect for a "green" smoothie but the blueberries and blackberries mix with the green to make a rich brown color -- but let me assure you, it's delicious.
Winter Day Smoothie
1 medium banana
1/2 cup chunks of pineapple
1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
2 handfuls baby spinach
splash orange juice
1 cup of crushed ice
Start out putting the banana, pineapple and berries into blender and blend to to a smooth consistency. Add the spinach and continue to blend until all ingredients are creamy. Add a splash of orange juice and the ice and blend to a smoothie/milkshake consistency. Pour into a glass and pop in a straw to enjoy!
Yes, even on cold blustery days there is nothing quite as wonderful as a nice cold smoothie to jumpstart my day. Today I mixed it up a bit and mixed tropical with earthy for a truly yummy combination.
Now it might not look like much ... brown is not the color you'd expect for a "green" smoothie but the blueberries and blackberries mix with the green to make a rich brown color -- but let me assure you, it's delicious.
Winter Day Smoothie
1 medium banana
1/2 cup chunks of pineapple
1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
2 handfuls baby spinach
splash orange juice
1 cup of crushed ice
Start out putting the banana, pineapple and berries into blender and blend to to a smooth consistency. Add the spinach and continue to blend until all ingredients are creamy. Add a splash of orange juice and the ice and blend to a smoothie/milkshake consistency. Pour into a glass and pop in a straw to enjoy!
Friday, December 03, 2010
There Are No Knit Sweaters In My Future ...
I'm trying to learn to knit. Now a pair of wrist warmers may not seem like much of a challenge to most but it represents (to me anyway) hours and hours of focused frustration. LOL.
Seriously.
I got together with a woman I met through the internet (via Meetup Groups) who gave me a few pointers and helped to get me started with this knitting project. I've only done crochet prior to this and to be honest, these wrist warmers represent my second attempt at knitting. I have made a dish cloth prior to this ... which I refuse to use since it's such a prized trophy of my accomplishment! (It's stuffed in a bag under my bed.)
I made so many mistakes the first time around with this that I ended up ripping it out and starting over. In fact, I probably started over at least 10 times. I realized that with crochet, I'm comfortable with what the end result should be -- I have a pretty good sense of how to tweak my stitches if need be, how to detect mistakes early on, and how to rip out only that which needs to be ripped out if it should come to that. With knitting, I don't realize I've made a mistake until it becomes blaringly obvious. I don't know how to fudge to get back on track virtually unnoticed, and I don't know how to rip out and then get the stitches back on the needle without going back to the very beginning.
I wonder how long I'll stick with knitting.
For the moment, I am at least going to try to finish up these simple wrist warmers. I'd like to give them to my mom (maybe for Christmas.) They really are just rectangles of ribbing. The long sides get stitched together next to the wrist and then again above the thumb to make for "fingerless gloves."
Here's what I've got so far. I really do love the colors although the picture doesn't really show it off well. This one is close to being done (maybe another inch or so left to knit before starting on the second one.) I would like to get this project finished up in the next day or so as I've got crochet projects going that I'd also like to finish (and start!)
Note: I used Red Heart Yarn "Aspen Print" medium weight worsted yarn. Size 7 Needles. The pattern was a simple ribbing stitch ... CO 32 (or 38 for a larger hand/wrist) and then K2, P2 across for each row until the desired length is reached.
Seriously.
I got together with a woman I met through the internet (via Meetup Groups) who gave me a few pointers and helped to get me started with this knitting project. I've only done crochet prior to this and to be honest, these wrist warmers represent my second attempt at knitting. I have made a dish cloth prior to this ... which I refuse to use since it's such a prized trophy of my accomplishment! (It's stuffed in a bag under my bed.)
I made so many mistakes the first time around with this that I ended up ripping it out and starting over. In fact, I probably started over at least 10 times. I realized that with crochet, I'm comfortable with what the end result should be -- I have a pretty good sense of how to tweak my stitches if need be, how to detect mistakes early on, and how to rip out only that which needs to be ripped out if it should come to that. With knitting, I don't realize I've made a mistake until it becomes blaringly obvious. I don't know how to fudge to get back on track virtually unnoticed, and I don't know how to rip out and then get the stitches back on the needle without going back to the very beginning.
I wonder how long I'll stick with knitting.
For the moment, I am at least going to try to finish up these simple wrist warmers. I'd like to give them to my mom (maybe for Christmas.) They really are just rectangles of ribbing. The long sides get stitched together next to the wrist and then again above the thumb to make for "fingerless gloves."
Here's what I've got so far. I really do love the colors although the picture doesn't really show it off well. This one is close to being done (maybe another inch or so left to knit before starting on the second one.) I would like to get this project finished up in the next day or so as I've got crochet projects going that I'd also like to finish (and start!)
Note: I used Red Heart Yarn "Aspen Print" medium weight worsted yarn. Size 7 Needles. The pattern was a simple ribbing stitch ... CO 32 (or 38 for a larger hand/wrist) and then K2, P2 across for each row until the desired length is reached.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup
I've been into soup lately and have made this recipe a few times now. Dave and I have decided it's a keeper so I've decided to add it to the "Recipes" collection. I'm going to be posting family favorites on the blog so it's easy to access no matter where we are.
Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup
2 – 3 boneless and skinless Chicken breasts (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
4 stalks Celery, sliced on diagonal
1 medium Onion, roughly chopped
4 Carrots, cut in thin slices
1 package sliced Mushrooms, chopped
1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
½ teaspoon freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup Orzo (wheat preferred)
64 ounces Chicken Broth (low-sodium, fat free)
Heat olive oil (or use spray oil) in sauté pan and add chicken, cooking until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place celery, onions, carrots, and mushrooms into a large pot. Add just enough broth to cover. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the remaining broth, spices, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and add orzo. Cook until pasta is tender and then stir in chicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is heated through.
Serves 6
Notes: I often add a handful of chopped spinach at the end when adding the chicken. Will probably need to add more broth to leftover soup as pasta soaks up the moisture.
Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup
2 – 3 boneless and skinless Chicken breasts (cut into bite-size pieces)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
4 stalks Celery, sliced on diagonal
1 medium Onion, roughly chopped
4 Carrots, cut in thin slices
1 package sliced Mushrooms, chopped
1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
½ teaspoon freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup Orzo (wheat preferred)
64 ounces Chicken Broth (low-sodium, fat free)
Heat olive oil (or use spray oil) in sauté pan and add chicken, cooking until no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place celery, onions, carrots, and mushrooms into a large pot. Add just enough broth to cover. Cover and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the remaining broth, spices, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil and add orzo. Cook until pasta is tender and then stir in chicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is heated through.
Serves 6
Notes: I often add a handful of chopped spinach at the end when adding the chicken. Will probably need to add more broth to leftover soup as pasta soaks up the moisture.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Chatham ... Remembering Summer
I'm sitting here listening to Christmas music but thinking about some of the "firsts" Dave and I have experienced in the past year.
One of those "firsts" was Cape Cod. I've always wanted to go there. There's just something about even hearing the name -- Cape Cod -- that kind of draws you there. Without ever having experienced it I could envision small little villages with boats in the harbor and beautiful little houses with flowers.
One of our first adventures was to drive to Chatham (pronounced Chat (like hat) um ... not Chath-um like we originally thought). We left the pups with Kim Kraft and went for a day.
I was doing internet searches on my phone (no easy task) to see what there actually was to do there once we arrived. I found a link to a Harbor Seal Tour and we called and made a reservation.
First we stopped in Chatham and found a place to park (not easy on such a beautiful summer day!) and wandered over to The Captain's Table for lunch. Yummy -- and a very sweet, quaint, New Englandy-kind-of-place. Just what we were looking for.
After we wandered around a little bit (little did we know that we had only scratched the surface of Chatham, something I found out when I went back a few weeks later with my brother Dan and Renee!) we went in search of the fishing pier where we were to go for our Harbor Seal Tour with Captain Dave Murdoch.
First time luck? What a wonderful experience.
The water was beautiful, there were only two other people on the boat with us (Robin and Tom from California who were just so much fun!) and the good Captain had stories to tell, information to share, and a great sense of what we'd like to see. There were seals everywhere. We saw them swimming, diving, and bottling (sleeping in the water with their snouts sticking up.) We learned about the cottages on the sand bar that had no electric or running water and were on a 99 year lease. If anything happened to them (like during a storm) they could not be rebuilt.
We saw the Chatham light house, learned about how the shore had eroded, and a little bit about the fishing industry on the Cape. We talked real estate, great whites, and about life on the Cape in both winter and summer. What a day of pure bliss.
After our tour we drove around the town a bit more and then headed back to the mainland. We took the scenic route this time (Rt 6A) and ended up in Scituate for dinner at Phins. This is the same area that my parents came years before and stayed while my dad took a carving class.
Our first experience on the Cape was delightful. We returned a few more times over the summer (I went to Chatham with Dan and Renee and then later we all went to Provincetown for a whale watch ... another incredible experience!)
Just a few pictures from the day to remember ...
One of those "firsts" was Cape Cod. I've always wanted to go there. There's just something about even hearing the name -- Cape Cod -- that kind of draws you there. Without ever having experienced it I could envision small little villages with boats in the harbor and beautiful little houses with flowers.
One of our first adventures was to drive to Chatham (pronounced Chat (like hat) um ... not Chath-um like we originally thought). We left the pups with Kim Kraft and went for a day.
I was doing internet searches on my phone (no easy task) to see what there actually was to do there once we arrived. I found a link to a Harbor Seal Tour and we called and made a reservation.
First we stopped in Chatham and found a place to park (not easy on such a beautiful summer day!) and wandered over to The Captain's Table for lunch. Yummy -- and a very sweet, quaint, New Englandy-kind-of-place. Just what we were looking for.
After we wandered around a little bit (little did we know that we had only scratched the surface of Chatham, something I found out when I went back a few weeks later with my brother Dan and Renee!) we went in search of the fishing pier where we were to go for our Harbor Seal Tour with Captain Dave Murdoch.
First time luck? What a wonderful experience.
The water was beautiful, there were only two other people on the boat with us (Robin and Tom from California who were just so much fun!) and the good Captain had stories to tell, information to share, and a great sense of what we'd like to see. There were seals everywhere. We saw them swimming, diving, and bottling (sleeping in the water with their snouts sticking up.) We learned about the cottages on the sand bar that had no electric or running water and were on a 99 year lease. If anything happened to them (like during a storm) they could not be rebuilt.
We saw the Chatham light house, learned about how the shore had eroded, and a little bit about the fishing industry on the Cape. We talked real estate, great whites, and about life on the Cape in both winter and summer. What a day of pure bliss.
After our tour we drove around the town a bit more and then headed back to the mainland. We took the scenic route this time (Rt 6A) and ended up in Scituate for dinner at Phins. This is the same area that my parents came years before and stayed while my dad took a carving class.
Our first experience on the Cape was delightful. We returned a few more times over the summer (I went to Chatham with Dan and Renee and then later we all went to Provincetown for a whale watch ... another incredible experience!)
Just a few pictures from the day to remember ...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
A Different Thanksgiving ...
With a year full of changes, why should having a non-traditional kind of Thanksgiving be any different?
Dave and I longed for the peace and relaxation of a quiet Thanksgiving here in Holden. Josh and Jess had been up to visit a week or so ago and we had a nice turkey dinner with them while they were here. It was kind of our "Thanksgiving With Family" ...
We knew that on the actual day Daniel and Meghan would be busy with their own celebration in Georgia, Josh and Jessica would be with her family, and we figured Bree would maybe get together with her Grandma or something.
As it drew closer we decided that we really were having trouble knowing that Bree, Grandma, and Mo would be alone for Thanksgiving. Soooo -- we decided to let Wegmans do our cooking and ordered a complete Thanksgiving dinner from them. This was a first for us!
Dave and I packed up and were in the car by about 7 a.m. -- the dinner was ordered with plans for Bree to pick it up about noon. She was going to bring it to Grandma's and get things started while we made the drive in. We were blessed with light traffic and fantastic weather. We arrived with plenty of time for me to go and visit with Mo while Dave and Bree got dinner prep underway.
As for the dinner? It was ok. The turkey was great, the mashed potatoes were pretty good, stuffing was fair and the rest was nothing to write home about. But it was nice to be able to spend the day with family ... that was the real blessing.
Friday we were up early and out the door to spend a little extra time with Bree and then headed to The Arlington to have lunch with Patty and Steve (so nice ...) We headed back to Grandma's house where Josh and William were waiting to see us. William was adorable and told us Grandma's house "was not a good place to run around." I was able to give the hat I've been making him a try to see if the size is right (it is!) when we took a quick trip to the bedroom to sneak in a little "jumping on the bed" time.
We packed up and headed out around 5:00 ... we had originally planned to stay til Saturday but the thought of sleeping in our own bed and having a full weekend to enjoy was too hard to pass up (not to mention we were worried sick about the pipes in the house since we'd turned the heat off when we left -- what were we thinking?) We were blessed with very light traffic and made great time. We arrived to a house that was 47 degrees inside and had apparently lost power while we were gone (but it was back on ...)
It was great to sleep in a nice toasty bed with flannel sheets (and a pillow top!) and to wake up at "home" ...
Dave and I longed for the peace and relaxation of a quiet Thanksgiving here in Holden. Josh and Jess had been up to visit a week or so ago and we had a nice turkey dinner with them while they were here. It was kind of our "Thanksgiving With Family" ...
We knew that on the actual day Daniel and Meghan would be busy with their own celebration in Georgia, Josh and Jessica would be with her family, and we figured Bree would maybe get together with her Grandma or something.
As it drew closer we decided that we really were having trouble knowing that Bree, Grandma, and Mo would be alone for Thanksgiving. Soooo -- we decided to let Wegmans do our cooking and ordered a complete Thanksgiving dinner from them. This was a first for us!
Dave and I packed up and were in the car by about 7 a.m. -- the dinner was ordered with plans for Bree to pick it up about noon. She was going to bring it to Grandma's and get things started while we made the drive in. We were blessed with light traffic and fantastic weather. We arrived with plenty of time for me to go and visit with Mo while Dave and Bree got dinner prep underway.
As for the dinner? It was ok. The turkey was great, the mashed potatoes were pretty good, stuffing was fair and the rest was nothing to write home about. But it was nice to be able to spend the day with family ... that was the real blessing.
Friday we were up early and out the door to spend a little extra time with Bree and then headed to The Arlington to have lunch with Patty and Steve (so nice ...) We headed back to Grandma's house where Josh and William were waiting to see us. William was adorable and told us Grandma's house "was not a good place to run around." I was able to give the hat I've been making him a try to see if the size is right (it is!) when we took a quick trip to the bedroom to sneak in a little "jumping on the bed" time.
We packed up and headed out around 5:00 ... we had originally planned to stay til Saturday but the thought of sleeping in our own bed and having a full weekend to enjoy was too hard to pass up (not to mention we were worried sick about the pipes in the house since we'd turned the heat off when we left -- what were we thinking?) We were blessed with very light traffic and made great time. We arrived to a house that was 47 degrees inside and had apparently lost power while we were gone (but it was back on ...)
It was great to sleep in a nice toasty bed with flannel sheets (and a pillow top!) and to wake up at "home" ...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Mom's Stuffing
One of the things I've been wanting to do is start getting all the family recipes recorded in one place and this seems like a good time to start.
One of my very favorite recipes is MoMo's Stuffing recipe. It's the only stuffing I've really ever had ... and I can't imagine that another could ever really compare.
The story behind the stuffing is that mom got the recipe from her good friend Ruthie Kern back when they all lived on Britton Road. I'm guessing that would be the early 1950's. The recipe was originally attributed to Ruthie's Grandma Colgrove (her mother Elsie's mom.) Since Ruthie would be in her 80's now, I'm guessing that puts this recipe about 120 + years old. I remember my mom telling me that back when Great-Grandma Colgrove (as I called her) made this recipe, they had to not only make the bread but also the crackers from scratch in order to make it. Making stuffing was a lot of work!
Anyway, here is the recipe.
Mom's Turkey Stuffing
Single batch (enough for small turkey):
1 loaf fresh Bread
1 stack Saltine Crackers
1 medium Onion
2 cups Milk
2 sticks Margarine (or Butter)
Sage
2 Eggs
To Double (enough for large turkey):
1 ¾ loaves fresh Bread
2 stacks Saltine Crackers
1 large Onion
3 cups Milk
2 ½ sticks Margarine (or Butter)
Sage
3 Eggs
Cube bread (using an electric knife really speeds this up!) and crumble crackers. Chop onion. Mix together in large bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat milk and margarine over low heat in saucepan until margarine is melted and milk is hot. Pour over bread mixture and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sage to taste.
Beat the eggs until fluffy and fold in. If too soupy, add more crackers. If too dry, add another egg. Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff turkey. If baking stuffing separately, place in greased casserole and cover. Bake at 325 for about one hour.
One of my very favorite recipes is MoMo's Stuffing recipe. It's the only stuffing I've really ever had ... and I can't imagine that another could ever really compare.
The story behind the stuffing is that mom got the recipe from her good friend Ruthie Kern back when they all lived on Britton Road. I'm guessing that would be the early 1950's. The recipe was originally attributed to Ruthie's Grandma Colgrove (her mother Elsie's mom.) Since Ruthie would be in her 80's now, I'm guessing that puts this recipe about 120 + years old. I remember my mom telling me that back when Great-Grandma Colgrove (as I called her) made this recipe, they had to not only make the bread but also the crackers from scratch in order to make it. Making stuffing was a lot of work!
Anyway, here is the recipe.
Mom's Turkey Stuffing
Single batch (enough for small turkey):
1 loaf fresh Bread
1 stack Saltine Crackers
1 medium Onion
2 cups Milk
2 sticks Margarine (or Butter)
Sage
2 Eggs
To Double (enough for large turkey):
1 ¾ loaves fresh Bread
2 stacks Saltine Crackers
1 large Onion
3 cups Milk
2 ½ sticks Margarine (or Butter)
Sage
3 Eggs
Cube bread (using an electric knife really speeds this up!) and crumble crackers. Chop onion. Mix together in large bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat milk and margarine over low heat in saucepan until margarine is melted and milk is hot. Pour over bread mixture and let stand for 5 minutes. Add sage to taste.
Beat the eggs until fluffy and fold in. If too soupy, add more crackers. If too dry, add another egg. Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff turkey. If baking stuffing separately, place in greased casserole and cover. Bake at 325 for about one hour.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
No Spaces At The Mall ...
You know how the verse goes "but there was no room for them at the Inn ..."? Yesterday we drove up to Burlington Mall just for the fun of it. We wanted to take in the mall decorations BEFORE Christmas shopping mania hit.
Silly us. It's already begun. Hard to believe that there's a tough economy out there when we honestly could NOT find a place to park. Nothing. Nada. We waited for several minutes in the aisle (in a face off with someone else doing the same thing) after a guy came out and got in his car. However, he never left. (We suspect he was a mall worker on a lunch break who was escaping from the madness.)
We finally gave up figuring that even if we did manage to make it into the mall, all the restaurants would be mobbed and lunch would be a very long wait. We headed over to the Barnes & Noble across the street.
Let me just say that the Burlington Barnes & Noble does NOT have enough parking spots. I was told by a bookseller inside that it's the largest bookstore in New England (and they do NOT have a train table in their children's department -- what's up with that????) and we just got lucky with a spot.
Of course there were no seats in the Cafe either so getting a coffee/tea and cookie was not an option. After browsing for a bit we decided we were both very hungry and decided to try to find a place on the way home for what was now going to be dinner.
Hard to find places to eat when you're on the highway. We started talking about what was available on Route 9 because we wanted to stop in the new Price Chopper and pick up some groceries.
When we arrived at the Price Chopper there was (again) not a space to be had. Police men were directing traffic in and out of the parking lot and we decided this just wasn't our day.
As we headed back out onto Route 9 (we seriously HATE Route 9) we decided that Holden's Wong Dynasty and the Big Y were looking better and better.
With growling tummies we arrived at Wong Dynasty and got a GREAT parking spot and had one of the best meals we've ever had there. The LoMein was perfect, my Orange Chicken was beyond yummy, and Dave's Kung Pao Delight was, well, delightful.
A quick trip to Big Y got us the milk, bread, and snacks necessary for a relaxing evening. It was so sweet to get home to the pups.
We watched Sideways (a recent Netflix pick that we both liked) and put our feet up. The day didn't go as planned but it was sure fun spending it together!
Silly us. It's already begun. Hard to believe that there's a tough economy out there when we honestly could NOT find a place to park. Nothing. Nada. We waited for several minutes in the aisle (in a face off with someone else doing the same thing) after a guy came out and got in his car. However, he never left. (We suspect he was a mall worker on a lunch break who was escaping from the madness.)
We finally gave up figuring that even if we did manage to make it into the mall, all the restaurants would be mobbed and lunch would be a very long wait. We headed over to the Barnes & Noble across the street.
Let me just say that the Burlington Barnes & Noble does NOT have enough parking spots. I was told by a bookseller inside that it's the largest bookstore in New England (and they do NOT have a train table in their children's department -- what's up with that????) and we just got lucky with a spot.
Of course there were no seats in the Cafe either so getting a coffee/tea and cookie was not an option. After browsing for a bit we decided we were both very hungry and decided to try to find a place on the way home for what was now going to be dinner.
Hard to find places to eat when you're on the highway. We started talking about what was available on Route 9 because we wanted to stop in the new Price Chopper and pick up some groceries.
When we arrived at the Price Chopper there was (again) not a space to be had. Police men were directing traffic in and out of the parking lot and we decided this just wasn't our day.
As we headed back out onto Route 9 (we seriously HATE Route 9) we decided that Holden's Wong Dynasty and the Big Y were looking better and better.
With growling tummies we arrived at Wong Dynasty and got a GREAT parking spot and had one of the best meals we've ever had there. The LoMein was perfect, my Orange Chicken was beyond yummy, and Dave's Kung Pao Delight was, well, delightful.
A quick trip to Big Y got us the milk, bread, and snacks necessary for a relaxing evening. It was so sweet to get home to the pups.
We watched Sideways (a recent Netflix pick that we both liked) and put our feet up. The day didn't go as planned but it was sure fun spending it together!
Monday, November 01, 2010
Way Too Long ...
Just looking at the dates between the last entry and the most current one makes me cringe ... could it really be four months have passed since my last post?
It upsets me that I haven't blogged more since we've had so much fun since July (seriously -- nothing posted about our cruise to Alaska?!!!) and we've done so much exploring (with pictures to prove it!)
Truth is, I've had a little trouble with Blogger (well, actually a LOT of trouble) trying to work with the old and new editor software they provide. It's created a lot of frustration and I've spent more time than I'd care to admit trying to work through it. I finally resorted to using the old editor once again which is not without a whole bunch of glitches. And not much fun.
However, I really want to get these posts up and record what we've been doing before we get so backlogged that I forget details and too much gets left out.
So -- I'm going to try once again to work through the problems. If worse comes to worse, I may just have to switch to another blogging format.
Here's to keeping my fingers crossed for success (and lots of help in the support forums!)
It upsets me that I haven't blogged more since we've had so much fun since July (seriously -- nothing posted about our cruise to Alaska?!!!) and we've done so much exploring (with pictures to prove it!)
Truth is, I've had a little trouble with Blogger (well, actually a LOT of trouble) trying to work with the old and new editor software they provide. It's created a lot of frustration and I've spent more time than I'd care to admit trying to work through it. I finally resorted to using the old editor once again which is not without a whole bunch of glitches. And not much fun.
However, I really want to get these posts up and record what we've been doing before we get so backlogged that I forget details and too much gets left out.
So -- I'm going to try once again to work through the problems. If worse comes to worse, I may just have to switch to another blogging format.
Here's to keeping my fingers crossed for success (and lots of help in the support forums!)
William ... The Garden Gnome
It's so hard to be living so far away when you know that there is fun being had in your former stomping grounds.
Case in point -- Trunk or Treat.
There isn't much we would have enjoyed more than to have been there to see William enjoying the bounce house (which I understand was his absolute favorite thing to do!) the games, and the trunk or treating that took place yesterday at Orchard Community Church (a.k.a. Latta Road Baptist Church where we used to attend when living in Rochester.) But ... that just wasn't to be.
Luckily, Bree was there with camera in hand to snap a few pictures for us to enjoy. Apparently the majority of the bounce house pictures were mostly a blur that resembled a little gnome jumping through the air ... the better pictures (meaning in-focus!) came when William was convinced the playground was lots of fun too.
Here's a few pictures of our little Garden Gnome. Gosh, it brings back memories of when the kids were little and they watched David The Gnome on TV ...
Case in point -- Trunk or Treat.
There isn't much we would have enjoyed more than to have been there to see William enjoying the bounce house (which I understand was his absolute favorite thing to do!) the games, and the trunk or treating that took place yesterday at Orchard Community Church (a.k.a. Latta Road Baptist Church where we used to attend when living in Rochester.) But ... that just wasn't to be.
Luckily, Bree was there with camera in hand to snap a few pictures for us to enjoy. Apparently the majority of the bounce house pictures were mostly a blur that resembled a little gnome jumping through the air ... the better pictures (meaning in-focus!) came when William was convinced the playground was lots of fun too.
Here's a few pictures of our little Garden Gnome. Gosh, it brings back memories of when the kids were little and they watched David The Gnome on TV ...
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Discovering New England: Boston on the 4th of July
Holidays mean long weekends and for us, that brings with it the possibility that family (or friends!) will come visit. Bree and Jay decided to come spend the 4th with us and we wanted to do something really fun to celebrate.
We decided to hit Boston for the day ... what a great place to visit in the summertime! We took separate cars as Dave and I wanted to drop Rascal and Daisy off with Kim our wonderful pet sitter first. Bree and Jay ended up in Beacon Hill and Dave and I ended up exploring Quincy Market for a while ... great fun and not nearly as crowded as we had expected. Weather was perfect too -- sunny but not too hot. Great for walking the city streets!
The highlight of our day however was a dinner cruise on The Spirit of Boston -- and seeing the city from the water. Love, love, LOVED it! Here are a few pics to enjoy from our walk through the city and of the cruise from the upper deck ...
We decided to hit Boston for the day ... what a great place to visit in the summertime! We took separate cars as Dave and I wanted to drop Rascal and Daisy off with Kim our wonderful pet sitter first. Bree and Jay ended up in Beacon Hill and Dave and I ended up exploring Quincy Market for a while ... great fun and not nearly as crowded as we had expected. Weather was perfect too -- sunny but not too hot. Great for walking the city streets!
The highlight of our day however was a dinner cruise on The Spirit of Boston -- and seeing the city from the water. Love, love, LOVED it! Here are a few pics to enjoy from our walk through the city and of the cruise from the upper deck ...
"Arthur" sitting on top of The Children's Museum
I fell in love with these lights outside One International Place
Outside the famous Quincy Market
And a quick snippet of inside Quincy Market
Bree and Jay
Boat on the water right in front of the landing strips at Logan
Sun beginning to set ...
It all seems so peaceful from the water ...
The Boston Skyline at sunset ...
Wishing everyone a most patriotic and fun-filled 4th of July!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Catching Up -- Facebook Friends Party
On Saturday, February 20th, Jill and Tim Wirth hosted a Facebook Friends party in Hilton at the Firemen's Exempt Club. It was so much fun to have a chance to catch up with people I've known for years but, for the most part, only been connecting with on Facebook. Real life is great too - and so much fun!
Some pictures from the evening:
Some pictures from the evening:
Jill Wirth and Patty Ayers
Scott Gailey and Jim Pink
Jill Wirth and Marilyn Bohrer
Me with Jill Wirth (and that's Patty and Steve Ayers in the background)
Tim Wirth, Dave, and Bill Bohrer
Kathy Neerbasch, Steve Curran, and Danelle Norris
Shelley Stewart, Marilyn Bohrer, and Danelle Norris doing the Macarena!
Jay Howcraft
We had a great evening and there were so many more friends there that I didn't snap pictures of ... Sharon Linehan, Laura Bowen, Jann Davis, Shari and Marty Klotzbach, Kevin Pfund, Tina Dodson ... we really had a nice time and I'm actually looking forward to my 35th High School Class Reunion! Never thought I'd say that :)
Catching Up -- All Framed In
We put a reservation in to hold the townhouse in Massachusetts about February 1st ... and then made a trip up to Massachusetts over Valentine's Day weekend to put in the formal offer and make selections. One nice thing about choosing this unit is that it was already framed in, but didn't have the cabinetry, tiles, countertops, etc. already in place.
We drove up and met everyone at the townhouse on Friday and then went over to the model in West Boylston to make selections and draw up an offer. Again, Claire was a God-send and SO much help. We were really blessed to have her on our team!
With the paperwork done, we were able to enjoy Saturday to ourselves. Mostly we just drove around trying to find where things were. We decided since it was Valentine's Day we would drive to Natick Mall where there is a PF Changs to see if we could get in for dinner. Wow ... what we learned is to NEVER take Rt. 9 to go any long distance (we later learned that Natick Mall is right off Exit 13 from the Turnpike ... MUCH easier and faster!)
Of course, about all that trip did was convince me that I would never be able to drive in Massachusetts. And we ended up having dinner at a TGIFridays that was busier than busy and not very good. Let's just say it was where all the couples with kids that didn't have babysitters but wanted to get out for Valentine's Day went. Not much fun ...
Anyway, we were able to get some pictures of the place while it was just framed in and before any real work got started in completing it for us.
Let the slide show begin:
We drove up and met everyone at the townhouse on Friday and then went over to the model in West Boylston to make selections and draw up an offer. Again, Claire was a God-send and SO much help. We were really blessed to have her on our team!
With the paperwork done, we were able to enjoy Saturday to ourselves. Mostly we just drove around trying to find where things were. We decided since it was Valentine's Day we would drive to Natick Mall where there is a PF Changs to see if we could get in for dinner. Wow ... what we learned is to NEVER take Rt. 9 to go any long distance (we later learned that Natick Mall is right off Exit 13 from the Turnpike ... MUCH easier and faster!)
Of course, about all that trip did was convince me that I would never be able to drive in Massachusetts. And we ended up having dinner at a TGIFridays that was busier than busy and not very good. Let's just say it was where all the couples with kids that didn't have babysitters but wanted to get out for Valentine's Day went. Not much fun ...
Anyway, we were able to get some pictures of the place while it was just framed in and before any real work got started in completing it for us.
Let the slide show begin:
Dave's office building at Dow Chemical
The garage ... hoping we can fit two cars in here!
View of front entry from the kitchen.
View of living room and dining area from front foyer.
View of dining area and kitchen from living room
View of windows in master bedroom
View of master bathroom
View of landing coming up the stairs to the loft
View of upstairs foyer/loft from back bedroom
View of loft ... there will be a railing across the opening!
View of the front upstairs bedroom/office
View of the back upstairs bedroom
View of living room from loft
Dave in upstairs back bedroom
View from the loft
Stairs leading into the basement
The 10' ceilings that Dave is so in love with!
Dave checking out the bulkhead
Well, that's it for now. More pictures on the way showing the progress we saw when we came for future visits! I just remember we kept saying to each other that we can't believe we're really doing this. LOL.
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