Christmas Tree Time

We put on some Christmas music, poured some delicious egg nog, and set up the tree today.





Spike wanted to help too.

All done. I must say, we did a fine job. All we need now is a tree skirt. Ours became a chew toy for the dog last year.

First Snow

We had our first snow today. This is very exciting because Michael has never seen snow before. We woke up to a snow covered lawn and flakes still falling. After school he played in the snow with his friend and threw a few snowballs (one at me...hehe).





Spike was not as excited about the snow as we were and refused to go outside for several hours. I finally got him outside and into the snow where he proceeded to sniff the snow and then sneeze. It took him about five times of this before he realized that it was not a good idea to sniff the snow.

Recipe: Spiced Cranberry-Port Relish

This is the recipe for the cranberry sauce that we made for Thanksgiving day. It is made from fresh cranberries and it is delicious. Enjoy.

Spiced Cranberry-Port Relish

Ingredients:

1 Orange
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 Package (12 Ounces) Fresh Cranberries
1/4 Port Wine (we used a bit extra)

Procedure:

Grate peel and squeeze juice from orange into a 2-quart saucepan.
Add cinnamon sticks, sugar, water and cloves.
Heat to boiling over medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add cranberries and cook over medium heat 11 to 13 minutes or until most of the cranberry skins burst, stirring frequently.

Remove saucepan from heat and slowly stir in the port.
Cool cranberry sauce to room temperature.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Remove cinnamon sticks before serving.


* It also tasted very good warm so you can serve warm or cold.
* This is also delicious served warm over pork.

Thanksgiving Day

All in all the day went well. It was our first Thanksgiving together and we feel very blessed that we were able to spend it together. We prepared a great meal (too much food for the three of us) and had a fun time cooking together. We tried out a few new recipes and they were quite yummy. I will post the one for the cranberry sauce at a later time. It had orange and port in it and was delicious. Our families were unable to make it this year and we all miss them very much but we enjoyed the day and will be sure to have family here next year. I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.


Greg getting the turkey prepped.


The chef at work.


Afternoon snack time. We did not want to make a big lunch before our turkey dinner so we had some wine, bread, salami, and fresh mozzarella with sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. This is one of our favorite snacks and it was delicious.


Mmmmmm. Turkey is done.


And the meal is served. Thank you Bill and Sandi for the turkey and the wonderful wine.


The carving of the turkey.


Time to dig in.


Michael gives an approving smile.


Spike waiting for his turkey.

New Dining Chairs

I am so excited. We got our new dining room chairs. We have needed new chairs for quite some time and have been looking for about five or six months. We finally picked some out a few weeks ago and now they are here. They are a cherry wood with an espresso color seat. Our next project is to strip the table down, sand it, and stain it to match the chairs. Just wanted to share them with you all as I think they look great and they were a great deal too.

My Squirrels

I have become the "squirrel lady" of our new neighborhood. One of the things that I missed about our home back in Florida was that we always had a lot of squirrels, bunnies, and birds playing in the yard.

We did not have many here in our new home so I decided to buy some corn and peanuts for the yard to see if any would stick around. I now have about four to five squirrels that visit our yard daily for their morning meal. They are often waiting on the back porch when I get up in the morning for me toss them a few peanuts.

As weird as it may sound I really enjoy sitting by the back door watching them eat and play as I drink my tea in the morning. I love being outdoors and miss being able to sit outside year round. This gives me a little joy each morning as I share my yard with these cute little guys.

These are special squirrels...hehe....notice the laser eyes ;-)

First Frost

We had our first frost this morning. I awoke to a yard, grill, and car covered in a light sheet of frost and ice. It was a new experience for me. I guess outdoor grilling will be coming to an end soon. I am not sure how I will fare in this new climate and though I find it pretty, it is a bit cold for me. Time to buy more sweaters.

Operation Christmas Child

Dear Friends and Family,

It is that time of year again....time to help those less fortunate. Please join me this year in participating in Operation Christmas Child. This program really does make a difference in the lives of many.

I have attached a link to a short video clip of a young girl who now helps out with the program. She was abused and abandoned by her parents in Russia when she was a child. She lived in an orphanage in Russia where she felt no love nor hope. One year, when she was 9 years old, Operation Christmas Child came to the orphanage and gave her the first gift she had ever received in her life. It gave her hope. She was later adopted by a family in the United States and she is now helping spread the word about this program.

I have participated in Operation Christmas Child every year for over nine years now and can assure you that it does have an impact on the lives of many. It takes very little money but makes a huge difference.

Here is the link if you would like to watch the video. Video: Passing On The Blessing

Please visit their website and help out in any way you can.

Thank you.



Update: November 20th
We are overjoyed that we were able to participate in this great event again this year. We chose to do our box for a boy aged 10 - 14 years old. I know that he will be very excited to receive his new football, yo-yo, t-shirt, candy and more. I hope that many of you were able to participate as well. God Bless.