Christmas Pics!

Thought I'd share a few pictures from Christmas (just in case my sis pops in to 'read' me) :-) First off 'thank you' to Auntie Debbie, Uncle Glen and Charlotte for the pajamas - Kristen LOVED them.

One of the gifts from Grandma and Papa that Kristen opened on Christmas Eve - a huge Wolf, Kristen has named 'Mighty-Ana' (a pokemon name I think).

Kristen hangs her 'Pooh' stocking on Christmas Eve before we leave Uncle Mike's house.

We built a snowman on Christmas day :-)


I'll post more next time Nenna!

it's over

Christmas 2008, it's been and gone already! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time. Christmas wasn't at home for us this year. We drove to New Mexico to see Jason's family. It was Wayyyyyyyy too much driving for my liking, but it was great to see everyone and spend 2 special days with them all. They actually had snow, so Kristen was delighted to see that, and she got to build a snowman on Christmas day too (more pics coming soon).

I hope to blog a little more later this week, but for now I just wanted to post a quick picture and say hello.

Boo meets Pikachu

I'm not sure if I mentioned that we got Kristen a hamster for her birthday? It's tiny dwarf hamster and she's so cute - Kristen loves her. She named her Pikachu! We have a little play pen that she can go in while we're cleaning her cage, and yesterday we bought a hamster ball. Boo has obviously been curious when he's in Kristen's room and sees the little thing in her cage. I thought he would try to chase the ball when we let him in the room, but as you can see he was very hesitant to do that. I was surprised at how calm he acted.

I hope this played ok. I never did find out how to compress the file!

just a little update

I thought I would be good and come on here and make another post before leaving it too long, and already I see that it's been over a week! How do the days go so fast? Things are getting busy around here trying to get all ready for Christmas. We aren't spending it at home this year but will be driving to New Mexico to spend Christmas Eve and Day with Jason's Uncle (his mom's brother) and family (his mom is driving with us too). Jason's grandma and hubby with his two older sons will join us there too. Jason's other uncle (also his mom's brother) and his wife and family who live in north Texas can't make it this year.

We have decided again not to exchange gifts with the adults but just the kids. The kids actually are just Kristen, and Jason's cousin who is a teenager. I don't mind not receiving gifts. We are so blessed that we really want for nothing these days (and we usually buy what we want when we want!) It makes for a really stress free holiday too, because I don't have to wrack my brain and think what should I get people who I haven't seen all year and I really have no idea what they like! And this way we can all focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and enjoy spending time with the family. Of course it will still be wonderful for Kristen cos she gets to open lots of gifts from family members and Santa.

Jason's uncle lives up in the mountains in NM, his aunt called the other day and said they had 4 inches of snow. Not sure if it will still be on the ground when we get there but if it is Kristen will absolutely love it. She hasn't seen snow since we left Maryland 4 years ago, and she was only 3 at the time. I love living in Texas but I do miss the snow at this time of year.

So, although I have no presents to buy other than for Kristen I am busy mailing out cards, wrapping gifts for Kristen, keeping on top of housework, and this afternoon I shall make white chocolate chex mix and original chex mix. Remember I made some of that last year too - here's the picture I posted back then. This is super yummy and very addictive once you start eating it (as is the choc mix too I might add).

So are you all ready for the holidays?

Yes, this is for you Nenna!

I know I've been a bad blogger lately but when my sis told me today that she still checks my blog every day to see if I've posted. . . . well I must admit a little guilt feeling crept over me, and so here I am adding a quick post, and yes it's just for you Nenna (and anyone else popping in to see if I'm still in existence! :-)

There's a lot been happening around here but I just haven't had the energy to post about it. I was doing so well going to the gym nearly every day (which is kinda what kept me off here so much) but that all came to a stand still last week when, yet again I got sick with a sinus infection. Long story short I was laid up in bed two days this week with an ear infection too. I had another x-ray done on Monday and got more antibiotics from the doc, and the diagnosis is I STILL have chronic sinusitis (despite the 30 days of antibiotics I took in October) and I have been put on another stronger dose for another 30 days! I'm feeling much better today, but what still annoys me is that I can hardly hear out of my right ear. It's so stuffed up and makes me feel like I can't keep my balance very well, so I walk around really slowly (like an old woman!).

Kristen's birthday has been and gone! My little baby is now 8 years old. Thought I'd share some pics with you all (I know that's what you like to see Nenna). Ok first off, I couldn't resist showing this first......

our little princess at her very first birthday

making sure her crown doesn't fall off before the party starts!

We had a small party at home this year with some close friends . . . .

The party was on Saturday, but Kristen's actual birthday was the following Tuesday. She was off school all that week (for Thanksgiving) so every day was a fun day! She requested pizza for dinner and an ice cream cake . . so that's what we had (just me, her and Daddy) :-)

For a birthday treat I took her to Build-A-Bear! She didn't want a dog, or a cat or a rabbit - this time she wanted a Texas Longhorn!

My girl is so goofy (wonder where she gets it from!)

Piano Recital.

Kristen performed in her first piano recital yesterday :-) We are so proud of her. She played two pieces, one was a duet with the teacher, and the other was Home on the Range. We took a small amount of video on my camera and now I want to see if I can upload it so you can all see. For now here's a couple of pictures of Kristen with her piano teacher, and after the performance.

I've managed to add the video below but it's a bit 'jumpy'? Not sure how to fix that. I'll add the other one later. + Jason said the files are probably too large, so he'll help me compress them later so they play better.

Getting busy. . . .

I'm sitting here at the computer checking email, so I thought I'd write a quick post. I think what's been stopping me from wanting to blog here is that I don't really have pictures to share each day and I don't want to take too long posting. Perhaps if I just make little updates then it will be better than no post at all.

We've had a lovely weekend, I'm happy to say "as usual" because most of our weekends are really nice. Relaxing, fun, no stress - all that good stuff. We're getting in to a weekend routine these days where Jason works all day Saturday at home in his office. Kristen plays next door with Connor, or they take turns and come here and go there :-) I get to potter around just catching up on laundry if I want to, or knitting, making lunches, popping to the store if I need to, but for the most part just relaxing. Then on Sunday we have 'our family day'. Jason has started coming to church with me and Kristen every week now. After church we try to do something together (or if it's not something I fancy doing, Jason and Kristen do it together). For instance last week Jason took Kristen and Boo to a nearby river to go hiking. The river is dry so they got to walk along it looking for fossils and generally 'exploring' the land. Not something I really fancied doing, so I got to sit home and knit ;-)

Just yesterday after church we went for pizza (we usually go to lunch afterwards, as a weekly treat) then we took Kristen to Baskin Robbins for icecream. This was so she could use her 'free icecream' voucher that she got from her teacher last week. Why'd she get this you ask? Well, she got her first '9 week' report card and got ALL A's and made the Honor Roll :-) We are so proud of her. As a special treat from us we took her to the toy store after the icecream and let her pick out a toy. She chose THIS, it's the dog from the new movit Bolt, coming out on Nov 21st.

Now it's another new week and back to 6am wake ups! I can't wait for Thanskgiving week when there's no school all week ;-)

OK, I better jump off here before this turns in to a 'not so short' post (which I think it already has)!!!

Still here. . . .

I'm sure there's a few of you wondering where I am or what I'm doing! I'm still here :-) Still doing the same old 'same old' - which I'm not complaining about, cos I love it! It's been nearly a week since I last posted so I thought I should make an effort and pop on here to say hi (if indeed there is anyone still popping in here).

I've been to the gym 3 times this week (Mon, Wed, Thur). And despite putting a few pounds on (which I expected to do as I gain muscle) I'm happy to say my jeans are fitting much better around my middle, so I know my body shape is changing and I'm gradually toning up in the areas I want to. I would have gone to the gym today but I have to wait in for some new furniture to be delivered. Yes, I finally sold my 'ugly' brown sofas and I've bought a new sofa and chair. I will share pictures once they're here. Not sure if I've mentioned it here yet, but I'm planning on repainting the living room and getting new window treatments as well as some other new furniture like coffee tables and a new kitchen table.

It's still so warm here it's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, which also means Kristen's birthday is just around the corner too! I'm keeping it simple this year and just inviting a few of her little friends over plus our neighbors. We'll celebrate on the Saturday before her birthday which will be the 22nd Nov. Her birthday is the following week on the Tuesday, and she's off school all that week as Thanksgiving is that Thursday. It should be a fun time. My inlaws will be away in California for Thanksgiving so we will be spending the day with our wonderful neighbors - they have kindly asked us over to share Thanksgiving dinner with them. Kristen is thrilled as it means she gets to play with Connor all day. And the very next day is Connors birthday too so more celebrating for us all :-)

OK, off to do more housework. Have a great weekend.

Happy Halloween!

Well you didn't think she was going to dress up like a princess did you? Kristen is on the left with her friend Emily. As you can see both are crazy Pokemon fans this year!!!!

Will post more pictures later. Today I'm hoping to sell my 'ugly' brown sofa and loveseat!!! I've bought a new sofa which I'll share at a later date. I'm getting ready to redecorate the living room - so that should give me something to blog about. I know how much you all like to see BEFORE and AFTER pictures, and I promise I won't disappoint!

Happy Saturday!

Just for Nenna!

I know I'm not posting here very often, so I doubt if there are many people reading this, but one person I know who still likes to 'pop in' to see if I've posted is my sister Brenda :-) Hi Nenna! So I'm posting these pictures just for you. Thought you'd like to see the 'wheels' you'll be driving around in if you come over next year ;-)

This thing actually seats 8! See that tiny space in between the two seats, that's the '8th' seat that lifts up (we have it down as a drink tray for Kristen right now). It's a tiny seat so of course it's only meant for a kid, but that means if you come over next year Nenna, you could even bring the 'Wright's with you, and we'd ALL fit in here ;-) Just a thought!

Oh, and see that lovely blue sky and sunshine? It's still 'sun-bathing' weather over here'! Guess I should change my graphics again - it warmed up again today, the a/c just kicked in, the house is 79 degrees again!

Talk to you soon Nenna.
xxxxxxx

Saying Hi. . .

OK, so it's not snowing here, and there is no frost on the ground, but brrrrrrr, it sure was cold this morning. It was the coldest it's been since the end of last winter, so cold that I had to put my dressing gown on when I got up. The temperature in the house has been about 78 degrees throughout the summer, with the a/c on. This past week it's cooled down a lot over night and I'd wake up to about 74. That's still ok, I can handle that ;-) But this morning, the house temp was 67!!! A big difference and boy could we tell.

So, that is the reason for the change in graphics to a frosty blue, although now that I'm posting this the sun is shining outside and the sky is a bright blue, it looks like summer again out there!

This past weekend was a busy one for us. Saturday was taken up with many hours of 'car shopping'! I don't wish to sound ungrateful, I mean who wouldn't want to go shopping for a brand new car. . . but boy is the process long! After 5 hours though, we were the proud owners of a brand new (2009!) Honda Odyssey. I haven't taken any pictures yet, so if you want to see what it looks like - CLICK HERE. Click on the 'tour' and you'll get to see the inside too. The one we got is a slate/grey with grey leather interior. The only thing we didn't get was the navigation system. That's because we already have a hand-held one, and Jason said at the speed technology changes we more than likely would want to 'upgrade' our existing one soon anyway. Do I even need to say "I love it"? You know I do (love it I mean) ;-)

Gotta dash, it's already time to pick up Kristen!

Ready For The Weekend.

I thought I'd make a post tonight as I know I won't get a chance to over the weekend. I was going to post tomorrow but I probably won't get a chance to do it then either. My daily routine since I joined the gym has changed somewhat, which is half of the reason I am not getting on here as much to blog. In the past I used to take Kristen to school and come straight home, load the dishwasher, clear the kitchen, make beds etc, then I'd sit down and check my email and visit blogs, and try to do a post of my own.

That's all changed now. After getting home from the school run, I still do my morning chores, but instead of sitting at the computer I'm usually heading straight out to the gym. After the gym I will often call in to the grocery store or Target for a few food items that I need and by the time I get home it's at least 12.30pm. I have lunch, do some laundry and before I know it, it's 2pm and I have to head back out to pick up Kristen. I don't mind these changes, but as I said in my last post it just means I'm not as motivated to blog on here and so my posts might dwindle to just a couple of times a week for now.

I just want to clarify (cos I think I gave the wrong impression last time) that I am not feeling down, or blah :-) I just really don't want to bore you all with blog posts of nothing but 'gym visit's and housework. But speaking of 'gym visits' I will just say that tomorrow I am going to be doing some weight training all on my own, and it will be the first time! Usually I do the weights with my trainer and on the days I don't meet with him I do cardio on the treadmill. I won't meet with him tomorrow but he said he'll leave me a list of things to work on. Hopefully I can do well on my own too as my PT sessions won't last forever. I have to say though, so far they have been well worth the money. If I didn't have appointments to meet with the trainer I'd probably not be as committed to going on those days. I do hope that when the sessions end I won't start making excuses not to go each day.

This morning it was 'Muffins with Mom' morning at Kristen's school. That meant we had to get there 15 minutes earlier (7.15am). Kristen always enjoys this morning (the school does it every year, along with Donuts with Dad later in the year) but I think that has a lot to do with the muffin and not so much the Mom ;-)

So, with all that said, I wish you all a great weekend, and I promise to try my best and make a few posts next week.

Not in the mood for blogging!

It's hard to blog when you're not in the mood, so I just wanted to let you all know that if you don't see a post from me for the rest of the week it's just because I'm not really motivated to do so. Often times there isn't really much to blog about, although I'm sure if I put my mind to it I could come up with something of interest. The problem is I just don't feel like putting my mind to it.

I'm off out in a few minutes to pick up Kristen from school, then we have to head on over to her piano lesson. It's much earlier today because the one of the other school districts is getting out early, so this kind of messed things up for the piano teacher. It's not really a problem for us and it means we'll be home around 4.15pm instead of the usual 5.30pm.

I will try to update in a few days. Until then, hope you all enjoy your week.

Happy Birthday Twinny!

I didn't get a chance to post over the weekend when it was 'our' birthday. I'm headed out to the gym so I will post later today. Just wanted to send belated birthday wishes to my wonderful twin brother - Ken! (not really late wishes, you should have got your card last week) ;-) And my thanks to everyone who left birthday wishes for me and sent cards. Back later!

Hump Day Already!

It's finally raining here in Texas! I don't think we've had rain for well over a month so we are certainly in need of it. The temps are dropping too, in the 70's today with the rain and possible thunder forecast, and mid 80's the rest of the week.

It was very dark when we went out to school this morning at 7.10am and very wet and rainy, making the roads a little busier and of course slippery. It's still raining a lot now and as much as I'd like to stay home and be cozy I will be going out in half an hour to meet Cindy for coffee. We haven't managed a 'starbucks' for about 3 weeks now! It will be nice to catch up and then I'll see her again tomorrow night for book club :-) After coffee I'm going to head to the gym which is right near Starbucks and do my cardio workout on the treadmill (as per my PT instructions) ;-) Yesterday's workout was really good. I told my PT that if I didn't have him I'd have certainly stopped at 5 when working on my abs, instead he pushed me to do 15! It's well worth having someone push you that little further. I hope I can do the same for myself once our sessions are over.

So, other than the gym and coffee this morning, not much else going on right now. Kristen is doing well, she had no more incidents on Sunday. I just made sure she ate more veg and fiber and she's been fine ever since. She's doing great in school right now, all of her grades are between 95-100 :-) I had a parent/teacher conference with her 2nd grade teacher last week and she is very happy with Kristen's progress and said she 'has many strengths' - hopefully she continues to do well throughout the year. Jason and I are so very proud of her.

OK, I'm off to get ready to head out. Have a great 'Hump' day.

Think Pink!

It's almost the middle of October already and it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month! I wanted to change my graphics for a couple of weeks to remind us all how important it is to take care of ourselves and continue to do 'breast self-exams' on a monthly basis. I know I haven't posted about this in a few months, and I have to be honest and say that by not doing so, I got off track and stopped doing a BSE each month. But it's never too late to start again. And I find that when I post about it here it helps me stay accountable not only to myself but to my friends who read this blog too. So, if you're like me, and it's been a month or two since you took a few minutes to 'feel' that you're ok, then why not do it now. Early detection - it can save your life!

So, how was your Sunday? I hope it was a fun and relaxing one for you. We didn't go to church today. Kristen had diarrhea in the morning and she was nervous about going to church because she said they don't have bathroom breaks once their service starts. Of course that's not to say she wouldn't be allowed to go to the bathroom, but I was concerned too that she might not make it to the bathroom in time if she HAD to go. She'd already had an accident that morning at home!!!

So we popped out for a quick lunch and went to Lowe's to get some mulch and some fall flowers for the yard. And yes, I have some pictures to show you today :-) Remember this . . . .

this was my yard at the beginning of the summer when I just planted the marigolds and some other flowers. See the little red leafed plant (on the left) well I thought you might like to see how it grew over the summer. . . . .


seriously! this is the same plant - can you believe it? Here's a close up of the pretty leaves. . .

The days are cooling down a little here which is why I wanted to get out the front and clean the flower bed up a bit. I bought some chrysanthemums to add to the borders as the marigolds had all died away, and I added some new mulch too. The mulch I bought though is different to last time and I don't really like it. The bark is much bigger than I thought it would be, but it will have to do for now. Here's a couple of close up pictures I took of the flowers that came out really pretty. . . .

These orange flowers have been in since the beginning of summer, you can see them in the first picture next to the dianthus and marigolds. They've spread out a lot too and have been flowering all summer long.

No school tomorrow, it's Columbus Day :-) So no early rising for me, yay!

Thursday (for want of a better title!)

I'm feeling much better today and despite how stiff I was yesterday I still managed a good workout with my trainer. That is what's great about having a personal trainer - if I hadn't signed up for one I would not have gone back to the gym this week until my legs had stopped aching! Yesterday when I told him how sore and stiff my legs were he said we'd work on my upper body and he'd help me stretch out too. I felt much better for having him stretch my legs. I could stretch the front of my legs by bending my knee and grabbing hold of my foot, but to stretch the backs of my legs he had me lie on the floor and he pushed my leg upwards, keeping it straight. It was a much better stretch than I could have done on my own!

I'm having a day off from training today. My trainer said I could go in and just do 7 minutes in the sauna, which would help sweat the toxins out of my sore muscles. I was going to go in, but I've been catching up with housework instead. And I actually need to get a lock for the locker rooms there. I don't have any way of locking away my purse until I get my own lock. They don't provide them at the gym! I'll get one soon and perhaps treat myself to a sauna and a swim one day next week. I've also been told to eat more protein so I'm trying to eat protein bars and make protein smoothies in between my meals. If I don't, I can't seem to get the amount of protein (which is about 63 - 70g daily) from just the foods I put on my plate. I'm a 'grazer' and I don't often eat big meals. The only time I would normally have a lot of protein is from a chicken breast for dinner. Sometimes I have a tuna salad for lunch but not always. So I'm making a concerted effort to make sure there is a good amount of protein in each meal, or at least the snacks in between if not in the meal.

This morning for breakfast I made some 'protein pancakes' from the Eating for Life cookbook. They are made with oatmeal, egg whites and cottage cheese. Rather a strange texture but not too bad. Lovely with a little drizzle of pure organic maple syrup. For lunch I had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread. I'll probably make a shake or have a protein bar sometime before dinner.

OK, not much going on around here and I don't want to bore you all too much with 'gym' talk, so that's it for today.

Can we say S-O-R-E. . . .

. . . actually that would be an understatement!!! I am so sore and stiff from my first workout on Monday I can hardly move! That didn't stop me from going back to the gym yesterday though. My trainer wanted me to do 45 minutes on the treadmill. I managed 42 minutes, but didn't keep my heart rate as high as he'd suggested. Today I don't know how I'll manage. If we do the same as Monday, well actually I don't think there is any way I can do the same as Monday. I can't bend my legs without it really hurting (you should see me trying to walk up and down the stairs!).

I'm doing all this so I don't feel like an old woman. . . . . so why do I feel like an old woman? Of course I know I'll get better. I'm just so not used to working my muscles this much I'm bound to feel sore. So off to the gym I go in about 15 minutes. We're meeting earlier today because it's another early release day at school. I'm picking Kristen up at 12pm.

I'll make this short as I have to get ready and head out soon. Sorry I have no photos to share, not much been going on lately that I can take pictures of.

The start of something new!

I'll make this just a quick post and hopefully come back later today to post more. It's 5.59am as I type this, Kristen woke me up at 5.40am saying she was hungry and couldn't get back to sleep! I think she's going through a growth spurt as she's been eating a lot over the past couple of days!

So, last week I didn't do much but there was a couple of main things that happened that I can tell you about which will bring you up to date with what's going on in my little world. Remember I was having trouble with my allergies? I went to the Dr last Monday and she prescribed a 6 day steroid for me in the hopes it would clear the inflamation in my nose which in turn would help drain the congestion I had in my nose and even in my ears! She said if it didn't do the trick I should go in and see her on Friday. Well that's just what I had to do, because I really felt no different by then. I still had a lot of pressure in my ears and couldn't hear well at times. You know how when you get water in your ears and you hear that 'gushing' sound? That was what it was like for me, but from the inside! It was so frustrating, not to mention I was still getting sinus headaches nearly every day.

Long story short, the Dr sent me for an x-ray on Friday morning to determine if I had acute sinus infection or if it was chronic. If it is chronic I would need antibiotics for a month!! And that's exactly what it turned out to be. So I'm now on antibiotics for 30 days and already my ears are feeling better. I think it will take a bit longer for the congestion to clear though, some times I'm coughing and sound like an old woman, it's not even funny.

The other major thing that happened last week for me was that I joined a new gym :-) I have been going to the Ladies Workout Express (a bit like Curves) for over 18 months now and to be honest I was bored with it, I didn't even make it in there some weeks! There's a new 'Gold's Gym' opened up near us so I went along to that and looked at joining. It was the same monthly amount each week as the ladies place but the difference obviously being that they have much more equipment. Not just weights to pull which was all I did at the ladies place. They have treadmills and ellipticals and they have a pool, and one of the features I liked the look of was that some of the treadmills etc were in a movie theater room! They also have yoga and pilate classes and spin classes. It' just sounds much better and exactly what I need to motivate me to workout more.

I've never really liked going to the gym and unfortunately right now I don't have anyone to go with me that could hold me accountable. That's why I signed up for not only just the gym for a year, but. . . . . I got myself my own personal trainer for 6 weeks!!!! Let me tell you, that part didn't come cheap, but I think it's just what I need to help me get started and focus on the things I need to do to tone up. I did my orientation with him on Friday and today at 11am is our first 'real' session together. I'll meet with him 3 times this week! I'm excited, I've never really been in shape before. I often look 'skinny' (not so much right now) but I've never been 'fit'. So I'm looking forward to changing that. This month is my birthday and I'll be 45! I don't want to get to 50 and feel like I am 'getting old' because I can't walk up the stairs without being out of breath.

OK, coffee is made, I'll jump off here and get the day started. I'll try to get back to posting more this week and keep you posted on how my day at the gym went.

A few days off . . .

.. . . from my blog that is. Not much going on so not much to write about - I'll be back in a few days!

I did go to the Dr. finally yesterday and got a course of steriods to help clear the congestion in my nose, chest and now my ears! Yes, I'm so 'clogged' up I can't hear very well, and it's all caused by allergies - what a pain!

Yay, it's Friday!

Oh, I'm so glad Friday is here already. This week has once again flown by but Friday couldn't get here fast enough. I am just so tired in the mornings at 6am, I don't know what's wrong with me? I'm thinking it might be my allergies. They've really been bothering me this past week or two. And on top of that I think I got a head cold last week, or it could have all just been allergies who knows. What I do know is that I couldn't taste or smell anything for quite a few days, which is annoying and frustrating and my sinuses hurt too!

I've been taking Claritin-D for a week now and it helps some but I think it's the allergies that drain my energy. I've been trying to drink a ton of water too. It's a good thing I have been staying home as I'm having to pee like every 10 minutes!!!

So I mentioned I would stay home a lot this week and that's just what I've done. I only left early on Monday and Tuesday to pick up Kristen from school and called in to Good Will on the way to drop some stuff off and go to the post office. Other than that, once I was home in the morning, I stayed home. And because I've stayed home all week there isn't really much to post about.

I just wanted to pop on here and write a quick little update incase you all wondered where I was and when I would post again.

I'll be back Monday with hopefully a little more interesting to read! Have a great weekend.

Soup of the Week!

I haven't had a chance to mention that I tried another soup last week! This one is from the Soup magazine I bought. I was browsing through it one day to see if there was any recipe that I could make without having to go out and buy ingredients for. . . I saw this one and thought I'd give it a try, I had everything in that I needed.

It's 'creamy ham and asparagus'. I just so happened to have some asparagus left from my meal the night before (remember Jason was away so I got to cook the foods he doesn't like, salmon and asparagus) :-) I also had some diced ham in the freezer.

Here's how mine turned out. . . .

The recipe follows for anyone that might like to try it. I really liked how it turned out, very tasty, very creamy, and I had it all to myself! Kristen didn't want to try this one, too many big pieces of veg floating around for her liking.

Creamy Ham and Asparagus Soup
1 1/2 cups fresh asparagus cooked(cut in 1" pieces)
1 medium carrot, julienned
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 jar (2 1/2oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup half and half cream
salt and pepper to taste

Saute carrots in a saucepan with butter for 3-5 mins; add onions and saute 2 mins longer or until tender. Stir in flour, gradually add milk. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 mins. Add broth, ham and asparagus.
Reduce heat; add cream. Heat through but do not boil. Add salt and pepper, garnish with parsley.

Staying Home!

Last week seemed to fly by in a blur and I felt like I was running here there and everywhere, but basically doing nothing, so this week I want to make a concerted effort to stay home. I find the days seem longer when I come straight home from dropping Kristen off at school and don't go out again until 2pm to pick her up. Plus it will give me more time to catch up with blog visits and perhaps be able to blog more too.

As I mentioned last week I had book club at my house on Thursday evening. The book we read, which was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, was set in Yorkshire England. We sometimes try to do food/snacks that go along with the book or the theme so I came up with the idea of having a 'Yorkshire tea party'. We didn't actually drink tea (we usually all like to have a glass of wine) but I got out my 'English' cook book and tried my hand at making my own scones and I made a little 'cake' that we call Maids of Honor(which were actually mentioned in the book). I'm happy to say both turned out very well, so much so that the ladies wanted me to email them the recipes ;-)

Here's a picture I managed to take of the scones. They were of course served with jam and fresh cream but I didn't manage to get a pic of one 'dressed' and ready to eat!


Here are the Maids of Honor (with Cadbury's chocolate fingers in the background).

They are made with a pastry bottom, filled with a little jam and then the topping is actually a cake mixture (you make your own, butter - sugar- flour- egg) that you spoon on top. Then you bake them for about 15 minutes.

And this is the table nearly fully set, I hadn't yet put the sandwiches out and the empty plate you see was for the 'English' cheddar cheese and the Wensleydale with cranberries cheese, which was a huge hit with everyone. I made small dainty sandwiches filled with chicken salad, salmon/mayo and cream cheese and cucumber.


All in all a very fun evening and if I say so myself, delicious food. Wish you could have been there!

Staying Home!

Last week seemed to fly by in a blur and I felt like I was running here there and everywhere, but basically doing nothing, so this week I want to make a concerted effort to stay home. I find the days seem longer when I come straight home from dropping Kristen off at school and don't go out again until 2pm to pick her up. Plus it will give me more time to catch up with blog visits and perhaps be able to blog more too.

As I mentioned last week I had book club at my house on Thursday evening. The book we read, which was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, was set in Yorkshire England. We sometimes try to do food/snacks that go along with the book or the theme so I came up with the idea of having a 'Yorkshire tea party'. We didn't actually drink tea (we usually all like to have a glass of wine) but I got out my 'English' cook book and tried my hand at making my own scones and I made a little 'cake' that we call Maids of Honor(which were actually mentioned in the book). I'm happy to say both turned out very well, so much so that the ladies wanted me to email them the recipes ;-)

Here's a picture I managed to take of the scones. They were of course served with jam and fresh cream but I didn't manage to get a pic of one 'dressed' and ready to eat!


Here are the Maids of Honor (with Cadbury's chocolate fingers in the background).

They are made with a pastry bottom, filled with a little jam and then the topping is actually a cake mixture (you make your own, butter - sugar- flour- egg) that you spoon on top. Then you bake them for about 15 minutes.

And this is the table nearly fully set, I hadn't yet put the sandwiches out and the empty plate you see was for the 'English' cheddar cheese and the Wensleydale with cranberries cheese, which was a huge hit with everyone. I made small dainty sandwiches filled with chicken salad, salmon/mayo and cream cheese and cucumber.


All in all a very fun evening and if I say so myself, delicious food. Wish you could have been there!

The end of a busy week. . .

. . . and I think I'm getting sick :-( My throat started feeling very scratchy last night and is sore this morning. I'm hoping it's just allergies and not a cold. I don't feel sick other than the itchy throat, and I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse, only time will tell.

I really don't know where this week has gone! How can time fly by so quickly? I had book club here last night but I will post about that next time. Today I want to finally show some pictures of my finished bathroom (I know my sister has been waiting patiently to see them!). It's hard taking pictures of a room when you are looking directly at the window, but I tried my best.....

First off here are some before pictures, of just plain walls and blue tape!

And here are the finished pictures. . .

The color is called 'Suffolk Tan'? but I think to describe it I would say it's a soft sage kind of green. The window valance and towel are from Target. . .


As is the rug that you see in this last picture.

Overall I'm really happy with the look in here, it's much cozier looking than before, but I do still want to buy a few more accessories, like a new plant for my vanity, possibly a 'silk' orchid, and new candles in a burgandy/red color.

I hope to find more time to post after the weekend, and to make some 'visits.