Lakewood Manor

Strawberry Champagne Cake

2012-01-03T06:23:00.000-06:00

I saw Mr. Food make this on TV a couple of nights ago and knew it would be the perfect dessert to take to my book club on January 2. You can find the original recipe here.

My take was a bit different. I had a strawberry cake mix and pink champagne in the refrig...so guess what I did? I used a strawberry cake mix and pink champagne. It worked beautifully.

I have never been afraid to try a new recipe and take it to my friends. The batter on this cake let me know it was a winner. It was very nice with a definite champagne taste to it.

My icing turned out a pale pink due to the pink champagne. The perfect touch!

Aging Wine...

2012-01-02T16:57:00.000-06:00

Bob has tried many times to get a good age on a bottle of wine. He liked this house specifically when we bought it in 2002 when he saw a concrete room perfect for wine. He built his own wine racks and carefully placed his wines in the cellar, turning them every so often...

Bob put a 1975 Margaux in the cellar. At the time we knew that it was likely that the wine was not in good condition as we had it stored in less-than-ideal situation in our former home. We were saving it for that perfect occasion. Bob also had a 1994 Jordan that he got from friends in South Dakota. He had that wine stored the same as the Margaux.

Time passes, and the perfect occasion comes and goes (the wine forgotten!) and suddenly you realize that the perfect occasion happens when the people you love are siting around you. That's what happened this time.

Ashley and Eric were home for the holidays and we had just rang in the 2012 New Year. That perfect occasion was NOW.

Bob opened the Margaux and to his disappointment, the cork disintegrated. Bob took great care to see that the cork was always wet. The wine was a deep maroon. We let it breathe for awhile and ran it through an aerator and took a sip. The wine was good, but not with the deep, smooth taste that the Margaux should have had. On the internet the average price for this bottle of wine was $375.

Next he opened the Jordan. The color was similar, but the wine was much better. A review of the literature on this wine said that it was past its peak but we still had a great wine, with deep cherry flavor and that smooth-as-milk feel in your mouth. I saw on the internet that the price of this bottle runs from $60 to $100 a bottle.

I hope Bob doesn't give up on aging wine. I think that the anticipation, along with the fun over the years, outweighs the once in a while disappointment.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

We welcomed in 2012 at the Summit Lake Winery with Bob's band, 2 Car Pile Up playing to a great crowd. We enjoyed dinner with the other band members, David and Suzanne, Marshall, Scott and Jada and Ashley and Eric and us.

The dance was upstairs and they had assorted appetizers and a chocolate fountain! Champagne was served and it was very good! The band had everyone on their feet. I enjoyed their new line up of songs.

Christmas Wrap Up

2011-12-26T22:02:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve Morning

We woke up early and packed up the car in order to drive to Marceline. We stopped for breakfast at BK Bakery and then proceeded up to Moberly to do a small bit of shopping at Randolph Mercantile. We got to Marceline around 10. We opened gifts and then ate lunch. Bob and I bought Taco Soup and mom made Vegetable Soup with Beef. We had cookies and candies and of course, eggnog! Afterwards we went into downtown Marceline to shop at the new shop Curiosity and to Debbie's shop Simply Made. Found adorable things in both shops!

Christmas Eve

Santa Sack was opened to reveal our Christmas PJs from Target, Zingo, and Christmas Karaoke. We had pan seared scallops, baked goat cheese and red sauce with crostinis, homemade meatballs, bratwurst wrapped in croissants and various cookies and candies. We watched The Sound of Music (the ending) and played our game and then went to bed!

Christmas Morning

Ashley was the first up, as usual! Santa had come and so we sat down to open stockings. After the stockings we open presents and then had breakfast. This year I made a breakfast ring, a cranberry cocktail and gingerbread cake pops that looked like reindeer! We all admired our gifts and then Ash and Eric left for Christmas at the Hasty's house.

Christmas Night

The Hasty family came over for a visit and for dinner. Bob made a pork loin roast marinated in Dr. Pepper and herb encrusted. He also roasted Brussels sprouts and made his wonderful Gratin Dauphinaise potatoes. It was such a great meal. My dessert was Oreo stuffed brownies. Yummy. Renee gave me a candle and I gave Renee a wreath from Debbie's shop. We had a great visit with Renee, Bob and Evan.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:16:00.000-06:00

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011 Cookie Swap

2011-12-04T10:56:00.001-06:00

The Steffes women put together a last minute cookie swap when I found out that we were mostly all going to be together in Macon this year. Jeanne and David celebrated in Nebraska this year. I put together an invite and put a plea on the Keep Smilin' Project page and off we went!

Ashley and I baked our cookies when she got home on Wednesday. Ashley baked a simple but delicious Nutella cookie found first on Pinterest. I baked a Weight Watcher Strawberry Angel cookie.

Joy's Popcorn Cookies

Our containers, ready to swap!


This year's participants!

Nutella Cookies

1 c of Nutella
1/2 c white sugar
1 c flour
1 egg
1 T milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Blend all ingedients together well. Form into 1″ balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Press down firmly with the bottom of a glass. Bake 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool.

Strawberry Angel Cookies

1 angel food cake mix
3/4 c sugar free strawberry preserves
1 egg white
1 T milk
3 T mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Blend all ingredients together with a mixer for 1 minute. Beat one additional minute. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Store between layers of waxed paper. Cookies are chewy with the bite of angel food cake.

A Study in Tradition, part 2

2011-12-01T20:42:00.001-06:00

Last year, I took you through a photo journey as Bob's cousin Dianne made the traditional mincemeat pies here and this year I am showing you how my sister, Tammi, makes the rolls that have been served for our Holt family for many years.

My sister agreed to this photo essay under one condition: I could only photograph her hands. No other parts of her body. I signed in blood. Ok, not really but it sounded very dramatic.

Yeast, oil, water


Add in some sugar...

Oh yea, baby, the yeast likes some sugar!

Add in a little flour....

Oh no! How did this picture get in here? {snicker}

Work it, Tammi!

It's magic! That gooey, sticky mess is now a smooth ball of dough.

Rise, oh master, rise!

Even though its the next picture, 20 minutes or so elapsed...

Make into little puffs of goodness, and bake.

These bake in the oven and smell up the kitchen with a warm, yeasty smell that drives us all nuts! As soon as they come out, someone who remains nameless (Chris) (Ben) (Ashley) (Bob) (Tammi) (Terri) grabs the center roll, butters it up and shares it with the rest of us. Mmmm.

Grandma Holt would be so happy to know that her yeast rolls continue on. As Tammi was making them, I overheard Kassie say, "I can't wait for Grandma Tammi's rolls."

Thanksgiving Eve

2011-11-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

I love that our school system allows us the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. Several districts I have worked in before had us working until noon on Wednesday. I feel much less rushed and able to enjoy the holiday more since I can do preparing the day before.

So what is going on in the Steffes house in 2011? Ashley and Eric came home from Indiana last night and we visited shortly before going to bed. We woke up bright and early on Wednesday, though, as we all had big lists of things to accomplish!

Ashley and I had some beauty routines to attend to first, then we both headed to Walmart to do some shopping. The store wasn't busy but then again, there weren't many cashiers either. We got our supplies without any problems and headed home.

We got started right away. We got a gingerbread cake in the oven for our trifle. We made a batch of cookies for the Steffes Cookie Swap tomorrow. Ashley made a simple chocolate cookie with Nutella in it. It is so chewy and luscious! Then Ashley made pumpkin pudding for our trifle. We let the pudding cool and then I made a batch of pumpkin seed brittle to decorate the trifle top. After it cooled, we broke it into pieces. When the pudding was cool enough, we layered our trifle dessert, wrapped it up and its in the refrig cooling. We packaged up Ashley's cookies and started making my Strawberry Angel Cookies. Time for a Sonic break!

After lunch we cleaned up our messy kitchen and Ash and Eric headed over to his parent's house. All his family was in town! Bob came home with a crown roast, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, pumpkin gnocchi and some good looking bread. Our Thanksgiving dinner with the four of us is tonight! I think we are going to be fed well!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all!

Love the Pie Project

2011-11-17T15:43:00.001-06:00

I think pie making is a fading art. In order to preserve this wonderful dessert, I am participating in this linky party! Click the picture to go see a lovely world of pie, pie and more pie!

Love the Pie

Here are a couple of yummy pie links that have been previously posted here at Lakewood Manor. They are worth repeating and sharing!

Cracker Pie

Paula Deen Lemon Pie

“Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton, Bags by Bloom and Harvard Common Press”

It's My Birthday!

2011-11-17T06:18:00.000-06:00

I was born November 17, 1958 to Jerry and Shirley (Holt) Oliver in Marceline, Missouri at around 3:00 a.m. There was a light snow that day. I was born in a hospital, the first in my family to do so. I was the oldest grandchild of Raymond and Lorraine (Wilson) Holt and Joe and Mildred (Dorrell) Oliver. I came into the world welcomed and loved. My aunts and uncles doted on my (oh yes you did, David) and I have pictures to prove it.

At Christmas 1958, I am about four weeks old here.

I love my birthdays and have never regretted any birthday that has come my way. I imagine it's because it was a time of celebration in my family. Both sides would come together, with my great grandparents, and watch me blow out a candle and take a big bite of cake. I would be wearing a fluffy {scratch} dress and black patent leather shoes that would be off my feet in a flash. I would be surrounded with all kinds of girly toys.

Today I am 53 and so grateful for every year! I will say that I don't feel 53 but I believe that is due to a profession where it is ok to show your inner child (elementary principal) and the more often you do, the better!

I am looking forward to opening the cards and letters that have been arriving at the house for the past week and opening the gift that Bob left for me. Still surrounded with all kinds of girly things! I am looking forward to my morning phone call to my mom who will spoil me with words of love and praise as she does every day. I am looking forward to my students giving me homemade cards and the text messages from my nieces and nephews and posts from my Facebook friends.

God continues to bless me with birthdays, so I am going to love each and every minute of it!

A Mizzou Tailgate!

2011-11-15T07:30:00.000-06:00

We love our Mizzou Tigers! Bob and I have bought season tickets since 1980 (student tickets!) and this year was no different. However, what was different is that I missed quite a few games since I was studying and since Ash and Eric moved to Indiana. Bob and I tailgated with our University Club once and Bob has gone to other tailgates this year but finally we were able to have a tailgate this year... with Ashley and Eric!!!

It was cold... a morning game... so our tailgate focused on breakfast. Bob made a scrambled egg and sausage mix, biscuits and gravy and cinnamon rolls. Bob placed a broken biscuit in a bowl, covered it with scrambled eggs and sausage, then poured gravy over it all. It was hot and delicious!

Ashley and i snuggled into our blankets and watched the other tailgaters. It is so much fun. Across the way someone had a World Series Cardinal flag flying under the Mizzou flag. Cool! One couple brought a firepit with them. Our neighbors had a kerosene burner with them.

This was a fun tailgate, mainly because we were with our kids and we were excited about seeing Mizzou beat #16 Texas (which they did!).

Cooking Together

2011-11-13T15:45:00.000-06:00

I think most people know that Bob is considered the cook of the house... but it wasn't always the case. Ask Ashley, I am sure she remembers "Invent A Casserole" and other famous dishes! Bob made a suggestion that the two of us go to a cooking class together in Columbia that was hosted by Inside Columbia magazine. Our class was Cooking with Wine. It was so much fun and we learned a lot! We thank Craig Cyr, from the Wine Cellar and Bistro for his excellent instuction!


Cute aprons!

Ingredients for a Norton wine sauce

Reducing the wine sauce at the MAJOR stove

Yummy!

If you would like more information about these classes, visit their website at http://comoculinaryadventures.com/. You can see a list of chefs and any upcoming classes. Bob is doing the Holiday Baking 101 class next.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T11:15:00.001-06:00

I love unique moments i think today qualifies! Did you mark this moment in your life?

Driving back to school!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:57:00.000-05:00

Bob and I would like to extend a Happy Halloween to all our friends and family. Be safe and enjoy the shivery thrills this time of year brings!

The Greatest Game in Baseball!

2011-10-30T19:53:00.001-05:00

Game 6 of the 2011 World Series! It is (was) on my bucket list to see a World Series Game preferably one where the Cardinals played and this was the year! Bob had a ticket to game 2 while he was in St. Louis for a business trip and I bought two for us on a speculation that the Cards would be playing a game 6.

The game was originally set for Wednesday, October 26 but due to some bad weather, the game was postponed for Thursday, October 27. I was thrilled when my superintendent allowed me to switch my personal days! Bob and I drove up separately since he had to work on Thursday in St. Louis. I left school and drove to the hotel, and met Bob. We jumped into his car and drove to the stadium. We parked really close and then walked around to enjoy the festivities. There were bands, vendors, TV stations, the latest two World Series trophies, and the best people watching ever!

We walked into the stadium and looked at the various souvenirs. We bought a few small Christmas gifts and a couple of gifts for the boys who take care of Wilson and Truman when we are away. Bob (the smart one when it comes to dressing appropriately) had dressed himself in many layers. I, on the other hand, had on my short sleeved T shirt and a Mizzou jacket. Not nearly enough. By the third inning I was freezing. Bob went for some hot dogs and came back with a fleece blanket! I was toasty warm for the rest of the game!

The game was so exciting.... just being around that many Cardinal fans who are so enthusiastic! It is such a great feeling! Every time the Cards did something great, we were high fiving all the fans around us. It was so fun!

The seventh inning was the game changing, Series changing event. You can read about it in so many venues that I won't go into it here. I can just say I am so glad that I didn't leave early (who would, considering it was the W O R L D S E R I E S.) and how wonderful it was to see the Cards never give up. Such a great lesson in perseverence!

The fact that the game was won in part by a local boy, David Freese. I love stories like his!

Another bucket list item checked. A moment of a lifetime that turned into a lifetime memory!

Happy birthday, Ashley!

2011-10-24T07:17:00.000-05:00

Twenty six years ago we were blessed with a daughter! In 26 years we have realized over and over what a blessing God has given us.

Have a great birthday, sweet girl! We love you very much!

Pumpkin Carving 101

2011-10-23T13:16:00.002-05:00

Bob is very good at carving pumpkins. I think he enjoys it, too!

First, buy a nice firm pumpkin. We got these from Walmart but we also like Shirks, Hy Vee and Longfellows as well. Use your pumpkin's shape to help inspire you how you wish to carve your pumpkin.

Cut the top off, in a large enough circle around the stem to get your hand into the pumpkin. Instead of a smooth continuous line, Bob makes sort of a hexagon shape around the stem. Trim the bottom of the stem to make it flat.

Clean out the insides of the pumpkin. Pull out all the stringy stuff and the seeds. Keep the seeds if you intend to roast them.

Cut out the desired pattern of your pumpkin. As you can see, we opted for a cute {easy} polka dotted style. We used an apple corer and a seeder for the circles. Some Bob cut all the way through, some he cut about 3/4 of the way in. This will make an interesting pumpkin when we light it with our candles!

We also made one with a traditional pumpkin face. After all, it is Halloween!

Homecoming 2011-100 Years

2011-10-15T16:39:00.001-05:00

The University of Missouri is credited with having the first Homecoming in 1911. This marked the 100th year of Homecoming at MU! If this isn't enough excitement for the Steffes family, I was invited to ride in the Homecoming Parade this year!

The Mid Missouri affiliate of the Susan G Komen Foundation asked for volunteers to ride in the parade on the Wells Fargo Stagecoach! This stagecoach is a reconditioned stagecoach, in beautiful condition, pulled by four gorgeous quarter horses. There was some excitement at the beginning of the parade. We were told to meet behind the Bengal Bar. By 8:30 we knew we were in the wrong place. Finding the right place, however, was not an easy task. Eventually I found it but I was the only one. Bob ran all over the parade route looking for the other riders. He found them one by one and they joined us throughout the parade. It was awesome. Bob was the hero!

Being in the parade was quite a unique experience. This parade is long, and has a beautiful route through the University campus and through the District (Columbia's name for the downtown area). The crowds were huge. As we went by the two sets of judges, the announcer described the stagecoach, and then announced our names as breast cancer survivors! What a surprise! I saw good friends Susie and Craig Adams, students from school and of course, dear Bob!

When we finished, we all hugged one another, and shared a few moments with the horses who pulled us through the route.

It is an experience I will never forget.

I had another neat moment, too. The district manager of the Wells Fargo branch in Columbia is my good friend Richard Blankenship. Sharing this moment with him was wonderful!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-13T16:39:00.001-05:00

Hello, blogging friends! It has been such a long time since my last post. I am in the last phase of my doctoral program and I find myself caught up in the world of academia. I just took my comprehensive exams, six hours of writing and nearly twenty some pages. I pray that I pass, but if I don't I am ready to take them again in February.

I did take some time to do something very important to me. My hometown of Marceline (Missouri) has a church called Bethany Baptist that hosts a special salad supper each October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness. This year I was invited to be their guest speaker. I was so honored. I love my hometown and to give back, in any way I can, makes me so happy!

My speech centered around my own personal experience with my cancer diagnosis, treatment and ongoing experiences with breast cancer. I shared some of my story, including the stories I have from my students at my school. I hope I was able to combine a serious topic with the humorous day-to-day life of an elementary school principal!

The church ladies outdid themselves with a huge variety of salads. At the table was a gift for each person in attendance, a pair of gardening gloves, pink tulip bulbs and a mint! During the dinner there were readings, giveaways and entertainment.

My family came with me. My mom, my cousin, Judy, and my sister, Tammi. My cousin Debbie was there as well. I also saw many friends, many moms-of-friends, and women whom I have never met. By the end of the evening, we all had a common bond.

(My friend, Annie, Judy, my mom, Tiffany)

I was given a wonderful handmade blanket and a pot of flowers. I love them both! Thank you so much for inviting me and allowing me to share my story!

(My blanket, the brown with the polka dots and pink ribbons)

Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Walk

2011-09-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

I will be participating in the 2011Susan B Komen Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, September 18. I participated in the inaugural walk last year and had so much fun being with other women who understood about breast cancer, It was such a great experience I am participating again!

I have a goal of raising $200 for this worthwhile event. If you would care to donate, you can donate here:

Terri's Breast Cancer Walk

You can see last year's event by going to 2010 Walk for the Cure

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-06T09:07:00.001-05:00

Our Labor Day was unique as we spent time with Ashley and Eric in Indiana this year. We drove to St. Louis on Friday night after a home football game for me and a band gig for Bob. On Saturday we drove in to Bloomington without much excitement. When we got to Bloomington, we headed straight to their apartment. We got a warm welcome from Ashley and Eric but Huxley went nuts! He was so happy to see his grandparents!

Can you see that happy tail wagging?

The weekend was designed to be a food tour of Bloomington and Indianapolis... with one exception. We did the Art Fest on Fourth Street the 100+ degree heat. Ash wrote a great article on it on her blog here.

We ate breakfast at wonderful places. The one with the most unique name, The Runcible Spoon, had the best scrambled egg whites that I have ever had. They were fluffy and curdlike and had the flavor that yoke usually gives. Served with spinach, wheat toast and tomatoes... yum. The best breakfast had to be Eric's Paxton Potatoes at The Village Deli. Home fries covered in cheese and sausage gravy. It was awesome!

We had a unique lunch in Indianapolis at a place called Yak's where we had New American in the form of a chili cheese etoufee with crawfish and then cupcakes at a The Flying Cupcake. They were huge and amazing! Another lunch in Bloomington was at Nick's English Hut. Surprisingly, they do not serve English food there. We sat in a booth that had been occupied by Kurt Vonnegut in an earlier time.

Dinners were at Ashley and Eric's where Eric cooked up a scallop and shrimp dish that he learned in cooking school. It was so great! Served with a brown butter rue and over flaky biscuits, it was delish! We also had dinner at the Scholar's Inn, where we read the menus out of classic books (mine was Wuthering Heights) and had bananas foster prepared tableside. It was a wonderful experience!

We had some ice cream at Hartzells where they make all homemade ice creams. I had a wonderful Chocolate Basil which was dark and rich. We tried creamed corn before we left and it was wonderful!

We took some photos at IU. This is the famous gates (kinda like the columns at MU). They are beautiful as evidenced here.

We left Monday around 1:00 amid tears and hugs. We hit I-70 and ran into traffic quickly as there had been a wreck that closed both sides of the highway. Eric's quick use of the computer got us out of the wait, headed us through Terre Haute and back on the highway with only a couple of hours delay. We decided to make the best of it and stopped at the Firefly Grill for pizza. We had the best pizza: sliced granny smith apples, breakfast bacon and brie on brick oven baked crust. It was wonderful!

I am looking forward to our next trip to Indiana but between now and then, Ashley has a visit planned. The trip home is a lot longer than the trip there!

Late August

2011-08-27T11:57:00.000-05:00

What late August looks like to me....

study

study

study

study

study

I am sorry I haven't been around much lately in the blogging world. I am finishing my coursework for my doctorate this semester (Ethics) and studying for my written comps (October 8) and writing our problem statement (for the nth time). Between work and studying, I haven't had time to do much.... but....

Bob and I did go to St. Louis on Thursday to cheer on the Cardinals! Bob was gifted two tickets in the VIP suite from his salesperson that he works with to purchase tickets for school. It was a sweet gift to celebrate Bob's retirement!

Pujols hitting a double!

Fredbird!

Calendar Dogs!

2011-08-09T04:13:00.000-05:00

Truman and Wilson are featured as the December Dogs in Fifi's new calendar for 2012! You can own this darling calendar by going HERE.

This painting was done for our 2011 Christmas card. Fifi has done our Christmas card for a couple of years now. You can contact her here for more information! The best part... she can make YOUR dog the cover by request!

Wayfaring Wednesday-Kansas City (MO)

2011-08-03T19:15:00.001-05:00

Bob and I planned a weekend for the two of us way back in April. Bob had purchased a Groupon from The Elms in Excelsior Springs and had redeemed it for this weekend in July. If we hadn't booked it so far in advance, we would have not been able to go, as there were many invitations to do other things that same weekend!

I have heard about the Elms for a long time. Bob had a meeting there a few years back and came back with glowing reports about this resort. It was built in 1912 (the present structure) and you can tell they spared no expense. If you are like me, you might wonder what brought everyone to Excelsior Springs.

Water. Yep, water. A special water full of minerals and goodness that famous people like Harry S Truman, Al Capone, and Jack Dempsey wanted. President Truman waited for the results of his election there and celebrated in Room 200 (300 now). There are special guests who roam around in the form of ghosts but who are said to be friendly ghosts!

The resort plays music from the era in the lobby. It is so charming to come in from the 2011s and step into a relaxed atmosphere. While we were there we saw a 30 year HS reunion and a wedding reception being hosted. The grounds are lovely and makes an exceptional back drop for these events.

We had dinner at a quaint restaurant called Justus The Drugstore. This restaurant uses only local foods and makes each dish to order. Even the pasta is made on the spot. That means that dinner takes a little time but it was so worth it!

We shopped in Kansas City at some of our favorite stores: Dean and Delucca, Nell Hills, William Sonoma, and Bob's favorite cigar shop, Outlaw Cigars. I went with him while he chose new cigars and smoked one. I don't think they host a lot of women. I was pleasantly surprised by the smoke free atmosphere (great ventilation system) and how friendly everyone was.

I highly recommend the Elms for a weekend for all you Missouri folks. There are some lovely walking tours of the Springs if you are so inclined.

Check out the other trips at Laura's Decor to Adore blog!

Mosaic Monday-The Garden

2011-07-24T15:56:00.001-05:00

The heat is killing nearly everything in our garden. A few hardy breeds are braving the heat well. Here's a tribute to those plants who can shake a fist at the sun!

And, look who came to visit!

Go visit Little Red House for more mosaics!

The Gobbler's Roost

2011-07-20T06:08:00.001-05:00

My PEO sisters and I visited Cottey College in Nevada (Missouri). PEO does a lot of charitable work with Cottey College and we wanted to see where our money goes! We loved our tour and was very impressed with what Cottey offers young women in our state. If you have a daughter who is nearing college age, it is well worth a trip.

Afterwards we treated ourselves to The Gobbler's Roost, a quaint restaurant in the countryside of Nevada. We had a private seating and was served beef tips, fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Dessert was a blueberry crepe. The food was well prepared and well plated. The dinner plate was garnished with lemon sage and the dessert plate was decorated with a marigold.

Not only is the food great, the place was decorated to take advantage of the country atmosphere. Wild flowers decorated each table. The main dining room was filled with antiques. The stained concrete floor was stamped with....turkey prints!

"Carry Out" Breakfasts

2011-07-19T18:05:00.000-05:00

I confessed last week that I was a fast food breakfast junkie. That is not something I am proud of so this summer one of my things-to-do-in-my-nightgown was to find breakfast recipes I could make in advance, then carry with me to school to eat. I found a recipe for Baked Oatmeal that seemed like it would be a great breakfast

I love oatmeal. I am not fond of the instant oatmeal packets, however, finding them too creamy or mushy or something. This recipe uses real oats which interested me right away. Plus, all the ingredients are just mixed together and baked in a pan... so simple!

Baked Oatmeal

1 1/2 c quick or old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 c Eggbeaters (or 1 real egg)
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk
3/4 c peanut butter (I used Chocolate Dream and Jeanne suggested Nutella)
1/4 packed brown sugar
3 T aguave nectar (or 1/4 c white sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray 9 by 13 pan with Pam. Mix all ingredients together well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are brown and firm. The oatmeal has a cake like texture.

Here's the best part: Serve with hot or cold. You can add warmed milk or syrup or sprinkle mini chocolate chips on it. Sliced bananas would be great, too!

WW points: a 3/4 cup serving (without toppings or milk) is 4 points.

Mosaic Monday-Kylene's Wedding!

2011-07-17T23:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the celebration of the wedding of Kylene and Matt. Kylene is the daughter of my good friend Marsha. It was everything one would wish for in a wedding, chic, modern, glamorous and FUN!

The wedding colors were a deep eggplant and silver. The flowers were white and a part was that each of the six attendants carried a different bouquet of white flowers. While each attendant wore matching gowns, they had individual crystal brooches on the scarf of the dress.

The reception was so fun! It made me think of what wedding receptions in the 1920s might have looked like...with passed hors d' ouerves and cocktails. The mosaic below shows our Girls Night Out group enjoying the reception (we had a lot of fun in the photo booth!) and some highlights of the wedding.

Each of the cake's layers was a different cake and filling. Yum. There was a mashed-tini station with various different mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, a sliders station and a salad station. Each had their food in adorable glassware. The food presentation was lovely!

Joining Mary at Mosaic Monday!

Ice Cream Social

2011-07-16T06:44:00.000-05:00

I heard about this wonderful Ice Cream Social (blogger style) from my friends Vee and Pam that I really should have known about since I am a follower of the hostess, Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet. Thank goodness I have a few wonderful ice cream recipes ready to go! I was a participant last year, too, with this dessert I had in St. Louis.

Did you know tomorrow is National Ice Cream Day, too? According to Wikipedia, in 1984 Ronald Reagan declared July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday in July to be celebrated as National Ice Cream Day!

I am sharing with you today a remarkably easy, tasty frozen concoction that is not only yummy but good for you!

Frozen Banana "Ice Cream"

1 banana, ripe, sliced

Yep, that's it. Now freeze that sliced banana solid. Maybe even overnight. I didn't have to do anything to the slices. Process the frozen slices until the mixture is creamy. I scooped out the mixture with my Pampered Chef medium sized baller and placed the scoops on waxed paper and refroze them for a bit (just for the photo) but I would probably just serve it right away.

Things you can do differently: add 1 T of vanilla flavored yogurt, 1 T vanilla or chocolate soy milk, 1 T fat free Half and Half, etc. These would add creaminess to the banana but I don't think you need it. Other recipes I have seen using this method do include some dairy.

You can add in some peaches, blueberries, mini chocolate chips... be as creative as you'd like!

Since you have broken down the fiber some, WW assigns this dessert 1 point.

Egg "McMuffin" Revisited

2011-07-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

I love fast food breakfast. I am sure it is because I leave the house around 5:45 and I am not really interested in food that early, but once I have been in the car for 30 minutes I am ready for breakfast. My favorites are Sonic's breakfast burrito, Mc Donald's egg mcmuffin and Burger King's ham, egg, and cheese croissandwich. I know all of these are not the healthiest and spending a couple of dollars is not the way I want to have breakfast each day. So I have been experimenting with fast food breakfast at home.

Why make one when you can make six in the same amount of time? By baking the eggs in a muffin tin I get a nice round egg. I spray my six cup muffin tin with butter flavored Pam. I pour 1/4 c of Eggbeaters into each cup and bake them at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. While the eggs are cooking, I split and toast my whole wheat English muffins, unwrap my no-fat American cheese, and separate the canadian bacon (I buy the fully cooked version, at about 50 calories a slice). When the eggs are done, I assemble them and place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them individually for about an hour. I wrap them in aluminum foil sheets and then place into a freezer bag and freeze fully.

To reheat, Bob preheats the oven when he takes the dogs out and places two of the sandwiches (minus the freezer bags!) in the oven. They heat for about 25 minutes, or about the time we are leaving. I can save mine until I get to school (yep, still is warm) and eat!

Money wise: $.89 for the canadian bacon, $1.99 for 6 whole wheat English muffins, $2.00 for the eggs (approximately) and $.60 for the cheese. The foil is about $.10 for the six sheets. I didn't count the bags because they are reusable. So, about $4.60 for the six sandwiches, not counting the heating costs (which could be swapped for the fuel costs of going to McD's!).

Ashley and Eric gave Bob a toaster for his birthday than imprints the Packer's logo on your toast! Isn't it cute?

Weight Watchers calculator says these are worth 5 points. (the regular McMuffin is 8, but the sausage one is 12). The best part is less saturated fat and salt with a higher fiber content.

Next experiment is the Sonic breakfast burrito!

Mexican Cruise 2011

2011-07-14T09:14:00.002-05:00

Sometimes things just work out.

I really wanted Bob to take a little vacation to celebrate his 32 years in public education. He said that he'd be happy with the Ohio River Valley vacation. I believe he would have, too, but I really wanted him to have this special opportunity. It was looking really doubtful though, since we only had a few days between my summer school and Bob's first day at Columbia College.

I was reading Facebook and saw Marsha's post about her cruise on the QMII. It got me thinking about going on a cruise with Bob, something we haven't done for ages. I started looking on the internet for a cruise that would fit into this very small window and then, I found it.

A three day cruise to the wine country in Mexico. How appropriate! How perfect! How timely!

I was able to secure our passage on the cruise and snag some great fares on the airlines. Bob booked us a hotel to stay at before the cruise left and to stay at the QMI (Queen Mary I) for the fourth of July. Kind of neat since Marsha and Ron were going to be on the QMII and it was her post that got me thinking!

We spent one night on Long Beach just walking around the beach and looking at the yachts. We had a quick dinner of pasta and bay scallops (delish) and then did a bit of shopping. We stayed at the most darling boutique hotel, the Varden. I have never had such service in a hotel. Fabulous.

The hotel staff suggested a breakfast place before we boarded on our cruise. We had a fabulous omelet that had bay scallops, shrimp and crab in it. Who knew you could have seafood for breakfast! We went back to the beach, walked around and Bob stopped for some coffee. That's when it all started to unravel. Bob dropped his wallet (unaware) and we had walked all the way back to the hotel before he discovered it. He immediately went downstairs to the hotel staff and they called the shop where Bob used his credit card last. Yes, a woman had found it but was reluctant to leave it at the shop. They knew what she looked like and would try to find her. In the mean time, Bob called a taxi and went back to the shop. The security at the shopping area could not find her. Bob calls me and says, call home. Maybe she called us. So I did, and SHE did! She left her cell phone number. So I give the number to Bob. She tells Bob she has given his wallet to the Long Beach police. The hotel staff calls the police department and makes contact with the police officer who has the wallet. Bob and the officer arrange to meet at a local bar (incidently, a bar that has the most drafts in one place in the world. Coincidence?) I pack us up, the hotel staff helps me get a taxi and everything put into it and I meet Bob at the bar. The officer meets up with Bob and gives him the wallet. Everything is there.

Amazing. Good people are left in this world Everyone!

We board our cruise, happy that our vacation wasn't ruined. We find our cabin and then go and eat lunch and lounge around for three days! The wine tour was beautiful. We had not seen such rugged country growing such delicate fruit. We are really psyched to see the wine field in France now!

We met some wonderful people at our dinner table. Michelle and Warren Smith were from Rodondo Beach and were delightful. Michelle is a professor of Chinese Linguistics at Berkeley. Warren works for Boeing. Both were so interested in public education. We were interested in their knowledge of the Chinese culture. Fabulous dinner couple!

After a day at sea, we were ready to celebrate the Fourth of July in Long Beach! I was ready to explore our hotel, which is a National Landmark. We loved all the old stuff! We went to a fair at the ship, ate some fair food (Thai tacos, funnel cakes and ribbon potatoes) and then secured our place to watch the fireworks. On Facebook the QMI said there were over 4,000 people on the ship watching them!

We got home just in time to do laundry and pack for Ohio. Now we are both at home, ready to enjoy the rest of July!

Linking up to http://decortoadore.blogspot.com/

The Ohio River Valley Vacation

2011-07-13T13:03:00.001-05:00

Our family vacation to the Ohio River Valley was so incredibly relaxing and peaceful. I don't know when the last time I had such a vacation, unless it was the Mexican cruise the day before! (more about that one later!)

We heard about these cabins from our good friends Pat and Emily who visit annually over New Year's Eve. The Colucci Cabins are located in a tiny village in Indiana called Magnet. It is situated right on the Ohio River with the Hoosier National Forest surrounding it. Our cabin looked right across the river into Kentucky! We stayed in Moondance. Ash sang It's a Wonderful Night for a Moondance many times!

We spent our days looking at the river, reading, looking at the river, taking pictures of wildlife, and eating. There was a hot tub to enjoy as well, which we did.

How did that picture of Huxley get into this wildlife mosaic? Snicker. He was an active participant in the vacation but you can see he likes his relaxation time as well! I love my bird shots. I spent a lot of time photographing birds! I spotted the deer but Ashley got the shot!

The river itself is so beautiful. From sun up to sun down the river gave us such beauty. Bob and I captured these photos during different times...

As gorgeous as it was, it was all about the relaxation. Enjoying each other's company. Talking and answering Probing Questions. Discussing books. Discussing what to eat. Working on a possible book. It was so nice to see everyone so relaxed!

After our time on the river, Bob headed to JC to get ready to start his new job at Columbia College and I stayed behind to help Ashley get her office at IU organized and decorated. More on that later!

Check out Ashley's take on the same vacation on her blog at A Hasty Life!

Joining Wayfaring Wednesday this week!

Bloomington Blooming cinnamon rolls

2011-07-12T09:14:00.001-05:00

Ash and I made this easy and delicious cinnamon pull apart bread this morning. I think you will really enjoy it if you give it a try!

1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make Vanilla Honey Butter: Whip butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until smooth; stir in honey and vanilla. Set aside. (You can use regular butter if desired)

Cut the bread lengthwise into 1/2" slices, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread vanilla honey butter in between slices. Rotate the bread 90 degrees and slice the bread again into 1/2" pieces, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread more vanilla honey butter in between new cuts. This doesn't need to be perfect - just make sure there is lots of butter in between all the cuts. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Generously sprinkle in between all cuts. (You may have extra butter and cinnamon sugar. It will just depend on how large your bread loaf is.)

Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bread is warm. Unwrap cinnamon bread and place on serving platter. Combine powdered sugar and milk - adding milk until you get the consistency desired. Drizzle icing over bread and serve immediately.

Ash and Bloomington

2011-07-11T19:43:00.001-05:00

I stayed in Indiana after our vacation to help Ashley move and organize her office. We had such a good time buying things and rearranging her furniture. These photos show how the office is arranged and some of our work on the bookshelves. We will post pictures again when we are closer to completion!

It hasn't been all work for us...we have taken time to get pedicures at a cute shop called The Pink Nail. We have cooked at home and eaten out! The best of all worlds.

Test

2011-07-11T04:22:00.001-05:00

Trying out blogger for iPad!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T02:16:00.001-05:00

Wishing you and your family a very happy Independence Day! Bob and I are in California, celebrating Bob's retirement! We are enjoying the fireworks tonight from the Queen Mary in Long Beach!

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

2011-06-28T06:01:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaOur coop share with Danjo farms is giving us a lot of blueberries, which we love! I saw this recipe and knew it would have to be tried! I am making it for my secretaries for breakfast today!

12 slices of bread, cubed (brioche, french, texas toast)
1 cup milk
1 8 oz container of cream cheese
12 eggs
1/3 c maple syrup
1 c blueberries

Spray a 9 by 13 pan with Pam and put one layer of bread cubes down (6 slices of bread). Cube cream cheese and lay that on top of the bread. Layer on the blueberries. Top with remaining bread. Beat eggs, milk and syrup together. Pour over layers. Cover with foil and let sit in the refrig overnight.

Heat oven to 350 and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes. Serve warm with syrup.

Or..........

serve with homemade blueberry syrup!

1 c sugar
1 c water
2 T cornstarch
1 c blueberries

Mix water, sugar and cornstarch and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add blueberries and simmer 10 minutes or until blueberries have cooked down. Serve!

A little powdered sugar on top is great, too!

Things to do this Summer

2011-06-27T16:48:00.000-05:00

Each year I work up a list of things to do this summer. If you don't have time to do your own list, look at this one!

You can download your own here!

Here is mine, made on Wordle:

It's Blueberry Time!

2011-06-19T20:55:00.000-05:00

Our farm coop had fresh blueberries this week. I love them on cereal and oatmeal but wanted to do a sweet treat with them. I made this so simple cobbler that turned out great!

For the filling I used 4 cups frozen blueberries, 1/2 c sugar, a T of cornstarch, the juice of 1/2 lemon and a sprinkle of salt. I tossed these together and dished them out into individual ramekins.

For the topping I used 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c oats, some baking powder (1/2 t). 3 T sugar and 6 T of butter, softened. I blended this all together with my fingers and placed a dollop on each of the filled ramekins.

I baked them for 30 minutes, checking for heat, then let them set 30 minutes to develop the syrup. Serve with your favorite ice cream. That's summer goodness!

Garden Update

2011-06-11T19:09:00.000-05:00

It is such a gorgeous evening that I decided to go out and take some photos of our garden. Everything looks so green! We love to garden. I wish we had more time to devote to it.

Tomatoes!

Stella d' Oros

Lilies

My great grandmother's fern

Our Missouri cactus in bloom!

More lilies!

Violet clematis

Purple clematis

Roses.  I love roses.

Showers are a Beautiful Thing

2011-06-06T02:13:00.001-05:00

My friends and I did what we do best... throw a party and when you are doing it for a friend, there is nothing more fun! In our ~~age~~ experience, we have learned to do things that make a wonderful impact at a minimum of effort. We still require a high degree of sophistication, but now we know how to pull that off much easier.

For example, instead of having the party at our home, we decided to have it at Summit Lake Winery. They had to clean up before and after. Joey had the cupcakes made by a friend of hers and they were yummy. Denise brought in the paper goods for the cupcakes. We ordered appetizers and wine from the Winery (and hit their buy one get one free apps, too!). The Winery provided cloth napkins, plates and silver along with sparkling wine glasses! Terri ordered the invites online. Charlotte made favors from Hershey candy bars using the couple's save the date photo. Tambra put together a darling centerpiece using the bride's crystal and some lovely flowers! Marsha came looking radiant like the mother-of-the-bride should!

Kylene received beautiful pieces of her china and crystal as gifts. We all heard about the wedding, how she and Matt met, and met Matt's lovely mother, Pat.

Afterward we stayed and partied with Bob's band, 2 Car Pile Up. A great way to spend a late spring day!

Connecting to Mary's Mosaic Monday!

Thirteen Year Cycle Hits Jefferson City

2011-06-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

Have you heard the cicadas? They can drown out a conversation on the patio, they are that loud!!

Missouri is experiencing the 13 year cicadas, a bug that spends its adolescence underground, just to emerge 13 years later. The last time we saw these critters: 1998.

There are actually a 13 year and a 17 year brood. It seems that the 13 year brood is the dominant one. The next time these two broods will overlap is 2219. Yea.

Missouri 13 year periodic cicada

I remember summers in Marceline where the sound of cicadas meant that summer was full in swing, that it was night time and mom would be calling us in. I remember tanning in the yard with the drone of cicadas lulling me to sleep.

I also remember thinking that the shells were pretty cool. I am sure that was due to my Uncle Jim, who always appreciated what nature gave us and pointed things out to my sister and me all the time.

Truman and Wilson are fascinated with them and try to eat them. When I looked them up, they are not poisonous to animals but it might make their tummies hurt.

Memorial Day Cook Off Winner!

2011-06-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

Drum roll please..........

The winner was Ashley's Chicken Chorizo Burger with Avocado Mayo! The burger was so tender and good, with great flavors. It will be repeated often this summer!

First you need to make the mayo....

1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, seeded

To prepare mayonnaise, combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until combined. Cover and chill mayonnaise mixture. This gives the mayo time to absorb all the flavors.

Then make the burgers...

1/2 pound Spanish chorizo sausage
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 (6-inch) corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
Cooking spray

To prepare burgers, remove casings from sausage. Place sausage, salt, tortillas, chicken, and jalapeño in food processor; process 30 seconds or until mixture is coarsely ground. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.

To serve, you can lightly toast an onion bun, and layer, tomato, lettuce, and avocado mayo on the sandwich. Yum.

All the burgers...

Sneek Peek at the Memorial Day Cook Off!

2011-05-29T19:50:00.000-05:00

I am busy in the kitchen making onion jam for my burger tomorrow. Here's the recipe:

2 T butter
1 large yellow onion sliced thin
1 red onion sliced thin
1 bunch of green onions sliced thin
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c balsamic vinegar

Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions. Cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Add in balsamic vinegar, scraping bottom of pan for brown bits. Add sugar. Cook until liquid is cooked off, about 10 minutes. Cool. Serve with .........

Spring Gardening

2011-05-26T07:25:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about spring is the garden. Bob's staff at Lewis and Clark gave Bob a gift certificate to Longfellow's Nursery, one of our favorite places, when Bob's father passed aweay and we purchased this garden center with that gift certificate. We decided on this garden center because Bob's dad loved gardening and grew wonderful produce.

I am harvesting spinach and lettuce. Last night we had our first garden salad and it was so good. With Bob's pork loin roast and roasted acorn squash, it was a wonderful meal!

The potatoes are looking great and so is the mint. Our cabbages are developing nicely, too!

I hope your spring gardens are producing. In this wet weather, it is hard to get anything going.

Look who else loves the garden...

Rock On!

2011-05-21T05:55:00.001-05:00

Last year, you might remember I pinked and purpled my hair for the African Book Project. I wore that hair color for almost 60 days. I would have imagined that would have left an impression on me... to think before I speak. OoooHhhh. Nooooo.

When asked this year, I immediately replied, I will punk my hair! Did I say this quietly to a few people who might have gently tried to remind me of last year??? Ooooohhh. Nooooo. I said it in front of 600 elementary kids and 300 middle school kids.

My wonderful stylist, Heather, from Bella Capelli, agreed to style my hair in a punk fashion on stage in front of the school. One of my teachers kept the kids entertained with slides from Africa while Heather and her friend Amanda turned me from principal-to-punk.

I was pulled, teased, sprayed, glued, poked, braided, whatever it took to get my unruly hair into a mohawk, with a few little blue strands of hair here and there. The outcome:

Mother's Day

2011-05-20T17:54:00.000-05:00

Bob and I are so fortunate to still have our mothers with us. I call my mom daily and I know I still need to hear her advice from time to time. I also love how much she says "I love you" and "You're soo smart" and "You're beautiful." Can you ever get too old for that?

Bob's Retirement Reception

2011-05-18T05:21:00.000-05:00

The HRC puts on a retirement reception for the retirees at the school. Bob was one of the Lewis and Clark retirees. It was a lovely reception and Bob was so lucky to have his mom and brother join him along with Ashley, Eric and me.

The Graduation!

2011-05-17T05:14:00.000-05:00

God's blessings must rain upon us as that is exactly what was going on Friday from 2:00 on. Since rain is a Steffes blessing, we can't complain. Ashley's graduation was a beautiful event. We were at the Hearnes Center along with a few hundred people, watching our loved ones receive diplomas and hoods after going through the requirements of graduation. Ashley was one of two PhD candidates in the Human Environment Studies department.

Proud parents wearing Mizzou plaid!

Ashley's Graduation Party!

2011-05-16T08:23:00.002-05:00

Ashley successfully graduated from the University of Missouri Friday night with her PhD in Textiles and Apparel Management from the Department of Human Environmental Sciences. The graduation was wonderful, but more about that later... let's talk about the party!

Ashley and I have been planning the food for a long time through a website called Pinterest. This site allows you to collect photos in one place but the best thing is that it marks the website the photo came from. Great website!

We used a pink and orange color theme and decided on cupcakes as the main feature. We had sweet and savory cupcakes. The line up was...

Ashley had people sign in using a thumbprint sign in sheet. Here's my sister, Tammi, signing in!

Besides the great food, Bob's band played! They were awesome. It was a fabulous party. We had help from so many people, Angie Letterman made the lime cakepops, Bob's band, Two Car Pile Up, Charlotte Dudenhoeffer made the tissue balls and string balls, Tammi made the hot rolls, Eric hung the panels and transformed the garage into Party Central, HyVee made the veggie tray so I could concentrate on the cupcakes. Bob made a photo frame, which will appear here later, and the cute graduation cap cupcake holder.

Congratulations dear Ashley! It is always fun to plan a party with you!

Indiana and Easter

2011-04-27T23:35:00.000-05:00

Indiana looks a lot like Missouri, which was very comforting to me when I was thinking about my daughter moving there. We can still talk about the same seasons and weather!

On our way to Bloomington we stopped at Cataract Falls. I didn't find very good directions but we got there... I won't say the number of ill thoughts I had. The falls was gorgeous, even in the pouring rain!

While in Bloomington, we were able to secure the lease on Ashley and Eric's new apartment, see her office and eat in some amazing places. We also went to B Town's wonderful Farmer's Market.

We enjoyed seeing where Ashley is going to work and where they will be living! It makes it so much nicer knowing!

Her office building!

Of course, it wouldn't have been Easter without an egg hunt! This year all the eggs held money!

Spring 2011

2011-04-17T19:02:00.001-05:00

One of the things that I love about my home state of Missouri is spring. One of the most peaceful things in the world is to see a Missouri dogwood peaking through the scruff of a wooded area.

With Easter approaching this coming weekend, I thought you would like to be reminded of the legend of the dogwood.

An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in his gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross -- two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints -- brown with rust and stained with red -- and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember."

This weekend was the annual dogwood festival in Camdenton, Missouri. It is one of my desires to attend this festival, admiring the dogwood trees that line the highway between Jefferson City and Camdenton.

Our neighbors have the most beautiful back yard, lined with a split rail fence and wild dogwoods in the back.

I would love to have this view in my backyard while I sip on my tea in the morning. I am grateful that I get to drive by it on my way to work everyday!

Here's hoping that where ever you call home, it is beautiful with the flowers of spring. Happy Easter!

Board Retirement Reception

2011-04-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

The JCPS School Board honored Bob at a reception on Monday night. Bob was given the opportunity to thank the board for their continued support and they gave Bob a gift certificate to the local music store.

The board stopped for a short time to enjoy cookies and punch with central office and the board. All the board members shook Bob's hand and wished him well. It was a very nice reception.

Bob thanking the Board

Enjoying the kind words said by members of the Board

Easter Treats

2011-04-10T02:13:00.000-05:00

I saw these delicious treats for Easter made from jelly beans, cornflakes, karo syrup and butterscotch chips and decided to see what I could do to them to make them a little more healthy.

I decided to make them with Fiber One Original Cereal (it looks like twigs) and peanut butter chips (because of the color). I simply melted the chips in the microwave (1 small bag) and added 2 c of the cereal and mixed them together. I then spooned out the mixture and made little nests. There is about a tablespoon of the mixture altogether. Then I added three mini Cadbury eggs (a small treat for Easter!) using some of the peanut butter to stick them to the nests.

According to the Weight Watchers calculator, these are three points for each nest and eggs.

The Purple Dress Project Giveaways!

2011-04-09T07:20:00.000-05:00

Ashley is giving away some incredible prizes on her blog A Hasty Life in connection with her Purple Dress Project. All you have to do to enter is to "like" her facebook page, tweet about it, or write a post on your blog. Ashley is working hard to raise money and awareness of Crohns Disease, a disease she was diagnosed with in January 2010. You can make a donation by clicking the button on my sidebar. Ashley is trying to raise $5000 before the race in May. If you can help her out by donating even $5, we'd both be grateful!

Easter Hops In!

2011-04-03T04:51:00.000-05:00

Easter is so late this year. I don't mind it though, because I will get to enjoy our Easter things so much long this year. When Easter is in March I only see my St Patrick's things for awhile and then my Easter things for awhile. Now I can enjoy each for its own whole month!

My Easter decoration are mostly old things. Things I have had since I first got married in 1977. I love getting them out and remembering how each came to be in my possession. A spring Walk Down Memory Lane!

Yep, these are new.

Recycled over many years!

Some of the eggs were handpainted by me, others by friends.

Egg on the left was a gift from Bob and Ashley and the bunny on the right is new!

This little wicker bunny has been around forever. The ribbon used to be bright pink!

Garden Tuesday

2011-03-29T07:05:00.000-05:00

My friend Pam from Sidewalk Shoes is having a garden event on her blog. Check out what is going on all over the US this spring!

Our garden got snow again on Saturday, so I am showing you a fun pattern that the snow made on our patio. The stones were warm but the snow stuck to the plants. I thought it was interesting!

Here are our spring plants in the snow. I hear that early spring snows bring lots of nutrients to the ground, and I am hoping that it is true!

Truman and Wilson are eager for Spring, too!

Portabella Burgers and Fat Free Onion Rings

2011-03-21T01:24:00.001-05:00

Had a low point Weight Watchers dinner last night that I wanted to share with you. The Portabella Burger recipe is my own, the onion rings adapted from The Hungry Girl.

Portabella Burger

2 large portabella mushrooms, stemmed with gills removed
Butter flavored Pam
2 triangles of Laughing Cow cheese, garlic and herb flavor
steak seasoning
1 large onion, sliced
4 sandwich rounds

Spray skillet with Pam and saute onions until golden brown and soft. Heat grill to medium hot heat. Clean mushrooms, spray with Pam and sprinkle with steak seasoning. Grill until hot. Spread 1 triangle of cheese onto each mushroom. Spray rounds with Pam, toast on grill. Lay mushroom on bottom round and cover mushroom with grilled onions. Top with the remaining round. Makes two sandwiches at 4 Points Plus each.

Onion Rings

1 onion, sliced into rings
1/2 c Fiber One Original Cereal, processed until like fine bread crumbss
1 T ranch dressing mix
1/2 c Eggbeaters

Preheat oven to 375. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Mix ranch dressing with cereal and pour into a plate. Dip onion rings into the eggbeaters, then into the crumbs. Place rings on cookie sheet but do not stack. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, turning once half way through the baking. Onions should be soft inside and crunchy on the outside.

We loved this meal and will try the "burgers" with bleu cheese and balsamic vinegar next time! The variations are endless!

A St. Patrick's Day to Remember!

2011-03-18T01:42:00.002-05:00

When we made plans last week to see the Diana exhibit in Kansas City, we never thought of the date which happened to be St. Patrick's Day. When my friend Dana heard what we were doing, she immediately told me how busy downtown was going to be, after all, Kansas City does have the second largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States.

What??

I was thrilled to hear we would be in the midst of a huge parade. I begged Bob to go and he agreed to do it. Unheard of. A last minute change of plans.

We left Jeff City a little earlier than planned, in order to get a decent parking space. I had downloaded the parking areas and printed them off... and left them in the printer. I discovered that fact when it was time to decide where to park. Of course, I get out my iPhone and start downloading the directions. I had plenty of time to do it, as traffic was not moving a lick.

By the time we hit the parade's beginning at 33rd and Broadway, Bob tells Ash and me to jump out of the car and start walking. He'd park the car and meet us. Ashley and I started walking through the waves of green, getting beads from Union workers and my photo taken with Charlie Brown! We finally made it passed the parade entries and decided to cross the street. One lady took exception with us crossing the street by her. I think she wanted us to stay where we were but we had designs on standing in front of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

We barely find a place to stand, and we are an hour early. It was fun to people watch and about 30 minutes into the wait, Bob shows up and stands with us. He blocks the 30 mph winds that torment the parade for the first hour. We gave up and started walking to the car when the crowds got so bad you had to hold your breath to make room for all of us!

It was a people watchers paradise and something I would love to do again!

We were actually in KC to see the Diana exhibit. It was wonderful but you couldn't take pictures. I wanted to sooo bad! There was only one allowed photo in the gift shop, and this is it:

Replica of Diana's wedding cake. See her photo behind it?

Sharing at the Little Red House Mosaic Monday!

Shamrock Fun

2011-03-17T05:19:00.002-05:00

I saw these darling shamrock "cookies" over at Close to Home.

I decided I had to try them but of course, didn't have everything I needed but wanted to do it now. Those of you who know my "north" tendencies are probably nodding right now, understanding that I don't plan ahead well but still want to go forward with my ideas. No surprise here that I decided to make due with what I had.

I melted green (white chocolate) disks. I dipped small round pretzels into the green chocolate and arranged them into a clover shape. I broke a small piece off a pretzel, dipped it into the chocolate and arranged it on the clover as a stem.

According to Weight Watchers three chocolate covered pretzels have two points.

French Toast Redefined

2011-03-16T08:36:00.001-05:00

My friend Dora tweeted about a French Toast Recipe that sounded awesome but I knew would not do for my new lifestyle. I decided to revamp it using ingredients that were more appropriate to my needs. Here's what came of it.

Deluxe French Toast

1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c eggbeaters
1/2 c no fat yogurt (I used Fiber One's Peach)
1/2 t cinnamon
2 ripe bananas
6 slices of low cal bread (I used Sara Lee's)
Butter flavored Pam
Confectioner's sugar

Preheat a skillet. Combine the milk, eggbeaters, yogurt and cinnamon. Dip the bread slices quickly into the milk mixture. Spray the pan with the Pam, and lay the coated bread in the skillet. Cook, watching carefully. Turn when brown and cook the other side. Place one piece of toast on a plate, slice up a half a banana on top, then place another piece of toast on top. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Weight Watchers Point Plus: 6 per serving.

I topped mine with fat free, sugar free syrup and enjoyed my breakfast looking outside at the birds!

What a difference a day makes!

2011-03-14T19:01:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I was walking around my house and noticed the buds coming out on the redbud tree and I captured it with my camera

and then this morning I woke up to this!

So excited....

2011-03-08T05:19:00.000-06:00

Signs of spring at our house!

Tulips!

Autumn Joy sedum

True/False Film Festival

2011-03-07T18:17:00.001-06:00

Image via WikipediaBob and I participated in the 2011 True/False Film Festival in Columbia. Bob has done this on his own for years, two years ago I participated a bit, last year I was still recovering from cancer and this year, went full out and saw 11 movies! The True/False Film Festival is all documentary films. 2009 True/False is documented here.

On Friday we saw two movies, Resurrect Dead, and La Bocca del Lupo . Resurrect Dead was a film about the Toynbee Tiles. These mysterious tiles have appeared in roadways in the east and midwest US and in various parts of the world. La Bocca was a love story.

Saturday was the marathon day! We saw five films! Life in a Day, a film about July 24, 2010, The Interrupters, about a group of former drug lords and gang leaders who have dedicated themselves to ending violence in Chicago streets, The Black Power Mix Tape, a set of films was found in a Swedish radio station basement about the Black Panthers. This film showed me a side that I didn't know... about the social reforms the Black Panthers were a part of. Project Nim was about the chimp who learned sign language and what happened to the chimp after the project, and then Shut Up Little Man. This film was about a couple of men who audiotaped their neighbors tirades full of cursing and name calling. It became a cult thing and this film documents the men who were being taped.

Director of Nim and Nim's caretaker

Sunday was a four film day. We saw Blood in the Mobile, which is about the mining of minerals to make our electronics, especially our cell phones. We saw 14 year old boys crawling deep into the earth to mine these minerals, getting paid little, with militant groups making a huge profit which they use to fund their civil wars. Next we saw El Bulli, Cooking in Progress. This was about a famous chef's restaurant and the creative process they go through to develop new cooking techniques. Beautiful, exotic food. Armadillo was about the Danish forces in Afghanistan, and our last film was Buck. Buck is about the original horse whisperer. Fabulous and my favorite of the event.

We had a lot of opportunities for Q and A with directors or the main people in the films. It was incredible to meet the director of Project Nim and Blood in the Mobile. Such brave people!

Already looking forward to next year's festival. I highly recommend it!

Cauliflower Soup

2011-03-04T02:27:00.001-06:00

Here

are some more wonderful recipes to check out on your journey to a thinner YOU at Gracious Living!

I made this simple soup last Sunday when I saw that cauliflower was on sale for $2.39 a head. It is a 0 points Weight Watcher food, which is always fun!

I found the recipe at Gina's Skinny Recipes and made it just the way she did.

Dad's Cauliflower Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4-6 servings • Time: 20 minutes • Points: 0 pts

1 large head cauliflower - chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
4-6 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
salt and pepper to taste

In a 5 quart saucepan, add all ingredients. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes.) Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

The Purple Dress Project

2011-03-02T17:35:00.000-06:00

Our daughter, Ashley, was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease last January, was in the hospital constantly during the first six months of 2010, and in June had surgery for a resection of her colon. She has been in remission ever since!

Ashley has been wanting to do something for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She came up with the Purple Dress Project, based off a project that one of her blogger friends did (The Gray Dress Project). She contacted some sponsors, the Foundation, and the University of Missouri Hospital and with their backing, formed the Purple Dress Project.

You can learn more by going to The Purple Dress Project or to Ashley's blog A Hasty Life. She also has a Facebook page where you can learn more. Be sure to "like" it... the more followers the better!

I will keep you informed on the progress of the dress, her month of wearing it and any other relevant information that comes up.

I am quite the proud mama.

Breakfast in a Mug

2011-02-27T04:26:00.001-06:00

I saw an old post at the Hungry Girl site that I just had to try! It is called Eggs in a Mug and it so up my alley! I know I will be making this again and again!

You need Pam, eggbeaters, turkey crumbles, black beans and salsa. A little cheese if you like cheese.

I used 1/2 c of eggbeaters, 1/2 stick of string cheese, 1 T black beans, 1 T turkey crumbles mixed together. I sprayed a mug with Pam and poured the mixture in it. I microwaved the egg mixture for one minute, then stirred, then microwaved for another 45 seconds. I spooned salsa on top and ate it for breakfast! This is a 3 point breakfast! I served it with whole wheat toast. Yum.

The clean up is easy and the creativity is endless. My kinda meal!

Winter Blues (and Greens)

2011-02-26T16:11:00.000-06:00

Two for Tea

2011-02-23T21:31:00.001-06:00

An English bell for Tea Time!

Laura at Decor to Adore is sponsoring a Royal Tea Party to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and his lovely bride-to-be Kate. Go and visit Laura's blog and you can see other lovely tea parties.

My table is set with china from England. My grandfather, Raymond Wade Holt, bought the china while he was overseas in England and had it shipped to my grandmother. It is from Sheffield, England. It is white bone china, set in platinum, with a delicate border of green and white flowers.

The candy cups were purchased from a gift shop in Kirksville where Bob and I attended college in 1978. When I saw them, I fell in love with them!

Sit down for a bite to eat! My tea box is full of choices from around the world. There is even a packet of Boston Tea Party Tea. On our menu for today is a grilled turkey keilbasa and Alice Bird's Crumb Cake, a recipe from 1869. Alice Bird was a P.E.O. founder.

My PEO sister, Lura, made these darling cakes!

Just in case you desire something a bit more fanciful, you may have some of this flowering tea which is not only tasty but pretty to look at as well!

Enjoy the tea and goodies and come back again to visit!

Truman was featured!

2011-02-20T02:46:00.000-06:00

Our cutie pie, Truman, was featured at Hiya Luv on Valentine's Day. It is such a cute post and you will get to see some other sweet pups over there! Go visit!

Truman and his brother, Wilson

Truman and his sister, Ashley

Weekly Cookbook Review

2011-02-19T18:01:00.000-06:00

This week Bob chose to try a recipe from a second South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook. All these recipes can be cooked in thirty minutes or less! Bob tried a recipe called South Beach Chicken Paella. This recipe took a little longer than the thirty minutes promised on the front of the cover, but it was well worth the wait. If you want to see more cookbook reviews, check out these blogs The Single Nester and Blondie's Journal.

The recipe calls for instant brown rice but Bob replaced that with wild rice. The nutty, chewy rice was a nice touch in the dish. Another good thing about the recipe is that it is a one pan dish. Easy clean up is a bonus!

This recipe makes 4 servings, at 360 calories or 9 points plus on Weight Watchers.

OWOH Winner!

2011-02-17T20:40:00.002-06:00

The winner of the One World One Heart giveaway is....

Country Wings in Phoenix!

She said...

Hi Terri Sweetie...
Greetings from sunny Arizona. I am so thrilled to meet you and have the wonderful opportunity to visit you and your lovely blog. I would be thrilled to be entered into your giveaway. I so need a BATH cocktail. How absolutely devine is this.

I am Country Wings in Phoenix, your newest follower. I can't wait to see what you share next. While I love the gift giving during the OWOH giveaway, what I love most, is having the chance to meet new friends and share our day to day lives, and creations and ideas.

I hope you will pop over and say hello. I would be honored if you signed up to follow me as well. Again thank you for the wonderful opportunity.

Country hugs, Sherry

Happy birthday, Tammi!

2011-02-16T01:00:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday to my little sis!

Those of you who know Tammi probably remember her like this! She was always a tomboy. The two of us were very different: I played the oboe, Tammi the coronet. She was artistic, I was social. I followed the rules, her, not so much. (ok, I just didn't get caught). I was (am) bossy and she's polite.

Yet, we both love photography, nothing is more important to us than our kids or our mom, and if either one of us is hurting, the other knows it. We both like our time alone and if there is ice cream around, we'll find it.

Happy birthday to my little sis and may you have many, many more.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:49:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Valentine's Day is special because Bob "officially" proposed to me on Valentine's Day, even though we had purchased the ring the summer before. We have been together for 35 years, and our 34th anniversary will be this June.

Hug your honey today!

Diet Soda Cake

2011-02-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

In addition to our other treats for the Super Bowl, we made this low cal, low point cupcakes. I used lemon to stay within the Green Bay Packers colors of yellow and green. I tinted Cool Whip green and topped these cupcakes. Cute and tasty! I want to thank my friend Emily for telling me about this recipe!

Diet Soda Cake
Adapted from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Diet Soda Cupcakes
Servings: 21 • Serving Size: 1 cupcake • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts

* 1 dry box cake, any flavor (I used Lemon)
* 10 oz diet soda, any flavor (I used Diet Cherry 7 up)
* 2 egg whites

Preheat oven according to box directions. Beat cake mix, diet soda and egg whites. I used my large Pampered Chef scoop to fill the cupcake papers 2/3 full.

Bake as directed on box, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cake cool about 10 minutes. Top with fat free whipped cream if you wish.

Valentine Treat

2011-02-10T21:34:00.003-06:00

Have you made this simple but delicious treat? Only three ingredients, many variations and quick to make!

Round pretzels
M and M candies
Rolo candies

Unwrap the rolos. Place pretzels on a plate and top each pretzel with a rolo candy. Microwave for 30-40 seconds. Remove from microwave, let rest for 10-15 seconds. Press an M and M candy into the Rolo, causing it to fill in the holes in the pretzel. Let cool.

Today I used pink, white and red M and Ms but at Christmas you can use the red and green ones and replace the Rolo candy with a Hershey kiss. You can replace the M and M with a pecan to make a turtle. White chocolate kisses and the regular colors of M and Ms make cute birthday treats. The variations are limited only by your imagination!

Points Plus 2 each Calories 50 each

Weekly Cookbook Review

2011-02-09T12:29:00.000-06:00

Cover via AmazonBob and I own a lot of cookbooks, in fact so many that I am certain we haven't used them enough to warrant owning them. I read a couple of blogs where they were challenging each other to make a recipe out of a different cookbook each week. We are also taking up the challenge. You should visit The Single Nester and Blondie's Journal if you are interested in their reviews, too!

This week Bob decided to make Black Bean Soup from the South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agatston. The soup uses dried beans which we haven't worked with for a while. Bob ended up soaking them over 24 hours but it didn't seem to bother the beans any. The soup was very good and Bob made Tastefully Simple beer bread to go with it. It turned out yummy and was an eight point Weight Watcher meal.

The soup was served with lemon slices which sounds rather strange, but it added a bright, fresh taste to the soup.

All during lunch I kept singing "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot, nine days old." Another reference to my school days and my love of Laura Ingalls Wilder books!

As for the review, the book is very good for those who want more recipes that feature foods lower in carbs and using more veggies. The nutrition information is included for each recipe. The portion sizes are wonderful and the meals we've tried are filling.

Super Bowl Champs!

2011-02-06T22:34:00.002-06:00

Our Green Bay Packers are the 2011 Super Bowl Champions! We enjoyed the game and the commercials. I think my favorite was the little Darth Vader kid and the car. How about you?

We enjoyed our hot dog bar but the highlight was Bob's wonderful turkey meatballs and the lemon cupcakes.

Our family in Nebraska also cheered on the Packers:


Alex, Jeanne`, David and Janie

and in Moberly...

Gary and Joy

Way to go Packers! To see other great mosaics, go see Mary at Little Red House.

Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-06T08:05:00.004-06:00

Bob and I have been Packer fans our whole lives. We grew up in the 60s when the Packers were a powerhouse. Then in the 70s Dan Devine coached the Packers after having coached at Mizzou. Then Brett Favrecame on the scene and I was totally sold for fifteen years!!

Bob and I built a helmet out of snow and put the Green Bay Packers emblem on it. It was a lot of fun! Bob did most of the work but I am a good supervisor!

Today is Super Bowl XLV with the Packers playing.... some other team. I have had a lot of fun planning a party menu using Weight Watcher recipes. We are having a hot dog bar with Nathan's fat free hot dogs, "deviled" eggs (replacing the yolks with hummus), sweet potato fries, carrots and celery sticks with bleu cheese dip, buffalo chicken tenders, and cupcakes. I am excited about the menu!

We are also christening the new redo of our family room from a retro design to a sports bar design. I have always wanted to do a sports bar theme so I am really excited about it! I love Super Bowl commercials, too, don't you?

I hope everyone has a fabulous Super Bowl Sunday!

Missouri Snow Scenes

2011-02-05T10:31:00.000-06:00

While driving yesterday I shot these photos with my Canon Rebel T2i. These are scenes along Route 63.

Frozen Chocolate Treat

2011-02-03T15:51:00.003-06:00

I saw this recipe when I was blog hopping and I am sorry to say I didn't mark it well so I can't give credit where credit is due. If you recognize this recipe as coming from your blog, please tell me and I will edit this post! Thank you Kat, for solving the mystery! I found them here: Gracious Southern Living

I made this recipe as I was looking for an ice cream substitute. The portion controlled Weight Watcher treats can get expensive. This recipe was modified to the ingredients I had on hand... originally the Chocolate Dream was peanut butter.

1 container of Cool Whip Free
6 T of Chocolate Dream

Thaw the Cool Whip in the refrig overnight. Microwave the Chocolate Dream for about 10 seconds, just enough to soften the product. Stir the two together, gently, until all the ingredients are incorporated. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill the liners 1/2 way (I used my large Pampered Chef scoop!) and place in the freezer. Freeze until solid. Drizzle with sugar free Hershey's before eating.

These were yummy! The total cost of the whole recipe was approximately $3.00. Divided by the 12 servings it makes is just 25 cents each!! If you are on Weight Watchers, each treat is about 2 points, according to the WW calculator.

Snow Albedo

2011-02-02T15:36:00.002-06:00

My friend Susanna Sharp captured a photo of the phenomenon called Snow Albedo. This occurs when the sun reflects off pure snow straight back up into the sky. This is over Pioneer Elementary, for those of you who are in town.

For those of you who like a bit of a scientific explanation, check out the chart below:

Snowapalooza!

2011-02-01T10:52:00.003-06:00

This snow system has already broken one record, that is of the largest snowstorm in recorded weather history... it is the largest snowstorm in square miles... over 2000!

We are enjoying its beauty. I got out and took some photos of stage 1 of the storm... of the first six inches. I had a nice long talk with my neighbor as the wind was not too bad!

One World One Heart

2011-01-31T01:08:00.000-06:00

Blogging, Facebook, Chatting, Twitter are all about connecting with the world. When I saw this Blogland event, I knew I wanted to take part. Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian has organized the event.

You, too, can join, by heading over to her blog to see what the rules are and how to join!

My name is Terri and I have been blogging since 2005. I live in the great state of Missouri, USA. My blog centers around my family, photography, food, travel and work (I am a school principal!). My main reason for blogging was to create something lasting that my grandchildren could see (when I eventually do have grandchildren!) to learn about me and other relatives. I have often wondered what it was like for my grandparents when they were adults. I love to socialize with friends and family. I am a breast cancer survivor (one year!) and I have a major interest in seeing the end of breast cancer in my lifetime!

My door prize is an eight ounce container of bath salts from my business called Bath Cocktails.
We are featuring Pink Champagne for this Valentine season and you will receive this newest scent in your prize package!

Bath Salts

A. It's open to all active bloggers worldwide!
B. Leave a comment, making sure there is a way to contact you if you win my prize and so I can visit your blog
C. The Winner will be announced Feb. 17th and that I will email the winner as well as post it.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

2011-01-30T16:09:00.000-06:00

I am a follower of the Weight Watcher program and am learning to cook in a more healthy way. I made these Chocolate Meringue Cookies today as they are a low point food, high in protein and low in sugar. This batch made 30+ cookies with only 1/2 cup of sugar!

The cookies turn out with a melt in your mouth texture. I tried one after it cooled from baking and it was chocolatey good. I hear they become more chewy after a day or two and some prefer that taste.

Chocolate Chip Clouds
This recipe was adapted from Hershey's Kitchens
and
Gina's Skinny Recipes
Servings: 30 • Serving Size: 1 cookie • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 1 pt
Calories: 53.7 • Fat: 2.2 g • Carb: 8.4 g • Fiber: 1.7 g • Protein: 1.1 g

6 egg whites (room temperature)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Godiva dark chocolate chips, chopped.

Heat oven to 300°F. Cover cookie sheet with parchment.

Using a mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together in large bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar a little at a time, then vanilla, beating well after each addition until you get stiff peaks, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is glossy.

Sift cocoa onto egg white mixture; gently fold until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop mixture by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Makes 30 + cookies.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or just until dry. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire rack. Store covered, at room temperature.

I won a Give Away!

2011-01-28T18:51:00.000-06:00

I recently won a giveaway sponsored by Cyndi Spivey. If you haven't been to her blog, you should go check it out, especially if you are reaching out to God more and more in your life. She has a beautiful relationship with God and she shares it with the world through her blog.

Cyndi gave away these delightful "Hot Chocolate" notebooks and a calendar. What a perfect place to put notes as I begin my adventure with the Bible. I remember reading my bible with my Grandpa Oliver when I was little. I wish I had his notes now!

Sunday Morning

2011-01-23T09:25:00.001-06:00

Trees across the street on a beautiful, peaceful Sunday.

Kitchen Organization

2011-01-21T11:06:00.001-06:00

We are all becoming more organized at Beneath My Heart! This week we are focusing on the kitchen. I am sorry, though, in this case you won't see any "before" photos because I am just tooooooo embarrassed. However, let me tell you that this is a big improvement!

We really made a mess of the pantry right around Christmas. With all the extra baking ingredients, we weren't as neat as we usually try to be. So this pantry is showing as it usually is. Truly.

We have now labeled the jars with cute chalkboard paper labels and that is really nice. I use chalkboard markers as they make a neater, more permanent line, even though it can be washed off with plain water.

All the kitchen cabinets are cleaned and organized on top, the bottom ones still need some work. We took everything off the top of the cabinets and redecorated (with Ashley's help!) and we installed a new white microwave (now three of the four appliances are white!).

I love the feeling of a newly organized kitchen. Bob does too! He's made me promise not to get any more gadgets. Oh, dear.

The 2011 Version of Snow Ice Cream

2011-01-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

Sure enough, my pot was full of snow this morning when I got up!

Bob ventured out and gathered up the snow. He then unceremoniously dumped it on the kitchen counter for me! That's all right, I wanted the glory all to myself.

So, in order to keep true to the diets we are on, we needed to adjust the ingredients to the original snow ice cream. I replaced the milk/cream with Almond Breeze, the sugar with Aguave, and still used regular vanilla. I poured a cup of Almond Breeze, added in the aguave and vanilla and stirred them together. Then I poured the mixture over the snow.

You gotta work it in. Work it, girl!

I served it with a little apple and fig jam. It was yummy.

I had left over snow. Hmmm. Did I dare?

I dared.

Hehehehe.

Another Snow Day!

2011-01-19T21:00:00.000-06:00

As a school principal one of the most exciting things that happens is when school is called off for snow. Yeah, I am perfectly aware that I am going to have to be in school when the weather is warm and nice but I will deal with that later.

Tomorrow is going to be the perfect day for Snow Ice Cream!

Photo Credit: http://www.larksongknits.com

My mom made Snow Ice Cream for my sister and me when we were little. If you know you are going to get a heavy snow, put a bowl out on your deck to catch clean snow. When it is time to make your ice cream, you won't have to go out into the yard and maybe pick up dirt or twigs in your snow.

My mom would stir in white sugar and vanilla and then add enough milk or half and half (slowly) to make it the perfect consistency. She'd scoop it out and then pour Hershey's on the top for us.

Paula Deen likes to use sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and snow. I haven't tried it this way but it might be great!

Hope your snow day is a Snow Ice Cream kinda day!

Living Well

2011-01-15T17:15:00.000-06:00

I challenged myself this year to a new word(s) Living Well. Last year I just wanted to Live (2010 word of the year) but this year I wanted to make sure how I was living was up to the mark. I decided to make this year special by Living Well. That doesn't mean over and above my means, but to take advantage of opportunities that might come my way.

Last night one (opportunity) did.

1995 Dom Perignon

On my Bucket List I have written that I want to taste Dom Perignon champagne. at $200+ a bottle, that just wasn't going to be on my To Buy list any time soon! Bob noticed that Grand Cru in Columbia was having a champagne tasting at their restaurant and as an added bonus, they would be serving Dom Perignon champagne at $10 a glass. An opportunity to both Live Well and check something off the Bucket List!

Ashley, Bob, David (a friend and colleague of Bob's) and I met and tried the various sparkling wines. They were all from New Mexico and were delicious. We bought a couple of bottles for Ashley's graduation. We had dinner (Grand Cru makes a wonderful lobster mac and cheese) and then we got to try the Dom Perignon.

Dom Perignon is a vintage champagne, meaning it is only made in the best years. The bottle we had was produced in 1995. Let me describe it as a very rich drink, full bodied and when it hits your mouth, you know you are drinking something special. It is spicy with a deep toasty taste. I actually had tears in my eyes. It was that good. My Dom Perignon experience was beautiful and to be shared with family and friends made it even more special.

At the end of dinner, I convinced Ashley that she needed to ask the waiter for the bottle. The waiter said he'd try and then came back with the bottle, cork, and box! A nice keepsake for a Living Well moment!

Ashley and Dom

Closet Make Over

2011-01-13T22:01:00.000-06:00

Tracey at Beneath My Heart has reached out to blogdom to help us to help us organize our homes and hearts. Each Monday she will focus on a variety of topics. I was intrigued because I have a lot to organize!

This Monday we were treated to seeing Tracey redo her craft closet. My craft closet was a complete mess and seeing her work motivated me to get mine done and I had a snow day to do it! Here are my before and afters...

As you can see, there are good basic bones. It is just a mess. However, the mess is so large that it needed the dedication of one Miss Terri to get it done. So the snow day was perfect. First I emptied the room of trash, organized what was left and then cleaned up. The whole job was just over 90 minutes.

Just a little time and elbow grease got this closet back to looking good. Now I can have a good place to craft and scrapbook and generally create. It has been over a year since this room has been available to me and now here it is again! Life continues to get back to normal!

It's in the Bag!

2011-01-12T00:41:00.031-06:00

Ashley at A Hasty Life is hosting a blog crawl about our purses! She has had a blog since she became engaged in 2008 to track her wedding progress and now has a full time blog about all kinds of fun things. Be sure to check her out if you haven't before. If I sound a bit proud, that's because Ashley is my daughter!

I love purses but I hate to shop for them! I tend to buy high quality bags, mostly Coach, that I carry for several years. I usually buy a black leather bag that goes with everything but there are times, like when I wear brown, when I don't love the look. I was recently introduced to Miche, a purse that is designed to have removable covers so that you can change the look of your bag without changing out purses!

So what is in my purse:

From left to right, top to bottom: my Vera Bradley sunglasses, Chico cheaters, Coach wallet, Vera Bradley change purse, my business wallet, a business card holder that I received from my friends when I first got a principal's job, various lip balms, and a pocket size Poo-pouri (for covering up smells in public bathrooms!).

And that's it.

Not really. My purse couldn't be that neat. Here's the rest:

cash, bills, stamps, gift certificates, receipts, etc....

Sigh.

Go and visit these other gals to see their posts on their purses: Krysten at After I Do and on Thursday check out Meggie at Chasing Davies.

Snow Day!

2011-01-11T15:02:00.000-06:00

First DIY Project of 2011

2011-01-10T19:14:00.001-06:00

When we moved into the house in 2002, the door that lead to the basement family room had been removed and stored in the lower garage. We made a decision not to put the door on because our dog (Dakota) loved to run up and down the steps with our cat (Bustopher). Both Dakota and Bustopher are gone now and we now have two dogs (Truman and Wilson) who like to run the steps, too but also like to leave "surprises" on the carpet. We put a gate up to keep them from using the steps (and the carpet). I have hated that gate since the day we put it up but it did the job and that was what mattered.

Then one day as I was exploring blogland I found a much prettier solution to our problem, which was a screen door. Bob was skeptical, even when I showed him the cute photos. Alas, Bob just didn't think it was a good idea so we decided not to do it. Of course, once the decision was made to NOT do the door, I wanted it even more!

I thought I would put it on my Christmas list and see what might happen... and wala! I got a screen door! Bob bought a plain door and added the gingerbread trimming to it. It had to be painted and so he did that, too. He figured out how to hang it using the existing door plates and when he got the handle on, it was complete!

Here's a glance at our new screen door:

Screen door added 2010 by Bob Steffes as a Christmas gift to Terri

Bob loves the door, now and thinks it is a much nicer solution than the doggie gate!!

The Wise Men Made It!

2011-01-09T15:50:00.000-06:00

2010 Nativity painted by Irene Steffes, stable made by Giles Steffes

The Wise Men have seen the Baby Jesus and now all the Christmas stuff has been packed away. This is the time of year when Bob and I like to deep clean the house since all the trinkets have been moved anyway. I am going to do some shopping in my own home to find some new things for the main level of my house. I am tired of the things I usually use. I have asked my friend Lynne to come over and do this for me so that I am confident that I will like how everything looks!

Tonight I am making chicken pot pies with Bob's leftover chicken and veggies from Friday. I have the cutest pie maker (it makes 4 individual pies) and I love using it!

Glorious Pizza (Recipe Added)

2011-01-06T18:18:00.002-06:00

I am learning how to eat in a more healthy manner and Bob is learning to cook in a more healthy manner! We go together so well!
Tonight Bob made this awesome pizza. It was so loaded with veggies that I couldn't eat my entire portion so I get to have it for lunch tomorrow!

If you cut this pizza into sixths, it is worth five points a slice on Weight Watchers!

Boboli Veggie Pizza
1 c sliced onion
1 c sliced red, green and yellow peppers
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 c canned diced tomatoes
1 c fresh spinach leaves
3/4 c spaghetti sauce
1 c fat free ricotta cheese
1 Boboli thin crust pizza crust

Saute the veggies in bit of Pam spray until slightly softened. Coat the pizza crust with sauce, layer on veggies and dab on ricotta cheese. Bake in 450 oven until cheese and sauce are hot and bubbling.

Winter 2011

2011-01-05T20:36:00.001-06:00

After all the fuss, hustle and bustle of the holidays, I am ready to settle down into the peace and solitude of winter.

Backyard garden

Susan's trees across the street

Trees at the Post Office

Trees in the neighborhood

1-1-11

2011-01-01T21:05:00.000-06:00

I wanted to have a post on this momentous occasion of 1-1-11. It is so cool.


Ashley, Susan, Karen, David

Last year my word was LIVE. I believe I managed to do that. I continued with my doctoral studies, I bought a convertible, got a tattoo and participated in my first Relay for Life and Susan G Korman Walk for a Cure. These are things I have talked about before, but not really pursued with the passion I have for life. Having had breast cancer, I now look at things a bit differently. I am not waiting to LIVE because I need to do it NOW while I am still here!

This year my word(s) are LIVE WELL. I don't just want to live, now I w
ant to do it with courage, wisdom, love and compassion. I want to live my dreams and to do it well.

Peace and Joy to all of you during 2011.

Happy New Year 2011!

2010-12-31T09:46:00.004-06:00

★˛˚˛˛°★Happy 2011!!!★ 。★ ˛..★.˛* .˛。.★.˛.¨.★
˛°_██_.。./ ♥ \ .˛ .˛。.★ 。**˛Happy New Years! From our
˛. (´• ̮•).。/♫.♫\˛. ˛_Π_.♥!!!♥♥ home to yours ♥
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛./__/~＼. ˛.。˛★* ˛..★.˛* .˛
(...'•...'.. ) ˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.｜田田｜門｜╬╬╬╬╬˚ .˛ ...★...★*.★

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