A CHANGE OF WEATHER!

WEATHER-READY!!

WILL LEAVING MY STINKY BOOTS OUTDOORS

TAKE THE SMELL AWAY?

I haven't worn these shoes since we tromped through the Amazon River... 

urrghh! the humidity seems to have permeated the leather...

I fear I may have to toss these shoes out???

Today, Lydia, JPE & I stayed around the cabin

(BTW - we're at the Big Bear cabin)!

Lydia practiced playing her electric guitar...

I did some laundry...

AND, we watched the weather change, in a matter of minutes.

we're warm & cozy in the cabin,

while the rest of the group is snowboarding!

Do you think the STINKY SMELL has left my boots yet?

LOLA'S WALK...

lunch-time walk - 12.27.12

OHHHH.... why do I need to wear these...

What sort of fashion statement IS this?

Ummm, think I'm ready now - stepping out...

Now, WHO are we waiting for?

Grandpa! hey Grandpa, watch me now...

I LOVE running through the snow!

the walk back to the cabin 
is SO exhausting...

 time for a nap!

FRIDAY FUNNIES!!! 12.21.12

The nights are getting longer & seem so much darker!

Don't you LOVE this time of year???

Lydia, Katie, Derek, Matthew & Ada

...put on your thinking caps...

 GOTTA THINK about this one!!

so, who got that one?

How about this one?

 

Lydia's at the cabin in Big Bear, 

so I think she probably guessed the answer....

Ummmm... I'm making Christmas cookie dough today!

JPE & I'll see

Derek, Katie & Matthew in a few days

....Lydia in a week

& Ada, you'll have some visitors flying in to see you on Christmas Day.

Do you think they'll see SANTA while they're on the plane?

WHEN WHAT TO MY WONDERING...

"When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

 but..."

...SANTA

relaxing & having a cuppa tea

looks like he experienced a "snow day"

{of yummy lavender}

You know those UGLY SWEATER themed parties? 

Well, I have an UGLY ORNAMENT

...that, I won't get rid of!

{might be bad karma} 

perhaps she could be my "ELF on a SHELF"

...SANTA spied in Santa Barbara!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 12.16.12

TODAY'S A DAY TO CELEBRATE!!!

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY
don't forget to post your SHS link over at Rambling & Photos!

TONY'S BIRTHDAY

MY BIRTHDAY

MOVIE DAY

But first, this week's SHS words are:

SPARKLY, DOOR, DECORATE, STRIPES & A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Another adorable SPARKLY house... this one has been edited with PicMonkey --- I added some additional SPARKLE...

A trio of caroling snowmen --- at the front DOOR of a house in San Luis Obispo!

I always wanted to major in Art --- doesn't window dressing --- assembling a display case --- or DECORATING, as a profession, sound exciting? I would enjoy the DECORATING part --- but I dislike having to put things away! Urghh. 

These STRIPED Christmas trees caught my eye! Red & white ribbons of color drip from a coiled peppermint candy tree topper!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS... Santas, snowflakes, scrolled fonts, gelato, hearts, my grandmother's ice cream bowl...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

THANKS MOM & DAD....

I share a birth-date with my brother, TONY,

who was born on my 

FIRST BIRTHDAY!

JPE's taking me to see the movie,

Anna Karenina!

SMELLS A LOT LIKE......

my "new" favorite... CANDY CANE BISCOTTI

JPE spent most of yesterday baking BISCOTTI...

he loves to give it as gifts to friends, family & co-workers!

 CANDY CANE BISCOTTI

(from Land o' Lakes)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes*

1 (14-ounce) package (candy cane flavored) candy coating

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

*decorator candies, sugars

or crushed peppermint candy canes

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine butter & sugar in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour & baking powder; beat until well mixed. Stir in crushed candy.

Divide dough into fourths on lightly floured surface (keep your hands floured when working with the dough). Shape each into 9" x 1.5" logs. Place logs 3" apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are cracked & ends just start to turn light brown. Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.

Carefully remove logs to cutting surface. Cut into 1/2-inch slices with sharp serrated knife. Arrange pieces on same cookie sheet, cut-side down. Continue baking for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, or until cookies are lightly browned & crisp on both sides. Remove to wire cooling rack; cool completely.

Place candy coating in microwave - thirty seconds, stir, thirty seconds, stir - continue until smooth. Stir in peppermint extract, if desired.

Dip each biscotti half way into warm coating; shake off excess. Place onto waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle with decorator candies, sugars or crushed candy canes, if desired. Let set at room temperature until coating is hardened (about 1 hour).

A BAKER'S DOZEN?

Actually, JPE made TEN batches of biscotti...

which would you like to taste?

:: Double-Chocolate Walnut ::

:: Cranberry Almond ::

:: Candy Cane ::

(this container is 24"x16")

& heavy!!

 (you wouldn't want to accidentally drop this on your foot)!

FRIDAY FUNNIES 12.14.12

SLE'S ORNAMENT

Feeling nostalgic, I pulled Stephanie's tin of ornaments

out of the garage.

She's never moved them to Washington DC... 

so the few ornaments we set out

(for this holiday season)

are hers!!

 

The girls (SLE & ACE) each has a collection of ornaments

that mirrored their interests

at different ages in their lives.

Stephanie was a dancer, so

many of her ornaments have a dance theme.

... AND THE FINAL JOKE FOR THIS WEEK...

see you next Friday for another edition
 of FRIDAY FUNNIES!

GLITTER...

12.8.12 ~ Santa Barbara

Has anyone else noticed 

GLITTER

seems to be a

TREND-SETTER

this year?

I must admit, I didn't like 

GLITTER

when my girls were young.

(too messy)!!

Last night, my BUNCO group met

for a tasty dinner,

good cheer,

LAugHter

& 

GIFT EXCHANGE.

(Thanks, Julie for hosting)

As I was brushing my teeth & getting ready for bed,

I glanced in the mirror... my face was GLITTERY... 

(all those pretty bows)

 

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY 12.9.12

edited with PicMonkey

It's TIME --- TIME to post this week's SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY interpretations.

The host site, RAMBLING & PHOTOS, is bound to be colorful --- especially with these words --- CALM, SEASON, WEATHER, COLORFUL & SILHOUETTE.

CALM

This love-ly cellist was sitting in a courtyard off State Street in Santa Barbara --- just waiting for her opportunity to play. JPE & I were in SB to see our nephew, Daniel, dance in his 12th year of the Nutcracker. THIS production of the Nutcracker is fairly UNIQUE --- the music is played by a live orchestra. I love the moment of CALM between the orchestra warm-ups & when the director lifts the baton before the first note is played. Ahhhh!

SEASON

"Tis the SEASON" --- for candles, snowmen (or snowpeople, if I was being gender sensitive), snow, glitter, decorated trees and houses --- on the Central Coast of California (several miles from the beach), "Tis the SEASON" for frosty mornings --- nothing like this adorable holiday village.

WEATHER

Current WEATHER --- here's a glimpse at the past week. The trees are changing colors --- we had a bit of sprinkles (or "spitting" --- barely enough to wet the ground). Oh, we also had some wind --- a couple of days, the wind chime played some light tinkling sounds.

COLORFUL

Enjoying all the COLORFUL decorations --- without the frenzy of getting our house fully decorated. I mentioned in a previous post that we're "decorating light" --- candles, JPE's miniature village, wreaths --- no Santas (yet??). We discussed using our extra time, to bake "goodies" --- our traditional treats ---  JPE will bake three types of biscotti (double-chocolate; craisin; and peppermint) --- I'll select a few holiday cookie cutters, then bake & frost the "family requested" Christmas cookies.

SILHOUETTE

Just after parking the car (Santa Barbara), I spied a fabulous art piece --- on the dark side of the street, it made a perfect SILHOUETTE against sky, as evening approached. 

The past few days I've played around with PicMonkey (free photo editing program) & then sent THE PICTURES to the kids in my family --- Lydia, Katie, Ada, Matthew & Derek. Can't wait to see them at the holidays. Hoping the technology bridges the physical distance gap!!!  

Hey --- add participating in SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY to your list of things to do --- kidding!! But, it's open to everyone. Next week's words are:  SPARKLY, DOOR, DECORATE, STRIPES & A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS.

ARLINGTON THEATER!!!

It's SHOW TIME... 12.10.12

Headed to Santa Barbara this afternoon... 

walking on State Street... 

holiday shopping...

afternoon tea & people watching...

early dinner...

with the highlight of the day

watching 
nephew, DANIEL

perform in the NUTCRACKER

at the historic Arlington Theater!

DANIEL has been dancing in the

NUTCRACKER

for the past 12 years...

Now, a junior in high school, 

it's bittersweet thinking about 

DANIEL 
leaving for college... & a career doing what he loves!

DANCE!

FYI - photos clockwise from top left:

Nutcracker-Glendate, OH: costume, Apple Farm, San Luis Obispo, CA;

page-boy Nutcracker, Apple Farm; Nutcracker mustache & beard, Georgetown, Wash DC;

Daniel - age 6 (I think?)

FRIDAY FUNNIES...

more Frosty the Snowman jokes... 
 

What did the police officer say when he saw Frosty stealing?

 "Freeze" 

What does Frosty the Snowman take when he gets sick?

"A chill pill"

Who are Frosty's parents?
"Mom and Pop-Sicle"

TA! DAH!

PEANUT telling his favorite riddle... 


check back next week for FRIDAY FUNNIES! 

both pictures were edited using the snowman features
on PicMonkey (free editing program) - click HERE

 

COMING WEEKEND?

Georgetown, Washington DC ~ 11.18.12

What are your weekend plans?

a walk?

sweeping leaves?

breathing the fresh air?

decorating the outside of your house?

I'm putting...

"SAVOR the OUTDOORS"

at the top of my list... 

PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 2012

pic taken 11.17.12

I'm participating in Kat Sloma's PHOTO-HEART CONNECTION.

Click HERE to see the details for posting in this monthly "reflective" experience.

The basic concept is to "reflect on one photograph" --- photo bloggers look back over their folder of pictures from the prior month. Select ONE --- this is the most difficult part (especially when you're looking through a folder of 400+ photos). You post the photo that "tugs at your heart" for whatever reason, then explain what the photo meant to you.

My November reflection isn't about the skill or beauty of capturing what my eyes saw, but of feelings this photo brought from the depth of my heart.

When JPE & I visited MB & SLE over the Thanksgiving Break, we rode the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery --- so I could take pictures of the "changing colors of the leaves" ---

Eighteen years have passed since I paid a trip to Arlington National Cemetery --- at the time, I was chaperoning 13 high school girls who were attending the National Camp Fire Conference in Washington DC. The girls were fabulous!!! but, our memories of that day were the overwhelming humidity & long lines to see JFK's gravesite. I remember nothing about the layout of the park or anything else about that morning.

Our recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery was amazingly beautiful --- the trees were gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows, browns & greens. Mazen was teasing me because I lagged behind our group of four (+ Sea-Bass) snapping picture after picture --- over 200 (later discarding ~165 photos). The sky was crystal clear blue with a smattering of wispy white clouds; the temperature had a slight chill; and I felt energized with each deep breath of fresh air... all the makings for a perfect "weather" day.

What I didn't expect was the QUIET, SERENITY, and CALMNESS I experienced in this historical resting place of  veterans. Glancing over the rolling hills, we saw groups of students, families, and individuals --- walking casually along the roads, stopping to find their location on the park map, some searching for a particular headstone, while others took advantage of concrete benches --- to rest their feet or wait to catch up with their group, listening to the chirping of the birds & water tumbling down the creek, or just sitting --- deep in reflection.

It was "WHISPER-QUIET" ---  no one raised their voice to get someone's attention, nor did we see a parent having to scold a child for misbehavior, and never did I see someone chatting on their cellphone (amazing, huh?) --- it was INDESCRIBABLE!

::: a day of stunning beauty & quiet reflection :::
 

IN THE MOOD?

Are you finished decorating?

Monday, after work, Susan & I met for dinner

& to wander the Apple Farm Gift Shop...

hoping the holiday glitz & sparkle would inspire us

 to get our decorating started... completed!!

I think we've decided to "DECORATE LIGHT"...
& cut-out the frenzy of doing-too-much!!

SOOOO, in addition to tasty food, the APPLE FARM 

decorations are...

GLITTERY....

includes SPECTACULAR LIGHTING...

plenty of RED & GREEN...

and SANTA & HIS SLEIGH!!!

all pictures taken @ APPLE FARM, SLO

now that these pictures are posted,

I think I used too much "frost" from the Winterland theme...  

I edited my pictures with PICMONKEY !!!

Check out PICMONKEY ~ it's a FREE PHOTO-EDITING program!!! 

how cool it that?