Brrrrrr --- cold!

Still January.  Alright to be cold.

Another weekend.  The family got together to celebrate two birthdays:  Jim's is on Wednesday, Greg's was the other day.
Boy, it was noisy!  5 kids under 8 under one roof:

Both Noah and Jackson on Uncle Jim's lap,

playing with dinosaurs making noise

Noah opening belated Christmas gifts

Monster trucks and dinosaurs

 one happy 6-months old

Greg, Nicole, Sue and Evan

Matthew with his aunt, uncle, and cousin

Don't ask.  No one screamed in pain, just with laughter

And that's what it looks like when there are lots of kids

ohh, how cute!  six months old.

 Next morning: Noah snuggling with mom

 and coloring with dad

I really did get rid of those sweaters.  With a heavy heart,

but I did it.  That gives me confidence to go into my 

cupboards and pull out the insulated tea and coffee pots my parents

gave me almost 40 years ago, never used!

And so it goes.

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

Header and sweaters and letting go

Do you like my header?  It's a photo we took with Erika's new lens back in 2004.  From the house in Windham, NY, while we were there for Christmas.
Our Christmasses there were great, the whole family met, and it was terrific to all wake up in the same house.  Maybe some  day again...
Speaking of same family under one roof:  We will be seeing Sue and Noah tomorrow night!  Can't wait!  Celebrating more birthdays.

I didn't do much at home yesterday.  Shoveled some snow, that was it.  Played around with my sewing machine, and kept wondering  how people at home produced so much with their machines.  But I don't really have a project at the moment I'm enthusiastic about, and that could be the reason.  I cleaned out my closet - I had a hard time finding shoes, and while I was at it, got a bag together with hand knitted sweaters I or my mother made in the 1980's.  I had such a hard time letting go, but I don't wear them, no one else will either, it's time to let it go.  I still have sweaters my mother made, so it's all right.

Totally random, here are some summer photos from one of the last times I was in Windham:

church in Windham

 Summer - just around the corner

 Teddy and Beaner, the horses who were boarded at the house, since then they've been sold.  

The young lady they were bought for, went on to other interests, and her parents decided to take it easy on themselves.  Oh, and no, they were not members of our family.

 ups, when I chose this photo I didn't realize the dog was jumping in, but - taste of summer.

Isn't it beautiful up there?

Snow again - not complaining!

Today is a snow day.  For me.  I just came in from shoveling. How much?  Oh, who counts.  It's a game I used to play with my in-laws.  And I think there was a winner.  Of what?  I have no idea.  Anyway, I think we got about 10 inches (25 1/2 centimeters) more or less.  More.  I think more.

Anyway, enough with the snow.  It looks gorgeous and is light and fluffy.  Which ... okay, I said enough.

I just have to share another New York photo:

Why do you think this guy is lugging a fire hydrant through Times Square?  Oh, I don't know, I didn't ask him!  It looks heavy, I'm sure it's real.  But why?

What else have I got?  Oh, nothing.  Really - nothing.

Oh, the other night I made stuffed peppers.  As per the advice of my little brother Claus, I made them with red peppers.  Yes, the rebel I am I switched from green peppers to red.  Let me tell you, that Claus!  He has some wicked ideas, and I love this one!

I browned the ground beef - don't ask for amounts, 1 pound, maybe more, with onion (one 1/2 was to be found), garlic - as much or as little as you like, brown it, oh, I found 1/2 green pepper in the refrigerator, which I cut into small pieces, added that.
When the beef was done, I added 1 cup of rice, maybe two cups of water  - yeah, right into it, don't prepare separately, cover and cook for about 15 min.  The rice doesn't even have to be cooked all the way, that's fine. (ups, almost forgot to tell you about the spices, salt, pepper, whatever you like!  Taste, and voila!)

Then stuff the peppers - next time it'll be yellow and red - and put them in a large enough pot to hold one layer, put tomato sauce over the whole thing, add the lid and cook for oh, maybe 20 minutes?  30 minutes will work too - let me tell you, it's delicious!
That's how my mother cooked.  Always.  I hardly ever remember her looking at a recipe.
And she was a housewife in the 50's!  Which means they took housewifery VERY seriously.

And she was the better cook, just ask my son or my little brother...

New York, New York!

Friday it snowed all day long.  My furnace quit, and I didn't know how much oil I had.  All is good, the oil was delivered (holy smokes, how expensive!), the furnace/boiler person came and got it going, and all was fine.
I drove to Nicole's after everything turned out alright, and spent the night.  Waking up with two little boys - fun.
On the spur of the moment we decided to meet Erika and Jessica in the city.  Checking the train schedule - 35 minutes to get two women and two little boys ready for the train.  We made it!

On the train...

 self-explanatory

 could we find a bigger pretzel?!

 you know you are in NYC when...

meeting an excited Jessica with her new American Girl Doll!

the perfect hat for perfect NYC weather.

 At Toys-R-us, the ferris wheel

 I forgot the name of the giraffe...

only in New York do you meet a bowling pin.

Jessica's idea of perfect: pushing Evan.  And in Times Square to boot!

Someone didn't get the memo: 2011 is here.  And more then a week old!

Just as I left to go home I decided that looked good.  Nicole's house at night.
Fun day!

Snow in January

More snow today.  And that's not a  complaint, since snow in January is to be expected.  I still don't like driving in the stuff, and stayed home.  Also, in my defense, up here on the hill it always looks worse.
And a good thing I was home today.  My furnace stopped working.  Which could be due to the fact that I might have run out of oil.  Okay, got oil, and got the furnace fixer to the house.  He's a miracle man - had it up and running in no time.

I'm on my way to Nicole's tonight, after I make sure the house gets warm, since she is alone overnight, and is in pain.  She thought it was a tooth ache, but her dentist said he could find nothing wrong with her teeth.  Maybe a sinus infection.... and to be alone for a couple of days with two little boys and a sinus infection ---  anyway, always a mom. Me.

Jessica had a 'star day' at school today.  I dashed over there, and watched her enjoy it.  It's lovely, all the kids in the class write up a page about the child, put it in a book, the family comes to visit, we have to tell what's special about Jessica, and she gets to show off something important to her.