My Grand Niece Peyton

After Mom had surgery on her foot, she had some special visitors. Bev and Jessica came the same day at the same time, and the funny thing was neither one of them knew the other was coming! It was fun to watch Peyton play and to see how much she has grown.













Am I cute, or what?








































Grandma likes me a lot!













Great Grandma thinks I'm pretty special too.







Mom already lets me drink from a glass.












It's one of my favorite things to do.

































Look out world, here I come!

Valentine's Day

For several years now I have kept up the tradition of making either a Valentine Breakfast or a Valentine Dinner. As our family dwindles in size, I keep thinking it may be time to end this tradition. However, I had a lot of fun making Valentine's and sending them in the mail to my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. For the few individuals remaining at home, I decided to make fettichini alfredo and a fruit pizza. Maybe this will wet your appetite.

Mix the following ingredients into a stiff cookie dough:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. soda

Cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add the remaining ingredients. Press dough into pizza pan and bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool and mix:

8 oz. cram cheese
4 oz. Cool Whip (1 3/4 c.)
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Spread evenly over crust. Decorate with fruit of your choice. Baste fruit with glaze:

1 1/4 c. water
2 T. orange juice concentrate
1/8 c. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1 1/2 T. corn starch
dash of salt

Mix well, cook and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thick. Cool and baste over fruit.

Bird-watching

Yesterday I had a rare opportunity to photograph a little white-breasted nuthatch. It remained in this pose for several minutes which is not typical behavior for these fast little birds.

Candy's Visit

When Candy recently came to visit, we did several fun things together. We made cards from a quilt pattern, baked about 50 cinnamon rolls, and made visits to a couple of Uncles here in Salem. It was so fun to do something creative again, the cinnamon rolls were to die for, and it was a treat to visit Uncle Ted and Uncle Bud. Uncle Ted also has a couple of adorable pets we could have stolen (if we didn't already have several of our own!) His cat ivy cuddled and snuggled and purred and drooled. I guess the drooling wasn't all that cute, but it was worth putting up with since she was so lovable. His dog cricket sat up and begged in a very polite way. Ted called it her "barrel bottom" pose. Uncle Bud was in a rehabilitation center recovering from a pace maker he recently had inserted. He was doing quite well and kept Candy and I smiling with tales of his escapades.



We tried a yummy chicken cous cous salad with mango salsa and cucumber garnish.




































Maple frosting!















Is your mouth watering for these yet? The recipe came from a great website called "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman." This link is on my blog.





Becky and Candy with Uncle Ted.



















Cricket and Ivy.


















What a "cuddle bug!"

My son is a rock star!

Paul has become a very creative musician. I know that because I had the opportunity to hear him play with his friend Elliot the other night. Their compositions were very fun and entertaining to hear.

Silver Creek Falls

These pictures are especially for Ashley. We hope you will have the opportunity to visit us one day (and bring your family too!)