Gaylen said that i need to include a photo

with every blog entry. Well, after awhile, i am sure everyone will tire of snow pics. So, here is one from the stash. This is from a trip two years ago to Yosemite. Fred was fascinated with the view...or maybe the critters running around? Henry...he is just happy to be there! Of all the National Parks, Yosemite is probably the most dog-friendly. Dogs are only allowed on the paved areas, and luckily most of the areas are paved! We had a wonderful time, and it was so amazing. There are no words for Yosemite. It is something that you need to see for yourself. Preferably in the early spring or fall months, when the place is not sick with tourists. We went in October, and it was perfect.

Not much on the agenda today. Bill paying, which is always fun, and maybe a little quality time with my sewing machine. I have some amazing Amy Butler stuff that is really wanting to be made into SOMETHING. I am just not sure what. I have made a few swing bags, so i am swing bagged-out for the time being. i think maybe a few pillow cases? Maybe an apron? I bought a really cool apron pattern the last time i was in my fabric store...which, i hate to say it, but that was last summer. My checking account is happy to hear that though. As is The Husband, i am sure.

I will try and get in some skiing time, and possibly snow-shoe time...and inevitably, snow shovelling time. In three weeks, The Husband gets to take over......WOOOOOWHOOOOOOO!!!!

Just some random handsome dudes....

Actually, they aren't that random. One of them is my better half, and the other four are dear friends. See the book the one in the middle is holding? That is HIM on the cover!! That photo was taken during the very beginning of the war, and he is in his full battle rattle...a VERY cool shot, and we were all SO proud that the writer, Karl Zinsmeister, put Sean on the cover.

I was just browsing through my photos today, trying to decide what to write about, and came across this photo. I figured everyone (all three of my readers) would like a little eye candy...with the exception maybe of ONE of my readers, and he is in the photo. At the very least though, the photo will make him smile!

Sun Bunnies on Thursday

I have two little sun bunnies. Fred is only a sun-bunny in the winter time though. In the summer, he is a shade-seeker. Henry though, is a TRUE sun bunny. When we lived in the desert, he would lay out on our cement slab off of the patio, and soak up the rays. He cannot get enough of it.

Cooking for the husband

I cooked this a little bit ago, and then again for my parents on Christmas Eve. I cannot wait to try it out on the husband. Super thick Chops (dare i call them Iowa Chops???) with spaetzle and sauerkraut. I have made spaetzle from scratch with the family recipe, but i actually KILLED my KitchenAid the last time i made it. My poor Grandmother was probably spinning in her grave, because not only was the recipe HER family recipe, but SHE bought me the KitchenAid! Ugh, it was a shameful moment for several reasons. Number one, i used the WRONG attachment. The dough hook would have been the correct one. Number two, Grandma always did it by hand. The KitchenAid has since been sent to a repair shop, but it has never been the same. I think it is holding a grudge?

Anyways, the nice thing about being able to shop at the commissary (aside from the low prices!)is that they usually have very good international food sections, and get a TON of German grocery items that you really cannot find easily outside of Germany. I found some really great spaetzle, so i just use that now. Sorry, Grandma. I also found a great jarred Sauerkraut. I do not think Grandma would fault me for not making my kraut from scratch. I add lots of goodness to it, though...apples, brown sugar, bay leaves, paprika, beer.

My poor parents really needed a GOOD dinner after their train ordeal. We were going to have chili on Christmas Eve, but i thought this would warm them up a little bit better. They were not disappointed.

The Le Creuset pot was a great find. I have an obsession with Le Creuset, and have amassed a nice little collection, thanks to the VERY generous Husband. Last year we were in a Williams-Sonoma, and found this on a discount rack, for the shock-and-awe price of $80!! I think they were mistakenly put there? I should have bought all three of them they had, but i exclaimed so loudly that another lady dashed over, and grabbed one up, called her friend and grabbed one up for her, too. I clutched mine to my chest and moved away from her before she could rip it out of my hands.

I have made a couple of things....

...in the last couple of days.

First up is the Swing Bag from Amy Butler. The bag was made with Surf and Sand by Michele D'Amore on the inside, and the outside is Chocolate Lollipops. I bought this fabric, and tons more, while shopping with my mom this past summer, at my "local" yarn and fabric shop. I say "local", because i do not really consider a shop that is 60 miles away to be local. Sadly, it is the closest thing, other than JoAnns! I do a LOT of online shopping!

So, with that said, up next we have the scarf. This is from the Scarves to Throws pattern collection at Jimmy Beans Wool, my favorite online yarn shop. My scarf is Month 6 (every month of this past year, JBW put out a new pattern), but i am using a different colored yarn than the one used in the pattern. Mine is Tuscany. I absolutely love the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. If i had to pick only ONE yarn that i could use for the rest of my life, hands down this yarn would be the one. I love the colorways, i love the softness, i absolutely love EVERYTHING about this yarn. I am also kind of a sucker for a named colorway. I detest colorways that are strictly identified by a number!

Next up, i am in dire need of some new cotton fabric pajama bottoms. My two favorite pairs have split in the tushie. In the winter time (really, any time) i change into my jammies early, usually as soon as dinner has been eaten and cleaned up. So...that means that my jammies see a lot of couch time, which means that the tushies get worn out rather fast! I bought a ton of Amy Butler fabric last summer, in the hopes that they would be made into purses or skirts. Well, one of the problems of buying online is trying to guage colorways and tone. I like the eyelash fabric from the Belle line, but not enough to wear it around town. They will make perfect pajama bottoms though. So, if anyone knows of a great pattern for capri (or full-length, i can just chop off the leg wherever i want, right?) pajama bottoms, please do enlighten me.

Presents!

My dear friend, The Princess, sent me a box of goodies! She sent me some yarny goodness, some toys and treats for the pups, and my FAVE coffee, Starbucks Yukon Blend. The poopy-pants at Starbucks have made the poor decision to DISCONTINUE Yukon Blend. I cannot figure it out. There is a bear on the logo, and the taste is OUT of this world. I guess they just want to sell things that STINK!

So, after these two bags are gone, i think i will be switching to Seattle's Best Coffee. I LOVE their Henry's Blend...and not just because of the name. Ok, well MAYBE it is partly because of the name.

Back to the box of goodies though...The Princess included a green stretchy Froggie in the box, and Fred has FLIPPED for this frog. This delights me to no end, as Fred is not really all that into toys. He prefers his toys to be alive, and rodenty. It is so cute to see him running through the house with this frog, shaking it. So what if he is pretending that it is the bunny from under the pool deck?

More pics!

First off, a pic of the flooding for The Husband:

The whole lower part of the field was flooded, and then down by the highway, the river was about one foot from the roadway. Down by Holmans, his corn field that sits across the street from his farm was totally flooded, as the river went over the banks down there, too. High-temp thaws in the middle of winter are not usually welcome things...especially with the amount of snow that we had!

Here are some Fred pics. Keeping a close eye on the Prime Rib, which is slightly (and i use that term loosely) protected from his jaws by tin foil.

And then a pic of my Fred-cat.