30 is as 30 does. (Nope, it's not a post about my age. *grin*)

Well, the local news last night said that we received right at 30 inches in that Christmas blizzard - wow! I guess now we understand our drifts a little bit more. *wink*

Here's some pics from after all the shoveling was finished. Well, another 1/2" or so had drifted over on the driveway, but you get the idea.



From the front door to the entry walk.


The other side of the door.
Those are about 6' banks up to that top stair, too.


The wall of snow on the kitchen side of the house.


The driveway.


A different view.

We got the garage and storage room squared away yesterday. As it turns out, the storage room inside the garage is even much bigger than we'd thought it looked. We were able to put the pieces of the shed into the back, and then all of our regular shed items in front of them - and there's still room to spare! It looks soooo nice in there now. Also, today was Trash Day - yay! All we have left is to wait for the box/material pick-up from the moving company, and then we'll be golden.

Philip went back to work this morning. He's still finishing up training for this base, and then he's home in the evenings. I'm making a mental list of things to pick up tomorrow while we're out (gonna be seeing our 'reward' movie!), and I also want to find a quilt shop somewhere. Philip's looking for a small engines repair shop, as the starter is out on our snowblower, too.

Alrightee, I'm having some lunch and then getting back to work. Toodles!

The Christmas blizzard.

Snowed in, for sure.

On Christmas Eve day, the snow started falling. And blowing. And falling and blowing some more. By 4:30pm, we knew that a Christmas Eve church service wasn't possible. By 11pm, travel warnings were issued everywhere.

Christmas Day the snow fell nonstop - from midnight to midnight. It didn't stop snowing until yesterday around noon, and thankfully, the winds let up a bit then too. The accumulation wasn't nearly as crazy as the DRIFTS. Philip shoveled twice during the snowstorm, but by the time we woke yesterday morning, you couldn't tell he'd done a thing!

The TV channels turned to static in the morning, along with a message alerting us that the road conditions were RED. No travel was allowed on base at all, and everything was closed. Fine by us, as we didn't need to be anywhere, either!

He shoveled for hours and hours yesterday. We had much higher drifts than our next-door neighbor, and when he was done with his own house, he helped Philip for another hour-and-a-half, at least. I still can't much see out of my windows, but I expect that's just how it's gonna be for a while. ;-)



Drifts up to our office windows.


A sideways view out the window of the front lawn, including the completely buried front three steps.


The drifts up to the dining room window.


Looking out the kitchen window, the drifts blocked the garage and part of Philip's truck.


The view when we opened the garage door...


The solid wall of snow from the garage door to my kitchen window.


The view from our master bedroom deck.
This is a picture of our back-yard neighbors. The house on the left is the same floor plan as our own. Those neighbors were SLEDDING down their steps - that's how high the snow was!

Last night, Philip and I glanced out the dining room window just before I was going to start dinner. A beautiful dog was leaping through the snow, looking lost. Philip went to the front door and called, and the dog ran right to him. The dog had no collar, and Philip pulled him into the mud room for warmth. He had snow on his little nose, but he was just gorgeous. Philip and the boys sat in the mud room for over half an hour and loved on the dog. Finally, the police arrived to take him back to the squadron to read for a microchip, and they let him go.



The lost 'Snow-Dog.'

Moving: House pictures!

Since everyone has been dying to see... here are the pics I snapped when we got the keys to the house. They were taken at dusk, and I've not done anything to brighten them up, but you can still get a "sorta" feel to the house, I think.



ALL of the pictures are located HERE. I tried to caption them with descriptions, too.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have as you look through them. I know it's hard to understand floor plans just by looking at pictures, ya know?

The Mustache Men.

We babysat Catherine and John on Friday evening for a little. When Heather and Shane came to pick them up, we gathered up their belongings, said our goodbyes, and off they went to load up in their car. At that exact same time, Philip had stopped by the house on his security patrol, and after popping inside, he walked to the front door and asked me, "Why is there a mustache on the ceiling?"

...

... excuse me?!

...

I'm sure my bewildered look instantly told him that I didn't have the faintest idea what he was talking about, so he led me into the dining room, pointing up at the jamb between that room and the kitchen. First, I almost jumped - it looked like there was a gigantic black caterpillar hanging above my head. But Philip reached up and pulled the sticky mustache off, and then we walked to the door and out to the driveway just in time to catch Heather and Shane as they were about to leave. Philip yelled, "Shane, you forgot your mustache!" and the two of them began laughing. I guess Shane had hidden it, and was curious to see how long it might take us to find. (If it had been just me, probably a loooooong time!)

And then the boys wanted to play with it for a while, each modeling the new mustache. It was hilarious, and I had to take a few pictures. :-D





The Mustache Men.

Later, on A.J.'s way to bed, he kissed me goodnight, then piped up, "Oh, Mom, I put your Coke in the office on the desk for you, too." We'd all been watching the Disney channel together in the living room, but I usually do get on the computer once they're in bed and Philip's gone, so it was a kind, thoughtful move on his part. I put him to bed, followed by Jack, and then I got comfy in my office chair. Probably ten minutes later, I reached over for my can of Coke...

... AND JUMPED AND SCREAMED! That little twerp, he had wrapped the fuzzy mustache around my can, and I hadn't noticed! He came running from his bedroom, and I was laughing by then. I explained that he had gotten me GOOD, and then he was laughing so hard he was on all fours! He said Jack had known about the prank too, but by that time, Jack was far into snooze-ville already.

Oh, that mustache. :-}

Knitty love!

Look what was waiting for me in a box from mostcurious when we returned from vacation:



She sent me a ton more Coke codes, another little collectible bear-in-tin, and handmade knitted socks in 'Slytherin' yarn - how cool! And the socks were a perfect fit and are so soft and warm. I'm wearing them right now, in fact. ;-)


SOCKS!

Seriously though... don't my feet look just so happy? :-)

Cheesecake and brownies and salad, oh my!

It's college season, and that means that several of our peeps at work are heading off for the year. It's my tradition to make a special dessert for anyone leaving, and last week I took in both Patric and Chad's requests.

Chad wanted cheesecake, and that's easy. It feels like I make those all the time. My springform pan is really starting to fritz though (it won't hinge-lock, therefore it's not a tight seal), and while it was baking, I called up my Pampered Chef® consultant and ordered a new one. I made two cheesecakes, and I gave 1.5 of them away, saving just three pieces for us (Philip doesn't like cheesecake). Chad received half of a cheesecake, and it was a TON on the plate. And even though I cut the cakes into eight pieces, they were still too large and too rich to eat in just one sitting - eep! Chad yummed his cheesecake up with strawberry topping, but I like mine plain, thank you.


Classic Cheesecake.

Patric requested Brownie Cookies, which I'd never heard of before. I feared that he would only enjoy a family recipe - "Gram's Trusty Brownie Cookie" - or something of that ilk, but he promised me that anything I came up with would be wonderful and appreciated. So I set about researching recipes. In the end, I settled on a super-rich recipe: Double Fudge Brownies, and then I added three types of chocolate - Hershey's® Special Dark™ (one of those really large bars), a tin of Godiva® Dark Chocolate Pearls™ (about the size of my palm), and Nestlé® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (half a bag). The batter was very thick to work with, and when I scooped out the dough, it looked like I was serving up chocolate ice cream!


Close-up of the scoops.

And the final result, which the author suggests pairing with an ice-cold glass of milk:


Brownie Cookies.

I also made up a batch of Snickers® Apple Salad for Allison. It wasn't her last day, but I have a ton of leftover Snickers bits, and it's so easy to make. I ate a small serving of it, and Philip liked it enough for two bowls' worth, and then I took the rest to work for her to have. I believe she claimed her tastebuds were dancing. ;-)

And now Dan has requested me to make Butterfinger Brownies for him, and also a girl in the National Office has agreed to do a payroll item request for our store, but only IF... and she was very clear on this... I agree to make Peanut Butter Cup Brownies and mail them again!

First day of school.

Last Wednesday was the first day of school for my boys, and I can't believe it's already been a week since! My goodness, how behind I am!

A.J. is in the 6th grade this year, and I still shake my head at this, finding it impossible. How is it that he is already in his very last year of elementary school? *weeps* He has been placed in Mr. Loomis' class this year, and we are all very excited about the changes that his first male teacher may bring. This is his teacher's first year at the school, but he's no young'un: he's a retired Air Force officer with four grown children and eight grandchildren! He seemed very nice the evening we met him before school began, and I hope for good things this school year. From the get-go, he received props: for the first time in all A.J.'s school years, his items were labeled with "A.J." - not "Aaron," as usual. Success!

(As a child who never went by my first name, I can tell you what a monumental difference it makes to feel like a teacher actually CARES about you enough to get your chosen name down correctly from the very beginning.)

Jack is now in 2nd grade, and this is a bit easier to digest. After all, we kept him back for an extra year of preschool many moons ago (I'm sure some of you remember the tears involved in making that decision!). He is so bubbly, so confident, and so very excited about life in the 2nd grade. He snagged Ms. Wiebers for a teacher, and what a blessing - we are already very familiar with her from our church, as she is one of the most involved participants in the childrens' ministry! She had already labeled all his things (lunch card, desk, etc.) with 'Jack,' and that's a big plus from the start (usually things have 'Jackson' on them, and we only say that when he's in trouble!). She had also already heard his preference, and she gave him an orange-colored lunch card... WIN! The night before school started, she gave each student a large 'test tube,' asking them fill it with "something about their summer." Jack was ecstatic to pick something from our huge vacation and share with his class!

And now, on to pictures! :-)


A.J., the big 6th grader.


Jack-a-roo, the bouncy 2nd grader.



Here's to another fun year!


At pick-up at the end of a great first day.


Jack's 'test tube.'

(Filled with a seashell from our vacation, Jack was to use his 'test tube' for Show'n Tell. However, his teacher explained that the tubes are not really 'test tubes' at all - they are 2-liter bottles. They are shipped to the factory in this smaller size, then blown into shape, and later filled with cola. Neat! Neither Philip nor I had ever seen/heard that before!

Now... I've seen a large handful of "first day" pics over on FaceBook, but not over here. I wanna read the stories that go with the pics too, people! Get writing! *cracks whip*

Pastries!

Like I said, I was giddy with glee that the pastries turned out so well. :-)

First up: Baked Apple Pastries.


Puff pastry layered with homemade pastry creme, fresh apple slices, and topped liberally with cinnamon and sugar.




Next up, I made the pastries I had most been looking forward to. You see, I fell in love with a seasonal item at Panera®, and they haven't brought it back since the fall of '07. But now? Now I don't need them! I can make my own!

Second: Caramel Apple Pastries.


Puff pastry topped with pastry creme, layered with fresh apple slices, dusted with cinnamon & sugar, then liberally coated with caramel sauce. Fresh out of the oven, I sprinkled them with powdered sugar.



The final attempt was Strawberry Pastries. I first baked a few with the berries on, but those didn't turn out so well. They tasted fine, but the strawberries lost their bright color and firmness in the oven, and they just weren't very aesthetically pleasing (hence, no photos). So I baked a couple more without the berries, and as soon as the timer went off, I pulled the hot pastries out and popped the fresh berries into the moist creme in the center. Ta-da!

Third: Fresh Strawberry Pastry.


Puff pastry layered with pastry creme, then topped with fresh strawberries and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Lastly, and not really planned, I baked a couple "plain" Cheese Pastries. I dusted the creme with a bit of cinnamon & sugar before baking, and I took a picture of them alongside the Strawberry ones. A.J. really liked these. :-)



Success! I will definitely be making these again. :-)

Strawberry Tarts.

I made these for dessert last night, and they were phenomenal. Seriously, just SO.GOOD.



Puff pastry
Homemade pastry creme
Strawberries tossed in warm Red Raspberry preserves
Homemade whipped cream

I got the idea from here, but I wasn't able to find the puff-pastry shells the author mentioned (and showed, in pics). Instead, I bought puff pastry sheets, cut them into quarters, and then formed each quarter into a cup in the well of a muffin pan. I then baked them at 400° for 15 minutes, and then I followed the rest of the original directions. I also used a different jam/jelly, and the raspberry flavor gave mine a bit of zing! that was wonderful. :-)

Berry-Pickin'!

Oh, today! Today was a blast! I'm glad it turned out so wonderful and fun, as I had originally planned to take these four kiddos berry-picking on Sunday afternoon. I called up the farm, however, and I learned that Saturday night's mega-rainfall had flooded the fields, and they were closed. The farm is closed on Mondays, and I wasn't available yesterday either, so I was bummed that I would have to wait until Tuesday - today, but at least the weather looked promising (clear, a cool 68°, low wind)...

until this morning, when it began raining. AGAIN. And it was a heavy rainfall for quite some time. I was lamenting while I worked that berry-picking just wouldn't work out this year (strawberry season is over in just a couple more days, the farm had told me on Sunday), and I was bummed. :-/

But by the time I left work, I was really thinking that maybe we could swing it anyway. It hadn't rained in a few hours' time, and the skies looked okay. So I set the plan back in action, and Aimée sent over her kids. We all headed to the fields, and ALL the kids were excited: A.J. and Jack because they were so stoked to share the secrets of the farm with Drew and Natalie (who'd never been there before), and the other two because they were getting to do something entirely new! And *I* was so giddy that the plan was working out that I became distracted once we made it to the farm myself! I was pointing out this and that, and I completely forgot to park, driving right into the farm entrance and walkways - OOPS!

And then we all set to work! The boys had their Berry baskets, and I had pulled a Medium Fruit basket for Drew, as well as a Collector's Club Gathering basket for Natalie. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I picked baskets with the same volume (as we learned later on in the weighing process), and that was pretty nifty. :-)

Jack was the most dedicated about filling his basket with berries. I'd promised the kids they could have lots of time to play in the farmyard once we were done (there's a cool zipline, lots of hidey-holes, lots of climbing structures, swings, playhouses, and more), and by golly, he wanted to be sure he got to do so! He finished filling his basket with berries first, and then he helped Natalie finish hers. Once she was done, the two of them split into "teams," with Natalie helping A.J. finish up, and Jack helping Drew to finish his basket.

Along the way, I took pictures. I took a handful as they began picking, and then I put the cam away. I then helped pick berries (and I might be the reason why we ALL finished as timely as we did! *wink*). When the kids were almost done, I pulled the camera out for some last-minute shots, too. Natalie was an absolute ham, always wanting me to, "take a picture of me like this, Miss Nicole!" I was happy to oblige, and it was just SO MUCH FUN!

While picking, we had some great conversations. I explained the meaning of "crop dusting" (yes, we talked about tooting - hey, there WERE kids involved in this adventure, remember?), and Natalie spoke of her holiday Barbie® collection. A.J. and Drew would retreat to the back of the fields and talk about "boy stuff," and Natalie would say, "Oh, they're just being boys again, Miss Nicole. Aren't boys funny?" A.J. cupped a berry in both of his hands and shouted, "Hey, mom! Look, I'm making a mini-Twilight cover - see?!" And all the kids pretended that the red berry juice staining their fingers was blood, and they'd chase each other across rows. And, of course, we all spoke in "Berry Talk" (remember 'Strawberry Shortcake,' the cartoon? "Berry" instead of "very," etc.)

I loved it. :-)

When all baskets were filled, we walked back up to the weigh station, and we were all surprised to learn that, though the baskets were very different shapes, each contained three pounds' worth of berries. We had picked TWELVE POUNDS altogether! The kids couldn't wait for me to pay for them so that they could begin snacking! Everyone chose a soda, and we settled near the play area for some yummies.

And oh, the berries are good. Heavenly! Warm, fresh, bursting with juicy deliciousness. They are tiny strawberries, to be sure, but they pack a wonderful punch. Andrew and Natalie each ate close to 1/4th of their baskets before I made them stop, warning them that their mom would kill me if I let them completely ruin their dinner appetites!

The kids decided to play a game of Hide-and-Seek, and of course, no one wanted to be the first "It." I volunteered to get the game going, but I told them I wouldn't close my eyes - I wasn't done eating berries, so I turned my back to the play area, and I mumbled numbers to 30 with bites of strawberries in my mouth. Finally, I set off to search for them, and wow! They were well-hidden! I found Natalie first, then Jack, then Drew. At long last, we had to call for A.J. to show himself, as none of us had been able to find him - he was that good! The kids all continued playing for a while longer, and I just enjoyed the cloudy sunshine, the fresh air, and the yummy berries.

Perfect.

And I have pictures to share, and how! I wish you could all experience the fun we had, but these pictures are the best I can offer you. :-)


Our great berry-picking team.


The fruits of our labor.



Jack was so very dedicated.


A.J. was deep in the fields.


Andrew was picking in the foreground, and then the other three all decided to run out to "the Motherload!" And off they went!


Natalie shows off her berry-juiced hand.


Drew is hard at work.


A.J.'s mini-'Twilight' cover.


Natalie - what a photo superstar!


Jack.


Drew and Natalie.
(I took this picture especially for their dad, as he is currently deployed.)


And the crazy, goofy crew poses at the signs as we leave the farm with our berries.
And if you want to see all of the pics, you can find them in a slideshow HERE. :-)