Snow Day

This year it seems like we have had a lot of snow.  Lucky for us we were able to play together as a family before The General deployed.  Here are some pictures.  We love this dog!!  He had so much fun playing in the snow.

 

Clear as Mud

Yesterday was a strange day.  The General and I were traveling back home and stopped for lunch.  The General asked if they gave a military discount and the woman made it abundantly clear that they gave the discount “only to soldiers in uniform.”  This annoyed us both.  Does that mean anyone who comes across a uniform gets a discount?  Well that wasn’t the strange part of the day.

Later we went to dinner.  Normally we wouldn’t be eating out twice in one day but since we are moving soon we had to make other plans.  So we were ordering our dinner and I asked if they gave a military discount.  The guy said yes and The General showed his ID and I said “great!”  As we were eating, I glanced at the receipt…no discount.  Then The General decided to go for ice cream.  Again I asked about a military discount and the girl said yes.  Again The General showed his ID and I said “sweet!”  Then as we got in the car I looked at the receipt…no discount.  We tried to figure out if they just didn’t understand that The General is active military or if it was something else.  I think we were pretty clear though.

Operation: Love Reunited

 

In preparation for The General’s upcoming deployment, I contacted a photographer abut Operation: Love Reunited.  Just after Christmas we were able to do a quick photo shoot.  I’m so pleased with how the pictures turned out. 

 

Holiday Happenings

We had a fabulous holiday.  Just before the holidays we got confirmation of The General’s upcoming deployment.  So we spent the time traveling to see various family members.  It was so great to see everyone!

This was just some of the beautiful decorations at our church.  They had a special, “Carols by Candlelight” which was absolutely amazing. 

This is The General’s sister and her family.

Our attempt at a family portrait.

We even had a White Christmas!  Just enough to make me happy.

The day after Christmas the whole family came over.  There were about 25 of us.  It was so much fun.  The General’s uncle dressed up as Santa and after entertaining the children he went outside and started waving at cars.

GOOD TIMES!

Christmas Cards

We weren't planning on sending out cards this year but then I heard about this awesome promotion from Shutterfly.  There are so many fabulous card designs to choose from...it's too hard to pick just one.  So I had to really think about what picture(s) we were going to use and came up with 2 of my favorites.



http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/peppermint-pink-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93476

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/with-love-chartreuse-christmas-5x7-folded-card

A Family Affair

Saturday we all went out in support of Fallen Soldiers.  There as a 5K run/walk and The General and I along with my father-in-law participated.  This was my first real attempt at a 5K since the accident 14 months ago.  There were times I wasn’t sure I would finish but I was determined to walk the entire course in under an hour.  My father-in-law also walked the course while The General was the runner in the family. 

 

It was a trail run and the course was pretty difficult with rocks and tree branches and such.  We all finished proudly.  After the race, we stayed for the awards ceremony.  Turns out, my father-in-law ended up being the Grand Master Champion for the men walkers!  And I got 3rd place for the women walkers in my age category!!  It was very exciting.  Although The General didn’t receive an award, we are very proud of him.  For the men runners, he had a lot of competition in his age category.

Then on Sunday we heard a wonderful message at church.  It was a great weekend!

Great Giveaway

Want one of these?  I know I do.


Go visit New Girl On Post's giveaway for a chance to win one!

Peyton's Place

The dog is mad at The General and I.  Yesterday we worked on cleaning the house in anticipation for my in-laws coming to visit next weekend.  We've known that the dog likes to hang out under our bed and we knew that he takes things and hides them under the bed.  When we got under the bed, it was a disaster.  When the dog gets mad at us he digs in the trash for paper and plastic.  Then he takes it under the bed and tears it into pieces.  Yesterday we found aluminum foil and a pie pan.  I tried to get a picture of the dog looking into the camera but he was having none of it.  He was trying to protect his loot!

While cleaning we had a great idea.  We put paper boxes under the bed and made it so the dog cannot get under the bed anymore.  He is not happy.  It was hilarious the first time he tried to go under the bed after we blocked it. 

Football and Friends

What an awesome weekend!!!

We spent Saturday evening with friends watching football. I tried a couple of new recipes and they turned out great. I love finding new recipes that end up being really good.

The first one is for Football Party Dip. I've included the original recipe. I changed it up a little. Instead of celery and tomatoes I used a can of Rotel. I didn't use Bob Evans ingredients. I don't think that matters too much. This is the best dip I have ever had! Even The General liked it.

Football Party Dip

Prep time :10 minutes
Cook time :10 minutes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage Roll
• 1 cup Bob Evans Wildfire Barbecue Sauce
• 1 can (16 oz.) baked beans
• 1 3/4 cups fresh diced tomatoes*
• 1 1/2 cups diced celery
• 1 1/4 cups diced onions
• 1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 to 4 dashes hot sauce to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Garnish Options
• 3/4 to 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 large bag tortilla chips
• 1/4 cup green diced onions
• *Drain excess liquid from tomatoes for thicker dip.

Directions

Crumble and cook sausage in a large skillet or soup pot, over medium-high heat until browned. Carefully drain off excess drippings. Add celery and onions to sausage and continue to cook over medium heat until vegetables are slightly tender and sausage is no longer pink. Add baked beans, barbecue sauce and mix well. Add tomatoes, garlic powder, hot sauce, salt and pepper to mixture. Simmer together for 5 to 10 minutes and serve in a large bowl. Garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream and diced green onions on top if desired. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Then came the pie...oh the pie! Delicious...needless to say there was only a little bit left at the end of the night.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Serve with ice cream (optional)

• Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
• Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy.
• Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter.
• Stir in morsels and nuts and spoon into pie shell.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Watch Your Step

You'd think by now I would have learned to watch where I'm going.  Apparently not.  I fell the other day in a fast food restaurant and broke my tail bone ~ OUCH!  So while I'm recovering I'm hoping to catch up on blogging.