Some White And Some Color

I woke up Saturday morning and looked out my front window, and nature sent me a big surprise.  It was a good amount of snow.  It was the soft white kind, so I scurried outside to embrace it all.  I was talking with my neighbors, and he thinks this may be the last snow of the season, so I took some pictures, and enjoyed what was in front of me, as it was falling off the tree branches, falling off the roof, and falling from the sky.

My poor rose bushes.  Well, I do want to replace the small pink bush, and plant a BIG pink bush this Spring.  Pink roses are right up there with the red.

And now for some color.  I wanted to tell you about the coffee that Nel sent her brother in the mail.  It was a 3 month subscription, with coffee from areas all around the world.  The first coffee was Ethiopian, the second was Brazilian, and the third was Costa Rican.  They were sent every month for three months, and came with postcards to read about their country.  They were packaged in colorful bags with different designs.  It was a great gift.

 Jess and Francesca dressed up for Mardi Gras with their festive dresses and masks.

All the men in my family are good cooks.  With Brian baking his banana bread, my son cooking his jambalaya, and Renecke baking his homemade bread.  I can still taste it warm out of the oven with butter and honey.  Brian barbecued some meat and added it to his jambalaya rice.

I took Nel's advice and decorated for Easter a couple months early so I can enjoy it longer.  I'll show you next time, and while it's cold outside, it's warm and cozy inside with candles and coffee and lemon cake.

love you.

~Sheri

Dreams

We had some exceptionally cold days last week, and I just stayed inside a lot to try to stay warm.  It's hard to plan anything when it's this cold.   A lady at the store said that it was 11 degrees that morning!  It even snowed on Tuesday!  It was a light snow, but I'll take it.

I have been thinking of Easter and seeing chocolate bunnies and will decorate soon, just a little.  But I won't use the traditional colors of Easter, just cause I'm funky that way.

I'll never fit in.  That's one of my best qualities.

~Terri Willingham

Nature is bare during this cold Winter, and Jan and Feb are the coldest months up here, but I still see the lovely of the season and warm up once again.

I have had the strangest dreams lately.  I believe that when we have a dream, it is sometimes trying to tell us something, warn us, or comfort us.  There are times when I am dreaming, and then one word will come to my mind, and I wake instantly.  Can you tell me anything you know about dreams?

~Sheri 

Just Because

February is a short and sweet month, and it's still very cold in the mornings, but the sun came out for a few days, so I thought I'd visit the antique/home shop.  I talked with the owner, a, for a long time.  I gave her something special that I've had for awhile, so she can either keep it or sell it in her shop.  You know, when you're my age, you don't really need all those house items any more, and we tend to get rid of things and keep only the items that are close to our hearts.  I made a day of it and went to see the Priest so he could bless the Rosaries that I have.  My friend, Holly, sent me a Rosary coming all the way from France, and can you believe it has red roses?   Jess' Valentine present came in the mail, and I loved it all.  She sent me a box of See's candy, and I can't tell you how much I crave it.   There's not one close by, and I miss going inside the store and just looking around and getting a few of my favorites.  She sent me a loaf of Brian's famous banana bread, and it's so moist and delicious that I've never had anything like it.  A sweet drawing from Francesca came with it, along with a special stuffed animal.  When Jess was little, her favorite stuffed animal at the time was Lamb Chop.  Through the years and with all the moves, she gave it away, but she found another one and sent it to me!   Nel took Mia to Disney, and the kids always have the best time there.  Jess also took a trip there with Francesca.  I cooked some veggies with butter and added pork, and poured them over pasta.  It was a simple and healthy meal.  I came across a painting, and it reminded me so much of me and my children, so I sent it to them.  Even though they are in their 30's and 40, they will always be my valentine.  I hope the February days are being good to you.  ~Sheri

Chinese Food And Pleasant Stories

My brother-in-law invited me to Chinese food, and of course, I said, "Yes!"  I have been craving it lately.  I haven't really dined out during this time, just a few eateries here and there, and it has been about 2 years since I had Chinese food, authentic Chinese food.

There's not much to look at from the outside, but the inside was clean and the food was delicious.  I've been wanting to try this place for awhile.  My son joined us, and while we were waiting for our dishes, my brother-in-law shared stories - one was about his Mother's great grandfather who lived in the very same mountain area as I do now.  He worked as a trapper in the late 1800's, and during that time got attacked by a grizzly bear.   He was injured badly, but still lived his life after despite his injuries.   A great number of Grizzly bears roamed this area at one time, until there were no more.  Although, my neighbor tells me that he saw one in the woods right near my house before I moved in.

*photo from internet

Me and my son have heard the story of the grizzly bear many times, but I never get tired of listening to it.   I appreciate that my brother-in-law remembers where he came from and respects the ancestors that came before him.

When we were leaving, he gave us a bag of old photos that he's cleared out from his Mom's things.  I had many of them, but there was a few that were surprisingly new to me.  When I had pictures taken of my kids, I used to sometimes give the grandmas different poses, so I was glad to get this one back again.   It's Nel when she was 9 months.  People used to call her the "Gerber Baby."

  It was such a pleasant day with good food and conversation.  When we cracked open our fortune cookies, I loved what mine said.

Just Some Happy Things In February

It's really hard to get workers up here in the mountains, so after several tries to different landscapers, my son raked all the leaves, bagged them up, and swept down the walkways.  I was so grateful.

I came across this heart magnet.  It's one of the few things that I didn't label on the back, but I think it was from Jess when she was little.  She was always doing craft projects and making me little things, just like I did for my mom.  I put it on my fridge for Valentine's Day.

Jess made some lasagna soup, and she said it was Yummy!

I don't like to venture out too far up here, cause I'm awful with directions, but I did hear about a river that was close by, and checked it out yesterday, with the help of my son.  ; )  I couldn't take pictures of the river, cause there was no where to park and do that, but it was so pretty.  I did get a few of the creek that runs into the lake.  There's a resting area there with picnic benches.

Tea time with my favorite Palmer chocolate hearts.

    A photo of my girls always makes me happy.  I hope to see them soon.

This cake was from January, but just getting around to showing it to you.  Jess and Brian made the most creative cake for Renecke.

Party favors for the women.

Make-up time.

Those are just a few of my happy things in February.

You are the artist of your life.  Don't give the paintbrush to anyone else.

~Iva Ursano