Another 39th Birthday

Today is my mother's birthday. She is turning 39 years young once again! Doesn't she look fantastic!

Mom has three children; one son and two daughters. Mom had me when she turned 40, so that makes me the youngest in the family. I was a surprise to say the least. Mom didn't expect to have anymore kids, let alone at the age of 40! I was born in '69 and having a baby at 40 in '69 was not the norm. Poor mom worried the whole time she was pregnant with me and get this, she even prayed for twins. Bet you're glad that one didn't happen mom......he, he. One of me was enough! The twins thing comes into play because my siblings were much older than I. My brother was seventeen when I was born and off to college and my sis was fourteen at the time of my birth. So siblings as playmates I did not have, but it all worked out in the end. Mom went back to work when I started kindergarten at the age of six. Mom worked full time from that point on for the next twenty years or so. I always wondered why mom was so tired when she got home from work. Why she would get dinner done and then sit down and take a nap. Well now I get it! I now have a year of full time work under my belt and guess what, I now fully understand what "tired" really is! I have the utmost respect for what my mother did and sacrificed all those years ago! Mom, you were a wonderful role model! I hope you know how much I appreciate all that you did for me growing up and for the wonderful mother that you continue to be! Happy Birthday!

Mom is an amazing cook!

Mom and I in 2007.

Snowy Commute

A snowy blanket covered our valley overnight. This was the view that awaited me on my morning commute.

Taken through the front windshield.

I actually stopped to take this one.

As I made my way out of the valley and up and over the hill, I encountered a wall of fog. Fog and snow on the same morning and very, very slick roads!

Snowy Sunset

We have not received much in the way of snow or even rain here in our little valley in Nevada. It tried to snow late Thursday night and into the early morning on Friday, but alas there was just a tiny amount of snow on the ground Friday morning and it had all melted off by noon. The mountain range in front of our house to the east was a pretty sight on Friday evening. I was not home to see it, but Countrychick captured these shots before the light faded and the color vanished. She did an excellent job!

May you enjoy a simple and quiet Sunday!

Comfort Food

I have always been a fan of a good grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. In recent years I have discovered that canned soup does not agree with me. Many of the soups have MSG in them along with a list of other ingredients that no person can pronounce let alone want to eat. I, for one, can not tolerate MSG! It does strange things to me and I end up feeling miserable! We do not eat prepacked foods in this house, nor do we eat a lot of foods with preservatives or additives in them. I try to meal plan, shop for the week and cook from scratch every single day. At times, since going back to work, this has been a challenge as there are nights I want to just open something, heat it up and serve it, but I really, really try not to do that. The fresher the better and cooking from scratch is how I show my family I love them! I am not a health food nut, I'm just proactive about what I choose for myself and my family to eat. So back to the soup....I love tomato soup. I found a recipe in the January/February issue of Simple & Delicious that I wanted to try. I finally got around to it today and it was wonderful! I served the soup with a grilled ham (nitrate free) and jack cheese sandwich on multi-grain bread. It was a wonderful lunch! Hayman refuses to eat tomato soup of any kind, but he did try this one and gave it a thumbs up. (he would prefer it if I added some meat to it, like ground elk burger or Italian sausage and I might try that in the future.) Countrychick gave it a two thumbs up as well!

Creamy Tomato Soup

2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes (good quality, organic if possible)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

A dash of hot pepper sauce

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook and stir over med-low heat until heated through (do not let this soup boil!) Ladle into bowls and garnish with croutons, grated cheese and sliced green onions. (I just garnished with the grated cheese and it was very good.) Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich for a yummy and comforting meal!

Enjoy!

Talk to the Paw

I was sitting on the couch with the computer this weekend when the cat jumped up and made herself right at home. After awhile, she was pushing on my leg trying to move the computer. When I wouldn't take the computer off my lap, she gave me the paw!!

I Really Like...

This Song!

Snap Shot

As I was heading to work one morning I noticed up ahead of me this swirling, misty fog. It was actually at the top of the hill that leads out of our valley. The sunlight was bouncing off the clouds and hitting the fog giving it a very mysterious look. I stopped and snapped this photo with my camera phone. Happy Sunday!

I Don't Make

Resolutions! But if I did, I think one for 2010 would be to blog and post photos in a timely manner. The following photos were taken in the last four months of 2009. I was just going through photos on the computer when I came across them. The first four photos were taken on a camping/fishing trip that Hayman and Cowboy M. took in late September. The first photo shows a spectacular view from one of our favorite fishing spots.


These trees are up at an elevation of about 8,000 feet. In the fall they change to beautiful gold and red hues.

Cowboy M. took this shot by accident. Hayman was just releasing his catch when the camera went off. The shot couldn't have turned out better if planned.

Cowboy M. enjoying a little quiet and some good fishing. His work schedule keeps him very busy, so sneaking away for some fishing was a treat!


The photos below were taken in October. Countrychick attended her first formal dance. We had to go shopping for the "perfect" dress and shoes for this event. It was a big deal with a dinner before at a friends house and then all the girls getting ready together.

Countrychick is on the left and her best friend J. is on the right. J's boyfriend B. is in the middle. He escorted both girls to the dance.

Group shot of all the kids before they headed out the door and into the chilly night. Everyone had a great time and danced until the clock struck midnight.

I hope to be better with my posting in 2010. I miss blogging on a regular basis, but I find that work is taking more and more of my time and I'm not sure I enjoy that to much. I like what I do, but I need to remember to balance the need for fun, personal time and work. I was on vacation this past week and guess what....I didn't do a thing that I didn't want to and that included cleaning the house! I just did what I wanted too do and it felt good. Couldn't go anywhere as the car is out of service due to a bad CV joint, but staying home was rather nice (Hayman and I did make a quick trip to the big city for some shopping, but it was only a quick over night trip and he drove the truck and I rode and read my book). Also getting the car fixed over the holidays was next to impossible since everyone who owns a shop and their uncle was taking time off and I don't blame them for doing so. Tomorrow it is back to the working world and the auto repair shop!

Happy 2010!