A Good Ol' Texan Arctic Blast

It rarely snows in Texas...maybe once a year? We get ice usually. I don't remember getting much last year but this year it came early. It began to sleet Thursday evening and went through Friday morning. The roads were frozen solid and people were slipping and sliding everywhere. Fortunately, I had already asked for the day off several weeks ago because we were to get our back splash installed today but...they cancelled. So, I got to stay home all warm and snugly all day! I've been able to catch up on a lot of things but also be lazy too! I practiced a little with my camera shooting in manual as well. 

I would like to get a macro lens for my camera so I could get better close ups. 

Penelope loves the snow and ice. The ice is so think her paws don't even sink into it! Poor thing hardly has any hair so she needs her sweater when she goes outside.

She tries to eat the ice. She loves water and can't really figure out why it's frozen.

It is a winter wonderland out there. Perfect for being cozy.

Cheers! 

A Nice Little Snow Day Here In Funky Town

The first snow of our winter season has arrived. It is not often that it snows in Texas.  When it does, I love it. Everything seems so peaceful.  I drank my coffee and looked out the window for quite some time watching the huge snowflakes fall from the sky. Then, I realized that my 2 gardens were exposed and I was not at all prepared for this freezing weather! So, I hurriedly put on my winter gear and my rain boots and covered all my plants.  This is actually the first time that I have worn my rain boots. I got them for Victoria but since my luggage was already packed to its fullest, I had to leave them behind.

 Since it was rather wintry outside I felt like having comfort food for dinner. So, I cooked up a new recipe that came in my cooking light magazine this month. It is a little different, but so good! I present, Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash!

Oh, I have also been holding out on you guys. I CAN"T believe that I have not posted a picture of my very own hand carded and hand spun yarn! So, for the big reveal, here it is!

Now, for the hard part, what do I knit with it?  I was able to spin about 100 yards but it is very thin and delicate. I am thinking I need to make something dainty with it. It definitely has a dainty vibe to it.

I am afraid I may be withdrawn from blogging for a week or so. I have plans to paint my living room. Oh, it is a drab and dreary dark green. What on earth was I thinking in the first place for painting it that color to begin with? Well, I am on a mission this year to get every room painted and freshened up! So, I begin with the living room!

Cheers and Happy Winter!

S*N*O*W

When I woke up this morning and looked out side, this is what I saw. Everything was quiet and still. It was beautiful.

You may even think that I woke up here!

These are the marshmallows I made. I made them pink for Valentine's Day. Perfect in a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day!

Ah, a winter wonder land.

Cheers!

Shoveling Snow In Texas, Seriously?

This winter has been a winter to remember! It has snowed at least 4 times, which is a lot for us down south. The snow has been insane too! I think we got about 7 inches so far, the most we have had in 30 years. It is still snowing, it has been snowing since 3 am, and it is not expected to stop until midnight!

So, I ventured out in my Jeep to go to work this morning. I was proud of my Texan self being able to successfully make it to work despite the odds. But really, I don't mind driving in the snow. It actually puts me in a good mood. I love to see the huge snowflakes hit the windshield of my car. They are so magical and they make me wish I wish I were in Santa Fe!

I got off of work a little early today and the drive home was not bad either. The hard part was getting up my driveway. I tried but had to park it on the side of the street while Jeff and I shoveled snow. Out of all my almost 31 years, this is a first for me. It was fun.

The dogs love the snow too. I guess Millie was not too keen about the depth of it, it is the first she has seen snow this deep too. But, Luna loved it! She tried to get Millie to play along but she was not having it. I have a video of this but am having trouble posting it, I will try to post later.

By the end of the day, the Chiminea was covered in snow!

Snow put me in a cooking spirit so we had raspberry grilled chicken on a bed of almond rice pilaf with roasted broccoli. Yum! The chicken was very good. Here is the recipe for you (perfect Valentine's Dinner!):

1/2 c. raspberry vinegar

1/2 c. red wine

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce

1 tea. black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

4 cups cooked brown and wild rice pilaf (I used near east toasted almond pilaf)

fresh or frozen raspberries for garnish

In a large baking dish combine, vinegar, wine, worcestershire, garlic and pepper. Place chicken in dish turning to both sides. Cover and refrigerate for one hour, turning after 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill. Grill chicken over medium-hot heat turning halfway through and brushing frequently with marinade, for 15 minutes.

Arrange chicken on the hot pilaf and garnish with raspberries. This is a South Beach Recipe!

I also made marshmallows this evening to get in the spirit of Valentine's Day. Perfect with a cup of hot chocolate on a snowy day! I will post pictures tomorrow after they are done setting over night.

Here are some action shots of Jeff dusting the snow off our satillite. There was so much snow built up on it that it kinda went on the fritz this evening risking our visual stimulation for the rest of the night!

Despite his efforts, it did not work. I suggested he take the water hose to it. So, he braved the cold and it worked! When we thought that the satillite would be down all night I tried to get him to watch The Lost Boys with me instead but he was not having it. My poor parents had to rent a hotel room because they lost power!

Ah, the woes of snow. I love it!

Cheers!

White Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, North Texas experienced "blizzard like" conditions! It snowed hard almost all day. The wind blew hard and when I was driving home from work, I saw snow drifts, yes, snow drifts in Texas. Ha. It was great...a white Christmas. I cannot remember the last time we had one! This is what the newspaper had to say:


More than 2 inches of snow was recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on Thursday, according to the weather service. Areas to the northwest were walloped, with 8 inches falling in Nocona in Montague County and 5 to 6 inches in Wichita Falls.

Gusts of 50 mph caused blizzard conditions rarely seen in North Texas.

"It’s extremely rare," said Daniel Huckaby, a weather service meteorologist in Fort Worth. "To get both the heavy snow and high winds that cause a blizzard is a very unique event here in Texas."

Dallas-Fort Worth last flirted with a snowy Christmas in 2004 and 1997.

But the last time the Metroplex was socked with a true, New England-style dose of snow on Christmas Day was Dec. 25, 1926.

"I think it’s more in the Christmas spirit. It is beautiful," said Connie Smith, 41, of Fort Worth, who loaded groceries from Central Market into her car during the snowstorm. "I can’t believe it was 70 yesterday and snowing today."

When I woke up Christmas morning, made the bed, and pulled open the blinds, I saw little foot prints in the snow. I knew that Jeff and I had not been out walking in the yard so I figured it was one of the neighborhood kids, they love playing in our yard for some reason. I like to watch them play so I don't mind. So, I looked to the left of the foot prints and saw the cutest little snow angel! I was a rather perfect looking snow angel and I loved that one of the kids made it in my yard. It put a smile on my face. They must have thought that would have been a good spot for a snow angel. Ha! I meant to take a picture of it, forgot, and then by the time I remembered, it had melted.

The dogs love playing in the snow too!






I made the King Arthur biscuits again. They turned out better this time, probably because I did not have the same distraction I had last time, thank goodness!






I also made marshmallows. Again, another second attempt and they turned out better! Marshmallows are fun to make and honestly not that difficult to make. They are great in coffee. I sprinkled toasted coconut on top of them.





Jeff and I met my parents this afternoon for lunch. It was yummy! I brought over a few of the biscuits. My mom made the annual Sunday Brunch Casserole, this is just too good for words! We also had tamales, cranberry jello, and roasted veggies. It was delicious! After a nice long visit and gift exchanging, Jeff and I came home and had a movie marathon at home. We were going to watch the new Sherlock Holmes movie but it was sold out! It was a lovely Christmas day. Now, I am anticipating the arrival of my sister, brother-in-law and niece. I can't wait!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Winter Wonder Land?

Well, this is Texas folks....and it is snowing...in March. Normally Spring is starting to set in and it is nice and sunny. The naked lady bulbs in my garden were even beginning to bloom. The daffodils were already in full bloom. My lavender and aloe were also starting to bounce back from the winter. But, I can't say that I am surprised really. There is that saying we have here, "Don't like the weather, then just wait a minute". Okay so, on Monday it was like 75 degrees. Then on Tuesday we had snow...just a nice light snow, nothing big. Wednesday..in the 60's and sunny. Today...first we start with rain in the 40's and end up in the low 30's by mid afternoon (and the temperature just keeps dropping) with snow and huge sleet like I have never seen before. Then we ended up with snow the size of a quarter and that just does not happen here. It was nice because I got to leave work early and will probably go in late because the roads will be icy and slippery in the morning. Now, I am going to cozy up with some hot cocoa, watch the food network, and do a little embroidery.

These are, not so great shots, of the snow. This past weekend was so nice that I got birdseed for the birds but, as you can tell there is not a bird in sight. They are too cold!

Maybe I will make some chili tonight for dinner, that sounds warm and yummy!

Cheers and stay warm!!! :-)