DOG DAYS OF WINTER

I did a little vignette on a table in my family room, something to capture the essence of outside the window right now.  A big lack of color, bare trees and shadows on the snow.  Maybe I should spread some bright reds and yellows and blues around to brighten up the place.  I think February is one of the harder months for many to deal with, that sort of halfway point between the start and end of winter.  I really don't mind cold weather, I sort of roll with it.  And gloomy days are taken in stride, I think of them as days to just cozy up inside and have a good excuse to be lazy.  But lately it gets a bit lonely around here; busyness keeps me occupied and I am running out of ideas for busyness!

When the girls were young we made handmade valentine's with the usual construction paper, lacy white doilies and lots of glitter.  We hung drugstore hearts on the windows and baked cookies with pink frosting.  I really don't decorate at all for the occasion now.  I lean towards pink and red flowers and candles, and I have cute little XOXO decoration on my front door, but that's it.  It's probably good that I cut back from December until spring! lol!  I usually find one or two bunnies to add to my collection then, and I have already seen the critter Pier 1 has out this year.  Oh, my.  I think it's more hare than rabbit.  I can't wait to grab him up!

Good old Tulo came to visit yesterday and brought his owner, my son.  This dog is always panting, 24/7, no matter the time of year.  When he's not slurping down Milo and Layla's water, he cries to go out.  This was probably his third trip out to my backyard, and he would just lie in the snow chewing on sticks he managed to find buried.  He's a big, lovable polar bear.

Little Layla developed some complications from the ear infection she had a few weeks ago.  She was scratching at the left ear and shaking her head a lot, the way we do when we get water in our ears.  So off we went to the vet this afternoon and it turns out she has a lot of debris in the ear left over from the infection.  He put some sort of oil plug way down in it and this dissolves everything.  She has it taken out in two weeks.  I think she has a crush on Dr. Bauer.  I've been going back to him instead of our original vet, who is a female, as he treated her from the start of this infection.  She used to nip at the other doctor but lately, when cute Dr. Bauer walks in, her tail wags, her ears go back and I swear she bats her eyelashes.  Did I mention he was cute?  Oh yeah, I did.  ;-)

Do any of you eat when you're bored?  We start off in January with such good intentions and before you know it, the refrigerator is a constant source of entertainment.  My addiction to sweets has gone down drastically lately, I'm not sure why, hormones?  I'm not going to question it, that's for sure.  But I like something small between meals, usually something salty, and almonds just don't thrill me all the time.  The other day I made a little spread to eat with veggies.  I pretty much followed the holiday appetizer my mother always made, stuffed celery.  

She simply mixed softened cream cheese with chopped green olives (with the pimento), and spread it on whole stalks of celery.  We loved crunching on these while we waited for the ham or turkey to be ready.  So here is simply 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, a 6 ounce jar of drained and chopped olives, and a pinch each of garlic and onion powder.  I kept it covered in the fridge for a few days with a plastic container of cut up celery next to it.  Oh yum...creamy, salty and tart.  The perfect snack.

And I made the most fabulous dinner the other night as well.  It's a variation of a recipe I found in a new cookbook of mine, Skinnytaste.  This is a fantastic book filled with recipes that have been trimmed down of fats, sugar and processed ingredients.  I really only changed it because I didn't have some of the ingredients and it wasn't going to stop me.  In a nutshell, I made a dry rub of:

1 t. garlic powder

3/4 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper

*Tip...I really don't measure much anymore when it comes to herbs and spices.  Measure a teaspoon of salt or pepper in your palm.  You will then get a future idea as to what that amounts to just by looking at it.  And if you want more or less of something...go for it.  

I used the rub on a 1.5 pound piece of flank steak, which is super lean.  I really think you could use boneless chicken breasts or even a nice piece of salmon.  Let the meat sit for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, make your vinaigrette:

3 T. fresh lemon juice (the recipe suggests 2 T. lime and 1 lemon)

2 T. olive oil

1 T. minced scallions

1 T. minced fresh cilantro 

S & P

Shake or stir.

I used a grill pan to cook the steak over medium to high heat.  Use a thermometer because the thickness of your meat will vary from mine.  I cooked each side for 10 minutes to have a medium rare temp.  Let the meat rest for 5 minutes and then cut it against the grain in to strips.

While the steak is cooking, assemble your salad.  I made 2 plates that started with a layer of romaine.  I then added some minced shallots and halved cherry tomatoes.  I think you can do what you want with this part.  I then spooned some of the vinaigrette over the greens, laid a few slices of steak over that, and then topped it off with the remaining dressing.  As I said, I divided this over two plates for The Husband and I, and I had a lot of extra meat which I'll use in one way or the other.  

I'm still working on a Pinterest button.  Feel free to cut and paste or come back next week when I hopefully have it.  

 

I just caught Layla going to town on a rawhide bone, she must be feeling better.  The little monster.  

And I'll end with really exciting news.  Tomorrow morning Mary Clare's labor is going to be induced.  I am beyond excited, the whole family is.  A new generation of B's!  Say a prayer and the next time I come back I'll have a few snaps of this long awaited miracle!

Jane x

GIFTS, SNOW, FOOD & MANY BLESSINGS!

Thank you for all of the sweet Happy Birthday wishes.  Between my trip downtown, which doesn't happen too often, and then a really great day on my actual birthday Tuesday, I am feeling so spoiled!  I spent that day just hanging out in the kitchen (my favorite place), making cupcakes which I pretty much gave away to everyone and anyone (as I certainly don't need them lurking around here!).  I made a big pan of mini-cupcakes, vanilla with a cream cheese frosting...

...and then some larger ones, simply because they are less tedious than all those little ones you scoop out from the batter by the teaspoon.   I'm lazy like that.  

  At the last minute I invited Emily and Mike over for dinner.  Sounds strange to be making your own dinner on your birthday but The Husband and I splurged and had a culinary feast over the weekend... I still wanted to do something fun.  I made lasagna, a salad and crescent rolls.  And we had cupcakes for dessert of course.  I probably shouldn't even show the table I set...someone set their plastic cup of ice water down.  Well, real life intrudes.  :)

I won another giveaway.  Oh my gosh!  I should be playing the lottery!  This beautiful handmade pillow came from my "Best New Friend", Vera, from Row Homes and Cobblestones.  We "met" just a few months ago.  Have you ever read comments on a blog you are visiting and just had a sort of feeling about the person...as if you knew they could be a friend?   That's how I felt about Vera.  I had to go to her blog.  We commented back and forth, emailed, and soon found we were soul mates.

She made several pillows for her recent giveaway and chose two winners.  Each pillow was different and so beautiful.  The one I liked the most (and it was so hard to decide), was this one and the gorgeous inscription on it is, "Life Is But A Dream", in Italian.  Love!

I wanted you to see the fringe on the ends.  Wow, you just don't see that too much anymore.  This pretty pillow has taken center stage on my living room sofa for all to see.  And the candy...sorry, The Husband snatched it up before me, I guess that's a good thing.  Thank you Vera! :) 

On to some food, but not a recipe.  I thought I'd make mention of the popularity I've seen of roasted vegetables, especially in the fall, and also in the summer on the grill.  However, I was always disappointed in my results making them.  The veggies came out either hard or mushy.  Some were dried up beyond recognition, so unlike the vibrant pictures I saw in magazines and cookbooks.  The truth is, not all veggies are created alike.  After a bit of experimentation, I came up with a great method, and we had the most delicious dinner recently that cast a whole new light on oven roasted vegetables. 

 I browned chicken breasts (bone in) in a saute pan with olive oil.  This seals in the juices.  I removed the chicken from the pan and set aside.  I then added some roughly chopped root vegetables...carrots, turnips, and parsnips to the same pan.  They caramelize a bit that way, releasing sugars.  I put the chicken breasts in a casserole dish, arranged the veggies around them, added a few sprigs of rosemary for flavor and a pinch of S & P.  Covering with foil, this baked for a half hour at 350 degrees.  You can omit the chicken if you want a meatless meal, very easily done. 

  Now that you've baked (and steamed with the foil) these fibrous sort of veggies, you can add the softer, quick cooking ones.  I did asparagus, leeks and cherry tomatoes.  I drizzled everything with a little olive oil and seasoned with Mrs. Dash.  Love this stuff!  Cover with the foil again for 15 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.  Perfection!! 

I thought this was great.  It sounds like a lot of work but it's not.  I actually did the chopping and sauteing while I was putting groceries away, using up the vegetables I had in the refrigerator to make room for more.  This is foolproof.  I hope you try it.  I still haven't figured out the Pin It button but I thank all of you for the help.  I just need someone computer savvy to help.  In the meantime, you can always cut and paste the recipes and I would be so flattered! :)

Little Elsie has not entered our world yet and Mary Clare is a trooper, still working full time, just waiting it out.  The original due date is February 11, but because the baby is growing by leaps and bounds, a delivery by caesarian was contemplated.  Right now it's a "wait and see" sort of thing but I know it's weighing on MC and Kevin's minds.  Say a prayer and let's keep counting the days, hours and minutes!!  My friend Cindy from Applestone Cottage made this gorgeous little dress for Elsie.  You probably remember that Cindy and I became blogger friends way back, six years ago in fact.  We meet up personally every year.  She has taught herself to sew in the past few years and has been churning out clothes for her two granddaughters like crazy.  She has a grandson on the way, can't wait to see what she comes up with.  She never stops!!!   This is darling and the little sash ties in a bow in the back.  Thanks, Cindy!

And as if you can't have enough thoughtfulness from blogger friends...thank you Melanie from Comfy House for the birthday card.  That and the recent giveaways I've won, how lucky can a girl get?

I grocery shopped today.  Before you think I'm some sort of hero being out there in 13 degree weather, consider this.  There have been good, good people in our community driving around with shovels and sand helping others stranded in drifts and plowed in driveways.  Just randomly driving around, helping where they can.  The big plows come by and basically make a wall of snow in front of our homes and driveways.  With the bitter cold, it's so hard to shovel.  I've gotten stuck backing out, but I have years of experience and have done okay getting out of the mess.  Abby has gotten stuck a few times trying to back out of the driveway.  The Husband and her boyfriend, Tom, were trying to push her car out yesterday when a good Samaritan driving down our street jumped out to help.  Wow, it makes you believe in humanity again.  

Well, off I go.  Let's hope for a warm up here and good wishes for the East coast yet again.  Be safe.

Jane xx

A BIRTHDAY AND THE 2015 CHICAGO BLIZZARD

Snow days.  Abby and Tom were off work today after our winter storm, all Chicago schools closed.  The weather people were very cool...the warnings came on Friday with great hour by hour updates.  By midday Saturday, we knew what to expect and when.  I love this shot...Tom snoozing, Abby grading papers, and Milo managing to sleep on not one, but two pieces of furniture.  A balancing act.

For my birthday celebration we headed downtown on Saturday morning at about 10:00 a.m.  This is a picture of our room.  I took it, it's not from the website.  I love the pink plaid chair, kind of funky, and the headboard.  The opposite side of the room held a dresser/cabinet with a big TV, and most importantly, the little mini fridge.  You know, the one with the little bag of cashews for $12.00, and a bag of M&M's for $6.50.  My must-have can of Diet Pepsi Sunday morning set us back $5.50.  Grrrrr.... 

  Off we went to lunch shortly after checking in.  Look way up...this is the John Hancock building, 100 floors and 1,506 feet high.  The Skybar on the top floor is absolutely a must if you visit the city.  

I was so thrilled when Bloomingdales came to Chicago.  I've been to New York just once, I was 19 years old.  Going to Bloomingdales was a dream of mine and I distinctly remember only being able to afford a pair of knit winter gloves.  Then one came to Chicago...yay!  The store is so endearing to me!

This is where I planned for us to have lunch.   It is right around the corner from our hotel close to all of the great shops on and near Michigan Avenue.  And that is the place to be for anything and everything.  I've always loved Ralph Lauren for his American style...classic, a bit preppy, but not pretentious.  His restaurant didn't disappoint.

I absolutely loved the restaurant...gorgeous gilt framed portraits (of whom, I'm not sure, nor did our waiter), and various pieces of fine furniture, like this large cabinet and filled with old books and and antiques. 

I had to sneak in an appetizer or else The Husband and I debate and hem and haw forever.  He's not crazy about trying new foods or ways of preparing them.  Thankfully,  he really enjoyed this  Beef Carpaccio with Lemon Oil, Capers and shaved Parmesan.  So good.  And that's arugula...I'm really becoming a fan of it.

The Husband had a spinach salad with a piece of seared salmon served atop.  I had the Eggs Benedict, it was before noon and brunch items were available.  We were both in heaven.  Mimosas made everything extra special. :)

The Husband...my personal Secret Service Man.  We went to Water Tower Place.  For my birthday gift I simply wanted two things; a saute pan and a stock pot.  Laugh, I know.  I like to buy my pots and pans "al a carte".   Off we went to Sur la Table.

This is a cooks paradise.  Not as showy or commercial as Williams Sonoma, and I really do love that shop.  But I was seriously looking for a great saute pan and I had a criteria that I won't bore you with.  Yikes...the one I had my eye on was well over $200,00.  Back to the drawing board.  I finally found one within my budget and am totally thrilled with it.  Also, a stock pot, as I brought my only one up to the lakehouse since I'm always making pasta and potato salad in huge quantities in the summer when we have guests.  I also added a few wooden spoons and some cute red and pink sprinkles for Valentine's Day baking.  And these were my wonderful birthday gifts from The Husband!  And take note...those little crocks you see above are NOTHING like the dollar bins at Target, if you know what I mean!!!

Yes!  We did four 'o clock tea at The Drake Hotel.  I couldn't include all the pics but it was just a beautiful setting with flowers and pretty tables, silver and china.  We were seated right next to a fountain with cherubs spewing water from their mouths (is there another way to put that elegantly?)  We each had a different sort of tea (can't remember now), and a three tier stand was brought with small savory bites, and sweets such a macarons, biscuits and pastries.   Lemon curd, Devon-shire cream and jam made everything perfect.  We really loved every bit of our experience.

We had a little down time in our room, just resting and watching a little TV.  I had a great bit of advice from Suzanne from Privet and Holly.  She suggested if we did the tea, that we simply enjoy a bit of night life and get appetizers to nibble on rather than dinner.  And this was our plan...hence, the super nice lunch at RL.  At about 8:30 p.m.. we dressed a bit more formally and went downstairs to the bar area.  It was alive with a good many friendly people. and with The Husbands dry but fun personality, conversation flowed with those around us.  We had a few "small plates" as they are called;  fried calamari and delicious chicken fajita egg rolls.  Beautifully presented, too. 

 All the while, I was looking out the windows at the snow falling.  Okay...time for a walk, it was so beautiful.   The Husband wasn't so keen but we agreed to walk across the street to The Drake Hotel (once again) and we spent an hour in Coq D' Or, listening to a wonderful singer reminiscent of Frank Sinatra.  We loved it.  :)

Of course we knew the forecast and the weather people were right on target.  A lot of snow fell Saturday night...more so south of downtown where we live.  A 25 minute drive took over an hour but The Husband drives so carefully and knows this route to and from work.  This is our neighborhood after we got off the treacherous expressways.  Pretty, but we had to be so careful.   

I had to share some snow pictures...as if you haven't been "pictured out" already!  That's my picnic table and the big old pot that held my four tomato plants last summer. 

And my hedges around the patio.  Snow sculptures.  I think I see a few animals!  And these will be here awhile as we are getting down to as low as 16 degrees this week.  Total snowfall in inches in my area...22 1/2 inches.  Ouch.  The Husband used the snow blower to not only clear our driveway and sidewalks, but also a few elderly neighbors and some families not home.  Even with the plows...many people have gotten stuck in snowbanks along our streets, including Abby just tonight.  So much snow...piles reaching six feet high on each side of the street.  I will get more pictures tomorrow.  It's not going anywhere with the cold temps this week.   Brrrrrr...

Finally, if all of you are not exhausted by my pictures...here is my Layla content in peering out the window at the people shoveling, snow blowing and chatting as neighbors do when they are drawn together in a common crisis.  And the plows, which she is afraid of...so bark bark bark!!!

Thank you for all of your birthday wishes.  Tomorrow is the actual day and I'm celebrating with a visit to the eye doctor.  Still praying for the safe arrival of Kevin and Mary Clare's baby girl!

Jane xx

Joining Jennifer at Chronicles  Of Home 

Brenda at Cozy Little House Tweak It Tuesday 

PIZZA TIME AND A WINTER WEEKEND BIRTHDAY BLIZZARD WARNING

I was surprised to look at my blogger dashboard today and see that this is my 600th post.  My gosh, that's a lot of writing considering most of my posts are like essays!  Have you noticed I'm trying to write more often?  And I've been spending an hour in the morning and most times, an hour in the evening visiting blogs.  It's a nice balance.  I want to thank all of you ladies who have followed me on Instagram, I've followed all of you back (I think).  I'm a little new with it all so bear with me.  I'm also working on getting a Pinterest button on my pictures...the sort that pops up in the corner when you hover over the picture.  It's difficult and I've failed a few times figuring it out.  I thought everyone had a Pin it button their toolbar!  Well, if I ever get the button up and running, I'll let you know.  

I know most of you know Maria Elena from Our Home Away From Home.  I was the lucky winner of one of her recent giveaways.  If you know Maria, you have probably been amazed by her many talents...from crafting to sewing to decorating her beautiful home.  One of the gifts I received (and packaged so prettily!) was a sweet collection of handmade gift tags.  They are precious!  I already have some ideas for using them with some homemade gifts of my own, and to give my little nieces to include in a few valentine's for their besties.

Maria makes the most beautiful pillows.  The first three pictured here are the ones she made for me.  I love the Paris theme on the fabric in the first one, and then the red and gray pick up those colors.  I had a stash of pillows that I wasn't using so I just popped out the forms and everything fit!  I love how bright they make my family room look on these dull days.  Thank you, Maria!!

Oh, goodness (I can hear you saying), she's cooking again.  I just don't know what else to do with myself all day long.  I wake up to an empty house and then The Husband and Abby don't arrive home until about 6 or 7 p.m.  I hope to get into a better routine by next week; gym first thing, cleaning, laundry, make ahead meals for the weekends and getting more reading in.  I've felt like I've been floundering around since Christmas.  I can't seem to focus on one thing for very long.  When I'm busy running errands and preparing for this or that, I long for a lazy day at home.  And then when I'm home for a day or two without plans, I'm climbing the walls.  Do you feel that way at all in the winter or is it just me?

Last week Emily made a delicious and healthy pizza and I shared it with you on my last post.  I was in Trader Joe's Wednesday for just a handful of things as I was in the area, and I saw a bag of arugula.  I remembered Emily using it on her pizza, so I grabbed a bag along with some other things that sparked my idea for a healthy pizza and out the door I went with my little brown bags.  This is a couple of big handfuls of arugula softening and shrinking in size in just a few tablespoons of water in a hot skillet.  It literally takes about a half minute.  

I've made pizza dough a few times but I was sort of intrigued by the bag of Trader Joe's fresh dough so I grabbed one.  The instructions say to roll the dough out but believe me...that never works.  Pizza dough needs to be stretched...that's why you have that iconic picture in your head of the Italian, mustached man in a chefs jacket, tossing and twirling the pie in the air.  S-t-r-e-t-c-h it!  Smack the ball of dough down in the middle of a lightly oiled pan.  Use one hand to hold the pan down firmly and the other to push and pat the dough towards the edges.  It will tear and you'll have holes but you just have to keep at it.  Patience.  ;-)

What I really wanted to fiddle with was the sauce.  I've never made my own pizza sauce and I wondered, what's the difference between the sauce you might have on spaghetti or ravioli, and what you have on pizza?  I scanned thorough a lot of recipes on the Internet and in some of my cookbooks.  The common denominator?  The texture, the use of tomato sauce and the addition of brown sugar for sweetness.  The tomato sauce gives you a smooth creaminess that spreads well over the pie.  I always use a pinch of sugar in my tomatoes when I make a sauce as they can be bitter when cooked slowly.  Brown sugar is a bit of an earthy sweetness.  The catch here is that I didn't have tomato sauce so I used a large can of crushed tomatoes.    It's a different result but I'll happily make it again this way.

Healthy Pizza Sauce

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, and 2 chopped  garlic cloves.  Saute until onion is softened.  Add a large (14.5 oz) can of crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of dried fennel, and a pinch of salt.  Let the sauce simmer on low heat for a least an hour.  Remove bay leaf.

I put the pizza together by spreading most of the sauce over the pie, then I added sliced mushrooms and arugula that I had steamed a bit together, sliced tomatoes, shredded pieces of Prosciutto, a palmful each of Parmesan and Mozzarella.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before cutting.  This was so good.  I wish I had doubled the sauce to freeze.  Next time!

Tomorrow we are leaving for downtown at about 9:00 a.m.  And wouldn't you know it..my area has not seen more that 3 inches of snow since winter hit.  And this weekend they are warning us of a  blizzard!!  Well, as our weather people say, "A winter storm warning."  Well, I have a warning!  This is my 'winter weekend birthday' and no amount of snow is stopping us.  Take that, you 5-9 inches of white stuff!

I'll be back next week to tell you all about it.  

Jane x

GIVE ME SOME SUGAR!!

Hello, sugar!  I was saying that a lot on Saturday as I made one batch of cookies after the next.  It wasn't such a bad deal, I had a great movie channel on in the living room and caught bits and pieces of Must Love Dogs and The Other Woman, both of which I've never seen.  The first was so heartwarming; I love books and movies that touch on the quirkiness of family life.  The Other Woman was pretty bad, but Leslie Mann is hysterical, a really great comedic actress.  It's worth watching just to see her in action.  And my little Abby, who usually holes up in the family room, jumped on the couch and spent the most part of the afternoon watching these movies between stealing fresh baked cookies cooling on the counter.  

Have I mentioned she's in the midst of getting an apartment with three of her girlfriends in March?  Yes, just north of the city near Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs.  You did hear of Ernie Banks passing?  So sad.  Mr. Cub.)  As she is my last baby...my caboose, I've been feeling really sad about this.  I know we raise them only until they get their wings to fly.  And all the advice says that we just give them the best we can til takeoff.  At first I thought it was silly.  A waste of money.  Plus, all of her friends and her boyfriend are here south of the city.   And I don't want to be the mother that is always bringing up my past to my kids, "Oh, I did this and I did that."   Learn from my failures instead of making your own.  But I do.  :(  I made the move to Chicago from the suburbs/country in my early twenties and my gosh, after the first few weeks of excitement, I was so lonely!  And I had no money to enjoy much of anything.  Yes, there are many free things to do in the city, but we exhausted all the museums and architectural tours on field trips in grade school.  And I was so inept at taking care of myself.  I remember throwing a can of soup at the wall in a fit of anger because I didn't own a can opener.  

So just as I ease back and make up my mind that I have to put on a positive face and support her in all she does, she starts to confide in me that she is worried about money, worried about her apartment-mates, well, all sorts of nagging worries.  Abby is a thinker.  She's disciplined and hard working.  But as the baby, she's been pampered far longer and much more than the rest of my kids.   I want her to be prepared.  I want to buffer her against all the hard knocks.  I want her to have a can opener.  

She went away to college for one semester.  I cried all the way home after we got her set up in her dorm, and then broke out in huge hives.  Every time I walked by her bedroom I thought I would see her in there, doing homework and listening to music.  I slowly got used to it and then the phone calls started to come.  She was bored.  She was lonely,  She was scared.  She was angry.  I drove the three hours down there to pick her up for Christmas break and she was standing on the curb with all of her bags packed.  She never went back.  She got her degree here on the Chicago campus.  I guess I truly know, I'm not worried about my heart, I'm worried about hers.  

So, I did good...7 dozen cookies.  I got smart and used a small round cookie cutter in addition to the heart shaped one which was so big!  Ha!  And I decorated a few without the melted white chocolate.  Again, you can find the link to this really great sugar cookie recipe here. 

I am living with the two biggest health nuts alive right now.  Since Abby is gone at work 12 hours per day, she really has to pack a lot of food to bring with.  She shops twice a week for fresh fruit and veggies in addition to what I buy when I grocery shop.  She usually has two smoothies a day, a salad and various types of nutritional bars.  She has a hot meal here with The Husband and I for dinner.  And The Husband?  Well, I told you he is trying to get fit to go on a big hiking trip, son Jeff, is putting together for the spring.  I keep telling Jeff, "You are 32 years old and he is 62.  Give him some slack!"  But Jeff never lets anyone off the hook.  "He has four months to build his endurance."  The Husband doesn't know our son and I had this convo.  He re-joined the gym last week and has been going every evening.  He went out and bought some good work-out clothing, thankfully, he had been wearing the same old lounging pants until I thought they could walk to Goodwill themselves.  And he bought a FitBit, the less expensive version that is synchronized with the IPhone.  It counts his steps/miles, calories and number of hours he sleeps.  It can probably count how many times he peeks in the refrigerator.  

Saturday I demanded he take me out to dinner after all of the cooking and baking I had been doing.  He totally agreed and I'm sure it was because we had a Christmas gift card for an Italian restaurant nearby.  As I was getting ready that night, he bounded into the bedroom in his jogging pants, a zip up athletic jacket and his ear buds around his neck.  Jogging in place he said, "I thought I'd run home from the restaurant!"  Oh, dear God.  The man has lost it.  First of all, I informed him, you can't go into a restaurant dressed like Bruce Jenner from the 1980's.  Secondly, he wouldn't be able to walk much less run after eating the portions they serve at this place.  And thirdly, I wasn't going to try to drive his hot shot, recently bought, two year old Mercedes home when I've never driven it before, never will and don't even know how to get the key in the ignition (I never learned to drive the two seater "Spider" either).  He can have his fancy cars.  Well, his face fell a bit and he went to change.  The man is insufferable.  

Me, I'm going to go back to the gym as well, honestly.  I have to bide my time, with his joining and having to pay 3 months at a time...well, I'll work that into the budget later this week! ;-)  I did promise myself that if it was over 30 degrees today, I would take a long walk outside.  I awoke and grabbed my phone to check the temps.  28 degrees.  Saved!! 

Daughter Emily has cleaned up the bad eating habits going on in her home as well.  She keeps this basket on the kitchen counter so she and Mike can make good food choices.  She knows a little bit about presentation, too.  Makes it look all the more enticing. ;-)

She cooks quite a bit and she's rather good at it.  She texts me pictures of what she's up to pretty regularly.  This came in a short while ago.  A store bought crust with sauteed zucchini and arugula, topped with sliced tomatoes, turkey pepperoni and a bunch of good Italian spices, then finished off with mozzarella and Romano cheese.  Now why wasn't I invited over?

  

I've been meaning to post this picture of Emily, a selfie she took on New Years Eve before they went out.  Isn't she cute as a button?  I always called her 'chocolate chip eyes', and you can see why.  I think she looks so much like my mother.  :)

We are not having bad weather at all, just a lot of slush as snow comes down and melts.  We are praying for everyone on the east coast...what a monster of a storm they are expecting and we are no strangers to that...so be safe if you are in that area.  I'll be back soon.

Joining Tweak It Tuesday with Brenda at Cozy Little House

Jane x