Winter Break

    Of all the things we did this year during Winter Break, this is unanimously the favorite. We went to a ski slope several hours from our house on Saturday evening. The boys tried their skill at Snowboarding. The instructor confided in R. that JS is a natural. JR enjoyed it, too, although it wasn't as easy for him. R. hasn't been on skis in quite a few years but thoroughly enjoyed it again.

A. & I opted to play it a little safer and went over to the Tubing park. In spite of my best efforts to discover how one is supposed to attach the tickets to the little wire gizmo, I could not get a clear look at anyone else's in the vicinity. I finally just stuck them on; later I saw how it was supposed to be done- now I know for next time. We managed to get tubes and ride the lift to the top without making fools of ourselves. :)   

I asked the lady behind us what the system was -as there didn't appear to be any. She told me to just pick a line. We picked what appeared to be the shortest line. The employee manning that line waited until we reached the very front of the line to tell us we were in a 'kids only' line. We had to pick a new line and wait some more. My only consolation is that throughout the evening other adults made the same mistake. Honestly, there were no signs or anything to let us poor country bumpkins know!

The wait was quite long and things came to a complete stand-still at one point. I was starting to wonder if we had wasted $50! Turns out the precipitation misting down upon us was making the slope very slick and management had just put in force the no-hook-ups rule... only single tubes. In front of us where several families with very small children who were not able to ride alone. Eventually all the young fry were cleared off the mountain and the line started moving again. With no other choice, A. opted to brave it single file. One hour after arriving, we finally got our first 8 second ride! I wasn't sure what to expect when I caught up to A. at the bottom but she had a big grin on her face.      

We managed to ride the slopes a total of 5 times on our 3 hour ticket. We might have had time for one more but it was cutting it a little close, so we headed back to the ski slope and got pictures of the menfolk instead. Fortunately for us, we all walked away intact; the wailing ambulance was not for any of us.

I think we all agree we'll be doing this some more. Too bad the slope that used to be within sight of my parent's house is no longer there. I don't anticipate taking up skiing myself, but I'd be game for a ski vacation next winter. Of course, my idea of a fun ski vacation is hanging out in the lodging with a cup of hot cocoa and a book or crocheting.   

Of Food & Love

It has been a weekend about food & love.

On Saturday evening we took part in a fondue supper, compliments of tickets purchased at the school fundraiser auction last fall. Since A. loves this type of thing we bought a ticket for her; and since they were sold in pairs we ended up with a 4th ticket and she took a friend.

Lovely time, but I wonder if fondue messes with the memory? I don't remember eating very much of anything, but I came away feeling too full. We had 3 courses- cheese fondue, a broth (for meats & mushrooms), and chocolate fondue. Definitely worth every penny!  

On Sunday evening there was a Valentines banquet at our church. I was in the wrong line when they were handing out talent for decorating, but I still appreciate a job well done by others. Lovely atmosphere, despite our [normally] less-than-romantic fellowship hall! Baked potato bar... words fail me to describe the crowning glory- the dessert table. Let's just say I was a bit too full again. And we even had some Fudge Truffle Cheesecake leftover to bring home. Better yet, I avoided having to play the "shave the balloon" game; is there a phobia word for hating the sound of popping balloons? If there is, I have it. I was quite happy to help with clean up instead.

Yesterday -being the actual holiday- called for another celebration of food. We prefer to make a special meal to enjoy with our children at home rather than fight the crowds going out. A. decorated the table and I spent the day preparing food. A quick search on the internet yielded the idea for this awesome Chocolate Mousse Brownie Trifle.

My version is really quite simple. Consists of cubed brownies, mousse, whipped topping and fresh strawberries. Destined to become a family favorite.

My sweetheart broke tradition of avoiding overpriced roses and brought home 20 red roses- one for each year we've been together. Beauty on a stem.

We were the lucky winners of the babysitting prize last evening. A sweet niece we all love to cuddle. And what could be better than to play doll for a few hours and then send her home so we can enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep?! Apparently our children have no memory of details like the internal clock that wakes a baby precisely when the family is sitting down to eat. The educational aspects of the experience did nothing to dim A's longings for a baby sister.

As I drifted to sleep last night, I ruminated on the differences between my life at present and what I expected it to look like by now. For one thing, we don't have life figured out; we still don't really know what we're doing. They say you can find anything on Google, but it hasn't helped with my life riddles yet! *The one thing I begged God repeatedly not to send my way is now a part of my life- a child with a disability. How He must have smiled at my shallowness! No, I can't handle it, but He can. I still don't want these shoes, but I wouldn't trade what we've learned along the way. *Does God have a sense of humor? Surely, because he sent us a son who loves to hunt. Me, who could have been voted in High School as the least likely to ever go hunting, bonding with a son in the fields. Who would have ever guessed I'd now have a camo dress? Too funny. *I couldn't imagine I would have a daughter who would be good at things I am not good at, like decorating and loving on babies. *I did not desire or expect to be so familiar with the D word. Depression. Nor realize how it spills over into all areas of one's life. *I could not imagine the friends who would migrate in & out of our lives. We have lost contact with a few, but we have maintained so many friendships. It gives me great pleasure when my children enjoy hanging out with our Hillcrest friends as much as we do. It makes me smile that my closest circle of friends includes 2 other ladies transplanted from my home state. *We had no idea that what we thought was love back then was really only the tip of the iceberg. Only a heavenly Father could know the right mate for me; mold and shape us until the time was right for us to meet and fall in love. I am blown away by the commitment that sustains us through thick & thin. No, my life doesn't look the way I thought it would, but in many ways it is infinitely better. 

"Courtship is like looking at the beautiful photos in a seed catalog. 

Marriage is what actually comes up in your garden."   

Silence

The silence from my corner of the world is indication of activity, not a lack thereof. I am up to my neck in cookbooking again. My days consist of typing & formatting recipes, making recipes, & taking pictures of the results. Right now I have nothing to show for my effort besides a very large file on my laptop. From this -hopefully- a delightful family cookbook shall evolve not too many months hence.