Sam's Throne, Arkansas

During our visit home, we set aside time for a day trip to Sam's Throne in Northwest Arkansas to do some climbing.  This year, my brother and sister-in-law got to come with my parents and us.   It was so fun to have them along!

Of course, we brought the dogs too... 

and those wild things loved it!  

Crazily enough, Austin had NEVER been climbing.  Here he is on his first route!

 Then Amy took her turn for her first send as well.

(Side note - gotta love that BLUE sky!)

Nice job.

Of course Jarod's laps up and down Windy Arm Buster. Where's Waldo Jarod?

Sam's is just too gorgeous.

The overlook is incredible from the top of the ridge.

 

I like that Amy and I have matching Marmot down jackets :)

Aww, Mom and Dad.

This is Jarod and I from our day trip in 2009.

 

And this is Jarod and I from the recent trip in 2010.

 

Aww, Sam's.  You make us so happy.  

Highlights from Christmas in the Ozarks

I got to have great, face to face time with two of my close friends, Megan & Becca.

My sweet mother-in-lawlove & father-in-lawlove took us on the annual trip to Silver Dollar City to see the Christmas lights.

This picture of the Garrett family (my sister-in-law) cracks me up!  I pull out my camera, and simultaneously, the boys hide and the parents smile.  I can't help but laugh.  Too cute!

Sippin' that wassail! 

Me & the Hubs. 

Mr. & Mrs. GingerBread

 We are rarely cheesy, I promise :)

Colby & his Durwood

And just a few days later, Colby lost his FIRST TOOTH at dinner!

Spicy Potato Sausage Soup

My New Year's Resolutions list is very long.  And I am excited about every single item on that long list.  As I have inspected my list over the past few days, I realized that I am adding lots to my life.  So, in order to be successful with my resolutions, something has to give - meaning I am giving up and taking out of my life a few things, in order to make room for the new.

The first thing to go: BAKING.  Sad?  Yes.  Necessary?  Absolutely.  I weighed the pros and cons of my baking love, and the bake shop came up lacking.  So, it's outta here.  As fun and relaxing as baking is for me, it left my kitchen in a heap of a mess and too many extra calories hovering on my counter tops. 

So as a fair compromise, I am taking on COOKING.  Isn't that nearly the same thing?  Not at all.  Cooking is a whole different world.  Cooking with whole foods is nutritious and challenging.  I had been slacking off in the dinner department.  But no more.  We must have dinner and there is no MUST for dessert and other baked items. 

So, yesterday, I scoped the pantry and the fridge and assembled this recipe for a cold, rainy day soup.

Spicy Potato Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped in 1/2 in. pieces
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, whole
12 oz sausage, medium spice
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 Tbs butter
4 Tbs flour
5 cups milk
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups white corn
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs chicken soup base
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:
1. Place potatoes, carrots, celery and all garlic in large pot.  Cover with water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 15-18 minutes.  Drain carefully (not letting chopped garlic escape!)  Place about 3-4 cups in separate bowl and mash with fork.  Place remaining cooked veggies in another bowl.
2. While veggies are simmering, cook sausage and onion together in frying pan, until sausage is no longer pink and onions have browned.  Set aside.
3. In original large pot, melt butter.  Add flour and stir together well.  Slowly add milk and water.  Bring to boil.  Boil 2 minutes.  Whisk in soup base and dissolve while boiling.  Add spices.  Whisk in mashed veggies.  Stir in onion & sausage mixture and corn.  Slowly add remaining cooked vegetables.  Heat thoroughly.  Serve with hearty bread.

Back Home and Back on the Grid

I took 17 days off from all things that plug in, charge or in some fashion, half-heartedly connect me with people.  And it was a nice break.  No Facebook, no phone, no status updates, no blog posting, no email, no tweets, nothing.  And during those 17 days free of electronics, I relished true, face to face time with the people I love and care about.  It was a perfect way to end the 2010 year.

Now... ring in 2011 and here I am, laptop in hand.. Ha.

So during those 17 days, Jarod and I traveled back to our hometowns in Missouri and Oklahoma.  We hopped in the car December 16th and 31 hours later (I-40 closed down somewhere around Albuquerque, New Mexico and we were delayed a few hours by snow and ice) we were sitting on my parent's couch.  Then it was a whirlwind of multiple Christmases, lunch dates with friends, dinners and games with family, Holiday movies, shopping, and lots and lots of food.

On the trek home, we took our time, meeting up with friends from OKC and caravan-ing west together, and sharing a hotel on the Arizona border.   All of which made today (our first day back in LA) not feel like we are in a sleep deprived, hazy jet lag; also meaning less recovery time from the vacation!

I can also say after 16 nights in other beds, I had some wonderful sleep with my own pillows and blankets last night.  It was a great Christmas Vacation with our family and friends, but I am so glad to be back at home in Southern California!

New Year's Resolutions.. a Bit Early

Just kidding. 

Actually, I am on the far, far other side.  I can always think of at least 30 things that I want to change/improve/alter in my life. 

I have New Year's on the brain because this week, I am meeting with all of my students one last time before the Christmas Break.  And I have been discussing their resolutions with them.  So, inevitably, I start thinking, "Well if I am asking THEM to do it, I ought to take my own advice..."

SO - While we still have a couple of weeks before the big New Year's Day, it's not too early to start thinking of some ideas for 2011.  I have just a couple on my list so far, {including: Read "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Anne of Greene Gables"; start Taiga's classes towards a certified Therapy dog; and complete one Beth Moore Bible Study.}  I'll be sharing the rest closer to the Big Day. 

But I am curious to know what's on your upcoming resolution list?  I love being inspired by other people's ideas.

Cookies, Cookies & More Cookies

What could be better than baking on a warm, sunny Saturday morning?  Baking with a friend on a warm, sunny Saturday morning.

My dear friend, Heather arrived at 9:30am at my gate, holding a big red bowl of cookie cutters.  Together, we conquered dozens of Sugar Cookies and Mint Chocolate Crinkles.

First the laborious task of Sugar Cookies- Mixing the dough, running to Albertson's when you realize you left your baking powder and almond extract in Utah, chilling the dough, understanding and using the role of parchment paper correctly and effectively, adding the proper amount of flour to avoid stickiness, and also avoiding overworked dough, etc., etc.  Needless to say, a big task.  But, one that is aided with Egg Nog, also from mid morning run to Albertson's, and laughs from a friend.

 

Sugar Cookies

2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups shortening

3 eggs

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 small carton sour cream (8oz)

5 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

1. Blend sugar and shortening until there are no lumps.  Stir in eggs individually.  Add extracts.  Gently fold in sour cream. 

2. Combine dry ingredients. 

3. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix thoroughly.

4. Refrigerate 2-3 hours, or place in freezer 30-45 minutes.

5. Work only 2 cups of dough at a time to keep stiff and workable.  Keep remaining dough in fridge.  Generously coat with flour while rolling out dough, also roll dough between parchment paper to minimize sticking.

5. Bake 6-8 min. at 350 degrees on ungreased cookie sheets.  Remove from oven before edges are light brown.

6. Allow complete cooling before frosting.  Can be frozen until desired frosting date.

 Now onto Mint Chocolate Crinkles.  Relatively easy compared to the multi steps of Sugar Cookie-ing.

Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs 

1 tsp mint extract

2 tsp vanilla extracts.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

powdered sugar

1. Stir together cocoa, sugar & oil. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in extracts.

2. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add dry mix to wet and mix thoroughly.

4. Refrigerate dough 2-4 hours or place in freezer 45 minutes.  

5. Roll dough into 1 in balls, coat thoroughly in powdered sugar and place several inches apart on baking sheet.  (My cookies weren't spreading as nicely as I wanted, so smashed balls with a spoon before placing in oven.)

6. Bake 10-12min at 350 degrees.  Let cookies set a few minutes on pan before removing to cool.

Recent Book Fails

Swing... and a miss!  Swing... and another miss!  This has seriously been my luck with books recently.  Striking out!  Apparently my internal-book-picker is off, very off.  Here are my recent misses:

Most recently, (just finished this last weekend):

I suppose... with a title like "Wicked", you should expect a dark book.  And, quite dumbly, I was caught off guard by it's darkness.  I was actually grossed out a bit in a few parts.  BUT, what most irked me in this book (and I had similar feelings regarding "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand) was, that it is really a Philosophy book, cleverly disguised as a novel.  I'm all for Philosophy books, and I have to be, my husband is one of those Philosophers, BUT please don't try to package that in a story form!  When I opened this book, I wanted a story, a story from Oz.  But really it was a debate on the nature of evil.  And this book was filled with animal rights agendas and just entirely too political for me.  Hmph.  I was thoroughly disappointed.  

Ball 2:

A classic!, I had heard.  Every person should read this book!, I had also heard.  Life changing!  Translated in hundreds of languages! Read by millions!  Whelp, personally, I was bored.  I am just not a fantasy, mystical-ly kind of girl.  I had a hard time not laughing at this boy's encounters with the sun and the wind and desert and his sheep.  All his dreams and destiny, bleh.  It seems, if anything, this story would best be told outloud, at night, around a campfire, by an Indian smoking a pipe or by an African with a thick accent.  THEN, I might buy into it.  But for now, I'm just not drinkin' Coelho's kool-aid.

Does anyone have a good book they could toss my way?