Cutie pie

This is my sweet niece.  She was more than happy to let Aunt C take her picture (unlike some of her cousins, who run screaming when their mom gets out the camera!).  :-)

At last!

This is from a music store on the way to my MIL's sister's house in Louisiana.  I have wanted to get a picture of it for a long time--I think it's cool--but I forget my camera or pass it by or SOMETHING. So, finally, this time I got it.  Ahhhhhhhh.  :-)

Trains

Guitar hero

This "hippie" is my own "guitar hero"--my dad (with a little extra hair that my SIL let him  borrow).  :-)  Colby, you are such a hoot to think of this! :-) 

Today

We've spent today with my family.  Here are a few pics--all SOOC since I'm not at home to edit.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Per Sharon's request, here is the recipe for the pie. :-)  It's from "Mrs. Field's I Love Chocolate! Cookbook."

We use a frozen pie shell (shhhhhhh....that's a secret!)

The filling:

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 T plus 1 t flour

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t salt

1/2 t ginger

1/8 t cloves

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2 T vanilla extract

One 15-oz can unsweetened solid-packed pumpkin puree

1 cup half and half  

Beat all that in a mixer (adding the pumpkin and half and half last, after mixing the other stuff a bit).  Pour into chilled shell and bake at 350 for 40 min or until center is set.  (It usually takes ours a lot longer!  Cook until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean.)  Cool on a rack until room temp.

Chocolate topping:

Place 4 oz semisweet chocolate (we use chocolate chips) in a small bowl.  In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 T sugar to a simmer, then stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour hot cream over the chocolate.  Let stand, covered, for 5 min.,  then stir until smooth.  Chill the chocolate topping mixture until thickened but pourable, about 30 min.

Pour the chocolate over the pumpkin layer and chill the pie until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour.

And there you have it!!  :-)

MAJOR progress!!

Well, this has been a fantastic morning!  We chose a contractor AND the insurance company called and said they cut us a check this morning!!  WOW!!  

PRAISE GOD!!

Update:  To complete my wonderful day, the contractor said he could start by the middle of January (yes, folks, that's only three weeks away!) AND I finished my Christmas shopping!!  WOO HOO!!  :-)

Rorschach test

OK--what do you see here??

Well, maybe TWO more

The girls and I made bon bons this afternoon--so I have a few pics from that.  And my very silly son provided a nice photo op for me and I couldn't resist.  :-)

One more

Hmmm....I seem to go in spurts with this blog.  I couldn't stand to stop on a sad note, so one more for today! :-)

I have received many Christmas cards this year with pictures of friends and their families and even nice letters telling about their lives this year.  I had good intentions, I really did.  I took the kids to the park and took pictures of them--then narrowed it down to two and got stuck.  They were different styles and I liked them both.  I eventually talked myself out of sending out cards all together--blaming the hurricane.  Wonder how long I can milk that excuse??  If you don't see a card from us next year, know that I managed to get a two year pass on sending out cards (from Ike!)!  ;-)

Well, I will consider this blog to be my modern-day replacement for Christmas letters--at least for this year.  So, I will post the two photos I liked best.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great year!

Pear tree

I looked out the window yesterday and noticed that the leaves on my pear tree were red and green. :-)

Fog

Horse riding

H had her second horse riding lesson today.  She is really enjoying herself and I think she's learning a lot--not just about riding, but also about taking care of horses, the equipment, etc.

H riding my mother's horse

Looks like Rudolph has had a tough time lately.

K's little snowman

K with her little snowman

A rooster

My budding artist

This dog loved J--he was giving him a doggie massage with his monster trucks!  :-)

H learning about horses

Misc snow pictures

OK--a few more from the snow.  I only post a few at a time because I usually only have a few minutes at a time to work on posting pictures.

This is a statue of Joseph and Jesus at a local church.

E and her new friend (I got the idea for this picture from one Laura F took.)

A swing

Railroad tracks near the house

Various plants in the yard: