Oscar Night.

Sunday night was Oscar Night.  This night rivals that of Superbowl Sunday in our home.  We are not huge March Madness fans, creating brackets and making bets, but we do make a little bet on Oscar night.  Not to brag, but in the past I have been very wise when filling out my ballot and have reigned victorious.  Eric claims that he loses because he opts to pick the nominee he feels should win, not which one will necessarily win.

Needless to say, I continued my winning streak.  And as for our bet.  Husband will be making me dinner AND cleaning it up after  :)

Cookies.

For Christmas my mother in-law got me a subscription to Food Network magazine.  Dream come true, the first month I received was titled, The Chocolate Issue!  A batch of cookies were in order. This was the first successful batch of cookies that I have made.  And even more amazing, I baked the whole batch...without just eating all the cookie dough first.  

A healthier way to do things.

My sister has completely reinvented the way she eats, and has found some great new and healthy ways to make delicious meals.  One of her recent obsessions is to make her own chicken stock.  Surprisingly easy, but not often done because it takes so long.

I decided to give it a try using a crock pot instead of a stock pot on the stove.  This proved a bit unsuccessful.  After about an hour, I moved it back to the stove.  The broth needed to boil.  

Here is what I used:

• 2 split chicken breasts
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 small unpeeled onion  
• 1 head of garlic, unpeeled chopped in half
• Several whole mushrooms
• fresh parsley
• oregano
• basil
• salt and pepper
• Water

You basically combine it all, let it cook for 5 or so hours and you have a delicious chicken stock to use in soups and cooking.  My batch made about 3 cups of chicken stock.  I took out the veggies and made it into a delicious chicken and vegetable soup. It takes time, but it produces quality!

A Snow Day.

On Monday I was blessed with a snow day!

1. Enjoyed some coffee while watching Twilight (don't judge)

2. Made some dark chocolate chip oatmeal cookie dough

3. Started a good book

4. Baked bread

5. Made a feeble attempt at making some Brazilian meat, rice, and beans

6. Caught up with a wonderful friend

Mid Week Joys

 Despite the fact that February is the shortest month in the year, it feels like the longest.  Last week felt very long.    My students brought all their energy, every day.  The stomach flu traveled from classroom to classroom in our little school.  And tiredness plagued me all week long!  The weekend was quite welcome. Despite all this, God still throws special moments into my life to make it all better.  Friday I had one of those moments.

  I have shared some special drawings from my students from time to time.  This one takes the cake, and made my heart smile!

A Winter Wonderland.

It took 3 months of up and down temperatures for us to finally have a bit of snow!

Grapefruit Joy.

One of my favorite things on this planet is fruit.  This weekend I was surprised by a box of delicious fresh grapefruits and oranges from my wonderful grandma and grandpa's fruit trees in Arizona.  Needless to say, this brought great joy to my life.  The oranges are already gone.

A Great Man

My husband is a great man.  Here are 5 reasons why...

1. He wakes up with me every morning, makes me coffee, and drives me to school (even though he may not have class until 11:00)

2.  He lets me watch ridiculous shows like Dance Moms, Toddlers and Tiaras, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

3. He vacuums, takes out the trash, and puts away the silverware for me.

4. He consented to play the donkey in my little nieces and nephew's nativity play.

5. He loves me so much, even when I'm a challenge. 

An Afternoon Walk

While our friends and family are experiencing freezing temperatures, ice, and snow; We are enjoying an unusually mild winter in Virginia. A Sunday walk was definitely in order.  

The sun was shinning, the sky was a deep blue, and I was with my man, true beauty.