My Favorite Pizza

     Does there really need to be any explanation here? I think not, the photos tell most of the story - homemade crust, rolled thin and topped with sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, bacon, onion, green pepper and a sprinkling of parmesan - only thing missing right now is the aroma and the taste!

Girly Gifties

     These were simple but fun Christmas gifts to assemble for the females in my family. There are quite a few sisters and nieces, and although their ages range from eleven to sixty-five, each and every one appreciated the "punny" tag and the scented shower gel from Bath & Body. 

    

Story Stones

     A drawstring pouch full of story stones was my Christmas gift to DIL, the teacher. I had seen variations of these on Pinterest and found them fascinating. As the holiday approached, I ran out of time to search for stones from their natural state, but did find a bag of them at the pet store in the aquarium supplies aisle! It was quick work, and fun, to paint some simple images with acrylic paint and then apply a coat of ModPodge. 

     As an afterthought, I typed up a short instruction card, (below) placed it between sheets of laminate and placed it in the pouch as well.

     I so enjoyed creating the stones - culling through them and allocating appropriate shapes and images. Hopefully the first-graders will love them as well!

Pop'sTarts

     Pop was done with Christmas cookies. He mentioned in an off-hand manner that an apple pie sounded "real good". Well there weren't enough apples in my pantry to comply with that request but to humor him I did chop up the two remaining Golden Delicious, stewed up a sweet filling, and rolled out dough for about a dozen homemade hand tarts. They looked similar to the commercially made Poptarts, but boasted a flakier crust and a thicker, chunkier content. The house smelled quite cinnamon-y and Pop had enough pies for at least a week.

     The New Year resolution to lose weight was put on a back burner...at least until next week when the new treadmill arrives.

Scant Snowfall = Exquisite Photo Ops

     In mid-November, an early front brought a morning of flying snow flakes. When the flurries ended with just a scant accumulation,  I stepped outside with my camera, not really expecting any outstanding photographic opportunities. However, I wandered around the back yard and took a few shots, which, when viewed later inside on an HD monitor,  were very pleasing. Instead of conventional winter scenery, I had chosen to take close-up shots. Since it was early in the winter (or technically, late in the fall!), several types of foliage still lingered on trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses and these had captured the snowflakes in quite an appealing manner. The varied textures were fascinating and the flora's earthy hues highlighted the pristine white of the tiny drifts. I was enchanted with effect.

Jingle Bell Reflections

     Packing away holiday decorations is a sad task in our house. The season seems an awfully short time to enjoy the special colors, sounds and smells we enjoy so much. However, I often pause and reminisce while wrapping certain treasures in preparation for storage, and often a little cheer is restored. Case in point is this framed photograph. The jingle bell frame was a gift from dear friend, Trudi, which initially I deemed rather garish but because I love Trudi, I packed it away and hoped that someday I might reconsider. Which I did! Recently coming across an old photo of me and my three younger sisters with Santa, I thought immediately of the frame. I enlarged the photo, slipped it behind the glass and was delighted with the juxtaposition of the innocence and joy of a childhood Christmas, and the sparkly, jingly bells. (And I remember that photo session in 1960 - there was a fan blowing to help Santa keep his cool and little Judy's hair kept blowing in her face!)