Fizzy Pop

So Todd and I bought a 24 pack of these special bottles of Coke from Costco a few weeks ago. Do you know what makes them so special? They are sweetened with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. They are also made in Mexico…muy especial! Todd says he can taste the difference, less bitter than the normal version. I guess my palate is not as refined as his because I can’t tell the difference. What I can tell the difference of is the price, they are twice as much as the canned version. Though, I think it was worth it for the experience, the bottles are fun to drink from. They are almost too pretty to recycle, so if you have any creative solutions on what to do with all these bottles, let me know!

All but the last picture were edited with Picnik, a fun & free tool to play with!

That’s Amore

We have a thing for making homemade pizza every Friday night. After trying several recipes, we found the perfect one a couple years ago and now we are hooked. Since Valentines is here I decided to make our pizza look extra special. I think it turned out pretty good!

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Since I warned you about my randomness, here is one of my favorite things in the house. It’s a sheep statue of all things! I have a couple other sheep figurines, but this one was a gift from my Mom.

Honey Roasted Almonds

I got this recipe from my parents. They are really good!

2 cups almonds

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tb honey

2 Tb water

2 tsp vegetable oil

Roast almonds @ 350° 12-15 minutes (start low with hot oven)

After a few minutes:

Mix salt & sugar in med-large bowl

Mix honey, water, & oil in medium pan, bring to boil

Stir in roasted almonds & continue to cook until liquid is absorbed (be carful not to burn)

Transfer to the sugar/salt mix in bowl and toss to coat

Cool on wax paper

An Apple A Day

I must really be at a loss for words, I am posting pictures of an apple 🙂 Have you noticed it’s been almost 2 weeks since my last post? Probably not, but I have! I’ve been busy with life and forgetting to take pictures along the way. The busyness is due to the wonderful friends in my life. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many good people! So for now, I hope you enjoy this apple and anything else I decide to post because I am feeling very random.

Winter Wonderland

I couldn’t help it, I had to take more pictures of the frost. Here are some of my favorites!

Frozen Beauty

I love frost! Well, I love to photograph it. I enjoy capturing something that makes even the ugliest, most boring stick, look beautiful. Of all the beautiful frosted things in the garden, a few spider webs really caught my attention beaded in ice. They looked like diamond necklaces sparkling in the sunlight.

In case you haven’t noticed I am drawn to God’s creation, He truly is an amazing artist!

Animal Captions

I found a few more silly captioned animal pictures. I can’t get over how CUTE that frog is! He is very expressive for an amphibian.

In case you didn’t know: srsly= seriously 🙂

Christmas Vacation: Finale

On our way home from Crescent City we headed to Portland to visit with my grandparents and then later on with my Aunt Rexine & Uncle Dave. It was neat to be able to spend some quality time with each of my relatives. It had been awhile especially with my aunt & uncle. That night we drove to Shelton to stay with Todd’s Mom again. The next afternoon we stayed around to spend time with Tom, Cindy & Todd’s sister Kali.

I have to say this is one of my favorite trips back home. We got to visit lots of family and see so many beautiful places along the way. The Lord kept us safe, kept the passes clear and even delayed the snow the day we left Washington. Thanks for praying and thinking of us on our journey and thanks for hanging in there for my two weeks of vacation posts 🙂

Christmas Vacation: Part 6

Only one more post and then on to something else, I promise 🙂 After we left Sacramento, we headed up the 101 to the Redwood National Forest. Our first stop was the 315 ft tall Chandelier Tree which we got to drive our little car through. We then took the Avenue of Giants route where we saw lots of giant redwoods. It was overcast and raining, but still beautiful.

After the redwoods we continued on to Ferndale, CA. This little town is known for their unique Victorian village. I loved the colors and architecture of the old buildings.

Our last stop for the night (before our hotel in Crescent City) was in Eureka, CA to see the Carson Mansion. I remember watching a California’s Gold episode about it and wanted to see it in person. It looked really beautiful lit up at night.

… end of the trip next