The Holiday's of 2012

Family Christmas! Our 4 wonderful Grandchildren!!!!

12pm good bye 2012, HELLO 2013!

New Years Eve fun times.

Enjoying New Years Eve with a few good friends. 

Glenn's mirror ball and fog machine...silly isn't he.

Laying down in the snow for just a moment while snowshoeing with Andrew and Sara, by the look on my face you would think I was heading down the mountain,   lol..

Glenn and I are excited to see what happens in 2013 at our house...

HAPPY NEW YEAR READERS11

The search for the not so perfect Christmas Tree!

Each Christmas Season Glenn and I look forward to heading up in the mountains to get our Christmas Tree. For the past few years we have taken Lucy, our oldest grand daughter with us. Lucy has been given the privilege; to pick out and bring home her families tree also.  It's fun to watch her walk through the snow (if there is any) or up the hill trying to find just the right tree. This year she was smart and brought her own tape measure so she was sure to get a 6 - 7 foot tree.

Is this tree the right height Grandma?

We feel very fortunate to live in a area where the mountains are almost in our backyard. Throughout the year this area is our main source of "fun".  Not only do we get our Christmas Tree from the mountains we also enjoy camping, hiking and snow shoeing along with other fun activities :)...

Grandpa wait for me!

If you were to look at our tree, you might smile and think well there is a not so perfect tree, but to us it is exactly what we were looking for. I hope we will be able to keep doing this well into the future with the rest of our grand kids, but I am not so sure all the kids parents will want that oh so, "not so perfect Christmas Tree" for their homes. That's ok we did raise our kids to be "self-thinkers" (that is a whole other post),  so be it, Lol. 

Make sure and tie them on good, we don't want to have one fall off

Our Perfect Not So Perfect Christmas Tree.

No matter what kind of tree you choose for your home, I am sure it's is as beautiful as our Christmas Tree we brought home from the mountains..Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!


   

Halloween was in the house!

HALLOWEEN IN OUR HOUSE

Enjoy taking a look at my Halloween Villa's, I have received from my loving husband over the years.

- Zelda's Wax Museum-

-Village Witch Way Flight School-

-Halloween Hay Ride-

-Black Cat Dinner-

Costumes for sale!

-Trick or Treaters Bobbing for Apples-

-Mickey Mouse's Haunted Mansion-

All of these fun villa's are the creative work of Department 56, the detail is just fascinating to me.  I toy with mentioning to my husband that Department 56 also creates fun Christmas Villa's, but having just the Halloween ones makes them even more special to me. Hope you have enjoyed the photos as much as I like having them set out each Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Betty

Homemade Kahlua

In September I started the process of making my own Kahlua and yesterday November 7th I was finished. After a few taste tests I can assure you it's "some pretty good stuff". I followed the recipe, link below, with a few of my own adjustments added. I used Stoleys Vanilla Vodka and Starbucks french roast coffee beans.

Can't you just smell the coffee boiling in the picture on the right.  Coffee aroma filled the house for the next few days.









As you can see from the photo below, I used a fruit canning strainer because that is what I had on hand. I think for next year I will invest in a beverage strainer, since I had to strain this liquid 4 times before all the coffee debris was gone.  I guess you could use instant coffee, if you didn't want to go through the bother of straining. We are not instant coffee drinkers so that would not work for us. If you are asking yourself how would you know? I would always be saying to myself "I should of used coffee beans instead":).

Kahlua 2012
I reused some maple syrup glass jars I have been saving so some time . 

 Talking to my friend Lisa last night she told me how she likes her Kahlua served. Pour a shot or two of Kahlua over ice into a glass then slowly pour the same amount of 1/2 & 1/2 milk into the same glass then top with a drop or two of some more Kahlua. Yum Yum! I have to say.  

If you would like to have your fridge filled with enough Kahlua to last the winter & to give as gifts for the holidays follow this recipe from Ski Bum Kitchen. 

www.mylikeasaskibum.com/from-the-ski-bum-kitchen-homemade-Kahlua-vodka-and-coffee-deliciousness.

Happy Wintertime!  Betty

 

Found the perfect home for Bamboo!

I have this garden box in the back yard on the east side of our house that has been driving me crazy since the  day we moved into our home. I think whomever built the box there was going to use it as a rose box. Roses are not my thing. A couple of years ago I asked Glenn and Andrew to take out the 2 rose bushes that were getting out of control from the box. Since the roses have been gone, I have played around with what likes to grow in a spot that only gets morning sun and is in a hot spot due to the the house, all with no success.

A group of one gallon Fargesia nitida seedlings



F. nitida in a landscape



pastel blue new culms on F. murielae

Last night Glenn help me come up with a great idea. I have always wanted bamboo in my yard like my son has in the Portland area.  Well guess what there is a bamboo nursery that grows cold climate bamboo and it's right here in Oregon. PERFECT!  I have explored their website, http://www.bamboogarden.com/default.htm, and come spring this is what I will be planting in that problem area of mine.  Bamboo doesn't like afternoon sun, YES, Bamboo takes a lot of water if it's real hot, PERFECT (doesn't get real hot in Central Oregon for to many days in a row), cold climate Bamboo likes cooler night when protected, CHECK!

I am so excited about this and now I have to wait until spring, dang! Check out this book I also ordered today from the above website, who knows maybe I am on to something here in Central Oregon only time will tell. OMG, I hope the deer dislike the taste of bamboo plants:)...two words "Deer Fence"!

Happy Fall,

Betty

Fall Pear & Apple Sauce

It's that time of the year when a good friend brings you pears and apples from her parents orchard in Hood River, Oregon. Thank you!

Here is my super easy recipe:
10 pears
10 apples
1/2 cup organic apple juice no sugar added
Peel, slice up pears and apples add with juice into crockpot. Cook for 6-7 hours on low. Cool down and in small batches blend in blender till smooth. Fill clean, freezer friendly canning jars, fill 1/4" from the top, put canning lids on and place in freezer.

WaaaaLaaaaa Pear/ Apple Sauce!

Note: should be used within 12 months

Halloween Mummies

Just follow the steps on this blog;

http://cfabbridesigns.com/craft-projects/mini-mummies-2/

Here 's the mummies I made today so cute and fun!