A Beautiful Day in Arizona

My brother, Brad, and his wife, Teresa, were visiting us last weekend so Sunday morning I took Brad on a hike up the trail at Pinnacle Peak. It was a beautiful day...perfect weather...and everything looked so lush and green. There were lots of flowers and other blooming plants.

Now I know that in most parts of the country you would never call this mountain green...but trust me...come summer, this mountain will be much more brown.
I just love the contrast of the brown rocks, the green cactus and the blue sky.

So if you ever come to Arizona, be sure to take a hike. We have lots of mountains with groomed trails for every level of fitness.

Happy Valentine's Day

I kept this tinsel tree out when I put away my Christmas decorations because I thought it might be cute for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I now have to find a place to store it.

Happy Valentine's Day

Kiss...kiss...make a wish!

Won't You Be My Valentine?

I love red...and hearts...so Valentine's Day is a holiday that has my name written all over it. Any excuse to decorate a little.

Today I am going to finish sewing an apron for the new book "More Retro Aprons". I will give you a sneak peak soon.


Have a great day
Bye for now
Cindy

Happy Birthday Leanne

I can't believe it...but today is my older daughter's 26th birthday. How can this be? The time has gone by so quickly.

It seems like only yesterday she was here playing with She-ra, My Little Pony and Rainbow Brite.

Now she lives in LA and will be starting law school in the fall. She is a wonderful daughter; full of joy and laughter.

Leanne, you are my sunshine!

Love you,

Mom

Rainy Day Soup

This is the chicken soup the Holly Holderman mentioned in her blog on January 28th. She asked for the recipe so here it is. It was such a treat to have Holly and Penny visit. I got this recipe from my friend Judy. She is a fabulous cook. She calls it Chicken Chili but I don't really like that name. I think of chili as being red and thick with red beans and lots of chili powder. So lets think of a new name for this delicious soup. 2 lb. chicken breast cooked and shreaded
4 cans Navy beans (rinsed) use White beans if you can't find Navy beans
1 T. olive oil
2 med. onions chopped (I always use sweet onions)
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
8 oz. can chopped green chilis
2 t. cumin
1 ½ t. oregano
¼ t. clove
¼ t. cayenne
6 c. chicken stock
3 c. shreded jack cheese (reserve 1 cup)

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add everything else and simmer for a couple of hours.

Top with some or all of the items listed below:
chopped cilantro, green onions & tomatos
sour cream
avocado slices
reserved cheese
tortilla strips

These toppings are great because the soup is pretty beige without them. And each person can customize the soup to their own taste.
Bye for now
Cindy

Christmas Eve

Around the House

It is Christmas Eve day...so here are a few more photos from around the house. Above is the grapevine snowman that hangs out by my front door. Two of the trees have white lights in them.

These are the cookies we make every year. Daughter Elizabeth made these. They are Nabisco Chocolate Wafer Cookies dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermints. These "no-bake" cookies are super easy to make and look very festive.

Pretty packages under the tree.

And finally, the tree. We put ours in a urn which is great because it holds so much water. The tree itself is held in place with large river rocks. I like how the urn lifts the tree up so there is more room for packages. I used 3 strands of green stranded icicle lights for a total of 900 lights. With this type of tree, a Noble Fir, icicle lights make quick work of putting the lights on the tree. Simply lay the strands on the branches towards the center of the tree and pull the individual strings out towards the tips of the branches. It looks really beautiful at night.

Bye for now,

Cindy

Christmas Eve Eve

Around the House on Christmas Eve Eve

I have been busy decorating for Christmas for several weeks now. I think I am finally done. The boxes are put away, the gifts are wrapped, the cookies are made. Now it is time to relax, entertain a few friends, share photos with you and enjoy having my girls home for the holidays.

Bye for now

Cindy