God blessed us with an unplanned pajama day yesterday as our yard and roads were coated with a thin layer of ice, 5 inches of snow, and a finishing touch of graupple. I usually bustle about on Saturdays, running errands and "making groceries" (that's a term for you, Amandy), but not yesterday . . . pj's and a hoodie, the whole day! A forced day of rest was perfect, because I've battled a dandy cold all week. I would've purchased a whole bottle of DeLuce's Deliquescence, Flavia's Foup Formula had I been able to find it . . . instead I've popped Benadryl and Claritin capsules all week long.

Besides the normal pajama day activities of reading and snoozing, and watching the first three episodes of a new SciFy show called Caprica, Pops and I did a little cooking in the kitchen making a loaf of sausage bread. My co-worker friend, Debbie, shared this recipe with me a few years back . . . I never got around to trying the recipe until a couple of weeks ago.

Sausage Bread
1 loaf of frozen bread dough
turkey sausage
green peppers
diced onion
garlic
grated mozzarella cheese
Italian seasoning
1 whipped egg
Note: no particular measurements given, except for 1 loaf of bread and 1 egg . . . Debbie is one of those cooks like Nana Jane who just adds until it's right!

Spray bread pan with light coat of olive oil and let bread dough thaw for about 5 hours. When the bread is thawed brown ground turkey sausage in pan and set aside. Saute green peppers, diced onion, and diced garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Roll out bread dough to make a pizza like crust. Sprinkle browned turkey sausage, peppers, onion, garlic, and mozzarella cheese on the dough. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the whole thing. Roll bread dough, pinching the ends of the loaf together as best you can. (Pops was a great helper here, as we loaded our bread roll so much that the goodies were being pushed out of the ends of the loaf as we rolled!) Place roll in bread pan. Brush an egg wash over the loaf. Bake for 25-ish minutes at 350. Let the bread roll cool a little bit before slicing it . . .

We've eaten the bread as is, but we added a marinara sauce as a side-dip yesterday. Mmm . . . so delicious!

Now it's Sunday, and as is usually the case in NC when it snows a bit, our world is at a stand still. Pops and I hit the driveway early this morning to chip away at the ice and snow so as clear a path out to the driveway so that the sun could do it's thing this afternoon. It reminded me of how the plows would clear one lane around the track at the SoHi football field to help with the melting process. It's been awhile since I've thrown snow and chipped ice, and I'm sure that by mid-afternoon, I'll be adding a little Advil to my Claritin regimen. That's alright though . . . I have thoroughly enjoyed this weekend of snow . . . the beauty of God's creation never ceases to be totally amazing!

our twitter-er

Josiah definitely loves living life! His verbal skills have exploded; and he tells you about everything he is doing and/or thinking. It's hilarious. Pops nailed it the other day when he described Josiah as being a child of the current technology generation . . . calling Josiah a "twitter toddler" . . . only Josiah's tweets are verbal. So funny ~

Here are a few pics from our morning's "adventure" to Marbles, a very nifty, creative play museum in downtown Raleigh. Josiah was full-speed ahead; Bella just enjoyed people watching.

Pajama Day

Tomorrow, Pops and I are participating in what may become a new family tradition for us . . . the First Annual Christmas Season Pajama Day. A few weeks ago, a friend passed along her magazines for me to peruse . . . I happened upon an article about the stress of the holiday season with suggestions of returning to a more simple way of life. Pops and I decided to treat ourselves to one of the ideas . . . an entire day of lounging around the house in our pajamas; no work, no "to-do" list. (Do you think Pops will be able to endure?!)

The sun will set in a little while, officially making this evening PJ Day Eve . . . I'm so excited! I've readied myself by going to Rex for a great workout in the pool; then time sitting in the whirlpool and the steamroom. Aaaahhhh. Books and movies are waiting for tomorrow; a whole day of spontaneity . . . of sorts. (hehe) Does it count as being spontaneous, if I've planned for the day for several weeks, even saving the day on the calendar (opened to the reality that God may have something different ordained for the day, of course)? Getting all of my "to-do's" out of the way so that I won't be tempted to hop out of bed early or off the couch because of something pressing to do? Planning for our late breakfast and lunch cookout? I've found that it takes a bit of planning for me to have a spontaneous day . . .

. . . there was a little talk that our AK chickadees might be joining us in this event . . . If so, enjoy!

PJDay Eve: Pops is soon headed out to an IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) match. He, and two little friends from church, will be shooting through 4 different self-defense scenarios, involving shooting hostile targets, and hopefully sparing the innocent bystander targets. (I personally don't think that such an event would help my PJDay frame of mind . . . I'll take the whirlpool and steamroom any day!)

PJDay:

Aaaahhhh

Aaaahhhh . . . the first Friday night of the school's Christmas vacation ~ if I walked down memory lane (back 13 1/2 years to Soldotna), I'd be sitting with our church family by the fireplace out at Solid Rock. We'd be enjoying supper, playing games, and tubing down the hill. Remember?

Instead, I just returned home from a dinner at Las Mag's, walking up the sidewalks of WF hand-in-hand with Pops, enjoying the snow falling and the pretty street decorations! What a great start to a relaxing evening . . . movies and a fire, still yet to be enjoyed!

Pimento cheese and crackers

So . . . unlike me, Pops isn't really a Pimento Cheese lover. A friend served this recipe at our small group Bible study the other night, and I was quite surprised when Pops went back for seconds. It's quick and easy to prepare; and best when you let it sit in the fridge for a while. I tried the recipe, and we've been nibbling away . . . mmm. One whole batch + a box of crackers have disappeared in less than a week's time!

2 bags of thinly shredded cheese (the Mexican 4 cheeses mix)
1 large + 1 small jar of diced pimentos
"About" 1/2 of a large jar of Hellman's mayonnaise (according to the cook, it MUST be Hellman's)
I actually use a little less than 1/2 of the jar.
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (according to taste)
3 tsp of diced Jalapeno peppers (Pops wants more the next time!)
2-3 tsp sugar, according to taste (I used Splenda Blend)
Stir to mix.

new friends

Making new friends is always fun! Gopi, Gomz, and Anand joined us for the first time in our home yesterday afternoon for lunch and games. Bocce and Farkle were hits! (Whew and yes, Adam, they did eat ALL of the veggie AND cheese pizzas! I was a little worried after you posed your question about cow's milk and cheese . . . I hadn't thought that one all the way through when planning the menu.) We also had big salads, with lots of fruit and some boiled eggs on the side. I tried a new apple pie recipe, that turned out being a real keeper . . . and the guys brought a dish of carrot halwa for dessert, as well.

Gopi, Gomz, and Anand are all from the same city in southern India and are doing graduate work in engineering and computer science at State. Pops and I are excited for the opportunity of getting to know these young men over the next two years . . . learning about their lives and sharing ours.

(Having G, G, and A around reminded me of our time with Masood. I missed all of you and Grandmom Brown yesterday as I was remembering our family dinners with him. That seems like eons ago!)

PS . . . precision seemed to be very important when playing Bocce with engineering and computer science minded people! I don't think we've ever brought out the measuring tape before . . . :)

cheraw

Thanksgiving in Cheraw . . . . . . thank you, Family, for sharing your time . . . my heart was blessed by all the laughter and catching up on life's happenings; and for the delicious food! I enoyed it all! Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures . . . and not a single "whole family" shot . . . what was I thinking?