It's the little things....

What an unexpected gift we received yesterday in the form of snow! Snow is a big deal in our family. We travel long distances to play in it (like NY). What a blessing it was yesterday to have it delivered to our doorstep.

Me, being the great mom that I am, tricked our oldest son David. I woke him up around the normal time, pretending he had to go to school. Now, since he had been out for 4 days already (MLK and Teacher workday) he was sad and the tears started rolling. Daddy, being a true sport, said "yeah, I'm sorry buddy, it didn't snow last night". Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to us) while climbing out of his bunk bed he saw the snow through the blinds and the tears stopped. He then proceeded to play along with our little trickery until we open the living room blinds. Needless to say, he was happy there was no school.

Daddy went to work late so he got to spend the morning sledding and snowboarding with all of us. He then called me coming home from work early to tell me he wanted to take us out to dinner to enjoy the last bit of snow. This is an old habit of ours from vacationing up north - eating great Italian food and watching the snow fall. Well, the Italian food was so-so and the snow had stopped falling, but our moods didn't change. We were all happy and by the time we got home we were worn out from this fun filled day.

Here they are making tiny snowmen as a surprise for Grandma when she got home.

In the midst of the world, national and just daily worries we all face, it was a blessing to have this little gift from God. At least, that's what I consider yesterday to be. An unexpected blessing - the best kind!

A pasta recipe I love

I had a craving for this the other night and made it. Here's the recipe: Farfalle Pasta with Prosciutto and Chicken 1 box bow tie (farfalle) pasta 1 to 2 cups frozen tiny peas 1 tablespoon butter 1 package (6 slices) prosciutto, chopped ¾ cup chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup white wine ½ cup parmesan cheese 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up mushrooms (if you desire) Boil pasta and cook. Cook chicken (I do this in a skillet. I use thin cut chicken breasts, cook until done and then shred). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Add prosciutto and cook a few minutes more. Stir in chicken stock and white wine, boil over heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream, peas, nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens some, stirring occasionally. Toss together sauce, pasta and chicken. Add parmesan cheese. Serve. The great thing about this recipe is you can leave out the chicken or the mushrooms or both. It even tastes good without the cream (although not AS good!). You can add as little or as much prosciutto you desire. It is yummy!

Farewell Bob

We lost a very special member of our family on New Years Eve night. Rick's grandfather, Bob as he requested everyone to call him, passed away. He was 84 years old. He was a hard worker, opinionated (as most of that generation is) and devoted to his wife. They were married 64 years, and the love I witnessed from Grandma to Bob, especially in these final years of his life, will stay with me forever.

Bob and Grandma loved their grandchildren, especially their grandsons. I could barely hold it together as my husband spoke at Bob's funeral of the strong handshake he will miss from his grandfather, and of a special time at our wedding. I didn't remember this, but Rick spoke of the time Bob and Grandma came down from NY to our wedding (almost 17 years ago). Rick fondly remembered as the back doors opened and I came down the aisle with my father. All guests stood and turned to look at me; Bob stood, looked at Rick for a few moments, and then turned. My husband cherishes that moment to this day.

I will miss his strong handshake and bear hugs. I will miss his "ah-geez" when something struck him as funny. I will miss Grandma giving him a hard time and him saying "oh, ok..ok!" He accepted me as his own granddaughter for the 23 years Rick and I have been together. I am thankful the Lord put him in our lives and that he is now at rest in heaven. We will miss you Bob.