Two Days in One Blog!

Tonight is one of those nights where I have so much to say, that I can't seem to spit that first sentence out. I think you all know what I'm talking about...you sit and stare at the blank page in front of you, thinking, "Where do I start." You type...then: delete. delete. delete. You start again, then: "NOOOOO that's not working." So here I am, doing what I used to do when, as an English major, I faced endless papers with no inspiration for my introductory paragraph. I wrote my exact thoughts, as disjointed and uninteresting as they might be. That, my dear friends, is what editing is for! See, look! Here I am, I'm no longer staring at a blank page!

Yesterday was full. Very full...Ellie and I hung out in the morning while daddy took a very long work call.

We played inside for a while, but soon she was begging to go exploring, so off we went to feed the horses, ride the tractor, and watch the guys till the fields...

Climbing up onto the hay stack to grab a flake for Avdou...

This should be enough!

Mama!!! UP!

Striking differences!

I can't reach the pedals!

I'm not READY to park it!!!! (she literally had a fit when I turned it off!)

Uncle Jake and Uncle Colin came over to play, and that's when the camera got its best work out in ages! Jeffrey, Jake and I were all trying to be polite about taking turns, but there were just so many amazing opportunities for beautiful shots! Jake definitely took the prize for these amazing shots of some of the views on the property!

Colin was fishing during most of the commotion, and caught a few bass in his new favorite spot on the far end of the lake!

We ended the night around the fire with a yummy martini made from my home-infused Jalapeno vodka (yes, we grew the Jalapenos too). I should have taken a picture of it, but I didn't. Damn it. It's Colin's favorite martini - it's called the Flaming Passion. Fitting, no? HA!!!

FLAMING PASSION MARTINI

1 part Jalapeno Infused Vodka

3 parts Passion Fruit Juice

Combine ingredients with ice in cocktail shaker. Shake. Pour. Love it.

RANDOM PHOTOS OF THE DAY

One of our many bird houses around the lake...

the hill down to the lake from the house

her favorite activity with daddy!

Wolverine!!!
I love to bang!

I love my Uncle Colin!!!

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Today was busy. Ellie had a rough night last night, so we slept a little later than usual, and had a slow start for the morning. I couldn't help but stop, however, as we headed out to Ellie's swim class at SwimBabes, to snap this shot of our driveway...if nothing else, this blog has made me so much more aware of the beauty that is around me!

After swimming, we stopped off at Penzeys - my favorite store! For some women, a shoe store does it...for me? It's spices. I love it. The smells, the ideas, the possibilities!

this just makes me want to jump up and down with excitement!

Dinner tonight was yummy and incredibly easy - Beef Stew over Egg Noodles. It's not the prettiest, but it's damn yummy. I always hit up the "quick sale" items in the meat/poultry department, and they had had stew meat on special. I had forgotten to defrost it, so I just dropped it in the slow cooker in the morning, and by the time 5 pm rolled around the kitchen smelled wonderfully, and all I had to do was stir in the mustard and serve!

SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 in. cubes (I just pulled mine straight out of the freezer)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

2 c. tomatoes, chopped

3 potatoes, chopped (didn't have these, so I skipped them)

4 carrots, sliced (I skipped these, too)

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tbs. Dijon Mustard

1. Place meat, onion, garlic, bay leaf, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots in slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together beef broth, flour, paprika, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper; pour over meat, and stir.

2. Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. Blend in mustard and serve over egg noodles, if desired.