Tam Freeland's Columbus Tree Cozy

Wow!  If you want to spruce up your neighborhood trees or some downtown trees, just get out your knitting needles and yarn and have at it.  This looks GREAT!  By the way, I voted for #18.  Checkout the link in Tam's email and see all the entries and vote for the best one.  

SARA'S CHOC CHIP COOKIES

Point Value 1, makes 40

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp table salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, miniature

1 spray of cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup:  level with a knife.  Combing flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add granulated sugar, beating well.  Add cocoa and egg whites, beating well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended.  Stir in chocolate mini-chips.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls 1-1/21" apart onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Cool on pans 2 minutes or until firm.  Remove cookies from pans, cool completely on wire racks.  Yield 40 cookies (serving size 1 cookie).

EDNA'S NEW HOME AT GEORGE DAVIS MANOR

I thought you would like to see where Edna is living now in West Lafayette.  Rose Ann and I visited there last summer and got a little tour with Helen.  It is run by the Franciscans.  I know these are marketing pictures, but it really is nice.  

NEVADA SNOW

I thought I would post a snowy picture of one of the Wilhelm boys playing in their snowy backyard winterland playground.  We still have some snow here, but we got up to 55 today and some serious melting.  Now they are talking 4 or 5 inches of snow early this week and then another warmup.  We were saddened by Edna's plight and having to be relocated to an assisted living facility.  She was not a happy camper, as they say.  Hopefully she will settle in and like the comforts of assisted living.  

A CROPPED VIEW WITH SHUTTERS

I want to see if I will allow changes to the original pictures.  

HOME WITH SHUTTERS IN PLACE

Tam sent a picture with the shutters installed and looking GOOD.  

RICH & TAM'S NEW HOME

Tam shared some pictures with us and we thought you would enjoy seeing them, too.  I labeled one "The Great Hall."  We can hardly wait to see their new home in person.  If we ever build or move, we will just hire Tam to take care of everything for us.  Ha.  

MAGGIE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Well, I drug the photos to my desktop and them drug them into iPhoto.  Sounds like everyone had a wonderful time.  I do not think we ever so creative in our Birthday parties.  

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I got Rose Ann a flower, a book and a card that did not make the picture.  We hope you had a nice Valentine's Day.  

GRAY IS OK!

Sara says:  He was great today... like NO SYMPTOMS!  I kept him home from school and postponed Maggie's party because I kept expecting the headache or fever to return... but it didn't.  The doctor said a virus just must have blasted through his body.  But, he is perfectly fine now and is not contagious in the least!  WHEW!!  Quite a switch from the nerves when they were worried he had meningitus.  YIKES!    We watched "Hairspray" tonight (that was fun).  Now Maggie, Gray and Doug are staying up late to watch "Pirates of the Caribean 3."  Her party has been rescheduled to Sunday.  Sleepover!!!   SARA

COUPLE OF RECIPES FROM SARA

These are from her friend, Sarah Wittmuss.

1.  ITALIAN BEEF.  Makes great sandwiches.  You make a roast, all day on low, in the slow cooker.  When you put in the roast, add 1 cup of water and a bottle of pepperocinis, with the brine.  Done when you get home.  She loves it.

2.  PASTA BAKE (7 points per cup)  Ingredients:  1 no yokes pasta bag (12 oz.), cook it;  1 cut up pepper (Sarah used 2, one red and one yellow);  2 red onions cut up (Sarah used a half an onion); and she added some cut up mushrooms.  Cook all veggies 5 minutes until soft in skillet.  Add 1-1/2 lbs. hamburger and cook until done.  Add 2 cans of petite cut tomatoes (she used garlic/basil ones) and the cooked pasta.  Mix in 3/4 cup of low fat cheddar cheese.  Put in big casserole pan.  Crumble 1 sleeve (around 30 crackers) of low fat Ritz crackers over it.  Spray with cooking spray and add 1/2 cup more cheese over it.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.   

ANDREW PETERSON CONCERT AT UNION COLLEGE

Last night we drove down to Lincoln to the Andrew Peterson Concert at Union College.  Andrew was a little under the weather, but gave another wonderful concert with Ben Shive and Andy Gullihorn.  The concert was at 7:30 and we got back home a little after Midnight.  It was worth the trip, though we are a little tired.  

SIMPLE COOKIE RECIPE FROM HELOISE

I was cleaning up some drawers and found this old clipping that Rose Ann clipped out.  Heloise says "You will need:  1 (18.25 oz.) box cake mix.  2 eggs.  1/2 cup of vegetable oil.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix only  the above ingredients (nothing else) in a large bowl until blended.  Drop spoonfuls of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!"  I am going to try  it.  Sounds too simple, but if Heloise says it works for a good cookie, how can we go wrong.  I will let you know how it comes out.  

It was up in the mid-30s today and the sun came out.  Nice.  Winter is still here and there is a cold front coming through this weekend and we will be back to below zero again.  I worked the K of C fish fry this afternoon and tonight and it went well and I was not pooped like last week.  I worked out this morning after Mass for about an hour.  Have a great weekend, good friends and family.  

CHRISTMAS PUZZLE

I got some puzzles from the Protzmans and I put together one of the 4 in the box.  Here is a picture of the one I did.  Rose Ann thought it would be good to post the picture.  There were 500 little pieces.  I hate to take the puzzle apart.  I really enjoyed the challenge of putting it together.

ALLEN IS DONE, BRIAN IS NOT.

I have been doing some painting and got the door Roberta wanted painted primed and one coat of paint on today.  I will look good when I get another coat of paint on tomorrow.  We have gotten the room pretty much back in order.  Well, for us it is in order.  We got snow and cold.  I cleaned off the steps and driveway and now think we got more like 4 or 5 inched and it is snowing some.  They are getting hit a lot harder south and east of us and it is heading toward Chicago.  

PROJECT IS DONE. ALLEN VARNISHES AND VANISHES.

Our project is finally done and we are so pleased.  We can not use the stairs tonight since he varnished just before he vanished.  Ha.  I worked the K of C fish fry tonight doing the onions.  I started at 3 and got home at 8, pooped.  I had my appointment with the YMCA trainer and got my workout plan.  Yikes.  I will be firm and fit, if I do it and I will.  I am to do these stretches, twists, pulls and stuff in addition to the treadmill.  She set me up with about 5 stations and I have to do 12 repetitions on each 3 times a week.  I have a day of rest between these strength workouts.  I am also supposed to find out my resting heart rate.  Have a good evening, you all.