2008: A Year in Pictures

I don't have the best camera or photography skills, but here are some memories from this past year.

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January...
My 40th birthday with friends who spent six luxurious hours at the spa with me:

Valentine's Day with my family... not romantic, but filled with love nonetheless:

March... Baseball Time! Chad's 8th year playing; Joe's 3rd year coaching:

April... Erin is an escort for the Mr. BHS Contest at the local high school:
"I hope you dance..."





Also in April... Chad's "Touch of Class" dance (and his first corsage for a girl!):





May... A field trip (8 hours on the bus!) to the Aquarium of the Pacific with a bazillion 3rd graders:





Also in May... A very memorable mommy-and-me trip out of town for the day:





Most of June and July... Where Erin spent many, many sleepless nights on the verge of vomiting, with some unknown virus that we seriously thought would never end:





August... Our long awaited, (mostly) magical 8-day Disney Cruise:





October... Cheerleading begins again! Erin lives for this stuff:




October 6... My son turns into a teenager, despite my wanting to keep him a little boy forever:





December... Christmas, special as always:






Here's to a happy and healthy 2009!
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I think I'll keep 'em

This morning, I had to take my poor husband to Urgent Care. His back suddenly has taken a turn for the worse, and he was barely able to get out of bed or walk. They gave him four different prescriptions and a shot of an anti-inflammatory drug, so he's sleeping now. Hopefully he will be able to return to work next week.

While we were gone, our kids (without being asked) did the following:

- Made our bed
- Wrapped up an ice pack in a towel, and left it on the bed for Joe
- Swept the kitchen floor
- Ran the dishwasher and wiped down the counters
- Vacuumed the entire house
- Cleaned a bathroom
- Washed all the rugs in the bathroom
- Washed all of the towels
- Put away laundry
- Dusted the family room and livingroom
- Brought the trash cans in from the street
- Lit all the candles so the house would be welcoming for us

And this isn't the first time they've surprised us like this.

Yep... they're keepers.

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Friends Fur-Ever

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown

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Comfort food for a cold night

I made this tonight for dinner and it was really good--and easy. Only thing I might do differently is put in a full pound of kielbasa (rather than the 1/2 lb. it calls for), along with more salt. I'm also tempted to double the recipe next time to have ample leftovers.

Sausage Potato Soup (Taste of Home Cookbook)

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound smoked kielbasa, diced
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced carrot
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Directions:

In a large saucepan, brown sausage; drain. Set sausage aside. In the same pan, combine the potatoes, corn, broth, celery, carrot and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the milk, cheese, parsley and sausage. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Yield: 6 servings.