Sliding on ice and swimming, all in one day

Destiny is having a good day. The ice that coated our snow earlier this week makes for perfect conditions for sliding down the hill on her flying saucer. The hard part is climbing back up the hill, because it's so slippery. I thought maybe she could make a snow man too, but she didn't have any luck. I guess the snow underneath the ice is quite soft and fluffy.

It's a sunny day today, and everything is glistening.

Now she and Dick are at the rec center swimming. (This is actually a picture I took last summer.) Later she'll go to her dad's place for the evening.

And I'm being a home body, which suits me just fine for a Saturday - doing our laundry, paying bills, preparing Sunday's music. Dick's getting to be a good grocery shopper, so I just give him my list if we need things before our Sunday evening Wal Mart grocery "date" - which we probably won't have this week, considering that it's the Super Bowl. (Anyone want to take a trip to Reading with me during the Super Bowl?) I never watch it anyway. The only football games I ever watched were the ones Frank and Ray played in. Poor Dick would have to explain every move to me, and sometimes I yelled the wrong thing and showed my blatant ignorance of the game. I would often ask him really quietly, "What happened? Why are we clapping?" Yes well, a person can't be good at everything, you know!!

More baby pics, donut recipe

Finally, this evening my insatiable appetite for pictures of Austin got its "fix"!! Anthony posted a bunch of new ones here. Below are two of my favorites.

Heart to heart talk with mommy.

Getting ready to smile.

I've had several requests for the recipe for the homemade donuts I talked about the other day. So I'll post it below.

Mrs. Beiler's Doughnuts

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margerine
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3 packages dry yeast
1 quart scalded milk
5 pounds flour
1 T. salt
2 eggs

1. Cream mashed potatoes, sugar, and butter together with mixer.
2. Scald milk and add to potato mixture. Let cool until lukwarm.
3. Combine yeast and water and let set 5 to 10 minutes until bubbly.
4. Add yeast to milk mixture, plus 4 cups of flour and beat with mixer.
5. Cover and let set until bubbly.
6. Add eggs, salt, and rest of flour and mix together by hand. (It will get very stiff.)
7. Divide into two big bowls, brush melted butter over the top, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours.
8. Roll out portions of dough and cut donuts with donut cutter or cup and ketchup lid (for donut hole)
9. Lay cut-out donuts on cookie sheets and trays, let them rise about an hour.
10. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
11. Deep-fry, dip into glaze, and let cool.

Glaze

1 pound confectioners sugar
1 T vanilla
1 T melted butter
1/2 cup whole milk

Sorry - no donuts this time

Miki called from Sweden last evening, wondering if I had made donuts on my "snow day." That had been a tradition begun by my mother that I had continued with my children - making homemade donuts when there's no school because of snow. I must say, the thought crossed my mind yesterday morning. But it didn't stay there long. For one thing, it's so much more fun to do it with children than alone. And for another thing, the last thing I need right now is the temptation of homemade donuts for days on end. So I did things yesterday that I can feel good about today, like cleaning and organizing. But I must say, this donut I made on my last snow day two years ago does look good enough to have with my coffee this morning!

Relaxing

On Monday evening at Anthony and Lori's house, I found myself in the rare position of having leisure time on my hands. I had cooked stir fry and we had eaten. Dick was using our laptop, Anthony and Lori were on the sofa, Lori holding Austin and doing stuff on her iphone, Anthony figuring out how to use his new camera. So I grabbed my library book and reading glasses and made myself comfortable on the love seat. Of course, it wasn't long till I was so comfy and relaxed that I was falling asleep. What I didn't know was that just across the room Anthony was practicing with his new camera, and I was his subject! Today he posted a 14 second video here. Pretty embarrassing, but hey - don't you get sleepy when you're relaxed?

Speaking of relaxed, I'm home today. We had snow and then freezing rain over night, so school was closed for today. I did some organizing in my budget book and on the computer, made a big pot of chicken corn noodle soup, and now I'm about to clean and rearrange the furniture in Destiny's bedroom.

Back home again

Yes, we're back home. This was an exciting two days to be at Anthony and Lori's house. Yesterday the UPS man delivered the new camera they had ordered and today a furniture store delivered the glider chair and ottoman that Anthony is sitting on in the picture below. It's so comfortable, and Austin thought so too. While Anthony and I were deep in a conversation about finances, Austin got bored and went to sleep resting on his boppy.

While we were there Dick got a few more house projects done and I made stir fry and rice and beans with sazon flavored chicken. And of course we loved on Austin.

Before we left I wanted to make sure I got a picture of the three of them together for my side bar. This is their first official family picture.

A winter storm was in the forecast, so we hit the road around 4:30. But not before one last hug....

...and kiss!!

Daddy time

So you're my dad, huh?


The two tenors!!


Does everyone have to keep putting a camera in my face??


A heart-to-heart talk.
These pictures were taken last evening with Anthony's new camera. It makes a beautiful baby even more beautiful!

Just holding the baby

These pictures are clickable!

Look where we are!!

We're in State College again! We had just half a day of school today, and no school tomorrow, because there are parent-teacher conferences this evening and tomorrow. Since I am not a classroom teacher and nobody ever wants to have a conference with me, it's the perfect time to take a personal day (no prepping for a substitute!) So Dick and I had one place in mind and headed up here this afternoon. So far Austin has been sleeping in his little hammock ever since we arrived . So Grandma is trying to patiently wait to get her hands on him!

Thirty-five years ago....

...I became a mother at 5:34 AM, just about the time I'm writing this today. Dick and I were so in love with our precious, beautiful baby daughter Lisa Joy.

She's still precious and beautiful 35 years later, and we're still in love with her, and we THANK GOD for her. Happy Birthday, Lisa!

The birthday girls

This weekend is birthday time in Tampa. Sophie's is today and Lisa's is tomorrow. Here's a beautiful picture of George's beautiful girls.

How vividly I remember going to school on January 24th four years ago, knowing that my dear daughter was in labor. It was really hard to concentrate on teaching. We did not have a website to keep us updated (like we did last week!), but I did receive several phone calls throughout the morning from George and Jeremy. It was during my lunch break that Jeremy called to tell me the baby was born and George was sending me a picure from his phone. I will never forget opening my email and finding this picture. I almost kissed the computer screen!

Here are two recent pictures of Sophie that I just love. Wow, just looking at them makes me miss her so very, very much. Her most recent love is Karate. Check out this video of her first lesson! She's a natural, for sure. Lisa said they are having a Karate birthday party for her. There will be some funny videos from that, I'm sure!

Oh, that face and those curls! I just want to kiss those little cheeks too.

I think I agree with my friend Margie in Arizona. She said if she had it her way, her children would all live right on her street and she would get to see her grandchildren every day. Sounds like heaven to me!

Busy, busy

Now, I finally have time to do an update. Last evening I spent a lot of time making plans for and preparing music for my school worship team. By the time I was finished it was way too late to post and I could barely hold my eyes open.

What a great group of middle school kids I have in the worship team again - fourteen of them. I wish my schedule allowed for more than just an hour a week with them. They sound amazing already and they're so much fun to be with.

After school we went to Reading to pick up Destiny, then went directly to my school for a pasta dinner. It was fun sitting with friends from church and my sister Mary Ellen. The pasta dinner was a fund raiser by our board members for the Heather and Leon Heisey family who are serving with Christian Veterinary Mission in Mongolia. Leon was our board president the previous three years and their children attended our school.



It's good to have Destiny here again after missing a weekend. She's in her favorite chair eating orange sections and watching Bambi.


And look at this little guy, trying so hard last week at this time to make his grand entrance - he already has the remote control! Guess they're giving him a head start so he knows what it is and doesn't start putting it away in the drawer where calculators are kept - or hold it up to his ear and start talking into it, ha, ha, ha!! They posted a cute video this evening of Austin getting his hair washed. I can hardly wait to hold and kiss him again.

Wanting to pick him right out of the monitor!

I hope Anthony and Lori don't mind that I keep stealing pictures off Austin's website! But I just gotta make sure that those of you who don't check his site will get to see at least one picture per day! When I found this one today I saved it in Picasa on my classroom computer, then made it big on "slideshow" and just kept it there. It was all I could do to keep from picking him right out of the computer monitor, ha, ha!

Believe it or not, I am getting lots of stuff done for school. I did get my report card grades done, and I'm spending a lot of time putting Choral festival songs into my composer program on the computer in order to make it easier for the Middle School Chorus to learn them.

And now my bed is calling me. Good night.

Missing Austin

Wow, I really got spoiled being able to cuddle and kiss Austin the past three days since he was born. Today I have to be satisfied with this picture that Anthony posted of Austin sleeping on his daddy's chest. Is it just me, or does that little cheek look absolutely kissable?

What a day. I don't care of what political persuasion one is, it has to be admitted that this was an amazing day in Washington DC. My heart rejoices with all those who have suffered the oppression of racial prejudice and now feel a new sense of validation tonight. Perhaps my precious, sleeping grandson, pictured above, may benefit one day from today's notorious events.