Thursday, January 31, 2013

Random

Random because it's that kind of day.


  • Yesterday was warm, 60 something, but rainy. In fact, it was pouring so hard when Ellen had to get her bus to come home, she arrived home with soaked jeans. Today there is some sun but only 38 degrees, and super windy, when I checked about 2 hours ago. Snow flurries are flying at times too. Winter is still with us.





  • I did some baking yesterday. Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies. First time to make them. Oh my, they are so delicious!

  • I got a heating oil bill in the mail yesterday. It was for the usual amount we pay on the budget plan. Today a letter from Suburban Propane, our oil company, tells us that an adjustment has been made. We now will be paying $103 less each month. Nice....I guess freezing to death is paying off, hahaha!
  • I bought contact lenses on line for the first time ever. Christy helped me research a good deal. She's has a nose for a deal =) They arrived today. I'll make that order last and last. Plus I filled out paper work to mail in for a $25 rebate. Nice!
  • Saving money where we can is crucial as we wait for our move. For those out there that are scrimping and scraping and still wondering if it's enough, I feel your pain.
  • I worked in our bedroom closet yesterday. I'm not done.....I need to get up there and finish!
  • Gina is home sick again today. Oh dear. Missing work is not good. She does not have health insurance so going to a Dr. will not happen unless absolutely necessary. She will be eligible for health insurance in March. She can't wait.
  • Ellen's cough/ cold has gone. What a relief!!
  • My eye is feeling better, not just fine yet. I continue to wear my glasses instead of contacts. 
  • I did so much laundry the last two days. Where does all this dirty stuff com from?? 
  • Did I mention lately how anxious I am to move ;-) I'm not a very patient person and this waiting has the potential to do me in. Trying to rest in it all but struggling, sad to say.
  • One of the houses we looked at on Sunday had in-law quarters. That part was so nice. Wasn't big but we could be very comfortable in it. We aren't saying we must have separate living space, we'll be fine with whatever. The rest of the house was kinda small and isn't in a school district we are hoping for. And, we really can't consider anything till we have an offer on Corey and Christy's property anyway.
  • I've been writing my blog in Google Chrome. I can upload pictures without a stitch of trouble. Nice! I was hoping maybe I'd be able to do some other changes, like the color of the lettering in the header. But no such luck. Crazy Blogger!!
That's all for today. If you are in the area, stop in for a cookie....I'll be sure to save you some! I'll even brew some coffee to go with it/them! 

Blessings to you today.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

A Wonderful Gift

Our family gathered here on Sunday, just as they usually do. Dale and I went to two Open Houses. Two houses that won't be ours, we discovered. (you won't know till you go see them!)

When we returned home, Marcy and Scott gave us this....

 We knew they had portraits taken
 but we didn't know we would be getting this.
We love it!!

Wrapped canvas is so special.
What a wonderful way to show off the beautiful people in the portrait!


The weather has warmed. It's to be in the 40's today and near 60 tomorrow. But we will not get too used to it because the cold will return by the week end. After temps in the single digits, I will love this while it lasts!

I just wish I had more 'get up and go'. Yesterday my left eye felt like something was wrong with my contact, like a small piece of something was under it. It didn't bother me too much so I just lived with it. (I tend to do that more often than I should....) By evening it was bothering me so I rinsed the contact, thinking that would take care of the issue. It didn't. My eye hurt when I put the contact back in. So I left it out.

This morning my eye is red and hurts. Oh no. I've been putting drops in it. Hope it helps.... I know better than to try wearing contact lenses today. But, wearing my full prescription glasses makes me feel very tired! It's probably because my eyes are just not used to wearing them, except for early morning and late at night. Motivation for accomplishing tons of stuff today is taking more gumption than I feel I'm capable of! 

Gotta get up and at it. Putting dirty laundry in the washer is not all that needs done today!

Blessings to you, my friends!

Monday, January 28, 2013

A Little Snow, A Little Decorating, A Little Baking

A Little Snow -
Friday afternoon it began to snow with a vengeance. The snow caused the roads, especially the back roads, to be snow covered and slippery. We live at the bottom of a steep hill. People were taking it easy coming down the hill but some cars were having loads of trouble going up!
 It was a pretty picture on Saturday morning.

 Had I taken a picture when I first got up,
more snow would have been on the trees.



A Little decorating -
I decided it was time to put the rest of the Christmas things away on Saturday. I really didn't have Valentine decorations (not that I could find, at least!) and I'm certainly not buying anything. So I made do. This is a plan in progress...doesn't look like much yet...

A little bit of Valentine's....
but I used what I had.


A Little Baking -
It was snowing this morning when Ellen went to school. She was hoping for a delayed start but school started on time.  By the time I had to pick up Aidan at pre-school, it was raining. After we arrived home again, we watched the newest Ice Age movie. We loved it! After the movie Aidan and Zoe did some Wii Kids Dance while I cleared the sink of the dirty dishes so we could bake a chocolate cake. They made a mess while filling the cups with flour and sugar but got the job done!

They had some fun!

Wish you could hear Zoe's giggle....
it certainly is music to my ears!


Nana tells them that maybe it's not a good idea to to have that much fun while standing on chairs...

Time to make the icing for the cake and finish up dinner. It's pulled chicken sandwiches and lima beans tonight. Oh, and chocolate cake too!


Friday, January 25, 2013

Lord, I need a Miracle!

Ever utter those words? I confess, I have. I've even shouted them a time or two.

I didn't shout it yesterday. I didn't even say them out loud. But the words were said in my heart. That and words of frustration, disappointment, questions as to why. Let me tell you why.

The scheduled showing of our son's home was canceled. AGAIN! I was so frustrated. I know Corey and Christy were too. We need to sell that home. Why is God so s.l.o.w. in this? Does He not hear our cries?

The worries of what will we do do when are ever present. So, I asked the Lord for something to encourage me. He answered =)

First, it was an article in Guideposts magazine. The article was called Junior Partner by Linda Neukrug. This is what caught my attention....
"I was worried about my job, my health, everything. "Hey God!" I wanted to shout. "Remember me?"

Yes, I certainly have/do feel like that at times. Her story told of a faithful God who certainly did hear her cries and answered them too.

Second, it was a phone call. A call from my friend Mildred! Oh, wow! What an answer to prayer. What an encouragement to my heart!

Third, it was a song. I had worship practice last night at church. We practiced a song called, God is in Control.
 
(chorus)
God is in Control.
We believe that his children
Will not be forsaken.
God is in control.
We will choose to remember
and never be shaken.
There is no power above or beside Him,
We know, O, God is in control.
O, God is in control.
 
(v1)
This is no time for fear.
This is the time for faith and determination.
Don't lose the vision here,
Carried away by the motion.
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart.
There is one thing that has always been true,
It holds the world together.
 
(v2)
History marches on
There is a bottom line drawn across the ages.
Culture can make it's plan
O, but the line never changes.
No matter how the deception may fly,
There is one thing that has always been true.
It will be true forever.
 
(bridge)
He has never let you down
Why start to worry now
Why start to worry now
He is still the Lord of all we see.
He is still the loving Father
Watching over you and me.
 

(By Twila Paris  1993 Airose Music/Mountain Spring Music)

There you have it... Lord, I need a Miracle and I know you are in Control!

*************************************************************************

 Ellen, Aidan and Zoe are anxiously awaiting the coming snow. Ellen is reading all the early dismissals listed on WGAL website...even though it hasn't even started to snow here yet. Ellen's school district has an in-service day for the teachers today, that's why she's home.

I was wrong...the white stuff has begun!

Blessings to you, my friends!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

It's Cold, so I Bake =)


I made this yesterday. Oh.My.Word. Soooo good!

 

Makeover Cream Cheese Streusel Bars RecipeMakeover Cream Cheese Streusel Bars Recipe photo by Taste of HomeRating 4
With an oh-so-chocolaty crust, a crispy, crunchy topping and soft cream cheese filling, these delectable bars are over-the-top indulgent.

 
Ingredients:

     


Ingredients
  • 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter
  • 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
  • 1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, flour, cocoa and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping; press remaining crumb mixture into an 11-in. x 7-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 8-12 minutes or until set.
  • In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, egg and vanilla until blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Top with reserved crumb mixture; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 15 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1 bar equals 245 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 43 mg cholesterol, 197 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 fat.
Originally published as Makeover Cream Cheese Streusel Bars in Light & Tasty April/May 2007, p10
*********************************************************************************
This morning at 7 o'clock it was 5 degrees. So cold. I won't bake again today. It's too hard not to eat what I bake!
 
Thanks to all who left comments concerning the home showing and our desire to move on with our plans. The home showing got canceled. We were all so bummed, to say the least....especially Christy who spent the day cleaning and getting the house show ready. We heard later that the agent who wanted to show the house to her client, was sick. I think they rescheduled it for tomorrow night. Now they must try to keep the house show ready....so hard when you have to live in it also!

 There also is an also Open House scheduled for Sunday from 2-4.

Your continued prayers are so appreciated as we look forward to getting this all behind us.
      

Monday, January 21, 2013

Monday Madness?

Not much happening around here. Not much to say. Monday madnes it is not!

 Aidan and Zoe are here today. We watched some of the Inauguration, Zoe took a nap, I read books to Aidan, they colored some pictures I printed off the Internet,  and they played with some toys that I don't always have out. In fact, I was going to take them to a thrift shop a long time ago. Not sure if I will take them or not since they do enjoy playing with them at times.

It's cold and getting colder. It's 31 now, tomorrow a high of 22 and windy, lows about 10. BRRRRR!  Will be that way for a few more days....a cover and my Kindle are calling my name =)

Tomorrow Corey and Christy have a house showing. They just re listed their home today. WOW!! In case you don't remember the significance of this......they are selling their home, we will sell our home, we will buy a home to house all of us......it's been way over a year since this has been in the works and we are all so anxious to get on with it!

Dinner is smelling so good. It's baked spaghetti and garlic bread tonight. Zoe says she loves spaghetti but not meatballs, yuck! She makes me smile =)

Blessings to you, my friends. Stay warm!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Recipes

Here are the recipes that I used for dinner yesterday.

French Onion Patty Melts

French onion soup meets a burger and results in this delicious combination.
by Rachael Ray | on 10/12/12

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 3 large onions, thinly sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry (I didn't have so didn't use!)
  • 1/2 cup beef stock or beef consommé
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck or sirloin
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 8 slices good-quality white bread
  • 8 slices Gruyère or Swiss cheese
  • Cornichons, for garnish
Serves 4

Preparation

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt, pepper and thyme; cook until caramel in color and very soft, 25-30 minutes. Add the sherry and stock.
Combine the beef with Worcestershire sauce, parsley, Dijon, salt and pepper; form four patties.

Heat a griddle or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle with EVOO and cook the patties for 7-8 minutes, turning once. Clean the griddle and return to the stovetop over medium heat.
Butter the bread slices on one side and build patty melts with butter sides out, stacking the bread, cheese, onions, a patty, more onions, cheese and bread.
Grill the sandwiches until crispy and golden and the cheese has melted. Serve the patty melts with a simple watercress salad and cornichons alongside; pass extra mustard at the table.


Balsamic Roasted Potatoes - The Lazy Cook Blog (Found on Pinterest)
Ingredients:
Baby new potatoes [yellow or red]
Garlic [Minced]
Olive oil
1 tablespoon Rosemary
1 tablespoon Basil
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Haircut and Dinner

Weird title, isn't it?  A haircut can really make my day. Dinner can too!

I had a hair appointment today. I've been trying to make my appointments farther apart to save $$. So when it's time, it's time! I felt like a shaggy dog. Today we talked about what to do since my silver (not gray!) hair is showing more and more. We decided to go a bit shorter. I really liked the style I've had. But, getting more of the old color off by making more layers seems to be the way to go for now. It's not too short. Jess and I had a wonderful time chatting while she clipped and snipped, dried, and styled my silvers =)

Dinner was yummy. I had to make it, of course!  I love trying new recipes and do it all the time. Today I made Balsamic Roasted Potatoes, a recipe I found on Pinterest, and a Rachel Ray burger recipe called French Onion Patty Melts. Both were really good. I didn't make the burgers into patty melts, although that would have been wonderful. I didn't have bread so I toasted hamburger buns instead. It worked. I'll post the recipes another day.

Blessings to you!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

My Grands

We will start with this big girl.........

Paityn lost her first tooth!
She is growing up way too fast.
 
 
Now on to Paityn's little sister -
 
 

Brinley is taking a liking to more foods,
her Mommy reports this week.
Yeah, Brinley!
She had been a picky eater but what she would eat
was really good for her.
 
 
 
From the youngest to almost the oldest....
 
 

Andrew.
This young man is leaving on a jet plane soon.....
with his Dad for a visit to his Dad's homeland,
Trinidad and Tobago!
It's Andrew's first trip there.
I know they will have a good time.
Manny has lots of relatives who will be thrilled
 to meet this handsome young man.
Kim will miss her men, for sure.
There were offers from her sibs
 to drop off some kids to keep her from getting too lonely
if need be =)
 
 
 
It's Aidan and Zoe's turn!
 
 
Yesterday we made brownies after dinner was prepared.
Aidan was thrilled to scoop out the sour cream.
Zoe did some stirring.
 
Aidan wanted to stir too.
Aidan and Zoe enjoyed some delicious warm brownies
 after eating all their dinner.
Yum!
 
 
 
 
It's a cloudy and cold day today. I prefer sunny and warm days....oh well, we will see that again someday. Blessings!

Monday, January 14, 2013

An unusual week end


Not all of it was unusual. I did some cleaning. I washed dishes. I did lots of laundry. I didn't grocery shop - that was done earlier in the week. Sunday morning was church, that was usual.

The unusual part of our week end was eating out....twice. That may not be unusual for many, but it is for us! We don't eat out very often. Most of the out to eat around here is take out pizza or an occasional Mc Donald's meal.

Saturday found us at Country Table for dinner. We enjoyed our meal and paid for it with a gift card given to us from Hubs sister and Mother. Believe me, we felt so blessed! We even got goodies from the bake shop! My muffin tasted so good with my coffee on Sunday morning. Yum! Dale and Ellen each chose a huge chocolate whoopie pie. Gina used what was left on her gift card to purchase a peanut butter pie to share.

 It was my Sunday to sing with the worship team and staff the nursery on Sunday. There are still so many sick people at our church. Our Marcy and Scott stayed home. The kids are feeling better but not Marcy and Scott. I pray this week will be better for them. There were other families or parts of families missing too. Not many little ones in the Nursery.

We didn't get together for lunch as we usually do on a Sunday. Instead we ate out, again! Corey and Christy and kids had a birthday party to attend. We had a gift card to use at Outback and so did Greta and Lynn so that's where we ate. Yum! We enjoyed our meal then went home for a nap. I read till I got too sleepy. Hubs put a football game on TV and was soon snoring! Gina took a nap and Ellen did her usual - watching marching bands on the computer, playing solitaire, doing word searches.

Later Greta and Lynn and Christy and Corey and the kids came over for peanut butter pie. I also found some ice cream in the freezer, pulled out some pretzels and a bag of chips....we had dessert!

Today finds me with Aidan and Zoe, a usual Monday. They are having some fun.

Aidan says you must stick out your tongue while drawing a picture =)
Zoe says she wants a wet paper towel because
she wants to wash the board.

Aidan continues to draw a picture.
 
Zoe washes.
 
Aidan decides to join her.

Love the smile!
 
They had fun playing with this pillow.
 
 
Oh no, maybe the fun is not so much fun anymore!
 
 
 
Wishing you a wonderful Monday!

Friday, January 11, 2013

A Rainy Friday


It's one of those days. Rainy, damp, and yucky. Zoe just asked to watch Nemo and Aidan is watching a Busytown show. I should be starting dinner soon.......yawn. I'd rather take a nap!

It's been a week without events. The biggest thing this week was a trip to York for a Dr. B appointment for Ellen! Exciting week ;)

Since I don't have pictures to post from the week, I'll post one my sister gave me on Sunday when we were at her house.

I was told this is me.
I wondered if it really was me.
Sure enough, right there on the photo was my name.
And on the reverse side.....
 
 
 
The handwriting is my Mother's.....and she should know!
I guess I was a cat lover even then! And, the chair on the porch...I bet that's one of the two that we still have. The chairs need painting again but they are certainly coming with us when we move. Love those old metal chairs!

Now, I really must make something for dinner. I'm thinking meatloaf and baked potatoes. Maybe.
Update - it was Chicken Pie for dinner and a salad. I had chicken from another meal and decided to use it instead of getting meat out of the freezer. It was yummy =)

Hope your day is a good one!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Thanks, Deb!


Deb from Garage Sale Gal, sent a comment to my last post telling how to "get around" the problem I was having concerning the posting of pictures.
 
Thanks, Deb! Thanks also to Theresa, my bloggy friend, who sent her to me!
 
IT WORKED!! 
 
The following photos are from our family get-together on Sunday.
 
Nancy, wife of brother Dick who is next to her,
 is taking pictures.....
 I was too!
Elvin is next to Dick.
You can also see Dale and Ellen.
 
 
 
Right - Left
Our sweet Mary, Pauline, Jean at the piano,
Destiny (Grand of Jean), Mary Ellen
 
 
Jean discovers that the song we are singing is not
written as we know it.
Pauline shares a laugh with her.
 
 After singing, it's snack time!
We gather in the kitchen.
 
 
Destiny and her Grandpa Stauffer listen to Uncle Dick tell a story.
Grandma Stauffer is checking something on her phone...
that's her hands to the right =)
 
***************************************************
 
Isn't it a wonderful blogging world?
I had a problem that I couldn't seem to fix. It was so frustrating.
My friend Mildred told me that other bloggers were having some problems too....it wasn't just me.
That was comforting!
Theresa told me that a friend of hers had the same problem and she would contact her to find out what she did to correct it.
 
WELL.....
today I had a message from that blogger, Deb, with instructions of what to do.
She was able to tell me because someone had shared it with her =)
 
 Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
 
 
It was a beautiful day today. Started out so cold and frosty but got warm enough to shed my coat when I shopped for groceries. LOVE that! By the way, I saved $43 at the grocery store by using coupons, buying BOGO deals, and buying store brands. Awesome.
 
I didn't get everything done today that I had planned. It took so much time to go through the ads from the Sunday News, clip coupons, go through coupons from previous weeks, line up coupons with specials at Target, Weis, CVS......but it will pay off, I hope.
 
Dinner is smelling yummy. Better give it a check!
 
Blessings!
 
 
 

Monday, January 7, 2013

Puzzled

Tried again and I just can't figure it out. Why won't the normal stuff come up to load pictures on blogger? Lately I've not been able to choose a picture from the post when I share it on Facebook either. Puzzling, indeed! My whole blog is about photos of my family and events....if I can't post that, my blog will die due to extremely boring content!

Hope you are having a better day than I am.............it's not that bad, I just don't like it much when I can't get things to work the way they should!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

A Family Sunday

Sunday and Family. Most Sunday's will find our home filled to the brim with children of all ages. It's loud and crazy. This Sunday involved family but of a different generation.

My siblings from PA (brother Dick and his wife Nancy, sister Mary Ellen, sister Jean and her husband Dick and Dale and I) gathered for lunch along with our step mother Mary. Dick and Jean had their granddaughter Destiny with them and we had Ellen. Lunch was simple - we ate out! After lunch we gathered at my sister Mary Ellen's home for dessert.


OK - I was going to insert some photos but Blogger isn't cooperating. Ugh!

Our brother-in-law Elvin (was married to our sister Janet who is now deceased) and his wife Pauline were in the area so they stopped by too. How nice! We sang some Christmas carols from song sheets that had been my Dads. We grew up singing together and was one of our Dad's favorite things to do when we were together. We always sing at family gatherings! And, we do know how to sing, I might add =) Jeanie played the piano as we sang.

Dessert time! Ellen was ready for that. Mary Ellen made a cherry cheese dessert. Yummy! I brought grapes. There was also party mix that Mary Ellen made. It was a wonderful afternoon. We said farewell to our step mother who is leaving for Florida this week. She will enjoy the warm Sunshine State for more than a month. We are all a bit jealous!

Later, on my way home from picking up Gina at work, my phone rang. It was Corey. He asked if I could come get Zoe. Aidan, who has been sick, woke from his nap with a high fever so they were taking him to the ER. Of course I went to get Zoe.

We had decided last evening not to gather at all today. Corey had been sick this week, Christy got sick on Friday, Zoe had pink eye this week and Aidan had a cold which seemed to be turning into more. Paityn and Brinley had colds this week too. This afternoon Scott said it looked like Paityn may have pink eye too. I've had a scratchy throat and sinus pain since yesterday. We all agreed that staying apart was best for our health this week.

 Please say a prayer for our sweet Aidan. We heard that he responded good to a treatment and are now awaiting results of an x-ray.

Blessings to you!


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Putting Away Christmas

It was a bright and sunny day. Cold but sunny. I looked at the tree this morning and saw dust. Aidan has real issues with dust. So I decided to take everything off the tree and put Christmas away today. Feels too soon, but next week would feel too soon for me, too!

Time to put it back in the box =(
 

Time to take the boxes back to the attic =(
 

Oops! I forgot these!
 
Hmmm...
I'm thinking about letting these up awhile longer.
 
 
Way too soon it's all over. I love Christmas and am sad to see it go away. I feel that way every year!
 
 
My focus returns to cleaning out, getting rid of excess and getting this house SOLD!
 
That thought makes me a very happy girl =)
 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

Monday had a few normal parts of the day and some fun, not every-day parts too.

Aidan and Zoe were part of my day as usual. Gina stayed overnight at their house so I didn't need to be there right away in the morning. That worked for me! Dale had a vacation day. Nice. Ellen's vacation from school continued. She likes that!

Two really special parts of our day -

1. We had guests.....Beatrice and Grenville of The Frog and PenguiNN blog! They are traveling, something they do frequently. They have a daughter who lives in our town. (small world) We were so blessed to have them take time to pay us a visit.  It was delightful! We were also blessed with some roasted pecans they gave us. Beatrice shelled the pecans, roasted them with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Included on the package was a warning - Eating is addictive. Indeed, so true! Sooooo good!! Thanks, again, to my dear friends!

2. The kids decided to have a New Year's Eve party at our house last evening. They brought food. I provided some. We had lots to eat! Scott provided the means for some fun. It seemed like the adults were a bit tired so the kids did most of the action.

Paityn is singing.....
 
 
That's what they are all looking at =)
 
 
Zoe gets in on the action =)
I tried my hand at this instrument too.
Let's just say I shouldn't quit my day job!!

Brinley takes ornaments off the tree!
 

Aidan sings!
 
 
 They also played a Cars racing game.
Oh what fun!
We laughed so hard.
Andrew couldn't be beat.
Kim had a hilarious time with a  60's VW bus she was racing.
Aidan was doing crazy tricks with his car.
 
We were all awake (except for Brinley) for the dropping of the ball in NY.
Happy New Year!!
 
 
Today had a slow start. I did some cleaning upstairs. Pork and Sauerkraut is a New Years tradition here in PA Dutch country. I really wanted to go to Twin Kiss, in town, for my share of this delicious meal. My sister Mary Ellen called around 3 to tell me she had called Twin Kiss and they were sold out. WHAT?? They sold out before I got there?
 
I still really wanted some. Mary Ellen said she would join us if I found somewhere to go. I researched the newspaper. I called Kountry Kitchen, a small family restaurant north of town. They were open till 8 and, YES, they still had my meal! We went. Mary Ellen and I had our good luck meals. It was so good! Hubs, Gina and Ellen didn't need the luck, I guess. They had sandwiches instead =)
 
Tomorrow things will be back to a normal routine. I need to get back to my normal eating. Do I ever!!
 
Blessings, my friends!