Overheard at the pool table

We attended a family reunion party yesterday and had such a great time! My aunt was putting together our family tree, there was a lot of great food and of course the men descended upon the pool table. They promptly turned into teenage boys heckling each other! Below from left to right is my 2nd cousin Steve, my handsome hubby Greg, my uncle & padrino Mike and 2nd cousin William.

Overheard at the pool table:

"That's how I roll!"

"Are you going to cry now?"

"My grandma hits better than you!"

"What's the matter, can't take the heat?"








Us women were "clucking" together. See that woman in the white sweater? That's my Great Aunt Emmy who is 93 years old, sharp as a tack and was still playing golf and driving last year! She is an inspiration!






Is there anything better than spending time with a big group of your family members? I don't think so!

The sled hill is calling me

It's been 10 days since I've been at the log cabin. I know it misses me. The birds miss me. The black squirrels miss me. The neighbor I wave to across the way misses me (though I'm sure they're still scratching their head saying why is that girl in the funny sheep pajamas always waving to us?) And the sled hill is calling to me - challenging me to bring my sled and come racing down its hill. In good time Mr. Sled Hill. I am slowly recovering from the flu (or maybe food poisoning!) and have moved up to chicken noodle soup. My strength is building. I am figuring out what my sled of choice will be - a dish slider or an inner tube. I'll let it be a surprise. But never fear, I will see you soon enough!

Cooking & playing games

I am a true outdoors gal but I do love my indoor activities too at the log cabin. Cooking and playing games ranks right up there. I love finding new recipes - especially from other bloggers and sites such as allrecipes.com. I recently made this cheesy artichoke dip that my guests raved about (or maybe they were just being kind!) Now that I'm getting over the flu, food is starting to sound good to me again.


I've listed the recipe at the end of this blog post in case you would like to try this!











Here's a bite just for you!












Now, after I've loaded you up on some appetizers, let's play some games.


Sequence is one of our favorite board games. You work with your partner(s) to build a sequence on the board with the playing cards you have in your hand. Jacks are wild! I've listed the game link below on Amazon.







We also like to play scrabble and boggle too. What games do you like to play?


Cheesy Artichoke Dip - from http://www.allrecipes.com/
INGREDIENTS:
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
and chopped
1 (6 ounce) can marinated artichoke
hearts, drained and chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
peppers, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 ounce) package grated Parmesan
cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella
cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.
In a medium bowl, mix artichoke hearts, marinated artichoke hearts, green chile peppers, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
3.
Spread the mixture in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

I miss my log cabin

I miss my log cabin. Had the flu not knocked me off my feet, I would be there now with the hubby, stepson and Marvin the cat. I am anxious to put one of my Christmas presents in there (an electric fireplace from my dad!) So I'm laying in bed, daydreaming until I am back there again.

















I miss my black squirrel despite him getting into the bird's food all the time. Check out the snow on his face!

















I miss the chickadee's curiosity.















I miss the barking call of the red-bellied woodpecker. They always announce their arrival.


















I miss snow shoeing through the woods.











And I miss the views of the snow covered lake.

Get your flu shot!

I was hospitalized with flu complications the past few days. I have to say this was the worst flu I ever had in my life and made me wish I had gotten my flu shot this year. I was so dehydrated that they went through 8 bags of IV solution to get me rehydrated. I am home now resting. I will catch up with all of you in the next few days. Next year I am definitely getting my flu shot. Did any of you get yours this year?