Oh what fun it is to ride..............

I am super excited about my Christmas gift from my husband!

He bought me all the tack to harness up my little mini for her cart!

I can't wait! I am currently getting her used to the bit and me being behind  her instead of beside her.  Hopefully by spring we will be ready to try the cart.  I have all kinds of wonderful things planned for her and I.

Cart trips to get the mail.......

Parades.........

Maybe, a new sleigh for winter time.......

She is young and FULL of energy!! She loves to be busy doing something and a cart with interchangeable skis and wheels would allow her to pull all year round.

Most importantly, allow us to work TOGETHER year round!! 

I love my Fancy!

Christmas.....

Our Christmas is over and was relaxed and enjoyable.....

We spent Christmas Eve afternoon with Scott's side of the family, and then my Mom joined

us in the evening to spend the night and enjoy some snacks!

The evening started out relaxing....we enjoyed some finger foods....talked....enjoyed the fire.

The next thing I knew, it was Christmas Eve, everything was opened, the kids were smiles from ear to ear, and I was thrown into the techno abyss.........

David an MP3.......(He didn't need any help with his!)

Acelia an iPod Touch.........(Fairly easy to set up....but needed an hour to get familiar with it!) 

Dean a HP Laptop........(He set most of it up on his own, but wanted help getting the mouse unlocked!)

T.J. an electric drum set! Music to my ears....I'M NOT KIDDING EITHER!

I love listening to him......he needed no help with these.....he's a natural!

Breakfast for dinner.....

Pumpkin waffles and sausage from our farm....

A True CHRISTmas Song....

Quality Time

You know what I love?................................

I love my husband..........

I love when the alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. in the morning..............

I love when the coffee starts to brew, and the smell rises up to my bedroom........

I love when my husband leans over and says,"Wanna get a thermos of coffee and go for a ride with me?"

Just us................and princess Buttons................of course!

 Just hubby, princess Buttons, me, and a long snowy dirt road.............

With cross roads everywhere............

.....and trees all decorated for the season.....

 .........beautifully decorated with ornaments not made by man.............

You have to get up early to see them............

 ....run and slide.....run and slide......brought to you by Mr. Otter

(You have to get up REALLY early if you want to meet him)

All snug and warm for the winter.......

.....natures music.....

pretty cool......

VERY cool.....downright COLD!!

~Princess Buttons~

Thanks Hubby for the quality time!

Husbands Handiwork

Orange Mexican Wedding Cookies

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup firmly packed confectioners sugar

3 Tbl orange zest

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Confectioners' sugar

In a medium bowl combine butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, about 2 min. Add orange zest, beating until combined.  Add flour and salt, beating to combine well. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until set, but not browned.  Let cool on pans for 5 minutes.  Roll in confectioners' sugar.  After cookies have cooled completely, roll in confectioners' sugar a second time.

~ Light and delicious~

December Sunset

Happy Birthday!

A New 4 Arrows Photographer?

.....Yes, I think so...........

Hidden Camera

It is extremely difficult to get a photo of Asa using the Nikon.

 She will tolerate my cell phone camera though.....

When she caught me snapping these from the deck, she was outta here!!

Winter riding with David and Zip

Dashing through the snow...

Cranberry Cream Cheese Muffins

These tasted like they came right from a bakery! Head over to Heritage Schoolhouse and click the highlighted link there!

Garlic and Lemon Shrimp over pasta

I strayed so far from this recipe it wasn't even funny!

2lbs. of cooked shrimp

4 Tbl butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup white wine

1 can chicken broth

1. Melt 2 Tbl. of the butter in a large skillet, add the olive oil and garlic. Let the garlic simmer on low heat for 2-3 min.  Then add the wine and turn up the heat to medium and reduce the liquid by half.
2. Add the can of chicken broth and continue to reduce the liquid by half again.
3. Add the 2 Tbl of butter and let melt into the sauce
4. Turn off the heat and add the cooked shrimp.

Serve over cooked pasta, yummy!

The Look!

Here it comes..................



......the "I'm ready for my nightly treat" look!

Meringue Swirls

3 large egg whites, at room temp

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Coarse sugar crystals and/or silver nonpareils, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 250. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until frothy (use whisk attachment if using a stand mixer.) Add the cream of tartar; increase the speed to medium high and add the sugar,1 Tbl at a time. Add the vanilla extract and continue beating until the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 6 min.
2. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip. Fill the the bag with the meringue and pipe spirals on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
3. Bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

I did a few things different from this recipe! I did not cook these for an hour.  They only cooked for 15-20 min. You need to touch these and see if they are dry, otherwise they start to turn brown, and they will not  have that white, pretty look to them.  I also took them right out and let them cool on my counter, and they were fine. :)

Cappuccino Pinwheels

3 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 lg egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbl. light corn syrup

4 cups flour

2 Tbl. coffee-flavored liqueur

2 Tbl espresso beans finely ground

2/3 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate

3/4 cup raw sugar (optional)

1. Beat the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat until pale and thick, about 5 min. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and corn syrup in a bowl, then add to the butter mixture and beat until fluffy, about 2 min. Turn off the mixer and add the flour; pulse turning the mixer on and off until just combined. Transfer half of the dough ( about 2 packed cups) to a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Mix the coffee liqueur and espresso in a small bowl, then add to the remaining dough in the mixer along with the chocolate, pulsing until combined. Transfer the chocolate dough to another sheet of parchment paper. Pat each portion of dough into a 10 X 6 inch rectangle and cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Roll out each portion of dough between the parchment sheets into a 12 X 8 inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.  Peel off the top parchment sheets and carefully invert the lighter dough to press it together. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 min.
4. Roll over the dough a few more times to make it slightly thinner, then peel off the top sheet of parchment paper and trim the dough into an even rectangle. Position the dough with a long side facing you and roll it away from you into a tight spiral, using the parchment paper to help. (The dough should be just soft enough to roll; chill or let stand at room temp as needed.) Wrap the log with the parchment paper and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. (The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.)
5. Pre heat the oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the log of dough into 1/4 inch thick rounds place about 11 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the raw sugar, if desired. Bake until the cookies are firm and lightly browned, 15 to 20 min. Let cool 2 min. on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Double Chocolate Crackles

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa power

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbl unsalted butter melted

2 large eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup confectioners sugar

1.  Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and eggs until combined, then stir in the white chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, then roll in the confectioners sugar until well coated. Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
3. Bake until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.