Happy Birthday to my sister!

My sister's birthday was yesterday!  I had photos that I wanted to add, but I never had the time, so I am a day late! 

I hope it was a great day, Andrea!

ETA: Photos!!!

Changing it up

I am playing with backgrounds and colors and fonts and pictures, etc on the blog.....

So if you notice it a little different every day, just know that I was overdue for some TLC and a facelift for the blog.  I don't think I love it yet...but I'm getting there. 

The Trips turn FIVE

We had the big Triplet Birthday Bash this past weekend.

Lots of fun and presents and great food and crafts......

Bailey's Irish Cream

This is one of my favorite drinks.  I do not have it often, but about two weeks ago, I was given a recipe to make Bailey's Irish Cream at home. (THANK YOU, Karen!)

Ingredients:

1 cup Canadian Whiskey
1 cup Light Cream
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Chocolate Syrup
1 tsp. Instant Coffee
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Put all ingredients in to a blender and blend for at least one minute or until smooth, creamy and you know that the instant coffee granules are pulverized.

Pour into bottles that have the attached cap (see photo).  Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving.  This will last for at least 10 days in the fridge.

This is SO good!  I plan on giving it to folks for gifts this year.  I found a bunch of bottles at Marshalls - all different shapes and sizes!

Just a quick funny...

Yesterday (Thanksgiving) is usually the day all the members of my family do their Christmas  pictures for Christmas cards - I have always taken my kids pictures on this day, but since my daughter wasn't home from college, I have to wait a little longer!

Anyway, my brothers family was taking their picture (he and his wife and their four kids) in front of the porch.  My son Rick (age 24 - in the background on the porch), told his five year old cousin (Brody - one of the trips), to moon the photographer (my other sister).  He mooned the picture, right behind my brother and his family getting their photo done!  This is my brother and his family turning around to see the "full moon" on the porch!

It was hysterical!

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to wish all my readers a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

I have not been blogging as much as I want to because I have just been too busy, but I hope to share some things with you this weekend since I am off until Monday! 

Tonight I'll be prepping, baking, cooking, making and doing a lot of new things!  So, the camera is ready and I'll be writing a lot!!  I hope! 

I am not going into NYC tomorrow as I had originally planned, but instead I was able to get into the Thanksgiving Day Race locally and I will be running a 5K first thing in the morning - then I can eat whatever I want all day!!! 

Enjoy!

Richard

I have talked about Richard in some of my blogs and he is in my pictures a lot also, but I don't think people know exactly who he is. 

Richard is a gentleman who lives in a group home and my hubby works at the group home.  Richard has NO family at all.  The other members of the group home have family, so we have taken Richard into our family.  He comes with us on outings, for dinner, for football and basketball game....and sometimes, just to help rake leaves.  My husband is thinking about taking over his conservatorship, because the person who was his conservator has decided not to be it any longer! 

This is Richard and Thomas at the Yale-Princeton Football Game last week. 

Richard is an honorary member of our local firehouse, so he is always saluting.  He has Downs Syndrome but does very well.  I sometimes have a hard time understanding him, but my husband understands him fine!!  Last week, they attended the Uconn basketball game and on Sunday, Richard will come for supper. 

Fall CSA - Week 2

Here is my list for Friday this week.  Next week, there is no CSA, as my farm will be processing their own turkeys!  I did not get a turkey from the farm this year, however. 

Fall Box


1 head of escarole
1 baby bok choy
1 brussel sprout stalk
1 head of cauliflower
1 top of a collard greens plant
1 bunch of radishes
1 1/2lbs sweet potatoes
3 sweet peppers
1 winter squash

I have three winter squash put away and nine quarts of pumpkin frozen. 

Community Service Officer

Last week, at my niece's school (where she teaches), they had a Community Day.  Since my husband is an officer in the Commnunity, she asked him to come to the class and talk and read to the kids.

He went in and did his thing!  These are some pictures that my niece took:

My new Glass

On our way to Pittsburgh, Debby found the cutest wine glass in the Sky Mall Catalog.

We laughed about it because she has become my canning partner and we both love wine and thought it was a great wine glass.

When we got to the Strip District in Pittsburgh, we had a late lunch, then shopped, then went to church and then headed to a wine store for a bottle of wine to share that evening at the hotel.  Would you believe we found this at the wine store....and Debby and Tony bought it for me!!

Pittsburgh

I am a little behind on my posts, but I wanted to tell you about my wonderful trip with Tony and Debby to Pittsburgh.  Our trip unfortunately got cut short with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy - they cancelled our Monday flight, so we had to leave early on Sunday night!  But we were thankful to make it home, because after our flight, the airports were closed down!!!

The Steelers won, so it was a good day and this was the week they wore those crazy retro uniforms.  I ended up loving them!!!

1st Fall CSA

This Friday, we start the first of five weeks of the Fall CSA.  Summer CSA ended abruptly due to Hurricane Sandy - there was no way to get to the farm and the farm (8 days later) still has no power!  They had to cancel the final week of the summer CSA. 

But here is the new list:

Fall Box


2 heads of Lettuce
2 Winter Squash
1 Bunch of Collard Greens
1 Bunch of Radishes
1 Bunch of Dandelion Greens
1lb of Green Beans
1 Head of Cabbage
1/2 lb Bag of Spinach

A friend from work has also gifted me with liver and neck bones from his cow share and lots of brussel sprouts and greens from his prior CSA......so I have a lot to work with this week with "greens". 

Snow Totals

11 Inches of snow in my backyard!  ELEVEN!  We were predicted to have some rain and wind!  NO snow!

Why? Why?  I understand they are saying that the computer models were wrong and then the storm stalled....but why are meteorologists relying so heavy on computer models....just look outside the freaking window, MR Meteorologist!  Even when we had four inches of snow on the ground, the weathermen kept saying it would get better....It didn't.  It got considerably worse!  3-1/2 hour drive  from Greenwich to  Derby and then my son couldn't get up the hill to our home.  Why?  Because there were no plows on the roads yet....with six inches of snow on the ground....because the weathermen  didn't think we would need plows because they were wrong!!!

I am angry about the whole thing!  Very angry.  My husband told me to leave work at 4 and I didn't because the weathermen said it was fine!

From now on, I will take what weathermen say with a grain of salt (or snow).....

Where is Florida when you need it???

More About Naples

We have received six inches of snow as I type this (7-1/2 as I continue to type)....so I decided to blog about my trip to Naples, Florida with my friends.    Seriously, I hate snow!!

We got there late on Friday and went straight to SUPER Walmart for groceries and necessities.....We got back to the condo about 10:30 at night, totally exhausted.  Theresa wasn't with us yet, so the four of us got organized with making beds and putting away groceries and setting up the condo.  We stayed up until 1:30 in the morning with wine and beer and laughter!!!!!

This picture was at the airport waiting for the flight!

The next day was, of course, perfect so we waiting until 11 and when Theresa got there, we headed to the beach!  We stayed until 3:00 and the weather and the water were wonderful.....we headed back to the condo for "happy hour" and to take showers to get ready for evening down on 5th Avenue.  Since it was October, it was the "Stiletto Run"  - Everyone dresses in pink and runs in Stiletto's and that includes men.  They closed off all of 5th Avenue and if you have been to down town Naples, you know that this is a big thing.  There was a pink stretch hummer

 Motorcycles all in a row decorated all in pink

 This is  the Inn on 5th Running Group.  There were hundreds of people dressed similarly.

 Here are the five of us having dinner at Yabba in downtown Naples.  We got a perfect table outside, near all the fun!!

 Joanie, with one of the runners!  This gentleman dressed the part in heels and balloons for boobs!

 Pink decorated trees downtown in front of the theatre!  So pretty and so much fun!

The next day was just as wonderful  - it was a little breezy, so we spend the day at the pool.  The water was 91 degrees....We brought a cooler to the patio by the pool and drank and ate and swam and just had a wonderful time....and I forgot my camera!  We went to The Mercado this evening for shopping and dinner, however, we didn't realize that most of the shops close on Sunday at 6:00...we got there at 6:00... But we found a wonderful Italian Restaurant called Bravo!  Great food and great drinks!

 Theresa had a white sangria and I had a strawberry basil lemonade (virgin-because I was driving).  Eva had something that I forgot and it was just too sweet.

On our third day, we went back to the beach for the day.  We had another wonderful day weatherwise...three in a row!  In the evening, we went to Tin City to do some shopping and then to Bonefish Grille, another one of my favorites for seafood and Bang-Bang Shrimp!  We ate on the canal and had more beautiful weather!

We knew we had to leave early the next day so we went home to enjoy our last night together!

Donna forgot her shirt, so she isn't in the picture!  It was a great weekend with my friends!!!!  I foresee another trip in two years!