Another Round of Ice!!!

Brrrr--it's coocollllldddd outside! And it's raining---freezing rain! Hopefully, this will just be a "mini" storm compared to the great storm of 08!!! But, everyone is stocking up and staying home. Except for one group--the news reported that an AC-DC concert is going to continue tonight--14,000 tickets sold. So, does that mean 12,000 of them will attend, drink some happy water and THEN get back out on the roads???? Of course it does!! I'm glad I'm not one of them--and none of the fam is either. It took hubby 1 1/2 hours to get home--normally a 25 minute commute! He said it was soooo slick, and the inclines can't be handled if one isn't driving a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Brrr, I'm staying put!!!Had everyone over for dinner Saturday night---remember???? Well, this was one of our desserts--fresh apple cobbler. Yeah, I'm bored so you get pictures of food! And my pics aren't nearly as "professional" as Pioneer Woman or Bakerella, but I bet they taste just as good! It's homemade crust--that gives me points, right???

My sister is a vegetarian, and as we had spaghetti, I thought I'd fix her a special dish! Yep, I'm a short order cook!!! So, I roasted eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion---all coated with olive oil, balsamic vinegar & Italian seasonings. Then topped them with spaghetti sauce. Well, wouldn't you know, I sat them out and EVERYONE wanted a bite of THAT!!!!! Ok, not everyone, but there were no leftovers of this!!!

We had a wonderful time sitting round the dining room table. Have you ever noticed that when you sit around the table, people stay and talk for hours? They do here. No one moves into the other room, we drink coffee & hot tea, and tell stories on each other, and just enjoy company. My kids were all there, and I know from experience, that someday they will look back on these meals with such fondness. It really bonds the family together.

I remember when hubby & I were first married, and even when the kids were little, we had "birthday" dinners at his parents house. All of his brothers and his sister, and his grandparents would load in their contributions of food, and we would sit and eat and talk. Now his grandparents are gone, as is one of his brothers, and his mom isn't well enough to cook like she did, and everyone is so busy with "other" duties that we don't have these much. Mainly just Thanksgiving & Christmas. And I miss them so much. They sure did bring us together emotionally as a family, and kept us an active part of one another's lives. Well, that and the fact that my hubby, his brothers and his dad had a business for over 30 years. Well, anyway, family ties are so important to me, and I think it's now my duty to keep us all "round the table".

Whew---when it gets really cold outside, I sure do become philosophical! Or maybe it's being home all day (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!).

Whichever, I'm going to close for now. I'll be back tomorrow!!!

Sweet dreams!