LOL!

Yes, I know this one is SICKSICKSICK but it made me LOL!

My Heart Belongs To Daddy!

Our darling daughter has always been a Daddy's girl -- through and through. And it's a mutual arrangement, I assure you -- he's pretty smitten with her, too! For most of her growing-up years, she proudly displayed a pillow on her bed that said, "My heart belongs to Daddy."

She's all grown up now and quite happily married, but she still likes to (frequently) get her dad's input and advice.

Today, she and her husband, and a friend and I were in the car. They were talking about remodeling their bathroom and my son-in-law stated his preference for a one-piece tub and shower surround. My daughter said, "No... my dad doesn't think that's the best idea."

My quick-witted son-in-law turned to his friend and said matter-of-factly, "I could tell her that her pants were on fire and she'd have to check with her dad first!"

* LET IT SNOW! *

I LOVE wintertime and I love snow! I think it is invigorating and incredibly beautiful. (Which is a really good thing considering that I live in northwest Pennsylvania... aka "the snow belt"!)



I love the feel, the look and the smell of a fresh, cold winter day. (And the way the snow sparkles in the sun like DIAMONDS doesn't hurt anything, either!) ;o)

I'm like a kid -- I love catching snowflakes on my tongue, or watching them land - delicate and perfect - on the sleeve of my coat. And like people or fingerprints, every snowflake is unique... no two are exactly alike... and snowflakes always have 6 sides. How amazing is THAT?!

Just look at these actual, highly magnified photos of real snowflake crystals -- aren't they GORGEOUS?!





Admittedly, some people (like my darling husband!) aren't too crazy about winter. Silly boy! So... what are my tips for not just surviving the cold, but actually enjoying it?

First of all, dress for it!!! Sounds so simple, but you'd be surprised how many people (darling husband included!) who DON'T... then wonder why they're so, um.... *COLD*???!!!!

• Warm coats (I love cozy down outerwear, and it is WORTH the money!)
• Warm, waterproof boots (my Columbia boots keep my toesies toasty warm. Good boots are expensive... don't skimp here! Cold or wet tootsies are NOT fun!)
• Scarves, hats, mittens... mmmm, soft and warm. Absolutely necessary - and fun fashion accents, too!

Some of my other cold weather strategies...

• Hot, hearty, homemade soups with warm, crusty bread. Look for my favorite winter soup recipe below.
• Lots of rich, dark hot chocolate with marshmallows - yum!
• Warm, crackling fires whenever possible!
• Soft fleece or flannel PJs and warm fuzzy slippers.
• Flannel bed sheets and warm down comforters.
• Snuggling under a quilt with your sweetie and your kitty.
• Find something you like to do outside... I especially love cross-country skiing.
• When all else fails... take a vacation somewhere warm! (This is my husband's favorite winter-coping strategy!) You'll come home de-stressed, recharged and... ready to shovel the driveway! ;o)

My boy and I cross-country skiing at a beautiful local park.
(Yeah, I was having more fun than he was!)


Here are a few of my other favorite winter pictures...

Our two kids... when they were (much!) smaller. Sooooo cute!


Our home, taken very early one snowy morning a few days ago:

And as promised, here's our favorite winter soup recipe... try it, I know you'll LOVE it.

It makes A LOT, so call your family or friends over to share a warm 'n' cozy evening "in" and... *let it snow*!

SAUSAGE TORTELLINI SOUP

Brown in LARGE soup pot: 2 pounds fresh, sweet Italian sausage with 2 medium chopped onions and several cloves of fresh garlic.

Add 4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced; 1 box frozen Italian green beans; 1 chopped red, orange or yellow bell pepper; 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes in puree (I prefer San Marzano); 2 cups low-sodium V-8 juice; 10 cups chicken broth; 1 or 2 chopped chipotle-in-adobo chiles; 2 cans undrained canellini beans, a few dashes Worcestershire sauce; salt and pepper, dried oregano, and ground red pepper (cayenne), all to taste. Bring to a boil then simmer about 2 hours.

Add 1 box frozen chopped spinach and a bag of fresh or frozen tortellini. Simmer another 15-20 minutes or until tortellini are cooked through.

Garnish with chopped basil leaves and freshly shaved parmesan-reggiano cheese and serve with thick chunks of hot, crusty bread.

Mmmmm... *ENJOY!*

Snowman photo from here; Snowflake crystal photos from here.

Travel - COSTA RICA!

We just got home from a WONDERFUL week-long vacation in Costa Rica. We traveled with two of our best friends, sharing a lovely condo in Jaco Beach, which is world-famous for its surfing.









Costa Rica is a WONDERFUL country. First of all, it is breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL... the mountains, the sea, the beaches, and of course the amazing plant and animal life. Think Jurassic Park (parts of the movies were filmed there) -- without the dinosaurs, of course! ;o)









(VERY interesting fun fact: Costa Rica is the only country in the western hemisphere without a national military. The country maintains a diplomatically neutral stance, based on ideals of peace and pacifism. Without defense spending, the government is able to use its tax revenue for universal health care, social security, and free education. Pretty cool, huh? Who knew?!)

I loved MANY things about Costa Rica. The people (who refer to themselves as "Ticos") are extremely friendly. They love their country, and they value their tourist industry - and it shows. And while the typical standard of living there may be more humble than we tend to think of here in the US, there was NOT the poverty of some other countries we have been to, vendors were not pushy, and we never saw even one homeless or begging person.

And OH! The food was very delicious. Again, largely "humble" food, perhaps... but what those talented Ticos can do with fresh, simple ingredients like rice, beans, fish, pork, tortillas, plantains, sauces and salsas was amazing!

We loved eating where the locals ate; small, inexpensive roadside eateries called "sodas" were our favorites.





And have I mentioned the fruit smoothies?! Oh YUM! Had one every day. (Mango-strawberry was my favorite, but I think I tried them all!)


And the "Arroz con Leche" (rice pudding), with cinnamon and cloves... simply delicious! Had one of those every day, too! ;o)


And OH! How could I forget... the COFFEE! YUM! Costa Rica "is" coffee! We really looked forward to our morning cup... and our evening cup. And OK, maybe a cup or two in the afternoon... ;o) Seriously, the coffee was TO. DIE. FOR. Yeah, I'd go back just for that!





OK...so besides EATING (and drinking!), what did we DO in Costa Rica?

We spent a day at Manuel Antonio National Park. While we were there we took a nature hike with a guide who had an unbelievable knack at spotting things, like iguanas, monkeys, birds, butterflies, spiders, snakes, raccoons, sloths and more.

I LOVED the monkeys, they are so comical!




Gymnast monkey showing off all his tricks!


Colorful crab:


A "Laughing Falcon":






This guy was BIG! EEK!


The markings on this sloth's back mean it is a male.


We swam in the ocean and jumped the waves like a couple of kids.


I took a short nap on the beach and woke up with a start as a big, fat iguana ran right across my legs!!! ACK!




LOVED this road sign on the way into the park:

("SLOW! [Watch for:] People, raccoons, sloths, monkeys" !)

We also spent a day being brave and daring ;o) doing a zipline and waterfalls canopy tour. Oh maaaaaaaaan, I LOVE stuff like that! Strap me into a harness and send me sailing high through the tree-tops and I am in HEAVEN! (Literally!) ;o) *Wheeeeeeeeee!*


Still wearing our ziplining gear, but taking a break to enjoy the beauty of one of many Costa Rica's gorgeous waterfalls:


With our friends on one of the suspension bridges:


We went horseback riding in the mountains one afternoon, and watched the sunset from a beautiful look-out point.

My horse's name was Picaro:

Guess what Picaro means in Spanish?
It means "mischievous, naughty, sly, clever, rogue, rascal"!

And oh yeah, he was all of those things -- and more! He had a mind of his own, and he wasn't much interested in hearing what I had to say. In fact, Picaro pretty much scared *THE CRAP!* out of me a couple of times, and I am not easily scared! The path was rocky, twisty-turny and STEEP... and in order to save a couple of steps he'd frequently get TOO DARN CLOSE to the edge of the mountain, and I am not gonna lie to you - I was terrified. There were no guard rails, and it was a LOOOOOONG WAY down! I was really, really happy to get back on terra firma, let me tell you. I think I'll turn in my chaps, thank you very much; an equestrienne I am NOT!

The boys went spear-fishing one morning, we girls went shopping. We ate out and we cooked in.

We spent lazy days sight-seeing and checking out the area, and enjoyed several night-swims in the pool at our condo.


We walked on the beach...


We enjoyed the gorgeous sunsets...






...and we hated to see the week come to an end.

It was a wonderful winter getaway that we will always remember, and we definitely recommend Costa Rica!