Cookie Time!

Since the snow is falling outside, I guess I should decide as to what cookies to make this year to give to the neighbors and close family. I went to Walgreens yesterday and bought the cookies tins, now I just have to fill them. I've been making cookies every year since we've moved to the PNW, and have made Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles, Pecan balls, decorated sugar cookies, the ever so yummy flourless oatmeal cookies, chocolate dipped macaroons, and roskete. This year, I thought I'd tackle the art of fudge making, since most haolies here love it, even though I don't care too much for it. It's still up in the air though as to what I will make this year......any recommendations?

Promise to do better!

Okay, so I decided that I don't really want to join the ranks of "Once a Month Bloggers", and promise to post more, at least once a week......LOL! Thanks Wayne! I m,ay just post a few today, since it's snowing outside and it's a good day to bake cookies!

A Family Tradition

Since our move here in 2006, my husband and I started a family tradition of visiting Larwick Farms to cut down our Christmas tree, with my niece (Nora) her husband (Frank) and daughter Chloe. This year marks the third time we did this and it was truly a wonderful day, as their wasn't a cloud in sight and it was the first time I had seen so many people wandering around the field of many trees. My niece, Kim and her daughter, Ha'ani, joined us this year and it just made the day more enjoyable, even though Ha'ani, just wasn't in the Christmas mood. At nearly three years old, she didn't care about the trees or Santa, she was just happy when we were heading home with her candy cane in hand. It was funny!

As we walked around the field, with saw in hand, looking for that perfect tree, I almost became teary eyed, as I always do around this time of year. I just love the holidays! It was such a joy to watch the children who were their with their parents, just looking for the biggest tree and yelling, "Dad, this is the one!", and with saw in hand they cut it down and drag it over to their car, of course, not before stopping by the gift shop for hot chocolate, cider, candy canes and photo with Santa. As the kids are waiting to leave, you can hear them talking about what they wish that Santa would bring them this year and hoping that it would snow, so they'd get that day off from school. It was definitely a wonderful time!

Price of Gas Fast Approaching the Two Dollar Mark!

So, I just finished reading Wayne's blog on the price of gas in the Marianas, and thought I'd add my own update of gas here in the PNW. As of today, Costco gas is down to $2.11/gallon for regular unleaded. The local gas stations are around the same price per gallon. It now costs me about $30.00 to fill my Chevy Trailblazer! Although, it is good news for daily commuters or those with their not so friendly gas efficient car, the price for everyday commodities is rising. For instance, rice is nearly $30.00 for a 50lb. bag, five dozen eggs is nearing $8.00, a package of pork spare ribs is about $10.00/for about 2.5 lbs., bread is at $2.00 a loaf. We love that the price of gas has gone down tremendously, but everything else is on the rise, so although we can travel quite far now with minimal expenditure on gas, we're not really saving much for everything else!

Baby, it's cold outside!

Winter is now upon us here in the PNW. With the smell of winter in the air, it's now time to get the visit from the flu bug, change the heater filter in the furnace, get the studded tires ready for the trip to Les Schwab to install them, so you can make the trip up to the mountains or through the passes, get the gallon of de-icer ready for the morning warm up of my Chevy, pack away the summer clothing and break out the sweaters, jackets, and thermal underwear! That's just a partial list of things to do to prepare for the below freezing weather, black ice on the road, heavy fog and possible snowfall. One good thing about this winter is that the price of gas has gone down significantly, as we are fast approaching the two dollar range...yippee!