New Year Excitement

So ask us how we rang in the new year. I know it won't take much to figure out considering we live in South Dakota and it is winter!


We are in the middle of our first blizzard for the year- it only took one day to accomplish this. We were brave and ran errands early in the day.

By the afternoon we found ourselves snug as a bug in our home with no intention of leaving. Poor puppies are crossing their legs DREADING the venture out to the restroom. I don't blame them. You couldn't pay me to leave this house. Please note that this picture is taken on our front porch. We could hardly open the door for them to step outside.

Happy 2011 everyone! 2010 will be a hard one to top. We have been truly blessed.

Mud On Your Face...

I seriously do not know how in the world I came up with this, but I know how to make Mae giggle and it is just about the cutest thing EVER! One day Mae was being crabby before bathtime and so I burst out in song "You've got mud on your face, you big disgrace. Kicking your can all over the place..." Sing with me people: "We will, we will ROCK YOU! ROCK YOU!". I was so shocked when all of the sudden a giggle came out. Since then it doesn't matter what mood the girl is in, we just sing this song and Mae just eats it up with excitment. I don't have the heart to tell her that I don't like the song.

Perfection???

Ok, I know this may sound strange but I made a goal for myself this Christmas season. My goal was to perfect baking sugar cookies with icing-- we are talking Savage's Bakery style. I know, HUGE goal to reach if comparing it to Savage's Bakery's "Smiley Face Cookies" (Birmingham folks know) but I was determined to do it.
Along the way there were some (several) bumps in the road- but I think I might be close. I know I would be closer but one single ingredient for the icing is very obscure and Jr. down at Husman's (local store)said he wasn't sure what I was talking about when I requested it. Anyone out there know what Meringue Powder is and where on Earth I can find some??? I had to go with an alternate icing which worked out pretty well.
Thank you Pioneer Woman for having a link on your blog to the winning sugar cookie recipe! (Dennis would say I couldn't live without the Pioneer Woman, her cookbook, or blog). bakeat350.blogspot.com

To judge my final product I had to consult Val-- hands down one of the best bakers I know. She swears she can't live without her Kitchen Aid Mixer or without sugar cookies with icing. Val wouldn't let me take a picture of her eating the cookie (although she allowed me to get one with her and Mae). If I did get that picture you would see a smile on her face. Perfection. Savage's Bakery has nothing on me (haha).
My next goal is pie crust. Talk about intimidation!

Supper Club

Being in a small town and not teaching anymore presents some obstacles on being social. I told myself when I quit my job that I must make a point to stay in touch with friends and get out of the house and be social. What better way to be social than to start a Supper Club-- a concept that is foreign here in Presho, I have learned. I initiated the club this past summer and have been very happy with how receptive my friends have been to it! I hosted the December meeting this past weekend and we had a great time. I thought I would post a picture on my blog to share who my friends are here.

Tiny Dancer

I think we have not only a Christmas music lover on our hands but also a tiny dancer. That Mae she is a cutie! She makes me smile every single hour of every single day.

Four Months

Mae is FOUR MONTHS OLD! Wow, it is happening too fast. The highlights of this month include: almost rolling completely over (we have an arm that gets in the way and are trying to figure out how to get past that), taking away the pacifier (tough one), and grabbing anything in sight. Big month, don't you think? We really enjoy the fact that Mae LOVES to be the charmer. She smiles a lot and enjoys talking even more.
We are getting really excited about our first Christmas with her.

p.s. Thank you for the prayers. We had such a wonderful time in Birmingham over Thanksgiving. We did end up having several delays with flights and weather (we arrived a day late). HOWEVER, Mae took it like a champ. Believe it or not, the girl didn't cry the entire way there and back. How lucky are we?