Van Goghs we are NOT

Well, Keith and I went to a painting class for beginners today at the West Unity Library. We each painted a landscape. I won't tell you which one I painted. They are similar but neither of them look like the one the instructor painted. We enjoyed it and may end up buying some painting supplies and start painting for fun. I'm sure you can tell we aren't going to make a living painting!!

Family Get Together

We had a really nice weekend. Kevin & Sarah came home Saturday and we went out to dinner. It was a relaxing evening. Sunday we had my sister Karen and all her family over for lunch. Karen, her twin daughters and their spouses and her six grandchildren, Kurt, Christy and my four grandchildren and Kevin and Sarah. It was a housefull, but I think everyone had a good time. There were 10 children between the ages of 3 and 10. (One set of twin boys!) And there were 10 adults. Karen and Kathie's husbands had to work. As the next day was President's Day, I didn't have to work. That is why I planned it then. Kevin and Sarah didn't have to work either so they stayed until around one o'clock before they went home. It was really good to see and spend time with all of them. When Karen's girls were younger, they used to spend a week with us in the summer and I miss seeing them since they are grown up and have families of their own. I will post some pictures of the families.

Old Fashioned Snow Ice Cream

Well, here we are still snowed in. I am sure we will be able to go back to work tomorrow. All the schools in the county have been closed for two days and so has the library! We have been under a level three snow emergency which means we have not been able to go anywhere, and I have loved it.

There was a thing on the news about making ice cream out of snow. It reminded me that my mother, who is 93, used to tell us how her mom would have them go outside and get clean snow in a dishpan and make it into ice cream. I asked her once if she had Grandma's recipe and she said no, but she had one she had cut out of the Toledo paper years ago but had never tried it. She gave me the recipe and asked me to try it if we got a heavy snow - so tonight I asked Keith to go out and get me some snow and I made it. It tastes just like homemade ice cream that you make in the freezers.

Here is the recipe in case anyone would like to try it.

One gallon fresh fallen snow

2 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.

Combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg and beat until eggs are well blended with all other ingredients. Pour over snow and stir (I used a whisk) until all are blended. It will become thick like real ice cream and ready to serve. It may be set out in a covered container in the snow until ready to serve.

We ate ours right away and put the left overs in the freezer.

Hope some of you will try it. It is really good.

Jellyfish

Can't believe I forgot a picture of the jellyfish. I told you about Tom & Keith's picture twice. I'm just not with it. It is a balmy 10 degrees here and Keith just came in out of the hottub. I can't believe anyone would go out in that weather but once you get in it's great!!

Back from vacation-and freezing!!

This picture is of Keith and Tom picking grapefruit behind Tom's place in Lakeland.

This picture was taken in our favorite restaurant down there, Inlet Harbor.

The last picture is of me with the palm tree they planted at our time share several years ago. We take my picture every year to show how much it has grown.

The next picture of of Keith and Tom picking grapefruit behind Tom's place in Lakeland.



We spent two and a half weeks in Florida and had great weather. We stopped at Kevin's on the way and also got to see her dad, Stan. We had a nice visit, but not long enough. It was in the upper 70's every day but one. One was in the sixty's and raining-so we went shopping. We went to the Daytona Flea Market (surprise) twice and also a flea market in Lakeland with Tom & Mary. We walked on the beach and it was great. I did see something that I have never seen on the beach. The day before we came home we took our walk and there were dead jellyfish on the beach. The day we left we talked to the lifeguard right in front of our condo and he said it was because the wind was out of the west and when the tide came up they got beached. He told us not to touch them because even though they were dead they could still sting you. He didn't need to warn me, I have seen enough about them on tv. We really didn't do much this year, spent some time in and around the pool and hottub. Mom came and spent a day with us and treated us to a fish fry on our way down at her place. Can't beat those fresh fish!! We went to Lakeland when our time was done at the timeshare and spent two nights with Tom & Mary who are down there for the winter. They are at the same place as Byron and Judy so we also spent some time with them. When we left Florida it was 74 degrees. We had to go straight to Cleveland as Keith had an auction there on the 25th. The night before the auction Wayne took the auction crew to Buca de Beppo's. We went there in Cincinnati the first time we met Sarah so it brought back some good memories. When we got there it was 12 degrees and they had 5 inches of snow. Welcome back to Ohio. We got home around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday the 25th. I have been swamped at work and have been watching Lost the Second Series when I get home at night so I will be ready for the Third Season!! Keith went with Kurt, Kraig, Casey and two of Kurt's friends to the gun show in Lima yesterday. I stayed home and cleaned house and did laundry. It feels good to get caught up on everything. Now we have to start getting our tax papers around, a job a never look forward to. We are having my sister Karen's families here along with our family for a get together on February 18th. I have to start thinking about what I will be cooking! I am looking forward to seeing them all. I don't get to see enough of Karen's twins and their families. There will be 12 adults and 10 kids (between 10 and 3) here. It will be fun. Sadly, I have not done any scrapbooking since July. I have to get back to it.