Had Some Jobs to do…

We are probably behind the curve in cleaning up the Christmas mess but we had a big list of stuff to do today.  We were going to get all the boxes down from the attic, de-decorate the house, take the tree out, put the Christmas wrap back in the attic…you know the drill.  The we looked out the window and saw beautiful bright blue skies and decided the Christmas junk would still be here any day of the week.  After all, we’re retired and don’t HAVE to do anything on any certain day.  When you get a gift of sunshine in January in Oregon, you go with it.  The header photo shows 58 degrees and it actually ended up a couple of degrees warmer than that.

So we took Rusty and Poppy and headed for the lake.  Of course I forgot my camera but we had a nice walk and enjoyed the spring-like weather.  Rusty was tired after that so we dropped him off and picked up the camera and set off to climb to the top of Skinner’s butte (in the car of course!).  This is just a small hill in the middle of down-town Eugene and is part of Skinner Butte Park.  Eugene Skinner was the founder of Eugene.  There are great views from the top, especially on a day like today.  We could see all the way to the Three Sisters (only two could be seen) in central Oregon, about 100 miles away.




We could see the river with the I-5 bridge.  A few of you have this used route lately.  We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!!




We could even see Autzen Stadium, home of the Rose Bowl Champion DUCKS!  (Did you really think I could write a blog today and not mention my Ducks?)




And I could see Poppy straining at her leash wanting to take her Daddy for a walk.




At the bottom of the butte, there is a sheer rock wall that is a popular practice area for rock climbers.  I think this is basalt columns but maybe a soil scientist would know better than I?? I really don’t know much about rocks and such.  This one fella was enjoying the warm sun on his back as he made his descent.



I think this fella was just getting started in the sport but he seemed to be having a good time.  Poppy found this activity incomprehensible but she enjoyed watching!



After all that activity (watching counts, doesn’t it?) we were hungry and went to Marie Callendars for lunch.  I forgot to take pictures but it was sure good.  Russ had a Cobb salad and I had the  special of chicken pot pie, Caesar salad, and a piece of pie for dessert for $10.99.  I had a $5.00 off birthday coupon (tomorrow’s the day), PLUS we both got a free piece of birthday pie so it was a really good deal.  Neither of us could eat pie with lunch, so with our two free pieces, plus the piece that came with my meal, we came home with three pieces of pie…HOT DOG!  Russ chose apple since he didn’t get the apple pie at Carpo’s when we were in Santa Cruz.

We did finally get to a couple of things on our list.  Got the tree down and out to the curb since tomorrow is garbage day, and got the Christmas wrap boxes back in the attic for another year, but that’s about it.  Tomorrow is another day and the stuff ain’t going nowhere!! 

OH, wanted to tell all you grandmas out there…if you want a fun game to play with you grands, try this one.  It’s called Story Cubes.  The games consists of 9 dice which are divided among all players…it really doesn’t matter if you have 1 or 4, it’s all fun.  Each die has a different picture on every side.  Everyone rolls their dice and the players take turns starting a “Once upon a time…” story, using the pictures on their dice.  The next player must take up the story and add to it using his pictures.  The last player brings the story to a conclusion.  It is great for interacting with kids and for stimulating their imaginations…something that is sometimes lacking in today’s electronic age.  At any rate, it sure gets the minds and mouths moving and can become hilarious.  No scoring – it’s just for fun.  I highly recommend this game…might even be fun for adults!

Well, that’s a wrap folks!!

This is Why I Haven’t Been Blogging Much!!

Really no words needed!!

Bekah and Anna show off some of their decorating skills.  Bekah especially liked this nutcracker she found in the attic.  She wanted to know just what goes on in this house.  I told her that nutcracker sang "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" one too many times.

Had our youngest son, his two boys,  his girlfriend and her two girls over today for a Christmas visit and a few snacks.  The girls helped!

When the other two granddaughters heard there was a "party" they wanted to be included too.  How can I say no??  So we had 8 Kids from 7-14 doing crafts in the craft room today.  Punkin the cat supervises from a safe perch!

Now we are going out to look at lights and visit a live Nativity scene.  Wish me luck!!  It's only the four girls and us for the time being...tomorrow will be another story.

Aww Nuts, Donna Wants a Turn

Yup, it’s me, Donna, taking a break from all my busy stuff.  I made some yummy nuts today and I wanted to share the recipes with the gals…so you guys can just sit back and wait for Russ to return…

Every year I like to make two kinds of nuts.  One is sugar walnuts.  Here’s the recipe…very simple

Two egg whites, slightly beaten
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. walnuts

Beat the egg whites until foamy.  Mix cinnamon and sugar together and add to egg whites.  They should be about this consistency. 

Stir in the walnuts, making sure they are well coated with the sugar and egg mixture.


Spread nuts on a well –greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 275F.  Check nuts after about 15 minutes to make sure they aren’t burning.  They are ready to stir when they are looking dry and crunchy on top and are somewhat white.  After about 25 minutes, stir the nuts well and repeat the baking process.  Nuts should be very dry with the syrup all baked and crunchy.


Scrape the nuts off onto waxed paper to cool.  Do this right away or they will be cemented onto the cookie sheet!  Don’t worry about the stuff left on the cookie sheet, a little hot water will dissolve it right off.  Cool the nuts completely and store in an airtight container….or if you have an experience like I did today…toss them in the garbage!!

Actually the recipe and all the steps listed here are fine and my first batch turned out yummy.  HOWEVER, for my second batch I used nuts purchased at the store in those little plastic bags.  It was the Fred Meyer brand and so I thought they would be good.  I thought they smelled a little “off” when I opened the bag but I figured it was just me and spent all the time and effort making these anyway.  When I was done I tasted one.  YUK YUK YUK!!  They tasted like old chemicals.  I think it may just be because my first batch was made with fresh nuts I bought (of all places) at my hair dressers.  One of the gals who works there brings in nuts that her church sells as a fund raiser.  The church owns the tress, harvests and dries the nuts and sells them for $7. per pound.  You have never tasted better nuts.  No nasty preservative taste or smell.  The nuts are sweet and not at all bitter, like some walnuts can be.  So I sent Russ to take back the Fred Meyer nuts and go out to the hair salon and get some more nuts there.  I even bagged up the nuts I had already made and sent them back to Fred Meyer too.  When even Russ won’t eat them, you know they’re bad!!!

Here’s what Russ had to say about his adventures in walnuts.



Next I did Burnt Peanuts and those are easy and tasty too.

2 cups RAW Spanish peanuts (NO substitutions)
1 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup water
1 tsp. red food coloring (optional)

Bring sugar, water and food coloring to boil over medium heat.  Add the peanuts and cook, stirring often, for 12-15 minutes.  Don't burn them!  All syrup should be absorbed and the nuts should look kinda dry.  Spread nuts on well- greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 300F, stirring every 10 minutes.  Turn onto waxed paper to cool and store in air tight container.  YUMMY!




Sooo, that’s it from me…back to my kitchen I go!!