Family Party

We had the Bakker(my side of the family) Christmas party this past Sat. What a group we've grown into. Some of us joke about needing name tags, because we lose track of the new ones. With 2 -3 births a year, it can become difficult to keep up. But, what a blessing it is to have a large family. We even had 3 of my sister's kids and their family not present, so that would add 12-14 people.

Mom did really well and enjoyed her evening. We didn't have a gift exchange this year, instead we donated to needy families and shared the experience.

This turned out to be a great photo of my mom and her family. So, I made her photo cards to send out to her family and friends. She got a great response from that, as her efforts in the past have been minimal.Here's another photo of me, my mom, my sister, and my nieces.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow..... did we eat a lot?! And the more we ate, the more we ate.... why does this happen?

We had a great visit with Danny's family in their beautiful Sierra Home. They have some fabulous cooks in that family and the quantity of food never ceases to amaze me. Tom, a cousin, and his wife recently visited Italy and he shared a simple but tasty veggie recipe with us, that I want to share.

Sicilian Carrots


Nonstick olive oil spray
2 lbs
32oz Peeled baby carrots or regular carrots - thinly sliced
1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil - divided
1/4 cup Dried cranberries
3 tablespoons Pine nuts
9 tablespoons Basil leaves - cut julienne strips (medium)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat two large roasting pans with olive oil spray. Arrange carrots in a single layer on the pans, mixing with 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake the carrots for 30 to 40 minutes, occasionally stirring them so they don't burn. They should become soft and start to brown. Remove and let cool.
In a bowl, mix carrots with cranberries, pine nuts, basil and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; refrigerate overnight.
To serve, let return to room temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

We caught up with allot of old acquaintances and met some new realities too. We mourned one that passed on since last year, and we fear that our brother-in-law may not be with us next year. We also celebrated a 6 week old with bright auburn hair:) Such are family gatherings.... circle of life.

The teenagers took a jeep ride up to Bald mountain last night to see the valley from a lookout spot. The night was abit foggy to see, but, it was fun for them.

We hope and pray you had a blessed time with friends and family.

The Rescuer

Our 16 year old, Danielle, is quite the dog lover. She went to Walgreens for something and saw a dog crossing a busy street. She watched him carefully, then followed him to the parking lot of Me N Eds Pizza. Well, the dog found the trashcan and was quite content. But, Danielle noticed it had a cute Halloween collar, and thought, "this is no stray." She called for him, and when she opened the back of her suv he jumped right in.

Danny and I had just gotten home from dinner following his golf game. When she drove up with that look of concern on her face. She told us the story, and when she opened up the trunk out jumps this small 'horse'. oh my! that's a big dog. He was very gentle and calmly walked up to us looking for 'loves.'

She knew this dog had to belong to someone, so we immediately talked about how to contact the owners. Well, with no dog tags, just that cute collar with bells, there was no way to know who's dog this was. The weather had been a little rough lately, so we imagined he got spooked either from the Halloweenish night, or the thunder.

The next morning, we put signs around the area where she found him. That was all we could do since it was Sunday.

He got along wonderfully with our 2 dogs, even liked the cats. He wanted to be in the house, and went to the door when he needed out. So, we didn't have any house training issues, he just eats and drinks a lot.
Well, not until Tuesday did Danny finally realize that this dog seemed familiar for a reason. He knows who's dog it is..... our friend, Ray, who does home repair, and takes his 2 dogs with him. In fact, these dogs are so well behaved they walk around Home Depot during his shop. So, we gave Ray a call, and he was so happy to know his dog was safe.

15 Days To go.....

I think we all know what's coming..... election ! Some days I really enjoy learning about the views of candidates, and the plans they have for our country. Then I realize like most Americans.... it's a promise that neither may be able to keep. I'm frightened for our future, but mostly for my and your kids' future. I'm tired of hearing about it, I'm tired of talking about it. SO, I think the end of this month I'll have a "Don't-You-Say-It!" party. You know, ladies, when we've gone to baby or bridal showers and you can't cross your legs or else you get the clothespin taken away and lose your chances at the gift. Well, I think a similar party but you got to stick your heard in the dunk tank or take a shot (depends on your guests) if you say anything regarding politics or the economy. If you read my last blog you'll know where these feelings are coming from ;( Now, I don't want to do either so I'll change the subject to happier note: My mother is in assisted living. and last week me, my sister-in-law , sister and niece took her to lunch and shopping. Now, it's something she used to do on a daily basis when she was able, so we think its a real treat for her. But, we get most of the fun out of the day. Mom is quite the character. We ate at Red Robin and then took her down the mall. We decided that the Village East might be the store for her. Since she's been in her new home she's put on quite a few pounds, but she still visualizes her old size 4 Petite. So, when we roll into the bigger sized store, she asks me "Now, why are we in here, it's too big for me?!" Uh, oh ladies we have a problem. Now, for some reason we think we can fool my 79 year old mother, but we're the fools. We have to dance around the store pull in the sides of these shirts when we show her and pretend she's still a 4. My sister thought it would be wise to tell her the truth about her new size..... mom, looks at her like she's nuts. "I am NOT that size" so, we go on pretending. Is this wrong? I don't think so.... We'll be her rose colored glasses, we all need those some days. I hope my children do the same for me.

Drinking the Reserve

Monday was Danny's birthday. We kept it pretty simple. We had a busy day, so we grabbed a couple Frappuccino's and watched Danielle's tennis match in the afternoon. It was good to sit down and relax for awhile. Our weather is so nice this week, you just gotta enjoy it while it's here. The coaches arranged a hot dog and burgers lunch for the team since it was their last home game. We brought down some tables and our barbecue, but they took care of everything. I just can't say enough good things about her coaches: they are just positive, enjoyable and fun guys. I slow cooked a Teriyaki Tri-Tip while we watched her game, so that was ready when we came home. Threw together some veggies and mashed potatoes, opened the reserve Pinot from Wild Horse Winery. It was so good. Sometimes those quiet evenings at home are the perfect way to celebrate. Both the kids made silly cards for him; yes they still do that at ages 16 and 19. Tues. night, Danny's cousin came by with a bottle of wine. It didn't take us long to decide to open it. So, we found our way to the patio to enjoy it. Our evening was going well, UNTIL they started in with the politics. Their opinions are somewhat different and they do enjoy the back and forth banter. There wasn't much room for my opinion, so I ventured inside. "Way to ruin a buzz, guys." I just hope and pray this extreme state our country is in comes to an end soon. Its very frightening to think what we're leaving for our children.

Foreigner In Concert

Last night Danny and I got away to see "Foreigner" in concert. We drove up to the Chuckchansi Resort and Casino in Coarsegold, Ca. along the way stopping in at Trader Joe's to pick up our wine and snacks for the room.
We were quite taken aback when we arrived. They have a huge resort, with well organized facilities and lots of ammenites. In fact, I counted 7 or more restaurants (?) wow!! I am not much of a gambler, and rather get annoyed by the atmoshpere, so the tables and slots machines were easily passed by.
The concert was outdoors, right on schedule, the seats were good, and the weather was perfect. So, the mood was all set for a fantastic evening. Then, the band started and us being music critics, were ready to be dissapointed. BUT we weren't! They were awesome! The sound was great, the harmonies were on, and they looked good, too. Why are we surprised? well, jeez, they're suppose to be has-beens, but they are touring and making albums again. Of course, they was only one original member, but that's ok, maybe even better that way. So, we had a great time and had good fun people around us.
I don't have any photos to post, cause I didn't think I could take my camera in, so I left it behind.
We stayed in their new tower. Our room was large and the bed was the biggest we ever slept in, so that was nice. But, this morning, we only felt the need to eat and drive home. I guess we like a little different scenery, we'd rather walk on the beach or look through shops, than gamble.
But, actually, we have a lot of stuff going on with our business, some of it exciting and some just plain stressful and unpleasant. So, it was difficult to stay away any longer.

Pismo for a day

Sunday, of Labor Day Weekend, we took a day trip to the coast. Pismo Beach is a regular 'hot' spot' for most Valley residents and this weekend was no exception. It was very busy, but of course, we were not surprised.

Danielle and her friend, Bridgette, were the reason we went. They had to do 'something' for Labor Day Weekend. Danny drove and I got to sit back and read my book. I read some of it aloud to him, but I was too deep into the book for him to understand. He said, "I'll just wait until the movie comes out" :) aint' that the truth!

We made a short bathroom stop at EOS winery, and took a few photos. Wineries are great pit stops, sure beats the rest stops.

.........at the beach......The girls went straight to the main strip by the pier to get their bowls of chowder, while we drove back to the new park in Shell Beach.
After an hour of relaxing by ourselves, they called to get their stuff out of the car. So, we drove to Pismo and found a great parking spot. This surprised us since it was so busy. Well, later we got another surprise a TICKET! Apparently, us non-frequent visitors didn't notice all the signs posted about paying for our parking. SO, we paid alright $40! That's a good bottle of wine. We tried not to let this bother us too much, after all it was our stupid mistake. So, off to the beach..........the girls hit the waves on their boogey boards and we had fun watching them for awhile, then we took the rest of the time to relax again on the beach. Sounds like a pattern of ours..... I do believe we are either getting old, or really needed some rest. I chose the latter. The weather was warmer than forcasted, so it was very pleasant.

We left around 5:30 and ate at Margie's Diner in Paso, if you've ever eaten there you know the portions are huge! Very good too. The rest of the trip home was very quiet, as we were all a bit tired.