brrrr

so while most people this week were doing what they could to stay inside, my husband figures it's the perfect time to take some trees down!
our neighbor gave us permission to get rid of some of his trees that were coming across the lane.  Rod went 40 feet in and it really opens it up.  Adam does not like that people can see our house from the road now.  yes now we are exposed to the world :)

Hard working, no doubt about it.  It's about 15ish degrees and windy.  i couldn't get these pictures quick enough :)

next day, some snow to add to the project.  The boys love snow and wanted to be a part of this historical event.

He got it all cleared away and now needs to dig out the stumps.

pretending to be daddy:

So what's a mom to do when she's sick?!  Sat-now (sund. eve) i've had a fever and cold.  Saturday i ran errands, cleaned the house, made food for Sunday company, took care of the 4.  etc.  Sunday, taught sunday school, had company over, church meeting in evening.  Thankfully i don't run into this very often because i don't get sick often.  But seriously, how does it work when you are a mom?  Well for me i've allowed Advil cold and sinus to get me through the past couple days, which was nice.  i think another night or two and i'll be fine again. (I may or may not sit around all day tomorrow).  I did manage to get a 2 minute foot rub from the 3 youngers:

Looking forward to the heat wave this week!  Have a  blessed week.

Now

Nothing glamorous to post here.  The month of January for me is always a catch up in the house kind of a month.  (Wow that was a lot of spider webs)  It's a time for me to try new recipes, or make the ones that take longer to make.  and make freezer meals.  and paint, Maredith and i painted 2 rooms...so far.  We've had more than usual getting together times this month with friends and family, which has been very nice.  and we've gotten back to some of our winter traditions, like friday night game night and sunday night america's funniest videos.  We play outside, but long for spring.  The funny farm is quiet.  I guess it would help if we would stop butchering things.  I don't want to look ahead too much.  I really do believe that i should enjoy the now and take advantage of it's benefits.  And i do, i have countless blessings right now that i soak in.  But i'm still going to think about spring every single day, ok? 

A picture i doctored up on Picmonkey. 

For Tractor Grandpa: 
The boys would like this to be your next tractor!

a yummy one

I tried a new dish last night, spaghetti squash au gratin.  It was very good!  Healthier then au gratin potatoes, but still tastes great..  The kids liked it too, a big plus. 

(If you never had spaghetti squash before, it's very mild and is so fun; once you bake it, you will scrape out the inside, and little spaghetti-like strands fall out.  One squash makes a lot of 'spaghetti'!)

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 T butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh thyme, (i used just over 1/4 tsp. dried)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or more)

Bake spaghetti squash in the oven at 350 for about an hour.  Meanwhile in a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper, and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color.  Salt and pepper to taste. 
After squash is cooked, cut in half and scrape out the seeds.  Then, using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a bowl.  Combine the squash, onions, sour cream, and half the cheese together and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese. 

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top. 

Only problem was, the long strands made it a little hard for this one to eat!  i really don't think he minded.

Final Christmas dinner

One of the things i love about my boys is their enjoyment of old people.  They often talk about their Great Grandparents.  They have 5 of them.  This is Great Grandma and Grandpa Smoker, who are at a home.  We were there on Tuesday for a Christmas gathering and Clay didn't even get close to the fire alarm, PTL! (last year he pulled the alarm at this same get together, on New Years eve)

They are both 91, both have birthdays in October...They celebrated 70 years of marriage this year..

helping grandma open her gift

solving the world's problems..