Spring Fashion Show

Yes, it was time for the girls to get a new Spring wardrobe. Rich went shopping this week and came home with a new look for both of them. Our girls are both 6 years old (their birthdays are exactly two weeks apart) and for their whole lives Dora has worn purple while Bella has worn pink. That’s how most of you could tell them apart, which is why we are hosting this Spring Fashion Show on our blog.

The color selections for the girls’ Spring Fashion Line include a bright red, touched with a pinkish orange hue, and a brilliantly vibrant teal. Both are decorated with multi-colored, shiny embroidered designs. Both of our models enjoyed a spa day recently and were perfectly groomed for their first appearance on the runway.

How many of you can tell from these photos which girl is modeling which new fashion color?
 
 
 
If you answered that Dora is wearing teal and Bella is wearing red this season…you are correct!

Coyote Tracks in the Snow

The last time I posted about the coyotes, I mentioned that we had bought a BB pistol to try to frighten them away from our house. Less than a week later, Bella sounded the alarm one evening and Rich went out with his pistol. There were three coyotes near our yard and they scattered away hurriedly when he popped off a few BBs in their direction.

The two photos below that were taken the following morning show coyote tracks coming to our yard. We can never tell just how close they come to our deck because they mingle with the tracks left by Dora and Bella. You can, however, see coyote tracks coming right to our deck from our next door neighbor's backyard in the last photo.

Now that the snow is gone, we can't tell if they are still coming in close but so far we have not seen them again. More informatively, Bella has not reacted to the presence of them since that evening when Rich fired the BB pistol toward them. Did it have an impact? Have they selected a different route through the golf course? We'll never know...not until next winter that is!

The Fury of Spring

Just a few posts ago I wrote wistfully about the coming of Spring. What the hell was I thinking?

Let me be clear...I love winter when everything is covered with a mantle of clean, white, quiet, unspoiled snow. I even enjoy the crisp clarity of cold temps. The only thing I miss in winter is sunshine, because we get little of that here in the Chicago area.

I've felt pangs of loss the last few days as the snow has melted off the brown grass and exposed the bare shrubs! And I especially miss winter this evening. Rich is working late and we are getting one of those terrible, dark (except for the frequent bolts of lightning), noisy spring storms with torrential rain. Spring is not my favorite of the four seasons and it is definitely making a furious entry this evening.

This was the view from our deck less than two weeks ago...I'll hold this pristine memory close until next winter.

Pot Roast - Part II

Rereading my first food posting, http://meanderingwithbev.blogspot.com/2010/02/pot-roastthe-chefbev-way.html I may have given the wrong impression so... Lest my reputation as a fairly decent cook become erroneously and permanently sullied ☺, here are photos of a pot roast I actually prepared last week...using pure olive oil, a real beef chuck roast, fresh carrots, and a 12 oz jar of Pepperoncini.

I simply browned the roast on the stovetop in a bit of olive oil, removed it from the roaster while I browned the unpeeled carrot chunks next. After removing the carrots, I poured the juice from the pepperoncinis into the roaster, placed the roast in and topped it with the pepperoncinis and the carrots. I put it in a 275° oven for a few hours until fork tender...yummmmm! We devoured it too quickly for photos!

Sports News - Hockey

Dylan, our middle grand, got back into ice hockey last fall. He has always loved it as you can see from this June 2006 photo. Both of the boys were in hockey then.  Dylan is on the left and Jackson on the right in the split photos below taken that summer by their dad. Jackson has left ice hockey behind to focus on his love of football and baseball. Dylan will also play baseball again this year but it seems hockey is his main sport.

Never one to be left out, that year their little sister had her very own hockey stick even though she wasn't taking lessons. Every time they went to the rink, she marched in oh-so-proudly carrying her pink hockey stick.

Recently Dylan started on a team for the first time, rather than simply taking lessons. He has often talked about wanting to be a goalie. Last Tuesday was the first hockey game where he got to be the goalie. They won 4 to 3...pretty great for a first time goalie! That evening he sent us the following e-mail...

GUESS WHAT? GUESS WHAT? I GOT THE GAME PUCK IN HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I GOT THE ACTUAL GAME PUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU BYE!!

Dylan

When I talked to him on the phone, he was also excited about getting "dogpiled" by his team at the end of the game. I did figure out that getting "dogpiled" is a very good thing and, for those who may be wondering, it means that the team all piled on top of him in celebration of his huge role in their win.

More Sports News...

This was the first year that Jackson had actual tryouts for baseball which resulted in him getting moved up to AAA ball and Shelby has a new pink batting helmet so expect more sports news about all the grands as baseball season gets underway!

Pot Roast...the ChefBev Way

When I started blogging, I knew this day would come. It seems that if I want to be a successful "big girl" blogger, I'll have to include some posts about food...today is the first.

My favorite blogger, Pioneer Woman, appeared on GMA this morning teaching the world how to make a delish, tender pot roast along with her suggestion that mashed potatoes are her favorite to serve with it. You can catch her appearance by clicking on this link http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9936226 or read her Feb 25th blog post where she details how to fix pot roast at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Not to be outdone, even by a pro like PW, here is a photo of the pot roast and mashed potatoes I prepared recently. The pot roast was melt in your mouth tender with a thick, rich gravy; the mashed potatoes were a perfect texture to accompany the robust flavor of the beef.

Is your mouth watering? Are you tempted to head for the grocery store to pick up a nice roast and a bag of Golden & Russet potatoes? Will you have the patience to let your roast cook for the hours it takes to achieve such tenderness?

It's time to stop torturing you with photos of all this good eatin' and let you in on my little culinary secret so that you too can serve this succulent meal to your loved ones. I picked up the roast at the membership warehouse store and the potatoes at the grocery. And now here is your shopping list...

ta da...

Take it from ChefBev...this is seriously the best pot roast and mashed potatoes to come out of my kitchen in a very long time...both products are delicious and such timesavers too!

Armed…not Charmed

Having seen the photo and read about Butch Cassidy, which is what Rich had named our “lone” coyote, you must know how charmed I was to occasionally see it on the golf course behind our house. Then last Wednesday as I drove in from work, I saw four coyotes on the opposite side of one of our small lakes. The most active one, which we think was our “Butch” kept trying to get the others to play. I picked up Rich and the camera and we went back to get these shots. In the first photo, there is one standing next to the tree, one barely visible at the left edge, and two curled up sleeping to the right.
 

I was still charmed to be able to view such beautiful animals right here in our neighborhood. The next evening, Bella was barking at the patio door and when I went to look there were two coyotes frolicking and tumbling and playing in the freshly fallen snow…a bit too close for my taste since that’s where we let the girls out. But then, on the weekend friends told us that in another neighborhood across the street, TEN coyotes had been seen…YIKES!
Sunday we went to a sporting goods store and Rich bought a BB pistol. We would never injure them but may try to communicate that they are no longer welcome right in our backyard. From charmed to armed in four short days…

Valentines Day!

Rich and I Send

To All Of You

On This

Day !!!

Spring is Coming...the Sun has Promised!

During the work week I leave the house by 6:00 a.m. when the world is still quite dark, inside and outside. For most of this winter we have rarely seen the sunshine at any time of day. So, what a welcome surprise greeted me this morning when I awakened at 7:00 to see the sun shining on the shelves in the corner of our bedroom for the first time in months. It magnificently illuminated the silk rose in one of my favorite vases and the pillow (a gift from my sister many years ago) that reminds me daily to consciously hold on to thoughts of all the joy in my life.

Spring is on the way as the sun, in its ascent, promised in such a glorious manner this morning.

Stressed. Depressed. Blessed!

Stressed.

I'll be retiring on April 30th. For several years I've been essentially a one-person function in an office with a tremendous amount of staff turnover. That resulted in my knowing pretty much everything about everything in our area. Over the past year, the administration has changed with a new President of the institution and two new VPs in our department. Since the new folks don't know that they don't know what they don't know, all my pleas for a schedule of times that I can provide training, insight, history, etc. have fallen on deaf ears. Me being me = Stressed.

Depressed.

The changes at work include many new VP positions in addition to the four we had for many years. The primary role of some new administrators seems to be the elimination of staff. A few of the folks are leaving voluntarily after accepting a puny early retirement offering figuring that something is better than nothing. Others who are leaving have simply been terminated. I have worked with these fine people for many years. The last day for all of them is June 30th, fiscal year end, so at least I won't be there for that sad day. Me being me = Depressed.

Blessed!

Not only am I retiring at the absolutely most opportune time to be leaving there...not only am I able to retire at the "young" age of 60...not only is Rich also retiring the same day...not only are we looking forward to endless unscheduled days together...not only are we planning some great RV trips...not only do we still love the home we built 11 years ago...not only do we have great friends...not only do we have fun times with mom, Pauline, siblings, in-laws, nephews, nieces, etc...not only am I still madly in love with my husband after 24 years of marriage...not only do we have two great kids...but...perhaps the very best part of my life at this stage is the joy brought to our lives by our three grandkids! I wish there were words to express how much fun we have together and what a gift it is to travel, explore, experience the world along with them. The very best part of me being me...Blessed!