when the weather outside in frightful.

homemade soup is in order.  while we're not dealing with the really bad effects of super storm sandy, it is very chilly and WINDY (15-20 mph winds). last night for supper i tried a new recipe-spinach and tomato soup with orzo, and it's perfect for today's lunch. i think i found this perusing pinterest, and  i made a couple changes-i sauteed ground turkey with onions and garlic to add a bit of protein, and i used elbow macaroni instead of orzo. i will definitely be making this again, and will substitute the turkey for cannelloni beans.  another great thing about soup is that there are always leftovers, so i have 2 servings in the freezer.  tonight's dinner will be another new recipe-garlic shrimp and white bean which i hope taste as good as it looks in the magazine. sending prayers to those in the states that are really getting slammed by this storm-this is one for the records books for sure.

this weekend (10 things)

since it was a 3 day weekend for me, i'm going to include a  few things i did on monday.  the photo is from barnsley gardens.  mom, kathy and i spent a few hours here, what a lovely place. we plan to go back in the late spring when more of the gardens are in bloom.

1. barnsley gardens day trip
2. blocked my cedar leaf shawlette and my wisp cardigan
3. baked 2 batches of cookies-something happened, they're good, just not "cake-y" like they should be.
4. cleared out my email "in-box"
5. went to church
6. cycled approximately 86 miles (30, 30, 25-ish)
7. laundry
8. cleaned the bathrooms and dusted
9. took sophie on several walks
10. wore a cardigan (brrr, some chilly days over the weekend.

conversation with andrew.

some people "poo-poo" about texting. i have grown to love it- case in point.

happy friday y'all, what's making you smile today.

turning 1

we did a quick celebration for sophie's 1st birthday, there were. . .

cards from (very appropriately worded) mary, holly nana, pj and andrew

a very cool jersey for those sunday football games

a hat, which lasted about 10 seconds

a frosty paws peanut butter frozen treat-yum

a modeling session.  what i didn't capture in a photo was the fun time at the dog park, running and playing. happy birthday sophie-girl. you have brought much laughter into our lives.