Run Wild!!

Our daughters are visiting with us this week. It has been quite a while since we have all been together and we are loving every minute of it. They came to this area to run the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon with their daddy. Unfortunately, JC is suffering from a bum knee and couldn't run the race, but he enjoyed watching them on Sunday. We managed to see them at miles 6, 17, and 26. It is such a joy to have them here with us!!

Of course, they want to see what we old folks have been up to!! They've watched pickle ball, met some of our neighbors, and played with everyone's pets. Monday night we went to the Arizona Opry near Mesa. It is a very entertaining show. Today we went out to the Eloy airport to watch the sky divers. It seems that this is the largest "drop zone" in the world. Then we had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Borderline in the old town area of Casa Grande.

Unfortunately, they will leave on Friday and that time will arrive way too soon!!

We also keep dragging out all my paper crafting stuff. We've made several mini legal pad covers and cards. Here are some of our creations:

I love this intricately cut mat with the embossed paper. And the inside is so CUTE!!
They have really enjoyed picking papers and playing with ways to combine patterns and textures!!

Just look at how well this card turned out from papers the girls thought worked well together. I'm afraid they may be as addicted to this as I am!! Whenever we have any free time, they want me to drag everything out!!
I think they really like all my fun tools and gadgets!!

Sometimes simple is good. We stamped and colored the image above and matted it with torn paper. Then we chalked all the edges and found a leather looking paper for the background. The inside sentiment is understated and elegant. This is fun!!!

Bowled Over!!

Heh heh - how did you like that title?? JC's at it again! Last week he took a bowl turning class at the woodshop here at Palm Creek RV Resort.

This is the result!!
A thing of beauty!!

And here are two cards that I made for him to write thank you notes to the people who helped him in his silversmithing and bowl turning classes. It just so happens that they live in the immediate neighborhood, so we've gotten to know them fairly well.
Stayed tuned - more lovelies to come!!

Hoppin' John and Greens RV Style

Southern tradition dictates we eat hoppin' john and greens on New Year's Day to ensure fortune and luck in the coming year. Often it is peas cooked with smoked ham hock, rice, and some sort of greens as separate dishes. Way too much trouble in an RV.

Here's my humble version: Peas and smoked ham hock cooked overnight in a crockpot, rice added about an hour before eatin' time, and a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach a few minutes before serving, just to wilt. Add tabasco at the table to taste and serve with cornbread, of course!! Yum, Yum, Yum . . . yawn - time for a nap . . .

Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We are "wintering" in Casa Grande, AZ at the Palm Creek RV Resort. It is an "adult" community (just means one of you has to be over 55) and they go all out to keep us geriatric types busy. Seriously, there is so much to do here that we have to keep a calendar and often must choose between ongoing activities!! We are here with a very friendly group of retirees and a staff that goes all out to make sure we aren't bored!! JC and I are taking full advantage!!

We are learning many new skills and investigating potential new hobbies. JC's newest interest is silversmithing and this is my new pendant!! I LOVE it and I've already put in a request for a bracelet!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

Here is our little RV Christmas tree. Isn't it cute - not even 2 feet from the base to the tippy top of the star!! I got the tree and the teeny ornaments from Michaels (my new favorite place to shop)!

And here are three of the little paper ornaments I did just to add that "homemade" touch!! I like the little snowman best!

Cards

One of the new hobbies that I've been pursuing is paper crafting. I've done some scrapbooking, but never made any cards until I decided to take a class here at Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. The only problem with the card class is that they provide everything and have most things cut to size and everyone makes the same set of cards. I'm learning techniques and getting some good ideas, but there is little room for creativity. I've been spending a lot of time on the internet researching the subject. There are a lot of sites to peruse and I've been getting some good ideas from that limitless source. I've also been collecting tools and doing some experimenting!! : )

We are going to a local (and very good) Mexican restaurant tonight to celebrate the birthdays of some new friends and here are a couple of cards that I made for the occasion.

The cupcake card with it's Happy Birthday message.

I love this turtle and the cute stamp I found at Michaels on the clearance rack (remember we're retired!!).

Then I found a site that showed how to take inexpensive junior legal pads and make really cute binders for them. This is my interpretation.
This is really a lot of fun but very addictive. I'll see you later - I have to go get more tools and stamps and inks and STUFF!!!

Tucson Tamale Co.

You know we LOVE tamales. Really, really, really love tamales. But - well, you know, they use lard in the masa. I've always said that a really good tamale HAS to have lard in it to make the masa light and tender and melt in your mouth good!! Well, not anymore!!

Just look at that succulent beauty!! It is melt in your mouth goodness AND it is lard and gluten free.

We were in Tucson recently and I had checked out Roadfood.com for a good place to eat and they raved about this place. I'm thinking, "Yeah, right, can't be as good as El Charro!" Always up for a challenge, we decided to try it out. This is a small "mom and pop" business and above you can see their three man production line!!

Jalapenos roasting on the grill.

These are really good tamales and they do a mail order business. If you have to have a periodic tamale "fix" like we do, order some of these and check out the incredible varieties that they have. We tried several and the green corn and Sante Fe were the best, but we haven't tried the Thanksgiving one yet. As you can imagine, there are several taking up my precious, limited freezer space! Here's the website: www.tucsontamalecompany.com/menu.html.