my BLOGiversary ~ Celebrating the GREAT 8!!

It is hard to believe that it has now been 8 years since I published my very first blog post. Everything from recipes to home improvement projects and a lot in between. Many things have changed over eight years which keeps me on my toes. Shortly after I started blogging something new was introduce called Pinterest which became extremely popular and then came Instagram. Both great ways to keep connected with my readers. 

Here are some FUN FACTS from the Grand Surprise over the past year:

 TOP 5 POSTS 
1. Lemon Cream~Cheese Croissants
2. Quinoa Salad
3. Waterfall, Lights, Plants, Skirt
4. Mexican Rice
5. Heirloom Easter Eggs

Audience ~ Top 10 Countries
1. United States
2. Canada
3. Russia
4. France
5. Australia
6. United Kingdom
7. Germany
8. Sweden
9. Mexico
10. South Africa

My 1st POST:
sNOw Kidding...

Total number of Posts to Date:
893

Thank you to my family, friends, followers and everyone who stops by to visit my blog. I appreciate all of your comments, emails and words of encouragement!!

Have a Wonderful Day!

a few more Valentine Cookies

Simple but fun cookies for Valentines Day.

These Stain Glass sugar cookies are cute enough without icing however a little decoration around the edge would  be fun. 

They might be gone before I get around to it though.

We are pretty well stocked with sweet treats for now which will give me time to focus on another fun little project  ~ { coming soon }.

In the meantime, I hope these cookies inspire you to bake something sweet!

Happy Weekend!! 

Treaties for my Sweeties!

Last night I baked Valentine sugar cookies { not pictured } and peanut butter cookies. 

The heart shaped Sugar cookies are disappearing and Peanut Butter Valentine Cookies are  also going fast! 

We gave some away and saved a few for here at home. 

The PB cookies are a favorite although one family member only wants the peanut butter cookie so he takes the chocolate heart off and leaves it behind. I guess that means more chocolate for the rest of us!

Happy Valentines Day!

Friday Fun Night { game night }

Late Thursday afternoon our youngest son arrived for a visit! We have been planning our long weekend with him since the day he told us he was coming home. Tonight he has a big game night planned with his siblings and friends so last night the four of us played  games after dinner which was lots of fun.

Farkle is a game we used to play with my grandparents and recently we learned that Miss E and some of our friends play it as well. Farkle and Scrabble are two completely different style games however both are lots of fun.

Besides games there has also been lots of cooking. I had fun planning special menus for his stay based on his favorite foods. Last night while I was in the kitchen making his favorite enchiladas and side dishes he sat down and played the piano. What a wonderful surprise! Sometimes he plays pieces that he has memorized however most of the time he just makes his own music which is absolutely beautiful. He used to do that quite often when he lived at home so this was a special and unexpected treat. There is nothing better than having he or Miss E play while I am cooking.  My heart is full!

Happy Saturday!

Special Request Meals

The Low Iodine Diet has officially ended! 

To celebrate we made specially requested meals for the 1st day, all of which contained lots cheese, butter, egg yolks and pasta which were prohibited on the LID. It was a treat for all of us.

DINNER: Chicken Penne Pasta with Cabbage Apple Salad, Homemade Bread and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice~Cream for dessert.

BRUNCH: Homemade Waffles with jam & whipped cream and Bacon Vegetable Quiche.

DINNER: Smoked Brisket, Coleslaw, Homemade Rolls and Bundt Cake.

The RAI Isolation continues the rest of the week but at least the meals are back to normal. 

Happy Monday!

You Request ~ We Deliver!

This week we had to temporarily restrict access to two rooms in our house due to

Radioactive Iodine - 131 treatment. 

As a reminder to us I decided to make signs to put on the doors and areas that are off limits, primarily 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom.

I thought Pink would be perfect and of course Sparkles.

Between my stash of craft paper and stickers and Miss E's I found everything I needed to create a couple signs.

The Low Iodine Diet continues for one more day however we have

now added

Delivery Service.

Since we cannot enter the room I set up a small table in the doorway of the bedroom next to the restricted bedroom to set meals, snacks, mail or even special requests on.  Some things cannot be touched without wearing disposable gloves so those are handy if needed and I also made a little chalkboard to warn everyone the table is off limits. We deliver just about anything including jam to put on Iodine crackers for an afternoon snack.

LID Lunch: Apples, Carrots, Avocado, Pico de Gallo and Meringue Cookies. 

A sign for the restricted bathroom.

Isolation is not fun but this treatment makes it necessary so we are making the best of it while it lasts. 

Have a Wonderful Weekend!