My new obsession...

...lately has been this yummy little snack I threw together the other day.  I had a little bit of peanut butter left in a jar, and wanted to use it/get rid of it, to make room in the refrigerator.  So, on a whim, I grabbed some Greek yogurt (one of my other obsessions) out the fridge, too.  I put the PB in a bowl, and warmed it a few seconds in the microwave, just to soften it up.  (It was about 1/4-1/3 cup, maybe?)  Then I mixed it with about a cup of yogurt, and a drizzle of agave syrup.  (Only because I was using natural PB).  I mixed the hell out of it, then said, "Hey!  Why not add a little cinnamon?!"  You know, cuz it's supposed to help regulate blood sugar and stuff.

Man, let me tell you, that concoction smelled heavenly!  I sliced up a delicious, crisp, tart Granny Smith apple, and got to dippin'!  Mouth-gasm!!  It's very reminiscent of a taffy apple, but without all the "bad" stuff.  I think the next time I make it, I may either add some chopped nuts (to REALLY get that Taffy Apple effect) or some flax seed.  They would add some crunch, and I'm guessing, up the nutritional benefits.

I'm 100% certain some of you have already thought of this, and probably have enjoyed it many times.  But, I love it too much not to share.  I should have snapped a picture of it today when I made it (for the third time this week!) but I just couldn't resist shoving it in my pie hole.  Sue me...

The official number...

...is 19.2 inches.

We spent another 3+ hours clearing snow this morning.  (We had to wait until 7 am to start, so we didn't disturb the neighbors.)  Much easier this morning than yesterday, since there weren't the strong blowing winds we had to deal with yesterday.  It took much less time.   However, it's much colder today.  It was around 19° while we were shoveling.  But, without the gusting wind, it felt warmer than yesterday.  Go figure.

But, I hear we're supposed to get more snow on Tuesday.  I'm just going to embrace it as another chance to get a great workout.  On my favorite news show this morning, they did a demonstration to show just how heavy the snow is, and how much of a workout you get shoveling.  A cubic foot of snow (about the average shovelful) weighed in at 15 lbs.  They said that shoveling an average driveway here in Chicago, which is generally 10x20, means that you would move literally a ton of snow.  My driveway is double wide, and extra long, since my garage is all the way at the back of my lot.  Between my driveway, the neighbors, and my parents', I plan to shovel close to 5 tons of snow on Tuesday.  Go me!

This is me...

 

...thanks to the first real snow of the season.  When all is said and done, by the morning, we could have as much as 19 inches on the ground.

This snow, however, is really making me miss my Buster.  I can see him right now, running, jumping, just generally frolicking in the mounds of snow in the yard.  He was always happiest in this kind of weather, and would instantly become that playful puppy again.

~~sigh~~

Magnum and I spent quite a bit of time clearing snow today.  He actually plowed twice here at home.  He went out early, before church, and did our driveway and sidewalk, as well our neighbor's.  By the time we got home from church, it looked like he hadn't done a thing.  We went to my parents' and took care of their driveway and sidewalk, before coming home and doing ours again.  It was a tiring, chilly few hours, but it was a good workout.  Plus, it looks so darn pretty out there!  Ok, I'll stop now, before Jen reaches through her computer and smacks the crap out of me. :-/

Oh, one last thing.  Stud and I will both be enjoying a Snow Day tomorrow.  Love it!! =)

Good night, Sweet Prince...

We just got home from the local animal welfare place. We needed to put our sweet Buster down this morning. I had intended to do a proper post when the time came, but our internet went out last night, so I'm posting this from my phone. I don't know if this is even going to work. 

Since I cannot use my computer to post, I tried to pull some pictures from old posts. I know there is a better way to do it, but this was the best I could do for today.

This is one of my very favorite pictures of Dorky Dog. 

And, finally, my all-time favorite picture ever of Buster.

Magnum is a complete mess right now. I'm waiting until later to have my breakdown. Right now, I need to mop the kitchen floor. You don't even want to know...

Good bye, Buster. We love you. 

Just popping in to say...

...I don't have time to pop in!

Thankfully, I was able to get a bunch of hours with my sister's company.  Actually, I guess I should stop calling it "my sister's company" since I am also their employee now, but whatever.  We've been working like crazy since Black Friday.  Today will probably be my only day off until Christmas.  The only downside this year is that I'm actually working WITH my sister (no, THAT'S not the downside, smartasses!) which means I'm working downtown.  The commute alone makes me hate it.  I'm definitely not loving it like I did last holiday season, when I was at a suburban mall.  But, the money is decent, and Lord knows, I need it.

Ok, like I said, this is probably my only day off, so I think I'm going to try and get some shopping done, and maybe bake a couple million cookies.

Or, maybe I'll give in to the desires of this old, worn-out body, and take a nap....

Happy Holidays to all my Bloggy Buddies!

Thankful Thursday

Wii-U Wednesday

Stud has been obsessed lately with getting a Wii-U.  He's been talking about it, non-stop, for weeks.  And, yes, he's been annoying the bejeezus out of me with it!  The thing that was bugging me the most is that his car insurance is due in the next couple of weeks, and we told him that HE needed to pay it this time.  His father and I have been paying his insurance since he started driving.  He didn't really have a "real" job then, so it wasn't really a big deal.  Plus, I DID have a "real" job, and we could swing it.

Well, as you all know, I no longer have a "real" job, and Stud now has two jobs, so we felt it was time for him to start pulling his own weight around here.  (And, for the record, we KNOW we should have done this years ago, but we can't go back in time :-/  )

Anyhoo, like I told you the other day, I threw a surprise party for him this past weekend.  Thanks to my VERY generous family, he received enough money in gifts to pay his insurance AND get his new Wii-U. 

He went to buy it last night.  I swear, he was like a little kid on Christmas morning.  I can't believe he didn't try and set it up last night when he got home.  He went to buy it with a friend, and then they watched a movie.  But, today, when he finally came up from his "cave," he started setting it up in the living room.  Unfortunately for him, he couldn't even play with it until he charged the main controller, which took a couple hours.  But, as I sit here typing, he's in the living room, having a blast.  Moments like this make it even harder to believe that he's actually 21 now.... 

I guess he'll always be my baby boy. =)