Saturday evening....
a thick layer of clouds rolling in....
looked almost like snow-topped mountains.
The temperature was dropping fast...
it was cold enough...
to close the drapes at the windows...
and by Sunday morning...
it was a frigid 4 degrees.
~
But.....not cold enough...
to keep the male Downy Woodpecker
from the suet feeder...
or.....
keep the female Downy from peanut butter
on a bagel...
~
~
She really attacked that bagel!
~
The day wasn't cold enough...
to keep Alivia away either...
and she was wanting to make a pizza.
~
First she had to decide....
would it be cheddar cheese...
mozzarella cheese...
or havarti?
We went with a little of each....
After taste testing
I went first and took a small bite of each...
~
~
She really attacked that bagel!
~
The day wasn't cold enough...
to keep Alivia away either...
and she was wanting to make a pizza.
~
First she had to decide....
would it be cheddar cheese...
mozzarella cheese...
or havarti?
We went with a little of each....
After taste testing
the cheese for the pizza...
we thought we would try it
with all the chocolate in the house...
left over from Christmas!
We had Kirkland dark and milk chocolate...
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...
Snickers...
Truffettes Truffles...
Hershey Kisses...
DeMet's Turtles...
Ghirardelli Dark with Mint...
and
Homemade Almond Marshmallow Clusters
I went first and took a small bite of each...
...it wasn't too hard to do!
Alivia.....
I lined them up
with all my favorites in the bottom row....
and my least in the top.
Alivia.....
then did the same...took small bites...
...it wasn't too hard for her to do either!
My most favorite
She then lined up
all her favorites in the bottom row...
and her least in the top.
We differed on some...agreed on others
We differed on some...agreed on others
My most favorite
was our homemade clusters.....
but the truffles came in second!
Alivia surprised me...
Her favorite was the Ghirardelli Mint...
Alivia surprised me...
Her favorite was the Ghirardelli Mint...
in second place was the homemade clusters.
We did NOT.....eat the rest of that candy!
We did go and...
We did NOT.....eat the rest of that candy!
We did go and...
SIT down to play Monopoly though....
Last week...
Last week...
we played the board game.....Guess Who!
Guess who SAT.
We did however go back to the kitchen.....
We did however go back to the kitchen.....
for coffee flavored Milk with whipped cream for Alivia...
and coffee for me!
I went to the computer and SAT with mine....
and coffee for me!
Without the cherry on top!
I went to the computer and SAT with mine....
to look at your Blog....
It's cold and snowing outside tonight...
on this......
and stay away.....
Nuts!!!
while...
Alivia created a picture
Alivia created a picture
for her older sister Amanda.
It's a heart with a flower...
It's a heart with a flower...
a bird screaming...It's a cat!...
and the cat saying...mmm, tasty!
It's been so cold...
we've been doing indoor things.
I do miss taking long walks...
I do miss taking long walks...
they have been rather short ones lately.
If you search you can see my shadow...
in the next photo.
in the next photo.
It's the short one...near the bottom left corner.
If I keep taste testing, playing board games,
staying in, and sitting at the computer....
without taking my long walks...
that shadow will be much easier to find.
It's cold and snowing outside tonight...
which means
I need to start taking my long walks....
on this......
and stay away.....
from...
this!
Nuts!!!
51 comments:
I'm beginning to think that it's snowing all over the world! Certainly is here - I definitely like your ways of passing the time indoors:)
No snow here. No winter either. It's like spring and it gets old after a while. Would love some cold and rain.
I love your photos! You make me want to take long walks in the snowy woods and then eat chocolate and drink coffee (but no treadmill!)
Looks like a lovely day with Alivia. I need to get back on my exercise schedule too, and there are still so many lovely goodies left.....
Hi Wanda
With heavy tropical rains and consistent 30C days I am brushing away the mozzies as I look at your indoor activities.
No matter which side of the world we live on food is a large part of celebrations and we all appear indulge at this time. I have been lucky to get 7am walks out through the nat. Park each morning now that I have recovered from the big move.
I did enjoy reading of your wintery Xmas - this is a time when all schools end for 6-8weeks and most families take an extended family holiday.
Love and happy days Wanda
Alivia is adorable and that is such a beautiful name. Yummy - the chocolate looks good, but the treadmill looks like too much work. I think the outdoor walk is much more inviting - even in the cold. Your photo blog is one of my favorites. You tell the perfect story with your pictures. Nicely done.
Wanda, you had me smiling and chuckling through the entire post! What a wonderful pictorial and just the right amount of words! You are so talented.
What a great meal! Pizza with three cheeses and a smorgasbord of chocolate...it just doesn't get any better than that! I wouldn't have been able to stop with one nibble on each piece though. :}
Thanks for warming my heart this morning!! I love your posts. Have a great day and enjoy!
Looks like a really fun time with Alivia. Your home looks beautiful!
I headed back to the fitness center yesterday--gained 3 lbs. over the holidays. Going to have to go every day to get back in shape.
Wanda, I can't tell you how much I enjoy your postings. It takes me back to my childhood and the fun times I had with my grandmother. What wonderful memories you and Alivia share.
Keep warm.
Sunny :)
I think Alivia has the most wonderful grandmother....what a lucky little girl!!!
It has been snowing up here since Friday. The spruce and pine tree boughs are laden with many inches of heavy snow. We do not have the bitter cold yet, but it is headed this way.
Loved your chocolate taste-testing exercise....No wonder Alivia makes her way over to see you so often!
Looks like a perfect day! Pizza and chocolate my favorites!
Hi Wanda,
What fun you and Alivia had at your chocolate tasting exercise. I wish I was there to sample some with you. I LOVE chocolate! It has been very "Cold" here in Florida. It went down to the 30's last night and today the high will be 50. Here in Florida that is cold. I always laugh to myself when I say it is cold. I lived in real cold my whole life until about 9 years ago. I never thought I would feel the cold like I do.
Have a wonderful day.
Keep warm!
Take care,
Anne
Hi Wanda-
it is still very hard to navigate your blog forr me - it stalls and jumps. i DO love the pictures of your home and nature land and the yummy food and the family love. it is all so heart warming to feel, see, enjoy, and dare i say, even desire. :-)
stay warm
love to you always
Gail
peace and hope for us all
It is so obvious why you have such a regular house guest in Alivia. Chocolate tasting, creative cooking and games, what is not to love?
We had 9 degrees this AM with snow on the ground. I love it except that I do miss exercise. My treadmill is terminal and do I miss it.
Stay warm and svelte.
Beautiful post, so serene. I love how you spend your time and take us through your day. And the music and just your whole new blog look, so beautiful!
I'm having the same trouble as Gail, the blog seems to stall and then jump ahead for some reason, I'm glad it's not just me!
It could just be my computer, I'll have to re-boot.
I liked Alivia's choice, I like those chocolate mints too and Ray bought me lots of them for Christmas but I'm trying to stay away from them now. Cute idea to take a bite from each for a little variety.
I can't do that though, once a bite is taken, that's it, I devour it all, so I'm just trying to ignore it all now. So far, so good.
Have a good week, Wanda, thanks for posting, it's always nice to visit here with you (and Alivia too!).
Love to you,
Eileen
We are twenty degrees colder than you - so walks outside have ceased and back to gym. Not my favorite. Alivia has the right idea - why choose one cheese when you can have all three? I will attest that the clear, starry nights are most beautiful - sigh if only it was warm enough for a moonlit walk. I'd walk by your home.
Snow never lasts all that long in Belgium, but as long we get a new layer - like the last three days - you won't hear complain. It made me want to go outside to make photographs. But a walk on my patio is a very very short one! Alivia is so creative, it must be fun to have a grandchild like her.
Did you add new pictures in the sidebar? The two birds and the squirrel are so pretty, how come I've never seen them before? It must be Winter doing this to me!
Cookies, cream topped coffee, chocolates, pizza, only reading this post makes me gain weight!
Hi Wanda, I just love your photos! It's really cold and snowing here at the minute...well, we've had it for the past three weeks now, so I'm missing my walks too! But, Santa saw that I needed a new camera, and I got one too! So, now I'll be able to put more photos on my blog!
I love the name Alivia! I have a niece called Elivia, but she gets called Ellie, which I think is a shame!
Gosh! I feel so fat just looking at all your goodies!
During these past few days of snow and cold, I've been holed up in the cottage—watching the ice along the river and the birds at the feeders, taking photos through the windows of herons and hawks and redbirds in the cedars. Doing some cooking, too…but no baking, though that may change this afternoon. Walks have consisted of trips to the woodpile or mailbox—or chasing Moon the dog down when she goes wandering off.
You're a better chocolate taster than I, being able to quit after only one bite. I LOVE CHOCOLATE!
Stay warm.
Blogger wouldn't let me comment so I just had a nap with your calming music soothing me.
Oh I am like everyone else I wouldn't be able to nibble chocolate and walk away, Oh no, not me.
Alivia is so sweet as always, she would warm and brighten anyone's day.
Lovely photo's my friend, luv ya
........:-) Hugs
Hi Wanda,
We don't have snow yet but it is 9 degrees here today! Your snow is so pretty.
The cold is making it hard for me to walk and I am feeling like a blob!
It must be because it's January!
Love Di
Hi Wanda,what a beautiful post..no wonder Alivia loves Grandmothers house...I would to..you are so good with her and you are making so many happy memories for her...beautiful pictures,and I have been watching the waste line to..to could here to walk much right now...take care until next time....
Wonderful post Wanda. I wish I could have participated in the chocolate taste test. Yum!! Love the photo of the bare trees and the snow coming down.
Happy New Year,
Cindy
Ah-so you love chocolate too! Yum.
Beautiful photos.
Oh, Wanda, what a funny and wonderful post! It made me laugh out loud! I tried in vain to find your short shadow and surely hope I won't have any more luck in the coming weeks! Get on that treadmill, girl! I'm glad to report that Alivia and I have the same love for Ghirardelli Mint - although, of course, I don't have any homemade clusters! Three of my Grands just left after spending 3 days - I'm tired tonight! Stay warm and cozy, Wanda.
Mmmm, pizza and [only dark] chocolate! There are worse ways to pass a few cold days!
It's hard to be trapped inside but it makes me appreciate outdoor days all the more.
The blues in your first photo are lovely.
Keep warm, Wanda!
Hi Wanda!
I love it when the clouds look like mountains... makes me feel like I have temporarily moved to Colorado!
(Don't laugh guests from CO ;o)
Chocolate & nuts = Happy Maria!
and I'm trying to turn the holiday corner too...
But in my desk drawer at school are two chocolate bars I tucked away before Christmas.
I'll have to eat them one tiny little section at a time !
What a blessing we have warm, cozy homes!
God Bless you!
~Maria
Hi Wanda,
I wish I could take a bite of a chocolate and then just leave it. I am doing better though, only because I ate all the chocolate I had, and I gave the rest away at Christmas time. Now, after reading your blog and looking at it...I am so starting to want some. Thank God it is so cold outside, or right now I would be headed off to buy some.
Glad you are having indoor fun with Alivia, but try bundling up and going out...if I can do it in the bitter cold here...I know you can...once you start walking it isn't so bad, unless of course, it is a blizzard!!!
Loved visiting ((((HUGS))) T
Oh! I also love your new look!!!
Wanda: I agree with Teresa. Bundle up and get out there (you know that's what I have to do). One of my recent distractions has been buying winter wear on E-bay. There's nothing like long underwear and good socks.
One of my clients gave me a box of handmade chocolates from a local chocolatier. I left it at her house so that I ate one every time I visited her cats. Otherwise, they all would have been gone at once. I admire your discipline! Amy
Wanda: I agree with Teresa. Bundle up and get out there (you know that's what I have to do). One of my recent distractions has been buying winter wear on E-bay. There's nothing like long underwear and good socks.
One of my clients gave me a box of handmade chocolates from a local chocolatier. I left it at her house so that I ate one every time I visited her cats. Otherwise, they all would have been gone at once. I admire your discipline! Amy
Wonderful WARM moments inside! It's been really cold here too!
What a great way to spend the afternoon ♥ You have such a way of putting your posts together that is amazing. They are always so beautiful. Thank you. The cold weather here doesn't seem so bad after here after reading your lovely post ♥
Such a beautiful new template Wanda! Love the snowing effect :D And what lovely pictures as always. Your blog is such a treat for my sore eyes :D Give Alivia an additional hug that comes all the way from India :) Stay warm. Loads of love :)
Dearest Wanda,
As always your words and photos delight me!!! You must be the BEST grandma in the world...I want to be just like you when I get a turn!!!! And mmmmm....your post makes me so very, very hungry...I should never visit you just before dinner....LOL...Love the new background...so rich! Love you, Janine XOXO
The only way I can believe that I see your shadow in that picture is if there was something Alice-in-Wonderland-y in that chocolate, and you shrank to gnome size.
Such coziness you make for Alivia! You two are just best buds...so nice.
Oh. And...I was not aware that "Ghirardelli Dark with Mint" could be eaten in small bites. They seem to jump into my mouth in their entirety. :-/
This so wonderful . I truly enjoy your post. I love the chocolates and the coffee.
Alivia is so adorable. Though cold outside but the home is filled with warmth and fun.
Enjoy walking.
Cheers and regards.
Regina
Lovely pictures!
I, too ,am back on the treadmill as of yesterday. Sigh.
Hello Wanda....the chocolate would be my downfall and actually the nuts are really quite healthy for you. They curb your appetite and have fiber and protein. Thanks for sharing your day.
your friend,
Janet
Lucky girl, lucky you. How nice that you had each other to dig in with on a cold winter day.
I can hardly stand not knowing what happened to the rest of those chocolates! I finished off the rest of the Palmer chocolate-mints from the bulk section of the supermarket. They were on a drastic sale after Christmas....
I adore those 3 screens(?) in front of your windows! Aren't those your photos displayed on them???
Snow has fallen steadily all day today. Just beautiful!
Goodness you had me wanting to test that candy with you and Alivia. What a fun way to spend a snowy day.
Everything is great and then I ran into the dreadmill.
Snow here and I do love it in the winter but I am unable to walk much since I smashed my ankle a few years ago but I love looking out my windows and your pictures give me a chance to view the outdoors without pain so thank you again for posting them.
Just came by to answer your lovely comment with a resounding, YES!!!!!! And to give you the biggest and warmest hugs! Love you!! Janine XO
Except for the making me starving part I loved this post. Your photos are wonderful. I always pick the dark chocolate, too! Glad to see you are staying so cozy!
How did you manage all those activities with a camera in your hand!!!!!!Alivia must love her pictorial story.
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