HOUSTON, THE CAT HAS LANDED!

I think we have a problem here!

Yes, Miles has found the Christmas tree!! It took him a few days to get over his actual fear of the tree--standing back, looking at this and I think wondering why we now have a tree in the house.

But, as you can see his fears are now completely gone!! He has decided that this tree is his to climb, take a rest in and even try munching on a few of the branches!! And he doesn't just climb the tree--he stands back and jumps into it--shaking the entire tree. I'm surprised the entire thing hasn't fallen over yet. I know that my tree won't be up as long as usual this year.

What am I going to do with this kitty??

In answer to the questions to Firefly's Hot Pepper Jelly recipe--it is easy to make. If you can boil water, you can do this!! As for the taste--I've always found it hard to describe tastes--but this is a little sweet and tangy at the same time. Not too tangy--I don't care for things that leave an "afterburn" in my mouth!! We used red hot cherry peppers, but you could use jalapeno or I imagine any type of pepper that you would like. Lindsay did the chopping of the peppers, and we thought maybe it would be too hot because she told me that her "lungs were tingling" as she was chopping. But, it turned out just the way I like it. It really is delicious with cream cheese and crackers.

Lindsay is flying home tomorrow, and I more than likely won't see her again until the springtime or perhaps even the summer. As always, this time while she is home flies by so quickly. I always miss her more after a visit until I get back into the mode of her not being here again.

She won't always be in Texas, but I know that she will not be returning to live permanently in Pennsylvania. She and Tyler are now talking of moving to the Boston area after he finishes his last degree which should be sometime this coming year.

Oh, and a big congratulations to Tyler!! He is finishing his Doctorate's degree in cognitive psychology, and he is having his first paper based on his research and experiments published this Spring!!

No, I don't understand all that he is doing or even sometimes saying, but he is a wonderful young man who encourages my daughter. I am thankful that she has him in her life. He has given her opportunities to further her education that I could not possibly begin to do. He loves her, supports her and has helped her overcome a lot of insecurities that stemmed from our own family life while she was young.

And speaking of congratulations--a huge one to Lindsay, too! She achieved a 3.9 average last semester while working full time! This daughter of mine amazes me!! She is not letting our past hold her back but moving forward in her life.

I'm off work tomorrow, but Andrew will be taking Lindsay and Tyler to the airport. I don't like good-byes, so we'll say them here and not at the airport.

Tomorrow, I really need to rearrange some things on my blog--I see I still have my Christmas projects listed--and then the reorganization of my yarn! That will be a BIG job, but one I actually am looking forward to.

Make sure to stop by for your Weekly Memory Verse. I've almost got this week's imprinted into my brain! Do you think I should include a Mr. Linky for those who want to participate?

K--that's all for a while!!

Beth

My Day With Lindsay

I said I'd be back to today, and so I am!!

Yesterday I spent with my daughter--my youngest daughter, Lindsay, who is here for the holidays from Texas. She is so busy when she is visiting--going to see friends and other family members that we had to just sit down and pick a day that was "ours".

What did we do yesterday?

I awoke early (as usual!) and went to church, and she slept in--a much needed sleep for her. When I came home, she was ready to go, and we went out to breakfast which took us about 2 hours!! Not that the service was that bad, it just took us that long to eat, talk and catch up with each other. There were laughter and tears involved, and neither of us cared one bit that we were sitting in public with tears rolling down our cheeks.

Then, we went to the store and bought some supplies to make Hot Pepper Jelly. I don't know if you've ever had this before, but it is delicious with cream cheese and crackers. Lindsay brought some home with her from Texas last year, and we loved it.

Firefly had mentioned a recipe for this, and she was kind enough to post this on her blog. So, we had to try this yesterday.

It was simple to make, and last evening we just had to try some. Yummy!!! I'll be making some more of this next year for Christmas presents, I'm sure.

Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a picture of the finished project:

Thanks for sharing your recipe, Firefly!! It is a success!!

Then we made ham and bean soup from the left over ham from Christmas dinner to have for this evening. We spent a good amount of time in the kitchen yesterday afternoon, but we talked, laughed and enjoyed ourselves while we worked together.

Lindsay works in a restaurant in Texas while she is attending school. She has to carry hot plates from the kitchen to tables, and I had made her a round hot pad to use. Apparently, there are some people at her work who like these a lot.

So, I sat down and crocheted a few more for her to take back to her co-workers:

All I can say is that we had a wonderful time--not doing anything spectacular--just spending time together. This was a wonderful day, and we both needed this time with each other.

I'm starting something new at "The Power of Your Love" today--something I've been telling myself that I need to do for quite some time.

Stop by--maybe you'd like to join me in my quest!!

Beth