LOVE IS IN THE AIR

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY 2008

Can you feel it? Love is in the air! Valentines Day is almost here and that always means frosted heart cookies for me! Yes, I love to cut them out and decorate them. I guess it is family tradition for us. My MOM and Lynn's MOM always made sugar cookies. I found a new recipe this year and decided to make it. You might want to try them this year?

BEST ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

Prep Time: 20 MinutesCook Time: 8 Minutes
Ready In: 3 Hours Yields: 60 servings

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract/ could use almond
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. Frost with favorite decorative frosting.








Our weather has been so great this winter. I know our Family and Friends in the upper midwest have had it hard. Not only snow and more snow but frigid cold. Every year Lynn and I try to remember how it was and when we do, we are always glad we have "Texas Winters" now.

We love Gulf Shores, Alabama but I check every morning and this winter is as good in Texas as there. Glad we stayed here this winter.


Well, Friday is the moving day to our new "little" apartment. Our 5 x 10 foot moving trailer is almost packed and ready to go. Amazing one can pull enough to furnish an apartment from your home and not miss anything! That is saying something about us---will take pictures to post so you can see our little place in Dallas. Gives one perspective on what someone needs to live---and I think we will be comfortable. I know I am going to use the indoor pool a bunch!!!!

MISSED JANUARY--TOO BUSY AND IT SURE WENT FAST

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY AND BUDDY STILL IS WISHING FOR A WIN!

WOW! Did 2007 go as fast for you as it did for us? Also, we are off to a fast start in February! Lynn and I have enjoyed 2007 and are looking forward to 2008---new events in our lives and hopefully some travel.


To do a bit of catching up! We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! Our family is sure growing up. Gift Cards are where we are now. Can't keep up with all the "stuff" they want so if we do gift cards, they can get what they want and maybe a bit less expensive right after the holidays. We did give the Flip Video's to the adult kids. (I got one for me, too) I think they will be such fun for them and they are soooooooo easy to use. http://www.theflip.com/ I love mine!

Buddy Wanted to Play Reindeer this Christmas!

We decided to finish the house as fast as possible now. Almost two years!!! Time to move on and not have any of this stuff over our heads. We attacked the master bedroom and it is done now!!!! Yes, it went from green to terra cotta walls and a new spread, pillows curtains etc. Love it and now to repaint the living room. It is brown now but think I am going to go to blue. Blue is my favorite color and after seeing pics of our old digs, I have reverted back. We have a guy working for us right now on adding electricty to the barn and doing to tuck pointing (cement between the stone outside) and we hope to have that done very soon. It is suppose to be 70 here today so the weather is cooperating for us. Who knows next week.



We got some very sad news in January that a couple who we are good friends with in Tenn., Don and Shirley Jones lost their 36 year old daughter in a car crash. Missy Hunt was a great Mom and wife with two kids who will miss her so much. Cristy, 11 and Dusty 19 are left with wonderful memories of their Mom and our hearts go out to them, and the whole family. Shirley tells me that their faith is strong and they are doing ok or as best a family can do after something like this. Our hearts are sad and we are thinking of them as they go thru this heartbreaking time.

Here is a flower for Missy!

Some exciting news for Lynn and I!!!! We decided to rent an apartment in Dallas for 6 months to see how we liked vacationing in the BIG CITY! Not really, Lynn will be working more in the next few months because one of the officers is taking three months off. Well, we have used the guest room at Jen and Mark's for 5 years and we feel that is about enough. We were so lucky to be able to do that but feel that with all the extra days he will be working, enough is enough for them. Also, I will spend more time in Dallas doing classes and visiting friends. We just felt like we would enjoy more time there. We do love Dallas!!!! We lived in an apartment/hotel for 18 months before we came to Mineola and we are going back there. We had the largerst apt. before and this time we will have the smallest one!!!!! Effeciency but ALL NEW. Carpet, kitchen, vinyl, bath and we got to pick out everything. It has a nice patio on the enclosed courtyard and an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, game room with pool tables, library, social events and full time management. It has locked parking and security entry. We get to move on the 15th of Feb. so we will fill you in after that. Oh, best yet! We can have Buddy there.


Our hearts are not really in the Big Game today but we are going to watch it. Just spending the day planning our little move, loading some things in the trailer and enjoying the wonderful tempatures for the day!!!


I do hope to really keep up better with this. Check back soon for our update!