Saravilla Bed & Breakfast in Alma

Alma is located approximately 15 miles south of Mt. Pleasant. It is a cute little college town. Saravilla is a huge mansion that a lumber baron made for his spoiled daughter. It was meant to be her "summer" cottage. It was turned into a B & B in 1991. There are 7 guest rooms; all with private baths. Our room had a wood burning fireplace and a whirlpool tub. After a relaxing evening reading in front of the fire, we woke to a delicious breakfast of fruit & muffins and oatmeal pancakes and sausage. We spent the day meandering from one small town to another. Bought a few Christmas gifts (of the sis-topher variety), went to a winery, bought a couple bottles of wine, went to an apple orchard, and even went to a historical train station. It was a beautiful day.
Now we are home to unpack and repack. We are supposed to be heading off to the Cleveland area for a training class. There is going to be a winter storm warning later however. So we shall see.

A Much Deserved Rest

All the cleaning and cooking is done.
The house is put back together.
The leftovers tucked in their bowls,
The boys are changing the locks,
The children are scattered,
We're taking off for a much need rest!
To a B & B in Alma, Where's that?
I'll let you know.

Pre Back to Work Meeting

Went to a Pre - Pre starting back to work meeting. Next week we meet again to discuss the nitty gritty. I think I'll be able to work somewhat from home. Sounds like I'll be starting back the week of Dec. 8th. Just in time to work a couple weeks and then get a vacation! Nice. I sure wasn't happy about dragging around in the snow today, oh well. That's the 411 for now.

It's Really Coming Down!

It's been snowing since about 10 or 11 this morning. Every once in a while there are big beautiful flakes floating down. It might be a good day for "Bread Bowl Stew." I actually made some last night and it was muy delisiouso! Here is the recipe:
brown a cheap piece of beef with sliced onion. (cube the beef)
Add 1 cup beef broth
Add 1/4 Cup red wine
simmer for about an hour at least
add: 1 can potatoes (i par-boiled 3 fresh potatoes)
Add canned frozen or fresh veggies: ( i added mushrooms, beans, carrots, celery)
Add 1 jar beef gravy
simmer - you may have to thicken with a little cornstarch
Meanwhile, make a pastry cup out of crescent rolls - 1 roll in each cup of a muffin tin
spoon thickened stew into each cup.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 - 15 minutes.
Everyone gets their own little Beef Stew Breadbowl. So cute! So easy! So yummy!

Wii

I never even started a new book yesterday. While Sarah went Christmas shopping I watched the Michigan vs Ohio State game. When she returned I said, "Let's go get the Wii." My rationale being that it is good exercise. Within the hour we were plugged in and waving our arms crazily through the air in attempts to swat balls, shuttlecocks, floating balloons and even those curling thingies. It's alot of fun and it really is good exercise.
I'm starting to be able to smell the wreath on the front door. Sweet William. It's always a good sign when you can smell it. It means the sun is shining brightly onto the front side of the house and heating up the metal door, thus heating up the wreath. It really gets strong sometimes. Ohhhhh weather dude just said we can expect 1 - 3 " of snow tomorrow. Yikes!

Ahhhh Coffee and Books

What could be better than a new bag of coffee beans and a few new books. We went to Borders last night. Got a pound of Seattle's Best Reindeer coffee. Just made a fresh pot. It's very good. Got a few new books hopefully to spark the reading interest again. I haven't read a book in probably 2 months. That is very weird for me. I probably read over 25 books this summer. Maybe I just needed a break. I've still got to read , The Shack. Tell Don I'm going to read it now. Oh and if anyone wants to buy me a nice gift you could get me the Sony Reader Digital Book. It's only $299.00 It's very cool. I saw it at Borders last night. Got to get going, Niki's got a scrimage for basketball in Flushing this morning. Basketball season, uh yeah......
After the game I plan to curl up with a few books and read, read, read.

Turkey Talk

So I've been hearing much talk about "brining" the turkey. Has anyone tried it? You soak the turkey overnight in salt water. It supposedly makes for a very moist bird. And then there is the infamous "Turducken." You have a turkey stuffed with duck, then chicken and stuffing. Wow, lots of work there! Me, I think I'll just throw Tom in the ole roaster and let him roast away. I did buy a fresh turkey this year. We'll see if that makes a difference.
In other news, my boss (?), do I still have one? Anyway, he called this morning and said that the grant money, or part anyway, has come in and that he is meeting with his boss and he should have some information for me about when I can return to work. Just in time! I have one more week of unemployment left.

I Knew I Was In Trouble When...

I saw the salt truck had spun out on 23. There were brake lights everywhere! The road had become a sheet of ice. From Owen Road in Fenton to Hill Road in the Creek we crept along at 30 miles per hour. The highway looked like glass. If you even touched the brakes your car would begin to slide. Needless to say after I got home my neck, shoulders and jaw were all tightened up from hunching and clenching. I think I should get a massage...

I heard from my sistopher Marlene, that Karen had a similar ride home from the Telegraph/14 Mile Road area. Winter Woes, here we come.

Goulash Recipe

This is my own. Serves 4 - 6


2 cups cooked elbow macaroni - cook to package
1 to 1/2 lb ground meat - I use turkey
brown 1/2 C onion
brown & season meat with salt, pepper & garlic powder
add 1 can tomato sauce or soup and 1 can tomato paste
add
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbs. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 beef bouillon cube
simmer 15 - 20 minutes
add cooked noodles, simmer 5 more minutes

Snow Dog

If we ever moved to a warmer climate, here's one guy that would miss the snow. He loves to roll around in the snow! This picture is from 5:00 p.m. We were only supposed to get snow showers. It's been downright nasty out for the past couple hours. But then it stops. And then it starts all over. Pretty from the inside. We were out driving and the roads got terrible within minutes. ugh. How about a nice warm pot of Goulash for tonight? And maybe a nice hot bath. And then a BIG mug of hot chocolate. And then a warm blankie to read or watch some tv with. Oh definitely tv later. The "Iron Chef" Thanksgiving Cook off is on later.

Stay Warm!

Got The House To Myself

Wait, what else is new? Wish we had a (real) fire place.

I would curl up like Bay right in front of it. Everyone is gone, working at a job ($4000) in Grand Blanc. Hopefully they finish with that one today! So much work. Sarah has 2 employees now. Probably might could even use another one. Katie & Richie usually work on Fridays too. It's kind of sad the number of foreclosed homes, though. The economy is so bad right now. My brother-in-law just got laid off and a good friend of the Renee's got laid off yesterday. Hard times.

I'm catching up on billing (what else is new?) and picking up the house and then I'll make dinner. Chicken and Rice with brussel spouts. A recipe I found on, allrecipes.com I use that website alot! We used to call them "Russell sprouts." Went to Meijers and got some fresh veggies. I love their produce department. Along with the brussel sprouts I also got, fresh beets, mini cukes, sweet potatoes, & mushrooms. Oh yeah, and a piece of ginger. I can only eat fresh veggies, I hate canned or frozen anymore. I'm also watching Steel Magnolias. I remember watching this the first time at the theatre with Karen. We were laughing and crying at the same time. Some lady in the front row was sobbing so loudly that it made us laugh, even during the sad time.

Ho Hum

I have the "It's too much like winter" doldrums. The sun did come out for a little bit this afternoon. I decided to pull the dead flowers and prune the rose bush. It felt good. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer! Then, yuck. I'm not ready for what's coming. The next five days of no sun. I could take the cold if the sun would only be present. It's the grey days that really get me down. Not the Rainy Days and Mondays. Ha Ha. Anyone know who sang that? I do. I bet Laura does.
I talked to Riley, she cheered me up. She is so silly. She was doing her mother's dishes. Maybe she (or someone) will come and do mine!

Sunday, Sunday

A big woodpecker came to visit this morning in the rain/snow. I tried to get a good picture, but it didn't turn out so good. I will try again if he comes back tomorrow. My back and legs have been in achy pain all day. I've been taking Tylenol, thinking about going to the chiropractor. Just had a nice hot mug of hot chocolate, that really hit the spot. I'm getting ready to make a pot of potato soup for dinner. Didn't want anything else. Not really ready for this cold, cold weather. Bought some Christmas presents yesterday. Not really in the mood for Christmas. Must make do. Turn that frown upside down...

Oh yeah, yesterday I took my new little sis, Felicity to Chuckie Cheese. We had lots of fun. She's pretty talkative, and she even thanked me and said at least twice that she had a really good time.

Seventy Again

A very nice day again today. Got up early & started on the paper work stuff. Had my play date with Syd. We ate Mac-n-cheese, played puppies, house, read books, (she loves The Cat In the Hat - she can tell the story page by page!) sang nursery rhymes with "On Demand" - Baby Boost, watched "Dora." I think her mom got all her homework done, I hope! Went to Kohl's for sox & brawls, also got 1 b.d. gift and 1 Christmas gift. Spent under $100, wow! Oh yeah, went to Harbor Freight and bought another compressor, whoopie.
Didn't even make dinner, had TACO BELL, can you believe that? I love those little Cinnamon crispy things. Now I'm waiting for Survivor to come on.

Nice Couple-a Days

It's been a nice couple o days, as you probably know. The "aunt & uncle" left early this a.m. Got up at 7 am to see them off. It was nice visiting with them. I went to the Linden Market yesterday afternoon and bought 4 HUGE Porterhouse steaks. Sarah grilled them and I made baked potatoes with all the toppings and pan-seared mushrooms, oh so yummy! We sat around and watched the election junk till we could stand it no more.
Today I've been busy reconciling the KNS accounts. Got to go see the account and get everything going. Chris and I made time for lunch at Olive Garden. Tried the new Gnocchi soup, but both of us returned to our old favorites. Mine - Pasta Fagolia, and Christ the Tuscan one. Bread sticks and salad were as yummy as ever.
Tonight I was in a snit about dinner so I wandered around the grocery store for a while. As I was stalking the meat isle I swept past the shrimp freezer. Ah-ha thought I. Shrimp on the barbie. And to go with that a cheese fondue with crusty bread. I returned home and whipped up a peanut-butter/soy/ginger sauce for the shrimp. It was excellent! So was the fondue. Later we're having vanilla ice cream covered with fresh strawberries. What will tomorrow bring? Oh yeah, I have a playdate with Sydney.

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings daughters and
all the Kings sons
couldn't put Humpty together again.

Warm Weather, Trick or Treat & "Aunt Ann & Uncle Dale"

It's been a pretty busy couple of days. "Aunt" Ann & "Uncle" Dale from the great state of Florida arrived Thursday Night. We visited with them until they were "plum tuckered out" and headed for bed. Friday we hung out and then we all passed out candy to a record number of trick-or-treaters. I think the balmy weather had something to do with it. Lola (grand-child) was here and was underfoot as always. I'll have to get a pic of her. She is a Pug puppy and so teeny-tiny! Yesterday was another gorgeous day. "Uncle" Dale took me out to breakfast- we went to Bob Evans. It was really nice. He is a great guy. Now I see why he is Sarah's "Uncle." Syd and I played outside in the sun for a couple of hours. Her mommy had to go to her new job. (how was that?) Katie & Richie came over and we played my NEW Monopoly game - Electronic Debit Monopoly. I am sad to report Katie pulverized us all. I sooooooo hate to lose! We chowed pizza from Rocky's while we played. Then we went bowling. They all laughed at me cuz my "unique" bowling style. My butt sticks out cuz I can't bend my legs. (My torn muscle you know) But, I got the last laugh - I won the high score!! Can you believe that?
Ann & Dale went to Grand Rapids to a wedding reception. They'll be back later this afternoon. Dale is trying to talk Sarah into taking tomorrow off and maybe we'll do something. Supposed to be a nice day......... Maybe Frankenmuth? Cider Mill? The beach? ok, I'm getting carried away.