The Snow Will Be Gone Soon

Logan is having such a great time playing out in the snow today! We got a decent amount on our deck, but it's not as deep as in the yard so Logan is able to walk on it without a problem. It also is not icy so he's not falling down either. He's been out there three times so far today and LOVES it! He goes out for at least 30 minutes at a time and when it's time to come in he is not too happy about it. Pooh Bear is having a blast too. He's been rolling around in it and Logan thinks that that is THE funniest! I recorded him a little today just giggling at Pooh. I'll get the new videos up soon.

Logan hasn't been wearing his gloves today but I'm not too worried since it's about 40* outside and everything is melting. (Right now it sounds like it's raining out because it is melting and falling off the trees so quickly.) I gave him a couple of plastic spoons to play with in the snow so he's been "digging" all over the deck. Occasionally he'll take a little bite of the snow but usually ends up spitting it out. I think the snow will be gone in the next couple of days so we might as well get out and enjoy it!

I finally got to build my snowman - he's tiny but cute dontcha think?

*Evening Update - I finally get to tell you some news!! Mike has been interviewing with a company in North Dakota and tonight he got the call we've been waiting for. They want to fly him out in the next couple of weeks for a (hopefully) final interview! Wouldn't that be a great Christmas present??

Another Day - With No Pay

We had another snow day around here - I think it can start to melt now! Logan is getting a little frustrated too. It's too deep in the yard so he's unable to walk in it and when he tries he ends up falling which THEN gives him a faceful of snow which he does not enjoy! And he can no longer walk on the driveway where it is nice and compact because the bottom layer has turned to ice causing him to fall on his bottom every time he tries to walk. He is not a happy toddler when he falls.

Mike stayed home again today because the roads were just too bad. We're hoping he'll be able to go in tomorrow, although he just looked outside and it has started to snow again. And after the snow it is forecasted that we will be receiving some freezing rain :( Ugh!

One last thing - I might finally get to reveal the big news tomorrow! But let me clarify one thing - I AM NOT PREGNANT!! Sorry to disappoint. I had my own Dad call tonight to see if there was something "I needed to tell him" because my Aunt (yes you Shelia!!) stopped over and said she thinks that's the news. Even though she KNOWS what the news could possibly be. Silly Auntie!!

**Reminder - the deadline to order a Santa letter is about two weeks away!!**

Holy Cow - SNOW!!

We had such a fun snow day here! Unfortunately, we weren't able to build a snowman since the snow that accumulated last night was very powdery. Logan was in heaven though- and as you can see we bought him a hat, gloves and boots. He did not enjoy wearing the gloves until we went outside and he realized that they actually served a purpose. If we would have let him, he would have been outside ALL DAY. Every time we came inside he threw a hissy fit that a two-year-old would be proud of.

We were able to retrieve our car this afternoon. The sun was out all morning and it helped to melt some of the snow. Although now, it's around 20* out and the water and slush is freezing once again. And the weatherman says another storm is heading our way. School has been cancelled again for tomorrow - but Mike will be one of the brave ones and will be heading off to work. I just hope it doesn't take him all night to get back home.

Minus the occasional fits and the icy roads it was a fun, fun day! We don't get many of them around here so when we do we enjoy them!

Are We IN North Dakota??

This morning when I awoke I was pleasantly surprised to see that the snow had not gone away overnight. It was still outside and waiting for Logan & I to play in it! We went out a couple of times during the day and had a great time (well, until Logan fell and actually felt how cold the snow was). By the afternoon the snow was coming down again in BIG flakes! I told Mike about it and told him he should try to leave work pretty early. He ended up leaving around 3:30. By 5:00 he still was not home so I called his cell to make sure he was OK. He was in town but had no way of getting to our house.

Sidenote: There are two ways to get to our home. One way is to go up a winding road which can get very slick in the winter. The other way is to go a longer but not as steep route. As you can guess everyone was taking choice number 2.

Mike took route #2 also since he was driving the Focus and didn't want to try to make it up the hill. He got about halfway up the road when traffic stopped and once it stopped the car could not get going on the icy road. So he turned around and headed back to town. He called me from the movie theater to let me know that he didn't know when he would be getting home.

I decided to drive the Explorer in and get him since it has 4 wheel drive. I could not believe how much the snow had accumulated since we had gone outside! The truck was completely covered - I had to use a broom to get the snow off (BTW, Logan thought this was hilarious). Once I got the snow off we began the trek into town. While driving I kept thinking "what the heck was Mike talking about, there isn't any traffic around". But then, I got to where he must have turned around. Cars were abandoned along side the road, people were walking along the road to get home, and in general no one knew how to think anymore.

Let me explain - in the Pacific NW when it snows I think it turns off the logical button in most people's heads. They simply ignore common sense and do what they think is right. Which most of the time is the worst decision they could have made!

So while driving into town a huge truck pulled out in front of me. We're driving along and all of a sudden he decides to STOP in the middle of the road to talk to a car that's stuck going the other direction. Because the ground is packed in ice covered by a layer of ice it is very difficult to stop quickly. Thankfully I was only going about 10 mph and managed to stop just before I hit his bumper. Ok, one accident averted. He pulled over to help or something so I continued on. I get closer to town and the traffic going out of town is completely stopped by this point. Another driver (going out of town) decides to get out of his car and stand in my lane of traffic. While I'm driving straight at him! He finally realized where he was and moved. I came to a stop, rolled down my window, and yelled at him. I said, "It's icy out and I was barely able to stop in time. Get back in your car or you're going to cause another accident!" He blankly stared at me and I don't think he did get back in his car.

I finally arrived at the theater, picked up Mike, and we went to Red Robin for dinner. We figured we might as well kill some time and let at least some of the idiots get off the road. By the time we finished eating it wasn't too bad getting back home. We only ran into one car that was stuck on the road. Mike ended up leaving his car at the theater and we'll go in and get it tomorrow. He has NO plans of driving to work. At this point it would be safe to say we've gotten at least 10" of snow here. And for a reference last year, I believe it snowed once but never stuck! Thank goodness we have that North Dakota background huh?

The first picture was taken around 11 am, the second one around 8 pm.

It's Raining - No Wait - It's Snowing!!

Last night while watching the news the meteorologists kept warning us about a big storm that was coming our way with chances of snow mixed in. They said our area might receive 0-3". Naturally we didn't pay any attention to it since we NEVER get snow in the Seattle area.

This morning when we woke up it was gloomy out but no rain and definitely no sign of snow. By around 10:30 though the rain had begun and not too long after it alternated between rain and snow. Logan was absolutely fascinated by it - he kept running to the window and pointing to it. After his afternoon nap I took him outside and he wanted to run around but we weren't quite dressed for the occasion. After convincing Mike to join us, all three of us went outside. Logan had a fun time but wasn't too sure about touching the stuff - it was cold!! He pretty much just walked around kicking the snow up. Too cute!

We currently have about 2" covering our lawn - I just hope it's not all gone by the morning. That way Logan can play in it again :)

So I Lied - But Just a Little!

Remember how I said I had no plans to go shopping on Friday? Well, I fibbed a little - I did go out. But not in the morning! I waited until the afternoon AND I only went to two stores. The Target ad kept calling my name while Mike was at work and I could not resist going. Once Mike got home I went over there and it wasn't bad. It was just like a typical trip to Target - not that busy. I got some great deals! I picked up all 4 Harry Potter for only $3.98 each! They will make great Christmas presents for our two nephews. I also picked up Nanny McPhee and The Polar Express for us. We haven't seen them but at $5.98 each I couldn't resist :)

After Target I ran over to Rite Aid - they had Huggies baby wipes for 99 cents! I bought all that they had and then got a rain check for some more :) I saved over $1.50/container - pretty good deal if you ask me!

**One more thing - the deadline to order a Santa letter (or five) is about 2 weeks away!**

Black Friday is Here!

Well, no shopping for me this morning. I have several reasons - I was t-i-r-e-d this morning, Logan got up 3 times last night, I did not find any deals that I had to have, and Logan has a horrible diaper rash - which translates to him being SUPER cranky.

We had a great Thanksgiving spent with with some wonderful friends. We had our friends over along with their two kids for dinner. Everything turned out - I was so happy about that! We all ate way too much. When they went home we went over to our neighbor's house to have some more dessert and play some games. We laughed a lot and realized we need to get together more often! It is so nice to have such wonderful neighbors.

Mike had to go into work for a couple of hours today so I think Logan & I will be relaxing around the house. Hope you all have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Taken last year when Logan was 16 weeks old)

Happy Thanksgiving - we hope you have a wonderful day and remember to save room for dessert! We will be spending the day with friends - I'm cooking so wish me luck :) Last year we went over to their house - Logan tasted his first solid food (well, if you can call Cool Whip that) and instantly spit it out. I'm sure this year will be much different! Have a great day!!

Love,

Mike, Tanya, Logan and Pooh Bear

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater

If you want more time to plan click HERE!

Yes, that's right I'm trying to cheat. So far I haven't found anything that I cannot live without. I know some of you might find it hard to believe but I might not go shopping on Friday. Maybe I'll send Logan, since it looks as though he enjoys the ads. I'm almost all done with my Christmas shopping - I think I have about 6 gifts left to buy (not counting Mike). Pretty impressive huh?

P.S. - Hopefully something BIG will happen tomorrow that I can finally blog about - stay tuned (and keep us in your thoughts)!

P.P.S. - Austin, I hope it's OK that I'm copying you :)

Weekend WrapUp

We had a nice weekend, not too much going on - here's what went on:

Saturday:

I had a "spa party". It was a lot of fun. Six of my friend came over. AND I got to meet another blogging friend!! Heather, Mo, and Christina were all able to make it. I'm not able to say anymore about it though since I promised everyone I would not blog about what went on at the party. Hehehehe

After the party we just stayed home and relaxed. Logan was pretty worn out since he didn't really get a nap that afternoon. He went to bed shortly after 7.

Sunday:

We went and got Logan's pictures taken - again. This time was much better since Mike was with. Logan was still freaked out sitting up on the table (even though we went to a different place) - but we at least got some traditional pictures taken. He decided to smile with his cheesy smile the whole time and he even managed to flip the camera off one time. Because the picture taking took so long (they don't take appointments and we had to wait over an hour for Logan to get in) once we were finished we came home. Oh, and he managed to fall on a box before the pictures were taken and give himself a bloody lip. It didn't show up thank goodness!

We watched the Seahawks lose - very depressing and spent the rest of the evening watching some other football games.

A pretty uneventful weekend but sometimes those are the best!

Precious

Something to read to help you remember just how precious life is and how it's not to be taken for granted. I suggest you start reading from the November 1st entry (click on the calendar on the left sidebar). Click here. The eye opener for me is the fact that she is EXACTLY one year older than me.

SSSSHHHHH!!!

Why is my life so eventful lately? Or maybe it's not and I'm just overreacting. Either way I feel as though I'm slowly going crazy. Well, maybe not slowly since Mike said I've been acting strange for over a week.

OK, back to what's going on now - today I took Logan to get his Christmas pictures taken. I went alone. ALONE! Can you say crazy?? The appointment was at 11 am - we arrived about 10:50. They tell me they're running about 10-15 minutes behind. More like 20-25. Thankfully, Logan was very well behaved while waiting - he even managed to make a friend in the process. (And charm some ladies that were there.) Until he decided to tip his stroller backwards and fall into it, managing to give himself a nice bright red bump under his eye. Hopefully it won't show up too much in the pictures. We go in to do the photos and everything is going great.........until the photographer freaks him out. She accidentally hits a button that operates the background changes which scares the bejeezes out of him. From that point on there was NO WAY he was getting back up on the table for anymore photos. So we were done - which was not good because we had only gone through the Christmas backgrounds. We had not yet made it to the everyday backgrounds. Again, not good because we've only had Logan's picture taken professionally once a year. So for the grandparents and us this picture is displayed year round. And personally, I think it would be a little cheesy to have a Christmas picture displayed year round.

So on Sunday we are going to another store to get his pictures taken again. This time with a traditional background.

The afternoon went fine for the most part (largely due to the fact that Logan had almost a 3 hour nap). But then I had the crazy idea to go out for dinner. We decided to hit one of the MANY Mexican restaurants in town. Logan was not being that cooperative so we were trying to entertain him and keep him happy anyway that we could. He was having a good time putting some silverware into one of the water glasses (plastic) and occasionally banging the silverware on the table. If you've ever had a little one you know that they like to make noise. So he was banging the silverware but it wasn't very loud and definitely not nearly as loud as the music playing at the restaurant. After a couple minutes of this (not constantly) a man sitting in a table by us turned around and put his finger to his lips to SSHHH Logan. Can you imagine? I was so tempted to say something to him - something along the lines of "would you rather listen to him scream?" but thank God I am married to a rational husband. As soon as the guy did that Mike just stared him down and basically dared him to say something. The man did not.

So there was my day - how was yours??

PS - something BIG might be going on early tomorrow. Stay tuned and send good thoughts this way :)

PPS - thanks for the suggestions on the umbrella stroller. We do have one but right now it's more of a headache since Logan wants to push it around.

Quite the Morning!

Last night Mike & I switched vehicles since the car needed an oil change. Since I would have the car for the day I made an appointment for Pooh Bear to get his nails trimmed - it's very difficult for him to get into the Explorer by himself and there is no way I can lift a 90 pound dog! And yes, we pay someone to trim his nails - $20 is a bargain since he can be quite the pain while we do it. And I'm worried about cutting down into the quick and making him bleed. So this morning Logan, Pooh, & I made our way into town. Logan was absolutely thrilled to have Pooh Bear in the back seat with him! He giggled and talked to him the whole time. (The last time they rode together was at Christmas time last year and Logan was more concerned with screaming than paying attention to Pooh.) Everything was fine until it was time to get them both out of the car.

Have you ever tried to "walk" a large dog and make sure your 15 month old is following? It is NOT FUN! OMG - the vet that we take Pooh to is on a somewhat busy road. Logan just wanted to stand there and watch all the cars going by and Pooh Bear......well all he wanted to do was mark his territory. Everywhere!! So if I wasn't yelling at Logan, I was yelling at Pooh Bear. And of course, neither one would listen. Logan just kept pointing at the cars and Pooh, well he just kept pooing. We finally made it into the vet and everything went fine and there.

And then it was time to leave. Just read the above paragraph again since they both did the same thing.

I hope you all had a great Wednesday - I don't want to repeat mine anytime soon.

Mr. Independent

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the age that Logan is at right now? He's turning into his own little person with his own VERY independent personality. Some days it is very, very challenging to go places with him. He does not enjoy sitting in the shopping carts as much as he used to and if you let him down he INSISTS on helping you push the cart. Last week at Target he managed to move a rack of clothing because he smashed into it so hard. Thank goodness it didn't topple over or that he didn't run into someone.

Usually though he is just a funny and fun little guy. Most of the time while I make dinner Logan loves to open up the drawers and pull out all of his bibs and open the lazy susan and take out ALL of my spices. Last night though he stayed down in the family room - all by himself. It's starting to make me realize that he's growing up. He's happy playing with his toys for hours some days and just loves running around. Today he was kind enough to stack up the rolls of toilet paper for me. Then he knocked them all down. After he did that he looked at me to see how I would react - I just smiled. Once he saw I was not angry he began laughing. And not a regular laugh, his cheesy laugh.

He's also got these nesting blocks that he loves. He's always enjoyed playing with them but usually Mike or I have to stack them and then he knocks them over. But lately, he's begun to stack them himself. He'll then knock them over and again do the cheesy laugh.

Ok one last thing and I'll finish up this overly cute entry. He LOVES to copy us! Anytime that I yawn Logan will copy me. He tilts his head way back and yawns, but he keeps his eyes on me because once I'm done yawning, so is he. He will do it everytime. Last night while I finished making dinner Mike sat on the floor in the kitchen to play with Logan. Logan walked over to him and sat in between Mike's legs and sat exactly like Mike. It was so cute, but do you think I took a picture - No! Oh well, I'm sure it will happen again :)

What a Fun Night, with Added Drama

Last night Mike & I went out for a date. We had such a great time (besides sitting in traffic). We ate at our favorite Chinese restaurant - Shanghai Garden, in Issaquah. I'm actually writing a review on it so I guess it served us two purposes last night. After our yummy, yummy dinner we headed down to the Tacoma Dome for the Dixie Chicks concert. I think the last concert we went to was over a year ago and it was at a local bar.

We got to the Dome about 20 minutes late which was OK though since we had never heard of the opening act. I don't even remember his name but I think Mike summed up his singing pretty well - Awkward!! Especially since he sang "Natural Woman" during his set. The Dixie Chicks, on the other hand, were great! I love going to concerts where they actually sound the same live as they do on their CD's. Our seats weren't the best but luckily they had a projection TV that zoomed in on their faces throughout the show. Of course though, there has to be some sort of drama going on. I have no idea what it was about but while the third song was being sung all of a sudden people started standing up and getting out of their seats. I figured they were just going to start dancing or something. Nope - a fight broke out about 8 seats away from us. Luckily one of the guys got kicked out and not allowed to come back (wow, was his girlfriend M-A-D!) and the other two missed about half of the show. THEN while they were still "looking into the situation" Mike decided to move to stretch his legs a little and security began pointing at him! Thankfully they realized he was not a part of it so nothing came of that.

The Chicks sang all of their past hits and quite a few from their new album. They put on such a great show!! They even dedicated a song to K-Fed in light of the recent events that have happened to him. They sang "White Treash Wedding" for him. You can read the lyrics HERE - aren't they fitting?

Our neighbors were nice enough to watch Logan and according to Jayne he was "absolutely lovely" the whole night. I'm so glad that he was so well-behaved and didn't give them any trouble. Maybe we'll be able to do this a little more often :)

Another Great Visit

This morning Logan & I had a playdate. Holy was nice enough to invite us over along with Christina and her two kids. Logan had a blast chasing around and watching the bigger kids play. They also got a couple of giggles from him - especially when he started shaking his booty along with Elmo dancing. I'm always so worried about what he's going to get into while we're somewhere else but for the most part he did really well. He really enjoyed it when Holy showed him all of the cool masks they have hanging around their house. He even let her pick him up - which does not happen very often!! He must have been pretty worn out too because we didn't even make it to the main road before he was asleep.

I am so glad I live so close to these wonderful ladies - it has been so much fun getting to know them more and see their homes. Logan has also enjoyed it - we can't wait to see you guys again!!

Water Everywhere!!

Here are the promised photos:

This is the park by the river. The white fence is the border of the parking lot.

The river on the edge of town. Usually you can see sandbars scattered throughout the river.

One of the roads outside of town. It is completely covered with water. To the left of the photo is a house - the water is right up to their porch. There are also houses past this spot on the road. Yesterday when Logan & I were out for a drive we saw people walking through this area to get to their vehicles on the other side.

The Webbed Feet are Beginning to Grow

I'm sure you've heard that here in the Pacific NW we are flooding. That is putting it mildly! Bridges are covered in water that I had no idea could be covered in water. Bridges have been washed away, homes have been washed away, and some towns have turned into islands. So what does one do while their town is flooding? Why they drive over to a neighboring town and hit the mall of course! Yes, that is what Logan & I did. I had to get out of the house - we had been stuck in it all day Monday and we were going stir-crazy!! It was amazing driving down the highway and seeing the river that high and running so fast. Thankfully, tonight, the rain has stopped. I'm sure it will start up again soon but at least for now the rivers are receding a little.

(I'm hoping to get out around town tomorrow and take some pictures to post up here.)

Logan Updates

It seems as though Logan has been learning quite a few new things lately:

-He has learned how to get down off of the couchch all by himself. He's only fallen once and landed on Pooh Bear - not sure if that cushioned the fall.

-He really likes playing peek-a-boo. But to play it the "Logan way" he will put your hands over your eyes and then run away. When you move your hands and yell "Peek-a-Boo" he then runs back over and does it again.

-Today as we were walking down the stairs I was couting them. I said, "one, two" and Logan repeated, "two". I said,"three" and Logan said,"two". After every number I would say he would repeat "two". At least he's understaning the concept right?

-He understands so many things, for instance, if we say it's time for a diaper change, he'll run upstairs to his room. If we ask him if he wants juice, he'll grab his sippy cup. If someone at the story says bye-bye to him, he'll start waving like crazy.

-He has learned how to zrbtt us back - it's hilarious!! It started on Saturday. I was sitting on the couch and Logan got up on it. He was running back and forth and all of a sudden he stopped behind me. He lifted up the back of my shirt and next thing I knew my back was wet. I thought he had kissed me but then he did it again and this time I could feel air being blown on my back. He pushed me back and then lifted up my shirt so he could see my belly and he did it again. Only this time he did it correctly and it made the pftttt sound. I busted out laughing so of course he kept doing it. He was so impressed with himself. Mike got home and Logan showed him what he could do and Mike could not stop laughing!!

I think that's it for now. Hope it's dry where you are - it's flooding around us. Thank goodness we live on a hill!!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Today my baby brother is turning 19 - I cannot believe it!! I can still remember when he was born ( I was in 4th grade). I even took him for show & tell. Even though we are almost 10 years apart I think we are really close. We "talk" on Messenger almost every day and have been known to talk on the phone for well over an hour at a time.

I wish we lived closer to each other. I
moved to Chicago when he was 10 and it seems like I missed out on a lot of him growing up. I'm hoping that one of these days we'll live closer.

I remember only one time that we truly got pissed off at each other. We went to Disney World in 1996 for Christmas and we were both overtired and the lack of sleep was getting to both of us. We were waiting in line for a ride and we just started picking on each other. Taylor stepped on my foot - hard! And I'm pretty sure I shoved him after that. But pretty impressive though - only one fight in all these years!

Taylor I hope you have a great birthday! I wish I could be there. I love you so much and I'm so happy that you're my brother. Happy birthday Nerdbomber :)

November Recipes

This month it is ALL about pumpkin & spice - enjoy!!

This cheesecake is so, so yummy. The recipe calls for a lot of ingredients but most of them are spices - it is definitely worth trying!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Crust:

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup crushed gingersnaps (about 25 cookies)

Filling:

4 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

1 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1. Heat oven to 350* F. In small bowl, combine butter and cookie crumbs; mix well. Press in bottom of 9" springform pan.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. of the cornstarch until smooth. Add sour cream, salt and vanilla; mix well. Ad eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Place 3 1/2 cups batter in medium bowl; add lemon juice. Mix thouroughly; set aside.

4. To remaining batter in larg bowl, add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and all remaining ingredients; beat well. Set aside 1 cup of the pumpkin batter.

5. Pour half of vanilla batter (1 3/4 cups) into crust. Top with 2 cups pumpkin batter, remaining half of vanilla batter and reserved 1 cup pumpkin batter. Swirl batters with knife.

6. Bake for 1-1 1/4 hours or until filling is almost set in center. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Run knife around edge of pan. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm. Refrigerate remaining cheesecake.

Autumn Spice Cookies

courtesy of Christina

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. each: ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon, salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Heat oven to 375*. Sift together flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside. Beat butter & 1 cup sugar in large bowl with mixer on high for 1 minute (until light). Add egg and molasses and mix well. Add flour mixture and blend until just combined. Using about 1 1/2 tsp. dough for each, roll into balls. Roll in the remaining sugar to fully coat. Arrange on baking sheet 2" apart. Bake until set (9-10 min). Cool on wire rack.

*Make sure dough is chilled so that the cookies do not go flat.

Pumpkin Butter

I just made this tonight - it turned out so yummy and was simple to make.

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until thickened. Pack in sterilized, airtight jars. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

**Reminder - only 39 days left to order your Santa letter

More info. available HERE

Favorite Ingredient Friday

Cavatini

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 jar Ragu pasta sauce (any flavor)

1- 3.50z. pkg. pepperoni

1 package penne pasta (or any type of "tube" pasta)

12 oz. mozzarella cheese, divided

spices (I use garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper)

optional:

1 green pepper, diced

1 small can of mushrooms

1 small jar of olives

Brown ground beef with small onion. While ground beef is browning cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. Mix together ground beef mixture, pasta, pepperoni, pasta sauce, spices, 8 oz. of cheese, and optional ingredients if you wish. Pour into a 9x13" glass baking dish. Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes. During last 15 minutes of baking top with additional cheese.

**This makes a big dish of cavatini - usually when I make this I divide it into 2 - 8x8" baking pans and freeze one for later.