Florida Is....

Thanksgiving with loved ones...









We had 63 folks there this year. While it's great to see everyone, it's also sad to see how many dear folks are now gone. But, we remember them with love and many happy memories from Thanksgivings past.

Good times with goofy people your related to.... Sometimes, Ian gives me a 'look' and is the spittin' image of his Uncle David!



And Riley...just happy to be on a road trip with his family!

Weird roadside tourist attractions....This one had everything from fresh oranges, to rockcandy, to ice cream, to an old timey saloon, an Elvis, a dinosaur museum, a REALLy weird display of 'modern art' AND a 'zoo'.
A friendly goat.
Ian with a sheep who later turned into a 'butt head'!

The boys were terrified that the llama would spit on them. The llama was happy...so long as they kept feeding it fruit.


Cole liked the Coatimundi.


A weird tree face!

A very friendly kitty at the zoo....but rather odd to see him amongst the wildlife.

Mmm?!
A lemur with those beautiful eyes.


Beautiful images of....
Country Dirt Roads



Giant Spiders with hairy knees


Dead Orange Tree in the early morning fog


The early morning fog across a pasture

A Sunset

And where is all began for Blake & I ~ Blanton Methodist Church, established 90+ years ago. We were married there June 9, 1985.





For me, Florida is Thanksgiving, ...and so much more.

Halloween 2010

Some pictures of our halloween fun....


Alex the Dragon.




Alan was Buddy Holly.




Cole the Troll 'Harry Buttgrump'.

Inspired by the Monty Python song, Ian was a Lumberjack...but he looked so much like Paul Bunyon, I had to turn Riley into Babe the Big Blue Ox-retriever!

While at FBCLS's Trunk or Treat, Ian tucked his candy bag into his hat...which made him look like a garden gnome!




A VERY hairy smooch from my boys.



Do I need a trim or what!?!?!!








Another fun-filled halloween....although this one was a lot hairier than most!

Behold!.... The Cinnamon Bread

I've been enjoying baking bread now for awhile. It's fun & easy, it makes the house smell heavenly when it's baking, and the boys LOVE IT....what more can a mama ask for?!, and it's TOTALLY YUMMY! Lately, I've been making CINNAMON Bread & it's really been a hit. I'm using Pioneer Woman's recipe.
Here's a my cinnamon bread... beginning to end.

Ingredients are pretty basic & simple. (Not all are pictured.) Milk, butter, sugar, eggs, yeast, salt & flour. The one element I've added - a mixture of regular white sugar & some granulated brown sugar. This added a little different element that we really like.

(I've skipped a few steps/photos, but Pioneer Woman.com has the recipe.)

Add enough flour to mixture until it comes together & then let the mixer knead it.


Add more flour as needed...







Now, just for fun, do a little kneading by hand... the old fashioned way, to bring it to the right texture.


When it's nice & smooth, it's time to let it rise. Plop it into an oiled bowl & put into a warm place...like the oven. This will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.






Now the dough should have doubled in size.


Roll it out onto a counter, baking sheet or whatever workspace you have.


Pour melted butter on it.


Then sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over.



The next step can be messy...roll the dough towards you, sealing the butter-sugar-cinnamon inside.



The most difficult step for me - getting the rolled up dough into the baking pan.

Put into the oven to rise again for about an hour.




After the 2nd rise - it's ALMOST time to bake! The dough should again be doubled in size.

Brush the top with an egg/milk wash.



Isn't this pretty!?!



Bake the bread for about 40 minutes. (If the top is getting too dark, put aluminum foil on top to shield it.) Bread is done when the inside temperature is 200 degrees.

Enjoy the WONDERFUL scent of the bread baking. It's absolutely mouth watering!

Set aside to cool.




Even though it tempting to slice into immediately, I've learned it's better wait until it's cooled...or else it will fall apart like this loaf from a couple weeks ago. Oh well...it still tasted WONDERFUL!

Behold, the bread...almost makes it worth getting out of a warm cozy bed to have some freshly toasted!