Day 660

The morning started out beautiful with this sunrise taken from the parking lot of hubby's school.

Why was I in the school parking lot? Well, hubby went to a breakfast the teachers were having on this last day before Christmas break, a day that kids weren't in school. He got to see the staff again, was able to do whatever it is he does when he's around people (I suspect BS), and even got to stop in his room for just a moment. First time since May.

His day didn't end there. As soon as he came back home a little after 9:00 our Friday baking began. Prepping for Christmas morning breakfast and Christmas dinner we worked together all day and whipped up homemade:

• Zucchini Bread
• Pumpkin Bread
• Blueberry Buckle
• Apple Strudel Muffins
• Potato-Bacon-Chive Muffins
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Flaky Dinner Rolls

Everything smelled so wonderful. Being that we taste-tested several things (don't want to serve guests bad-tasting bread products!) we know everything tasted wonderful, too.

I think the prettiest things were these muffins. Just look at the yummy pieces of bacon and chive.

Day 659

What does a cold day + very strong winds all day + a car sitting under a carport all day + a dusty day in Owyhee County equal?

This right here. Poor car.

Day 658

Hubby finished up his baking goals. The last on his list was baking powder biscuits, but he decided to turn them into cheesy garlic biscuits like you might find at Red Lobster. Oh, my.

What we had with them is something you probably wouldn't find at Red Lobster.

Homemade pureed kale-Swiss chard-carrot-celery-onion-garlic-zucchini-bell pepper-cayenne pepper-beef soup. Again, oh my.

Day 657

Tuesdays are hubby's favorite night at the Mexican restaurant in town, Alejandra's. All-you-can-eat taco night. But since he's been sick he hasn't been able to partake in the tacos. Too much sodium, too much protein for his in-crisis system. With his diet restrictions gone and his kidneys much improved it was time. And boy, did he go all out! (I think six months away was just too much for him.)

His plate started like this:

 And no fewer than six tacos later it looked like this:

Day 656

That's it for the charity quilts for 2012.

22 charity quilts for the year. This one here is headed to Alaska's Operation Kid Comfort.

Day 655

I've decided I like lounging in my PJs on a Sunday. (Guess Pajama Boy is rubbing off on me.)

I guess it isn't exactly lounging if I finish a kid's quilt - complete with quilting. I even took the time to quilt around the designs on the middle piece. Just look how one of the trees came out - proof that my quilting is slowing improving.

This is another one of those Alaska Operation Kid Comfort ones.

Day 654

We don't go out much after dark, especially at this time of year. It is hard for me to see when driving and it is so doggone cold.

But we just so happened to be in Caldwell as the sun was setting. Instead of rushing home before it became pitch dark we decided to go out to Chinese food for dinner. Delicious. Yet it wasn't the Chinese food that became the picture.

It was what we saw when we came out of the restaurant. As we walked across the street to the car we could see Christmas lights down at the end of the block. We took a little post-dinner walk and found something we didn't even know existed. A creek-side park, part of the city's recent revitalization, all decked out in every possible color of light.

A perfect after-dinner detour.