January 31st

This is Dexter. We are addicted. And since we can watch it as often as we want on Netflix Online, it is awesome.

January 30th

It was take two of snow storms here in the Ozarks. We got about 8 inches of the lovely white stuff. As I have said before, I love snow when it is falling. I love it the day after. But as it starts to melt off the trees and gets brown on the side of the road, I am ready for it to be gone again. Here is my wonderful husband shoveling the snow off the driveway.

January 29th

This is what happens when you let the dog out during a snow storm...pee on the porch.

January 28th

Shots. They suck. Em had 3 vaccines today: Hepatitis A, MMR, Chicken Pox. The last two were real stingers according to the nurse which meant Em screamed extra hard for those. Although, about five minutes later she was fine. She's a tough girl. Kisses from Mom and Dad helped...that and a graham cracker :). Next time I'm going to have to bring 3 graham crackers...one for each of us. Boy that is hard to watch.

January 27th

I wish Carters made these in my size.

January 26th

So I was washing dishes this afternoon during Emery's nap just singing to myself. Today's audio virus happen to be from one of her children's CDs. As I was singing the lyrics "5-4-3-2-1 Blastoff! Another rocketship run...Take me to the moon....Take me to THE MOON," I look up out the kitchen window above the sink and lo and behold there it was THE MOON! Now I know it is common to see the moon during the day but as I was singing a song about it? At 2pm? Out the window where I stood? Not so common. The real question is, did I see the moon without realizing and subconciously start singing the song during my dish daze or did the moon happen to apear because I was singing to it? Freaky.....

January 25th

Project Separation Anxiety started today. If there is one area Emery needs improvement it is playing with other children her age. She hates being in any sort of child care whether it be children's church or the YMCA daycare while Mommy works out. "Lord give me the determination and tenacity of a weed." -Mrs. Leon Walters

January 24th

For some reason I just can't bring myself to get gas from this station...even though it is the closest one to my house.

January 23rd

I caught up with Bert and Ernie today. If you squint really hard, you can see Grover in the middle below the stone and Elmo in the weeds below that. (click the photo to enlarge)

January 22nd

Lincoln

aka

Buddy

Linc Binc

Black Dog

Stinkin Lincoln

Boy

Lincoln Blinkin and Nine

January 21st

So I had a total Bakerella moment today. If you have never checked out her website, you should. She specializes in these cake balls/pops and they are absolutely delicious...and easy! These are redvelvet in the spirit of Valentines Day. Early, I know, but I had a craving today for something yummy. Happy Valentines Day to me!...er I mean Happy Valentines Day David! :)

January 20th

Woo Hoo! That's warm weather baby! After two months of below freezing, a 68 degree day in January is warmly welcomed.

January 19th

Bumps happen. Emery had a nasty spill today and bumped her head right on the corner of the coffee table. And all this right after a bump in the same place just healed. However, as you can see...she is just fine. Three minutes of crying, a kiss from Mommy, and a cracker made it all better. Sorry about the blurriness.

January 18th

UGH! That won't work!
Boy, electronics can be difficult. Let me explain. For Christmas, I received some awesome gifts to put my schoolin' to good use. I have been going back and forth with Amazon to get the right digital flashcard video camera for the right amount of money and finally found one I was happy with. It came in the mail and I was so excited to get started shooting, editing, and sending out my work for everyone to enjoy. Well guess what. It came with the wrong outlet plug and you can't use a camera with a dead battery. We live in America where this doesn't work. So instead of boxing it all up and sending back to Amazon AGAIN (which I don't want to do because I have to pay the shipping), I need to get either an adapter or a whole different power cord. Suggestions???

January 17th

We took a day trip to Eureka Springs this morning. It is about an hour drive from our house. What a cute place! I think we may go back in the spring when it is a bit warmer and most of the places aren't "closed for the winter." This is where we had brunch. We walked all the way up to the top of a humongous hill to eat there, but it was worth it! I have never been to a place as hilly as Eureka Springs. I would describe it as a cross between Estes Park, CO and Down Town Annapolis with more hills. I definitely recomend a visit. There are so many cute little Inns.

January 16th

As most of you know, David is an avid marathon runner. Running these marathons requires lots and lots of training. He does his long runs on Saturday mornings. Since we moved to the Ozarks, long runs have been a challenge for him since there isn't a huge running population to offer group runs and support. So on Saturday mornings, Emery, Lincoln, and I are David's support team. We drive ahead to set out water and drive by a couple of times to cheer him on. Twenty miles is a long way by yourself and requires tremendous self motivation. Great job David! We are happy to be your support team. We love you!

January 15th

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie with toasted pecans

1 large pre-made graham pie crust
1 large can of apple pie filling
8oz pkg of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
caramel syrup
chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Pour half of the pie filling in the pie crust and set the rest aside. In a bowl mix cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing in between each egg. Pour over the pie filling in the crust and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until center is almost set. Cool. Just before serving, toast pecans (place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 3-5 minutes) and garnish in this order: Pour the rest of the pie filling on top, drizzle with caramel syrup, and sprinkle with pecans. Enjoy!

January 14th

There is a story behind this picture. Originally I had planned to post an artistic picture of three wine glasses with the bottle representing get-togethers with old friends since our dear friend Lon from MS came to visit us while on a business trip. However, while he was here, we were showing him our house including our freakin awesome electric fire place. As we flip down the panel and show him how it works he says "Oh cool and there is a remote." To which David and I reply, "WHAT?!" We have been living in this house for 5 months, cold months mind you, and never even knew that there was a remote to our fire place that we use so often. Friends aren't just people you crack open a bottle of wine with, friends find your remote.

PS. The fire looks a lot better in person than it does in this picture. This photo with the flash was merely to show where the remote was found.

January 13th

The temperature FINALLY got above 50 today and we took advantage. We laced up our shoes (velcro for Em) and took our first walk of the year. Poor Lincoln has felt so neglected. I think he was most excited. The day was beautiful. It was so nice to breathe cool air instead of fighting to inhale bitter cold, to wear one jacket instead of 3, and walk on pavement instead of ice and snow. Only one thing was missing...our snowbird walking buddies who won't be back until spring.

January 12th

Any guesses as to what this is?

January 11th

I love it when our kitchen is stocked.

January 10th

Our little dare devil.

Don't worry, she is no where near the celing. She isn't even that high. It just looks that way from the angle of the camera.

January 9th

Home at sunset.

January 8th

Meet Bert and Ernie. They visit our neighborhood quite a bit. Mostly in the summer and mostly at night but every once in a while you'll see them during the day. Sometimes they are with a bunch of their friends. I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of Bert and Ernie.

January 7th

Historic Downtown Branson at 1,000 mph!






Just kidding.

January 6th

Crock Pot Oh Crock Pot how I love you so
You keep me fed during these wintry lows
The weather man is calling for more snow tonight
So warm me up inside with every last bite
When I saw you in the cabinet, in my heart I just knew
Our family would enjoy this vegetable beef stew

January 5th

Daddy's Home! It is an exciting event in the Ayer house. Emery jumps up and sprints to the door when she hears the garage open. Then she screams DADA! It is really cute. I only wish that this had been a video so that you could hear her...and see David try to get the car up the icy hill that is our drive way. Usually it takes a couple of tries.

January 4th

De-LICIOUS! I first discovered this stuff at our local grocery store when Papa, Mema, and I went for a quick trip to the mart when my family came in town for Christmas. And it's local. You can bake it in a pie or simply slather it over a piece of bread. And at 30 cal. per Tbsp. it is 3 times healthier than peanut butter which is about 95 cal. per Tbsp. YUM!

January 3rd

It started snowing last night around 10pm and we got about 3 inches. We have had light flurries all morning so I would guess the total to be around 4 inches as of right now. It is so beautiful here when the snow covers these rolling hills. We decided to take a walk and enjoy the scenery. I love the silence that snow brings. It is so peaceful.

January 2nd

Taking down the Christmas tree...a chore everyone dreads. For me it was positive. It let me reflect on what a great Christmas we had and think positive thoughts like "We finally have space back in our dining room" and "Thank goodness we don't have to keep Emery away from the tree anymore." Not too terribly exciting, I know. But it was, after all what we did today. That...and watch football. :)

January 1st

The 365 project has begun. I thought I'd start off with something I had been wanting to take a picture of for weeks. There are a lot of natural springs that flow through the ozark mountains and they tend to spring a leak whenever roads and neighborhoods are developed. You don't realize how many little drips there are until the temperature gets below freezing. These icicles are the biggest I have seen so far. They are just past the entrance of our neighborhood so I get to see them everyday. My guess is that the longest one is about 7feet. I wonder if it will stay cold enough for them to reach the ground...