Cherry Bon-Bon...

Over the summer, when we were in Illinois, Fisher took me to an ice cream place called Whitey's. It was fabulous! I feel in love with the ice cream! When it started to get closer to Christmas, and I knew our trip to Illinois was coming, I asked Fisher if we could go to Whitey's. Of course, he said yes. So, our last night there while visiting with Torie and the girls, Tom, Fisher and I went to Whitey's. Cindy stayed behind to help give the little ones baths.

I ordered a Cherry Bon-Bon sundae which is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and a dark, cherry sauce on top! Very very tasty! Fisher had a pina colada shake, and Tom had a Butterfinger shake. We brought a cake batter shake home for Torie.

That was a wonderful night! Spending time with family, playing with cute little girls, eating Whitey's and driving home in the snow!

Catch Up...

I have many things to blog, but I'll put it in one post:

It's Hard to Live in a Cold Area...

The night we drove into Illinois, it started sleeting and snowing as we got into Iowa. As we drove, the weather just continued to get worse. The next morning, we had to scrape down Fisher's car so we could drive it, and Tom had to snow blow the driveway, so the cars could leave! We are so fortunate that we don't have to have ice scrapers, snow brushes, snow blowers, salt, ice melt, etc. in Texas!

Herculaneum...

Many years ago, my parents and I drove to St. Louis to see family. On the way back, we stopped at a lead mine in small, Missouri town called Herculaneum. My dad and I joked and called it "HERK! YOU! LAYYNE-UM!" Sort of like how they would yell "Hercules" before the beginning of the old TV show. So, of course, when we unexpectedly drove through it on our way to Arkansas, I had to call my dad and take some fun pictures!

Frozen Pond and Snow...

It snowed 3-4 inches the night before we left Illinois! It was so beautiful that night, and looked so neat in the headlights! I'm really glad Tom was driving that night since he's much more experienced at it than us! We took some fun pictures and stopped at frozen pond as we were leaving the house.

Fisher's Snowball...

Fisher rolled up a huge snowball the day it began to melt, and used it to cover up support signs that his dad has put up for Ron Paul.

Poker Face...

Violet's new nickname is "Poker Face" since she keeps such a straight face with a blank star...then she'll break out into a big, big smile!

Christmas Eve...

On Christmas Eve, Uncle Dave was playing with Tayven! He was wearing Grandpa Fisher's santa hat, and pretending that he could not see! He was chasing Tayven around and she was really enjoying herself!

Funny Thing About Fisher...

When Fisher was younger, he would hold his breath until he got his way. Here's a recent example of the same tactic!

Being Kids Again...

Tonight we went to Torie's to see her and the girls before going home (too bad Mike was at work)! Tayven was learning to play Disney Princess Memory, uncle Dave and aunt Dondie played with her and Violet.

We also went to Whitey's which has fabulous ice cream...I may have blogged about it in the past. When it was time for Tayven and Violet to go night night, Torie, uncle Dave and aunt Dondie played memory. Those Disney Princesses are really easy to get mixed up, unless of course, you're 3 1/2 years old and know every single one of them! When did Pocahontas and Mulan become princesses? I understand Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. And what about Ariel? She's a mermaid! Which reminds me of how I knew the way to spell Ariel in the 6th or 7th grade spelling bee! It was the movie!

This also makes me feel really old when I realize that the Little Mermaid came out in 1989! 18 years ago! Now that I think about it, my 8th grade dance theme was "Arabian Nights" inspired by Aladdin!

Anywho, I'm off topic now! Dave ended up winning Memory...not sure how...mostly because he got lucky that Torie would turn over a card on her turn that would help him. Then Torie and I played Cat's Cradle! How awesome is that! Torie knew all the patterns and it was fun to play with someone who remembered all of it! I can't believe it came back to me like it did! What fun!

I'll post pics soon!

Torie and the tricky cat's cradle!

Merry Christmas...

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Snow...

Look at the fun stuff that came overnight at Fisher's parents!



In the yard



3-4 inches of snow


Snowblowing the driveway

Street

Geography Game...

Check out this site: http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq?fcc1=586b

Homemade Gifts...

Brownie Wreath


Cinnamon Coffee Cake

For Christmas, for my coworkers, I decided to bake them something! I made a brownie wreath with vanilla icing and a cinnamon coffee cake with vanilla glaze! I hope they like them!

Fireside Pies...

Tonight I went to Fireside Pies with Angelique, Danielle and Kelli for dinner. I was so excited because we had the Fireside Cheese Salad which is so tasty! Even Angelique that doesn't eat Ranch dressing, loved it! We had a Hawaiian pizza and a pepperoni pizza. Both were very tasty! It was fun to hang out a fun, trendy place and just chat!

I've enjoyed all the "girl talk" the last couple days!

Baking...

Last night I went over to Davene's for Girls' Baking Night! Davene made fudge, Jala made Grandpa J's Candy, Maile was the souz chef and I made a brownie wreath and peanut butter cookies! We had lots of fun, and got a work out stirring the fudge!

I had one spare cookie to bring home to Fisher, but I left it in an open bag on top of the crockpot. Davene's beagle, Chelsea, found the cookie and scarfed it down! It was really cute! She's got a great nose! What a sweetie!

I think we should make this an annual event!

The Heat is On...

Apparently, it's 79.2 degrees outside, and the heat is on in our building.

More Elf Fun...

Check out these cute little elves! It's Torie (Sister-in-law), Cindy (Mom-in-law), Tom (Dad-in-law) and Mike (Brother-in-law)! I love it! It's hard living so far away from them, so it's fun when we get to have these moments across the miles! That "in-law" phrase has always bothered me! Who invented that anyway!?!? There has to be a better alternative!

Retirement...

Adawndria Fisher Announces Retirement from Fantasy Football

DALLAS, TX, December 18, 2007 - After five fruitless years in the Zaccarella-commissioned fantasy football league, it is with great sadness that Adawndria Fisher, aka Buttercream Dream, aka Hook ‘Em Horns, aka Mrs. Tom Brady, aka Coat Closet Goddess, announces her retirement from her illustrious fantasy football career.

In an unfortunate turn of events during the Minnesota/Chicago game on December 17, 2007, it became clear to Mrs. Fisher that she should retire from fantasy football since her usually good teams can’t keep it together in the first round of the playoffs. Mrs. Fisher would like to thank her husband, David Fisher and long-time friend, Mike Zaccarella, for their support in her league efforts.

ABOUT ADAWNDRIA FISHER – Adawndria Fisher is the wife of David Fisher. She enjoys traveling, baking and blogging.

- END -

Couch Dive...

On Saturday night, Kevin got the bright idea to set his camera's timer and take a group picture...without notifying the group! Fisher, Ashley, Sandy, Jala and myself were sitting near the couch. We're all chatting away, when all of a sudden Kevin comes flying through the air! He caught his toe on the edge of the coffee table, barely missed me and landed on the couch (his destination)! Somewhere in the midst all of this, the camera flashes and takes this picture!



Look at everyone's shocked faces! I'm bracing for the impact, and I think Fisher was trying to figure out how to get me out of the way! Sandy is just in awe! We all thought Kevin was trying to take an action picture on purpose! Turns out, the timer he set was only for two seconds, and was in a mad rush to get in his place! The retake was on a 10 second timer, and we all felt a lot safer! We were all impressed by Kevin's "Matrix" move, and I'm thankful he's a former football player, and knew how to avoid smacking me!

Elf Yourself...

I've seen several emails and blog posts about this over the last month or so, and I finally broke down and did it when I saw it on Steph and Jeff's blog! Check out these dancin' machines!

Don't Freeze Cream Cheese...

I bought a six pack of cream cheese at Sam's a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. I froze it so it wouldn't "go bad," even though it doesn't expire for a while. Little did I know that you aren't supposed to freeze cream cheese...it says so on the packaging! It makes it grainy, and it just falls apart the second you touch it. Tastes the same, just looks funny when you first start mixing it. I've made cream cheese corn and small cheese ball with it.

Christmas Party #2...

Last night Kevin invited several people over for brisket! We had potato casserole, green beans and crescent rolls. It was all very good! I made apple cider in the Crock-pot from powdered mix, and added red hots! The cider wasn't apple-y enough so I added some Apple-Lingonberry sparkling cider from IKEA to the batch. It was yummy! This is the first time I made it, and I think everyone liked it. I also made cupcakes that look like snowballs, some with snowflakes, covered in large sugar sprinkles and some covered with coconut.

Here's a picture of the cupcakes, courtesy of Sned.

FedEx...

On Friday at work, one of the companies on our floor shipped out a ton of FedEx tubes. I bet the FedEx delivery person got a surprise when they picked up this shipment!

Biscotti in the Bag...

I bagged up the biscotti to make it ready for gift giving! I hope the recipients like it!

Christmas Party #1...

Last night we went to Nathan and Kelli's for a Christmas potluck with our Sunday school class. We had spiral ham, smoked turkey, yummy veggies, tasty bread and wonderful desserts, including delicious toffee and a fabulous banana pudding! I made a green salad with cheese and fruit and nuts (not something I normally care for on salads, but it was good). After we stuffed ourselves we took a "class picture" and drove around to look at lights on great route that Nathan and Kelli mapped out! We rode with Jeff, Steph and Maile! We chatted and oohed and ahhed over the lights of the really fancy neighborhood in town! I think Jeff and Steph may be doing some candy cane-esque lights on their tree trunks next year! What fun!

Here's a picture of the salad I made as leftovers with my ham sandwich today! If you want to make the salad, this is the link for the recipe. I didn't measure the toppings for the salad, just put on what I thought was enough for the amount of lettuce I used. I also used pecans instead of cashews and used store bought Poppyseed dressing from Kroger, instead of making it from scratch.

Dishwasher...

I ran the dishwasher this morning, and as I was standing at the stove finishing up some cupcakes, I heard the heater for the dishwasher kick on. I looked over at the dishwasher and steam was coming out of the vent! It was so cold in our house that the heat generated by the dishwasher to dry the dishes, was escaping as visible steam! LOL I'm sure steam always comes out of the vent, but this is the firs time I've seen it! Fisher used it to warm up!

Checkerboard Cake...

Hi Everyone! Here's the inside of the cake! Isn't the checkerboard cool?! Fisher brought some of it home so I could taste it! It was yummy! Rich though! I'd like to thank Torie and family for the checkerboard pan kit and Fisher for doing such a good job on the photography!

Finished Cake...

Hello Everyone! This is the finished cake for Fisher's potluck at work! It's my first attempt at writing on a cake in cursive (and more writing more than just a few letters/numbers)! It turned out pretty good for a first try! Next time, I'll make sure to center it all a little better!

Funny Christmas Decoration...

While looking at lights the other night in the themed neighborhood, one of the street's theme was trains. Each house had a boxcar in front on a track made of lights, some carried eggnog and cookies, apple cider or toys, etc. We really got a kick out of this one:

A box car full of coal for the bad kids! Other streets had themes like stars, snowflakes, reindeers, Santa in Hawaii, etc. It is a great neighborhood for lights, the best I've seen! If you live in Dallas you should check it out!

Tasty Recipe...

I've made these sandwiches a couple of times (courtesy of my aunt's recipe). Very tasty! I've made them with turkey and ham, both with swiss cheese. The ham has been the best so far!

Sandwich on a Roll

1 package onion buns (or other roll: potato, brown and serve, etc)
Ham or Turkey
Cheddar or Swiss cheese
1 stick of butter, melted
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons dried, minced onion
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons honey dijon mustard (or regular mustard, probably any mustard)
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Cut rolls in half, if needed. Place bottom of rolls in a pan with a lip (glass is best). Layer ham or turkey on bottom of the rolls. Top with cheese. Place tops of rolls on cheese. Mix together butter, minced onion, mustard and worcestershire sauce together in a small bowl. Spread mixture on top of rolls. Refrigerate 20 minutes to allow the mixture to soak into rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.

I spread the butter mixture on the bottom and top of the rolls while building the sandwiches, then pour the remaining mixture over the rolls.

Bake, bake, bake...

I've been baking like a madwoman tonight. I made a red/green checkerboard cake (still need to frost it), a batch of biscotti (first time, still need to dip it in white chocolate) and 12 cupcakes from the remaining cake batter. I'll post pictures later!

Edited to add pictures of cake (iced) and biscotti (dipped). I got a little lazy on the cake and didn't want to bother getting the sides and top smooth, so I put sanding sugar (big sprinkles) on the top and coconut on the sides. Sort of looks like a big snowball!

Picture Game...

I saw this game on a linked blog from a friend's blog, and thought I'd give it a try! Here's how it works; just type in the answers to the questions in the search bar on google images. Then paste the first picture that comes up. I made special notes where I didn't choose the actual first image, but a second or third one that was actually appropriate to paste.

1. Age I will be on my next birthday:


2. Place I would like to travel:

Didn't choose the really tacky Paris Hilton picture that came up as numbers one and two.

3. Favorite place:

St. Lucia

4. Favorite object:


5. Favorite food:


6. Favorite color:


7. Nickname:

Didn't choose the picture of a barely dressed girl named Dawn

8. Place I was born:

This image linked to a story on CNN about the school shooting that happened here about 10 years ago

Jump Drive...

I've been missing my jump drive for a few days. I used to keep it on my keychain until it fell off twice, luckily I heard it fall both times from the keychain. I've been searching for it for a few days, in all the usual places. Nowhere to be found. Until tonight. Fisher found it. In the pocket of my jeans. That had been washed. And were on the drying rack. Eek. Thankfully, it survived and actually works! The Lord is good! I was so afraid I'd lost it, and it was $50! That was just nagging at me. Good thing we don't dry our jeans!

More Gas Tank Issues...

Fisher and I got up this morning and took his car to Pep Boys to see what they would do about the gas tank leak. According to them, the gas tank is probably rusting from the inside out. Considering the age of Fisher's car, it's a possibility, but still a huge coincedence that it just started doing this after we got to Pep Boys yesterday. We certainly would have noticed it before since the smell permeated the back of the house after we'd been home for about half an hour last night. The mechanic said the tank had a "bubble" and when he rubbed his finger across it, it was leaking a small hole was revealed. Sounds to me like that is what finally opened up the tank. Fisher's car is parked outside and waiting to make a visit to the dealership when it's a little lower on gas. Since they will drain the tank, we don't want to lose too much of the gas in it. Pep Boys would not give a discount on the labor, and it just wasn't worth arguing the point with them. They're more expensive than Firestone, but we've decided to take the car to the dealership.

The other ironic thing is that my car also has issues with it's gas tank. Since April 06, it's been really slow to fill up because it thinks it's full when it's not. You can pump 50 cents of gas in it, and it pops off like it's full. We can't use the auto fill-up option because it constantly kicks off. You have to pump gas into it really slowly or just let it pump and kick off about 100 times before the tank is filled. Fisher, being an enterprising husband, discovered how to make it pump at the right speed so that it can auto fill. This method is the result of much experimentation on Fisher's part, since he's in charge of filling the car up because I have zero patience in dealing with it. The method is below:

In this Vanna-esque pose, Fisher is demonstrating how he turns the pump handle upside down and uses his keys to hold the handle in place. His keys are just the right thickness to lock the pump, and let the gas flow at just the right speed. He carries additional keys to help adjust the thickness, and it only works at Racetrack gas stations. Quite the experiment, huh? And, pump 12 works best at this particular Racetrack.

Meanwhile, my car is enjoying having the garage all to itself. I joked with Fisher yesterday that it was now the "Girl Car's Garage." So, he ran out to grab something at McD's yesterday and parked my car like this, allowing it to take over the whole garage! Funny thing was that I asked him if he parked my car in the middle, or did he park it crooked!

Night Out on the Town...

After a lazy day at home, we decided to go have dinner and look at Christmas lights. We got several small things done at home which was nice, but we didn't feel forced to get anything done. We took Fisher's car in for a brake job, and thankfully, it didn't need one! That was nice, since the place was honest with us about it and we didn't have to pay out the money!

We had dinner at Enchilada's (trying to stay away from big chains) and then drove through a few neighborhoods. We read about one neighborhood in a magazine that we get on our door every month for a nearby area. There are 14 houses on the street, so they do the 12 days and a welcome and good-bye house! It's very cute! In the magazine they tell how each family passes on the 12 day decoration to each successive homeowner. Only one homeowner (the one who had the idea in the first place) still lives on the street 18 years after the tradition started.

About 15 minutes ago (when I started writing the blog entry), I started to smell gasoline and could not figure out where it was coming from. Then I remembered that the auto repair place said Fisher's gas tank had a leak. I went out to the garage, and sure enough...the smell of gas met me at the door and there was something dripping near the back of the car. The repair shop didn't mention this on the phone when they called Fisher...we noticed it on the form they give you when you pick the car up. The problem is that the car wasn't doing that before we took it to them. So, Fisher's pretty sure the place caused it. Our only proof is that the car wasn't leaking gas before we took it in. Now I'm questioning the comment I made earlier about the place being honest. And Fisher is too. He's concerned about taking it back to repair shop since who knows what they may do to the car next. But, if they caused it, and he's going to argue that, then he has to take it back to them.

It's the weekend...

Fisher and I have had a really lazy, really nice evening. We heated up some leftovers. Watched the rest of Season 4 of 24. Talked about what we're doing tomorrow: taking his car to get brakes, going grocery shopping and maybe hanging out with our friends that are in town. The grocery shopping idea didn't go over too well! We've also ran the dishwasher twice tonight and unloaded it once! I've finished wrapping the gifts that are currently bought. Whew! We snacked on some cereal and now we're watching "The Rock." Yes, we are being lazy and we love it!

Spasagna...

We had spasagna for dinner tonight! I was inspired by Cheddar's dish of the same name that Alison ordered last week. It's basically baked spaghetti with sauce on top, it's sort of layered, so it's like lasagna. Even though Fisher doens't like tomatoes, he seemed to like this dish. I loved the cheese, and even added more! I think it could use a little more sauce though!

Wrapping Presents...

I bought a gift for our oldest niece today and an Amazon shipment arrived! One of many! I think I've placed at least three orders with Amazon. How can you resist free shipping?!?! This is officially the year that I've done most of my shopping online.

Now I just have to wrap all the gifts. I used to love wrapping gifts but it's lost its charm the last few years. I'd like to wrap them really elaborately, but can't justify the expense of the fancy ribbon bows and accessories. Plus, that stuff just gets tossed anyway!

The Chase

Hi. It's the boy. I wanted to write about my arrival to home from work yesterday. When I get home from work, the GIRL and I have a tradition known as 'the hug.' This is where she and I hug, and she fits perfectly under my chin. This is a non-negotiable act, and I had warned her over email that it would happen in a couple of hours. When I got home, she was standing there, and then she started running away from me! I ran after her, but she started closing doors behind her, to impede the BOY!!! I had been running slowly, planning to chase her as long as she wanted, but when she started closing those doors, that wasn't fair! So I immediately sped up and caught her. Then 'the hug' happened. But I had to chase down the GIRL to continue this tradition last night! I thought I should post about this trickery by the GIRL!!!

Brookie...

I discovered a new boxed dessert at Wal-Mart (new to me, at least). Betty Crocker Brownie Cookie Bars! On the receipt, they called it a Brookie! Seriously, what is better than a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie in one pan!?

I intended to make this tomorrow for dinner with a friend, but we couldn't resist! Thankfully, we didn't eat the whole thing so there's plenty for tomorrow, plus our friend is bringing Tiff's Treats (a local cookie bakery that delivers warm, fresh cookies to your door) so I don't feel bad about making the brookie a little early!

Christmas Tree...

Here it is in all it's snowflake-y glory! I wish it would grow a couple of feet though so it could fill up the room more!

Clark Griswold...

Our neighbors are really starting to decorate for Christmas, so I'm glad we put something up. Our next door neighbors and the house across from them are lit up. The house across from us is vacant, so no lights there. Then the house to the right of us, we're on a corner so it's caddy-corner from us, has lights up as well. Then two other houses on our street have lights up, and one has a ton! I told Fisher we need more lights and he called me Clark Griswold! LOL

Tree Lighting...

We went to the tree lighting at church last night with Mike and Jen. The high school choir sang several songs, and the Pastor and his grandson flipped the switch to turn the tree on! A nice way to kick off the month! We went to a friends house afterward to play some more Catch Phrase!

Vaseline...

My hands have been so dry because of the cooler weather...I mean really dry. To the point where my skin is cracking and bleeding. The knuckle of my right pointer finger split open so badly it almost looked like it was deep enough to need stitches. After a week or so of a cracked knuckle and bleeding and slight pain when I would bend it, it hit me to try Vaseline. Two or three days after starting the Vaseline treatment, my finger is almost well! It showed immediate improvement! Now I'm sitting with Vaseline and three band-aids on my hands! Vaseline is my new secret weapon!

Things You Learn...

Tonight, we went over to a friend's house for dinner and games. We had great food and fun!

We played three games and learned a few things...

During "Catch Phrase"...
...it's hard to guess "Bet the Farm."
...a German beer fest is not a good clue for a Bar Mitzvah

During "A to Z"...
...kiwi is a color
...Maile knows the song that lists all the United States and she can get through the Ms in 15 seconds

During "Taboo"
...flying utensils = wings
..."Welcome to the Carwash" is a song by Guns n' Roses
...horses chasing a bunny = the Kentucky Derby
...the guy who "discovered our beloved land" is Christopher Columbus
...Fisher was being clever (read: cheating) by saying one of the Taboo words so he could pass without penalty

Brett Favre...

Brett and I have a love/hate relationship. He's the QB on two of my fantasy football teams this week. Plus he's cute, a criteria for being on my fantasy football team. And right now, he's on the sideline getting his arm massaged because it was hurt a few plays ago. So not only are the Packers losing to the Cowgirls, I mean Cowboys, but Brett is hurt. This doesn't bode well for the Packers or my two fantasy teams. Especially the one that has Donald Driver on it, also a Packer and he has no points tonight.

Workin' for the Weekend...

I'm ready for the relaxing weekend! We only have one really laid back activity planned! I'm lovin' the idea of sleeping in on Saturday. I'll have to go grocery shopping, but I'm going to take my sale ads to Wal-Mart and get a price match so I don't have to go to several stores. Next week's menu is shaping up to be pretty tasty!

Fisher's Secret...

So you found out I have a sister, did you know Fisher has a twin?

Lit Up...

I wasn't going to do it, but I broke down! I couldn't bear to be the only house on the street without any lights! Now we'll be the house that people drive by and think, "Why did they waste their time?" LOL

The swag (over the entry) and wreath (to the left) were in the front yard when we moved in (I think the renters just tossed them out there while moving). I think the people that Fisher bought the house from must have owned them. Especially since there were hooks in the entryway and an anchor (I just added a screw) in the middle of the house where the wreath is! Almost like they'd been hung there before! What a God thing!

I didn't do all of the bushes because there are a ton of them, and we don't have enough lights! Sorry the pic with the wreath is blurry! The little light on the right side is our Christmas tree in the formal living room! I'll post pics of the tree later!

Early Christmas...

Me and my parents...


The boy, my parents and the wheelbarrow o' gifts!

We celebrated Christmas early with my parents on Saturday! We were going to have Chicken Lasagna, but my dad wanted pizza buffet to save us another day in the kitchen! So we went to Cici's! Then we came back, put up the tree and opened presents!

Fisher's presents arrived in a wheelbarrow! We got some really cool stuff and fun things for the house, including solar powered yard lights! Neat! We also got a triple sorter for dirty clothes (very organized), a pool thermometer, an oven thermometer and some fun kitchen and decorating stuff!