Heaven Is For Real

Heaven Is For Real, by Todd Burpo. This book will touch your life, as it has greatly blessed me. A true story about a boy who during a surgery entered heaven, met Jesus and other people, and learned of events his parents never mentioned. As the story develops, we learn about faith and trust in God, and Colton's unwavering belief in Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. Two of the reviewers at the beginning, I have personally met in the past.

This story may seem impossible and too remarkable to be true, but read it with an open mind. Ask questions after, and know that the family is open with their life experiences.

Pesto Update

As promised, here is the pesto recipe.

1 ounce Parmesan cheese (or a variation)
1/4 pine nuts (or walnuts, they are cheaper)
1 clove garlic, pealed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Using a food processor, pulse the cheese until small, remove. Pulse the nuts until small, remove. Add garlic, salt, basil leaves, oil and pulse until smooth. Add in cheese and nuts, pulse together. It's delicious now, but letting it rest will mix the flavors together even more. Store in the refrigerator.



I even added a picture. YUMMMMY



Evening walk

Skipper and I took one of our favorite walks, on the bike path nearby where I live. Just after we crossed the street, a few ducks decided to cross the street as well. They each took a turn, as if they were watching for cars. The last one in line, the female, walked very fast as if trying to catch up with all the others.

I took this random picture... can you see a drop of water coming off the beak? Cool!



The reflections in the picture "captured" my interest.

This duck kept bobbing her head up and down, until Skipper scared her into the water.

Kelby took this picture a few days ago. It was cold in my place, so we put one of Skipper's jackets on him. Kelby gave him a treat, and you can see Skipper picking it up without having his feet touch the kitchen floor.



Laura ~ this picture is for you!



Finally made Pesto!

I love Pesto. Whether it is on pasta, in a sandwich, or by smearing it over bread, pesto and myself are good for each other. What is not as positive is having to pay for pesto at the store. It is expensive! And has extra ingredients that I do not need to be ingesting. After burning my old food processor months ago, Kelby and I decided it was time to buy a new one. We went out in the ice storm (yes, we drove carefully) and bought a new food processor. I knew the first thing I wanted to make would be pesto. Unfortunately, my goal took longer to attain than expected. I hunted for fresh Basil in a couple of grocery stores before finding some. And then finally tonight, ta-da! Fresh, dip my spoon into the bowl to eat, pesto. It was so easy and delicious. A definite recipe to repeat.

Recipe to follow at a later point, I'm heading to bed!

Texas Snow

We had a huge ice storm a couple of days ago. With the temperature staying below freezing, the roads have been a mess. And then God gave us 6 inches of snow today! Woohoo. I bundled up myself and Skipper, Kelby got dressed, and outside we went, to play in the snow. I was hesitant to bring my camera, but Kelby encouraged me, and you can see the great results.

Look at all that snow! I tried to be creative and interesting while still showing the surrounding. Near the end of our walk, I watched this Cardinal fly into a tree. I took shots with my small lens, then pulled out my telephoto lens in order to get a close-up. In the photo, the bird looks as if it was showing attitude. 

A night-time walk resulted in the following picture. I liked the shadows on the snow, without a flash.

Present to Myself

Back in October, I decided it was time to give myself a gift. I had been wanting a new camera for a while. My old point-and-shoot camera was frustratingly slow and unable to capture shots in certain lighting conditions. After a great deal of deliberation, consulting Consumers Reports, and internet research, I found a camera I was willing to put my money towards. Kelby agreed the deal I found was a good one, and I sprung for my new camera. Even after three months, it still feels new and wonderful. Christmas brought lots of accessories for the camera, so now I'm almost set.

And my camera is.... a Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18MP DSLR camera. In simpler terms, a really fast, impressive, digital, multiple lens, great quality semi-professional camera.

 Here is one of the first pictures I took, just playing around, and getting used to the size and weight of the camera. I am impressed at the depth of the photo; Skipper is in focus, and Kelby is blurry in the background.

A trip to the dog part resulted in the picture below. An owner and her two dogs. With this camera, I can take pictures consecutivly and later go back and pick the one I like. Here, both dogs have the same feet up in the air, and their owner also has a foot up. Cute, to me :)

Skipper and I take lots of walks. I happened to take my camera on this walk and saw a sunset in process. Playing with the different settings resulted in one of my favorite pictures so far....

Kelby and I were slow at putting up our Christmas tree this December. Once it was up, lights on, and the ornaments hung with care, I decided it would be good to documents our efforts. So using my new camera, of course, here is a snapshot of our hard work (pun intended...haha).

What do you think of my new camera?