Winterfest continues

Day two began with a championship hockey game, but it was all about the xc skiing.
Crystal and Jared ski and then they rest.
Hogan was part of the action all weekend. He did not miss a minute of fun.
Notice the snow pasted on my forehead, this is evidence of the face plant that just occurred. The pictures are good but the videos will help you clearly see the kind of day we had.



And now a few more pics . . .

Winterfest 2009

Last weekend was chock full of good times. We made the most of the snow and the ice under the snow. Jarrod and Emma came to visit from the south and they did not freeze. In fact they spent the entire weekend outside and enjoyed every minute of it (I think). So for all you southerners out there, come on, we are itching to show you all the joys of New England and Ben will spend the entire weekend trying to convince you to move here. We miss you!
We began the day with a hearty breakfast complete with snickers and rice crispy treats. I think I developed the habit of sweets for breakfast from my mom. We also had crepe casserole and fruit.
Before we can begin the hockey tournament we must first pack up the shovels, sticks, Snickers, water and skates and then ski to Blue pond. This will soon become an ice rink for championship hockey games. Crystal finds a nice spot to supervise the workers.




The human Zamboni couldn't do enough, so the boys made a late afternoon trip back to Blue pond to complete the rink maintenance.
They made a hole in the ice and then proceeded to throw 5 gallon buckets of water on the rink in hopes that it would freeze as a smooth sheet of ice.
Well there is day one of Winterfest 2009. Day two began with another championship game of hockey and some serious xc skiing. We'll give the full update of day two soon.

Benjamin's Birthday

Ben's birthday began with the ultimate surprise. We were taking a second look at some land for sale with my Dad when his surprise came tromping out of the forest. Please excuse the beeping noise and the black glove in the screen. It is not the best piece of cinematography, but what a surprise!




Dinner was shrimp, lobster, scallops and lots of garlic in a simple sauce over pasta.

Dessert was cupcakes. Each year Ben describes the birthday cake that he would like and I try my best to create it. This year he requested a coconut, spice cake with a cashew butter glaze and blueberries on the side. I questioned this choice, but it turned out to be a hit with Ben and others.

We completed the birthday and kicked off winterfest 2009 with an evening ski on Silver Lake. This was Emma's first time on XC skis and she was tearing it up by the end of the weekend.

The evening ended with a slumber party in the living room. Our little house hit top occupancy and Ben and I always enjoy the opportunity to get out the sleeping bags. We will be back with another post which will surely include some great crashes and skilled skiing, some well played hokey, rink maintenance and much more. Our first annual "Winterfest" could only have been more fun if we could have packed in all of the family and friends in to our little home . . . one day.

Happy Birthday Benjamin

I guess time flies when you are having fun. . . Ben was only 24 years old when we met and now we are celebrating his 29th birthday. I thought it would be nice to take a little walk down memory lane as a tribute to the big day.

This is the dragon built in 2005. It is without a doubt one of Ben and Jarrod's greatest accomplishments. I thought it was a fitting place to begin our journey and now a few pictures of the man we love.
As much as we both love our new home in the north, we miss Boone and our cabin in the Mts. It a place unlike any other and I am so glad our adventure began there.
These pictures are from the last two birthdays. Today Benjamin turns 29 . . . pictures of the party will follow in a post soon.

The Cuisine of Valentine's Day and a bit more

Breakfast was almost a success and almost eggs benedict. The eggs were perfectly poached in my poacher from Grammie Baker, the asparagus was steamed and the toast was toasted. Unfortunately the hollandaise sauce did not fair as well.

That's what it's suppose to look like. . . right?
We did enjoy an excellent fruit salad with our eggs and asparagus.

Dinner was pasta with homemade sauce and garlic and scallops. The dinner was red and the dessert was pink. The frosting is all natural, I made it pink with raspberries.
How do you make a heart from a circle, a square and one cut?
I learned this from the 2nd graders at school on Friday.
Ben still had energy at the end of the day and held a private dance party. Look closely, I think he literally danced his butt off.



O.K. so I have to add a disclaimer for the video in the following post. We did witness some acts of stupidity yesterday and happened to be ready with our camera. Unfortunately for Massachusetts those caught carried the Mass plates. We dearly love all of our family and friends in Mass and we do not want anyone to take offense to the post which follows. You have to admit it is funny.