Have I told you that my children are brilliant?

From my daughter Laney:

If you couldn't tell, this is Miami, and those are Palm Trees along the beach. And we aren't going just for spring break, I am actually attending a conference there- but we are going to stay a few extra days and make a vacation out of it. Anyway, turns out my committee chair for my masters thesis, submitted my paper to the Institute for Public Relations Research for their annual conference, and it was accepted- and out of all the papers submitted, it won the Top Three Paper Award! Anyway, so I get to go down and present the paper and accept the award. I am a little nervous for that part. The conference is going to have all the top Public Relations Academians from around the country, but I am excited too. What's the worst that can happen? Taylor joked that I should look into some PhD programs while we are there- I laughed and then told him I'd rather die than write a dissertation. I really hated writing that thesis. It was so hard.

My Funny Valentines

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Oswald Family Adventures #1

One of my many new year's resolutions is to chronicle our family adventures beginning Christmas Day 2010. Thanks Leisy for capturing the pix and the story!

Most ridiculous place to go at night when it's below freezing due to wind chill: Niagara Falls.



We decided to go anyway.


It was beyond freezing. Not only was the wind chill bone aching- we also got WET. The falls continue to emit their famous 'mist' even in the dead of winter. The walkways are completely iced over and anything in the vicinity is completely overtaken by a THICK shell of ice. And did I mention that the views were LAME-o?! You can't see a thing because they close the best viewing walkways due to dangerous conditions.
The sum of all those factors made our late night excursion pretty darn fun.

Check out these happy binocs!

If you haven't seen the falls lit up at Christmas time- I don't really recommend it- but if you have to go- you might as well go with a group of fun people :) We really did enjoy the screaming and slipping and freezing. Because who isn't laughing and smiling when they're this miserable?! Our family tends to make the best out of every situation :)


And it was all worth it to the kiddos because we got to go back to the hotel afterwards and grandpa treated the boys to cheetos and hot chocolate.

They were in heaven.











And the little ones just crashed.

Milly in her boy coat.

And Ike on Daysa's lap. Thanks, Days.

New Year's: Look Not behind Thee

Here's to a spiritually and physically strong 2011!

The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice

The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice by Allen Say

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this in a day--it's interesting, the writing is good, I liked the protagonist but I never felt strongly connected. I guess my own personal views got in the way of accepting his choices. I went into this book really wanting to know more about Japan right after WWII but the book didn't give me enough.



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Harvest Stew Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Harvest Stew Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

I made this for a progressive dinner party on Saturday and I got rave reviews. You know they like it when you hear from those not at the dinner that they want the recipe too. I used fresh basil and sage from my garden instead of rosemary and rubbed sage. I also served this with multi grain whole wheat bread and it was perfect for an October evening. (click on the link above the pic for the recipe)

The leftovers we had for Sunday dinner yesterday and it was just as good the next day. I also tried to get my family and friends to guess the secret ingredient (apples)--no one was able to guess. Try offering a reward and see if anybody can get it.

Book Review

I really really liked this book. I would have given it five starts except I reserve 5 stars for classics and for books I think everyone should read. This book had some REALLY gritty parts which some of you might not like.

The female protagonist is strong and vulnerable and really quirky. The male protagonist is real. The story is woven between the two and comes together nicely. I liked too how they tied up both story lines and didn't leave me hanging on the stories although it does on the character story line.

I will definitely read books two and three. I'm only sorry that Stieg Larsson won't be writing lots more.