No Access

Someone cut communication lines near where we live on Monday so we have not had internet access since then.....Rex is having severe internet withdrawal!!

I am at the library for an art class so am letting you all know why there hasn't been a blog for a few days...will be up and running as soon as possible.

Keep checking!!

Mary

WOW WHAT A WEEK-END !!!

WOW, WHAT A GREAT FOOTBALL WEEK-END !!! I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN MY JOY WATCHING THE PACKERS WIN IN THAT SNOWSTORM THAT I'M NOT HOME IN !!

AND THEN THE COWBOYS LOSE TO FORCE THE NEXT GAME TO THE "HOLY LAND", LAMBEAU FIELD, IN GREEN BAY? WOW WHAT A WEEK-END !!!

WE SPENT THE DAY WITH GRANDMA IN LAKE HAVASU CITY. THIS IS TRULY A CASE OF "IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME". OF COURSE THERE IS A WISCONSIN CONNECTION, ROBERT MC CULLOCH IS FROM WISCONSIN AND BESIDES HIS OIL COMPANY HE IS THE MC CULLOCH CHAINSAW GUY. HE BOUGHT THE LONDON BRIDGE IN THE 1960'S AND MOVED IT PIECE BY PIECE TO THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT AND RECONSTRUCTED IT. BEING THE SMART GUY HE IS, FIRST HE BOUGHT THE SURROUNDING REAL ESTATE, AND WELL, TODAY THAT PIECE OF DESERT HAS A POPULATION OF MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE AND EVEN WALMART IS ABANDONING THEIR STORE FOR A SUPER WALMART UNDER CONSTRUCTION. "IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME".

I TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES OF MY MOTHER AND THE BRIDGE, BECAUSE IT IS THE ONE THING SHE WANTED TO SEE WHILE SHE IS VISITING OUR WINTER QUARTERS. DAMN, THE CAMERA, AN OLD SONY WITH 1.3 MEGA PIXELS, WAS ON THE WRONG SETTING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.

AFTER A COUPLE OF BEER STOPS ON THE WAY HOME, I COULD CONTINUE ON ABOUT THE PERFECT JANUARY WEATHER BUT ..........

Saturday Night Live

It's Saturday Night!!

Hard to believe it's Saturday night and I am home. Rex had to work but not me....tells you something about how bad business is doesn't it?? Oh well can't do much about that.

Since I had the day off I did the laundry as soon as I got up, so I don't have to worry about it the next 2 days while we are both off. But Rex's parting comment tonight was....blog for tomorrow,OK?? Ya sure, although I usually have to do some serious thinking first.

So after laundry I made a trip to the Laughlin Library since I had series three of "Boston Legal" to pick up. I would recommend Boston Legal to anyone....it is hysterical. Then I did some general shopping so I don't have to do that the next 2 days either. I also stopped in to check on Rex's Mother and let her know we will be picking her up for a road trip tomorrow. I think we are going to Lake Havasu but am not positive on that.

I got home just in time for Rex to leave for work. So I did the most logical thing I could, went next door to Steve and Meryl's for cocktails. Actually the "Boston Legal" DVD's are for Steve. He loves the series and I get them for him to watch.

After "Happy Hour" next door I came home to make my supper salad. I really love to bake but really should not eat that stuff so I decided to fire up the bread machine and make a new recipe. So now I am enjoying the aroma of "garlic Parmesan bread". Smells really, really good!!

I have been trying to think of different blog topics, one idea is "what's in a name?" But it really is not lengthy enough for a stand alone blog so will include it here.

I really love creative business names. In Lake Tahoe there is a florist shop called "The Enchanted Florist".....I can't help it, every time I see that sign, I get a little thrill. Then there is the Thai restaurant called "Thai One On", while it doesn't thrill me the same way, I do like that one also. In Carson City there is a wine shopped called "D'Vine Wine Tasting". Like that one too, but my favorite by far is "The Enchanted Florist".

When Rex and I go places and introduce ourselves, I like to give people a little hint to help them remember our names. It goes like this...Rex rhymes with sex, and Mary, the name of a Virgin. This usually gives people a reference that makes it easy for them to remember us and also a chuckle or two. One day I told this guy our names and how to remember them...so he went home and told his wife that he had just met "Sexy Rexy and Cherry Mary"....sure meet a lot of wits in RV parks!!

Mexican Flan

..........Flan is a Mexican custard with a caramelized sugar topping. Wendy makes it for fancy occasions. Since Mary and Rex like to do food blogs on occasion, I thought I would I would, too.......

........first the caramelized sugar goes into the individual molds. It sets up like hard candy when it cools...

............The half-'n-half and eggs are heated. (Doesn't she look like Julia Child?).............

......a blender is involved. I may have this out of order, but, hey, I am just the producer, not the chef.......

..........the flan is poured into the molds on top of the topping, making the top the bottom. This chef stuff is complicated...........

...........It then comes out to cool. I get more involved as it gets closer to eating..........

.......here Julia carefully places MY flan into the refrigerator to cool..........

...then, after all those stupid gifts are opened and the little ones play with the empty boxes for the required amount of time, we get the dessert ready. (c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, already!)

.............Somehow there are no pictures of people eating flan. I was busy.................

Christmas @ Cable Lake

Last year Wendy's older daughters, Janelle and Laura, suggested we have a "Cable Lake" Christmas. Wendy has been married three times and me twice. We don't have kids with each other, but we have six kids between us. These six met when they were older and were not, for the most part, raised together. Our extended families are starting to spread out and mature so that those family Christmases have less meaning. The Rechsteiner's quietly abandoned the "get-together" a few years back as it was impractical. Janelle and Laura wanted to start a new tradition for our somewhat non-traditional family and this was the second year...................

..........Wendy enjoys decorating and loves to do up the house in a "theme" color. This year was copper and brown. It matches with one theme that Target stores were promoting as well. She has about 6 basic color themes which she rotates and stores in big plastic bins. Her work really makes the holidays fun for me. It brightened a dreary day on Sunday, the day our Christmas fell on this year. Rechsteiner Christmas has traditionally been OFF Dec. 25th. It was sad to see her taking it all down today.....

...........I helped with the cooking, and made individual mostacciolis, a pasta dish with marinara sauce, hot Italian sausage, and pepperoni and mozzarella cheese baked to a golden brown on top. There were no leftovers. Wendy made flan, a Mexican holiday custard, and a whole blog is coming on that production.......

......Jake and Jason had set up Jake's ice house and put in some tip-ups to do some ice fishing throughout the day. We could watch the flags with binoculars from the living room. I am sorry I don't have any pictures of the ice house. It is the epitome of Jackpine savage with lake maps, pin-up girls, and 2 tv's adorning the walls. It has central heating and a cook stove. Many a pleasant day and some nights have passed in this place. Some fish have given their lives........

..........I bought a case of Andre Asti Spumonte for $3.39/bottle. Nothing like a fine wine to make a gathering into a celebration!! There were no surviving bottles..........

.......the probable impetus for the new family Christmas tradition was the arrival of two new grand babies, as first for Wendy. This is Owen with his parents Jim and Laura. Owen, like all kids, tears into a present with gusto so he can discard the gift and play with the box!!..

.........the other happiness for Wendy and me is Issac, here held by Aunt Callie and next to his Mom Janelle. Todd was in the ice house at the time of this photo, I believe. These two little guys start the next generation of kids for which Christmas is really the most meaningful...........

........it seems that all the family gatherings at Cable Lake end upon the pontoon. In the summer it is because it is beautiful there. In the winter, we call it "the Asti effect". We turn up the heat in the garage and sit on the pontoon, pretending it is "sunny and 80". The pontoon is on a trailer, which wobbles when you move about, much like when it is on the lake. Some people have gotten seasick. (kidding)............

......Callie invited her new boyfriend, Nick, to Christmas at Cable Lake. He looks a little uncertain about the pontoon thing. I hope he doesn't feel that having a girlfriend from a wacky family that pontoons in the garage is justification to dump her...........

......Rena has no problem with the pontoon and rarely misses the ride. We all placed bets on whether she will be at next Christmas as she will be 12 then. She is in perfect health. You will have to tune in then to findout............