Butterscotch Punch

   Butterscotch Punch         
 Now that cool nights are here, a hot toddy is just the ticket when you’re sitting around a dying campfire under a starlit sky. This punch is a nice break from hot cider. It’s less acid
 for the bedtime tummy and you can make it with powdered milk,
 so  it stretches your fresh milk supply.
1 2/3 cups nonfat dry milk
5 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla or butternut flavoring
Pinch salt

 

  Stir dry milk into 5 cups water. Set aside. Stir brown sugar and the half cup water
over low heat to dissolve, gradually stirring in butter, flavoring and salt.  Reduce
heat, stir in  reconstituted milk and heat to steaming. Serve in mugs.

Video snippets from son Gary

Keep in mind the little girl, Amanda, in these videos is the mama of Elise that has been featured on this blog.

Amanda was 5 at the time.

From Gary:

I now have a total of 28 videos on Youtube. I don't think I have even scratched the surface of all the old stuff. These are still from the Amanda being 5 VHS tape.

 

Grandma Marion and Fern visited the lake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvNsYjQXKoM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brv7VIi-8_M

 

Birthday candles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPsCtV2v7uU

 

Jewelry comment on Bday photo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9r712vaQPg

 

A Whole Lot Happening

Butch's brother Bill called him yesterday and asked him to put  a For Sale sign on their place here in Magnolia Park. Our friends  Donn and Peggy had stayed in Bill & Jo's place last March for a couple of weeks last spring. We had notified them that Bill and Jo were planning to sell. So long story shortened they have made an offer that has been accepted. It will be very different without Bill and Jo across the street but it will also be fun to have our old friends Donn and Peggy so near.
My lifelong friend Mickey is here too having arrived the same day we did. I say here but she is actually staying in her sister Donna's RV in Rio Valley Estates, a park that is only a mile and two tenths from our park. We have been dropping in on her now and then. Tonight we went to the El Dorado in Alamo TX. It is Butch's favorite Mexican restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley. This was just one of many times we will be there throughout the winter season.
The trailer next to us on the south has been sold and will be leaving most likely tomorrow. They worked diligently for most of the day getting it ready to move out. It will really change the look and feel of where we are. There will be nothing between us and our friends Pecan Bill and Kay way down on the corner! We may miss the protection we gained from having the trailer there during a strong south wind. We will also have more of the south sun.
Sometimes change is barely noticeable and other times there seems to be a big bunch of it. Either way it is always there. I have been one of the lucky ones because change has always seemed to be a blessing to me.

Walking through Water

You know that feeling of being waste deep in water and trying to walk really fast?...well that is sometimes how I feel. We decided to go to McAllen to the Time Warner place to get roadrunner. I then put my Verizon on vacation and  Butch and I share a high speed internet connection. The rest of what I do is most likely something someone could get their undies in a bunch about so I won't tell it here. Let's just say my neighbors are happy that I have roadrunner. The process of doing this took a very long time. I think I had a new guy. Art was his name and he kept having to go to the back room to ask questions. After we finally concluded our business we kept my hair appointment and I was early and Yolanda wasn't so it seemed as though it took a very long time but in the scheme of things I am sure it wasn't. Yolanda was telling me about the volatility of the Mexican situation all summer. She thinks it is getting worse. She told me she would like to cross the border to get her teeth cleaned because it is so much cheaper but simply does not feel it is safe to do so. And this is from a girl who has went back and forth across the border all her life. I did kind of veg out this afternoon.  Butch played cribbage. I went on one of my two walks today. Sort of a so-so day all around. The weather is moderate 70's/80's. Been a bit windy the last couple days but it wouldn't be south Texas if the wind didn't blow.

Some Done

I have 2,4,6 and 8 completed. BUT I forgot to put
14. laundry
15. Balance Checkbook
on the list. So now we can mark off 14 and 15 too. I have hopes I can get back to the fun stuff soon. It is probably not nearly as bad as I can make it sound.;-)

We had a cold front go through yesterday. I know, don't laugh. It went from 92 down to 72. But this morning I woke up and decided to do some computer work. The longer I sat here the colder I got! So finally I went back to bed and warmed up. When I did get up it was a very pleasant day.
Butch golfed yesterday. The usual thing for a Tuesday in Texas. I passed- too much to do. He golfed well -34, there were two other fellows who golfed too. 3 is a start.  The group will grow as more journey south for the winter.
I will be wordier on another day!!

Butts a dragging

I seem to be having trouble with motivation today. Not good when I have a long list of To-Dos. I have started posting on the Magnolia blog. I know lots of folks who wait for news on that one. Today's selection certainly isn't earth shattering but I hope it is at least mildly entertaining. You can find that one at www.magnolianews.blogspot.com
My To-Do List
1. Hem Butch's jeans
2. Mail bracelets to those who have ordered them
3. Velcro new indoor/outdoor thermometer to a spot so it will not move when we do.
4. Water Plants
5. Declump the cat's fur
6. Make haircut appointment.(Thursday at 11:00AM with Yolanda at Alicia's)
7. Mail directions for bracelets to friends in Canyon Lake area
8. Take tie off Stilson's mailbox (Done)
9. Start sifting and sorting items for December garage sale
10. Clean house
11. Work on carpet stains with Folex. (Found at H.E.B.! after searching all ove the country!!)
12. Get list of meds in Mexico
13. Buy new compass- Butch's developed a fungus!
If I would just get on it, it would probably not take as long as it did to make the list.
Anyone have anything they think I should add?

Chloe and Elise

I am way behind in posts of items friends and family have sent me but I could not resist these three sent by Grandpa Gary. Chloe and Elise are cousins and I think these three photos are absolutely wonderful! They make me laugh. I am certain these two will have oodles of fun together as they grow up. After all they have started already. Adorable!!!

Behinder I Get

I am so far behind I do not know where to begin! I suppose where I left off. Even if I do that I have left out a couple of things like a slideshow of more wedding pictures and videos of Elise. But I do hope to get back to those when I can find a minute or two.

We had a fun but very busy few days with the Linder's and Morton's at Canyon Lake. We attended a very nice surprise birthday party for Don Gilbert.

Surprise Happy Birthday!!

 These are all people we became acquainted with at Snow Mountain Ranch. On Saturday morning I checked my email and had a message from Jolene (Dozier) Oyer, a classmate of mine. Jolene lives in New Braunfels TX and we were very close to her location! She had checked the blog and discovered this. She included her phone number in the message so I gave her a call and invited her to come join me for whatever activities we "girls" were doing for the day. The guys were playing golf. So Jolene spent the day with myself, Lisa, Gail, and Dottie. We went to a craft show and a neat little shop called Bad Girlz. Jolene and I caught up on lots of things in between the fun we all had as a group. It was a very pleasant and surprising day.

Barb and Jolene.

Will this be the picture that inspires me to take of 50 pounds? Hmmm... remains to be seen.

Magic!!! I need some magic!!

Sunday morning we started off bright and early. I think we left the RV Park at 8:15, fueled up locally and we were off on our last leg of the trip. All went smoothly but I can tell you it is HOT here. 92 was supposed to be the high for the day but it felt much warmer than that to me.

We arrived in the park about 2:30 and set up rather quickly. Then we went to Church's for supper and H.E.B. for my first shopping trip of the season. I was not disappointed as I found every item on my list!!

Stick with me loyal readers I will get caught up before I go schizophrenic with two blogs!!