My Wonder Oven

For Christmas last month I got a Wonder Oven. We are into emergency preparedness and we have several different cooking methods we can choose from in case of an emergency. One last item I wanted was a wonder oven. It is like a slow cooker but uses no electricity. All you do is bring your "dish" to a boil, put your boiling hot pot in the Wonder Oven, and let it finish cooking for several hours. The Wonder Oven keeps the heat inside so the food keeps cooking without any other source of energy. I have made some ham & bean soup in it so far and want to experiment with other dishes. (I forgot to take a picture of the soup when it was done). 
Hint: when cooking beans, you need to cook them ahead of time or they won't get soft enough while cooking in the Wonder Oven. I knew this so I cooked my beans ahead of time so they were fine.

This is what the wonder oven looks like. You simply remove 

the lid, place the hot pot inside, put the lid back on top, 

tighten the cord, and let it cook. Don't open it until ready to serve 

in order to preserve the heat.

One nice thing about the Wonder Oven is that it also works as a cooler. It keeps cold things cold, not just hot things hot!!!

Gift from a Friend

Last September I went to my friend Paula's house to help her pack for her move to Arizona. When I got there, I noticed that she had some Lladro and I commented on how beautiful they were. She asked if I liked Lladro and I told her that I had one piece and that I really liked it. She asked me if I wanted more, to which I gave her a questioning look. I know how expensive Lladro is and I didn't feel like I could accept such an expensive gift. She told me that a wealthy client of hers (Paula does interior decorating) had given her several pieces but it just wasn't Paula's style and she no longer wanted them. Again, she asked me if I wanted some. I told her that she should try to sell them on e-bay. She said she had tried that, but they didn't sell. I offered to pay her something for them but she said she just wanted them to have a good home. Long story short, she ended up giving me 8 pieces. I have placed them in my dining room. 

This piece is a beautiful train and it originally sold for around $5,000 

and comes with a wooden base. 

I love it!

Every piece I received has an animal in it...although the little boy
in the suitcase only has a stuffed teddy bear. 

Good thing I don't have small children around much or I wouldn't risk having these out on an open shelf like this. I would put them in a display case like I have done with my original Lladro piece pictured below.

I got this in Spain when we went to pick Ryan up from his mission over 17 years ago. Just as I cherish motherhood, I cherish his piece of art. It will always be my first and my favorite Lladro!

Mystery Solved!

Due to my amazing sleuth abilities, I have unraveled the mystery I wrote about in my last blog entry. Since my blog book that I ordered never arrived, I went to my e-mails to see if the package had a tracking number. It did. I tracked it and it said it was delivered on the same day that I received the mysterious package. Hummm, interesting! I looked again at the box and I could tell that it had been tampered with...like it had been opened and then resealed with packing tape. Hummm, interesting! After speaking with the company that printed my blog book we figured out that someone stole my book from the package and replaced it with the document. Why someone would want my book, I will never understand. It only has value to me and possibly my descendants who may read it some day. The company told me that they will reprint my book at no cost to me plus give me a 30% refund from my original order. Score!

My Real Life Mystery

This is just weird...and very much a mystery. Two nights ago I saw a package on my front porch so I retrieved it and opened it up. At the end of every year, I order a copy of my blog entries for that year printed into a book. I thought that was what would be inside the package. Instead, I was completely surprised and baffled when I pulled out this very carefully wrapped old document. I have no idea why it arrived on my doorstep. I did not order it nor am I the least bit interested in it. I am scratching my head over this one. The package had my name and my address on it. There was no packing slip or any kind of explanation inside. Where did it come from and why? So curious!!!

January's Year of Dates

As written in my blog on December 12th, Alan and I received a gift of a year of dates for 2016. I am going to chronicle our dates every month for the whole year.

Our date for January says: 

"It's month 1 of your 'Year of Dates' 

so let's get started there's no time to waste. 

Go to Redbox and grab some DVD's. 

Make some hot cocoa and give Joan a squeeze. 

Enjoy yourselves with a cozy night in. 

Let an awesome "Year of Dates" begin."

Well, we made the hot chocolate and watched a couple of movies last weekend to celebrate our first official date this year. We really enjoyed our first date! Can't wait to see what we will be doing in February!!!

Gift of the Heart

Sometimes a gift comes along that just kind of grabs you because you know that the person giving you the gift was thinking about you and what would have meaning for you personally. I received such a gift recently for Christmas from my daughter Cheryl. She gave me a copy of my story that was published in the December 2015 Ensign that she had made into a Christmas wall hanging. I was caught totally off guard when I opened the gift...but was pleasantly surprised that she would honor me and my story in this way. It meant a lot to me and I am grateful to have a daughter who, even though she has never been one who enjoyed doing crafts, put some time, thought, and effort in providing me with this gift. I am in love with it!

Thank you, Cheryl!!!