Worlds Best Brownie Pan

New Brownie Pan
Originally uploaded by FuzzyKryton

Ok, Christmas is finally over! We just got home from Christmas with my family in Rhinelander. Of course the kids got even more stuff...

But I finally got my brownie pan that I have been waiting for! It's the "Edge Brownie Pan" Now middle brownies! They all have at least 2 crunchy edges of them!!! My mom bought me this pan and in the 6 hours that we have been home today, I have already made 2 pans of brownies.

Now, I have not eaten 2 pans of brownies... just baked 2. We actually brought 2/3 of one of the pans over to Nick for plowing our driveway again.

Out trip back home today was not so fun... icy and snow covered roads from Wittenberg the rest of the way back to Green Bay - YUCK! Scary thing was all the other cars that were flying past us as if the roads were clear and dry. It was really nice though knowing that we were not going to have to shovel when we got home! Within a few hours after we got home, Nick was out with the kids clearing everyone's driveways!

Thanks Nick!!

Snowstorm Faith

20081223-IMG_8520-032
Originally uploaded by FuzzyKryton

More snow again! This is officially the 6th snowstorm already this winter! It seems like we will never get a break! I got an early start to work this morning as I had no idea how the roads were going to be. Boy was I glad that I did! Once again it was a half hour drive - no one was moving to fast! But everyone made it to the office today!

That was a good thing! Shortly after we all were at work, we heard that there was a 14 car pile-up on the highway just north of town! This was right where several of my co-workers had just traveled through just a few hours before! Thankfully there were no serious injuries, but the highway was closed for several hours while they cleaned up the mess.

Since John is off work until after the 1st of the year, he was home today and got some really great pictures of the snow and all that fun stuff. He snapped this really col picture of the kittens trying to figure out what all the white stuff was that was out on the back deck. They are strictly indoor cats and have only been tossed out in the snow once or twice - but they didn't stay out too long! Apparently they don't like the cold on their paws!! We have all been so busy in the last few weeks, so no one has had time to tackle shoveling back there! The snow is pretty much higher than the kitties heads! If we don't get it shoveled pretty soon, they are not going to be able to see the trees even!

Nick and Connor spent most of the morning out on the 4-wheeler clearing out all the driveway's in the neighborhood. Connor was loving this as he got to help dad drive the 4-wheeler! Usually the kids all take turns riding on the back while Nick plows, but since all the older kids were in school today, Connor got to spend some good quality time hanging with dad!

On the news tonight they said that our snowfall so far this month is 33.7 inches! The scary thing is that the all-time high record for December is 36.4 inches, set back in 1887! I have no doubt that we will shatter that record this year since they are forecasting 3-4 inches for tonight and tomorrow and then another 4-6 on Friday! I am curious as to what the season snow fall record is because at this rate, I am thinking that we will probably break that record too!

Frozen Adventures at Christmas

Remember, Soap Can Freeze!
Originally uploaded by FuzzyKryton

This past weekend we ventured up north for Christmas with John's family. We should have known that it was going to be an interesting weekend before we even left!

The night before we left, Snowstorm Dawn showed up and dumped 6 inches of snow on us! It took me over a half our to make the usual 10-15 minute drive to work in the morning, at at least the same on the way home! The roads themselves were "fun" most of the way up too.

We had some laundry to do when we got to the apartment and Darrin went out to start the load of jeans...

but he ran into a slight issue....

The laundry soap was frozen!

I guess that happens when the washer and dryer are in the back shed that really is not heated!

So after a quick warming under hot running water, we were back in business!

Between laughing with and at family members, dealing with snow and cold, it was definitely an interesting weekend. But then again, when this group gets together, it always is a fun time! This year we actually outgrew the dining room table and had to set up a separate table so everyone had a place to sit! But it was NOT the kids table - it was just the "other" table.

John and I were sitting at the other table with Darrin, Eric and Hunter so I got the privilege of being the one to feed Hunter. Now, sitting at the other table and offering to feed Hunter proved very beneficial for me - I found that I myself didn't over eat! I had to keep stopping from eating myself to shovel more food into Hunter - who patiently waiting with his mouth open like a little bird!

It was fun to have a young one in the house for Christmas this year - all of John's other Nephew's are in college, then there is Darrin. Having a baby around at the holiday's makes everything even more interesting, especially when Hunter is now at that age where he is trying to get into everything! We missed it but apparently he took a few steps when he was standing in front of Eric who was sitting on the couch. Jim and Jen were not there either so I don't think they believe that he actually did it.

The trip back home was just as interesting as the trip up. The roads from L'Anse to Crystal Falls with snow covered and the blowing snow made seeing a difficult feat at times We were very surprised when we got closer to home. I guess they had some REALLY nasty weather here on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The roads were glare ice Sunday morning which made roads dangerous. In the span of about 2 miles, we saw 9 cars in the ditches and median!

Guess I am glad we waiting until after lunch to start our drive home!

Next weekend also is looking like it will be an interesting drive to my parents!

I'm a winner

Penokie Xmas
Originally uploaded by FuzzyKryton

Today, just before we were leaving for Michigan, the mail lady came by with our mail. In the mail was a small box, with no return address for me. Very weird. Everything that I had ordered for Christmas gifts was already here, with the exception of one, that I knew would not be this...

Hmmm....

So here I sit, in the car, with no sharp cutting instruments, trying to get the tape off this box! Not an easy feat while the car is moving down the snow covered roads

Once I finally get into the box I find all kinds of goodies! Apparently I was selected as once of the winners in the Northwoods Geocaching event that was held in Rhinelander, Minocqua and Boulder Junction over the summer! Included in my prize box was a Boulder Junction travel coffee mug (will come in handy over the weekend since I forgot mine at home!), a few travel bug tags and a really cool geocoin!

WooHoo!!

Winter Storm Carter plus Cat and Mouse... and cat

So I wake up this morning on this powdery white morning, wondering if Winter Storm Carter will cause closings or if the schools will actually be open and if I will be able to make it to work. By watching the news I find that there are several of the schools that are closed, but not us. Go figure. But it is still early, so there is still time.

As I head down to the basement to get in a morning workout, I find 2 of the cats sitting right next to the elliptical. Almost as if they were waiting to say hello to me right away this morning (even tho Fozzy had already jumped on me shortly after the alarm went off while I was still in bed to say good morning and make sure I was getting up). Ok, no big deal, as soon as I start using the elliptical, the start wandering away slowly.

But I should have realized they were up to something. a few minutes later, I see little miss Silver dart along the wall behind the rocking chair... hot on the tail of a mouse. Yup, they were not waiting to say good morning to me...they were on mouse patrol - aka toy hunting! As they disappear to the other side of the basement, with Fozzy right on their tail also, I am distracted by the weather/news on TV. Still no word on if there is school or not. More and more schools all around us are closing, but nothing for us... the workout continues...

A streak across the room catches my attention tho. Silver is on a mission to get across the room, with the mouse tucked strategically in her mouth, with Fozzy right on her tail. He looks pretty determined to get his hands on this fun little play toy. But Silver is not in the mood to share, so she darts behind the couch, heading to the stairs. Fozzy, not to be left behind, decides to take a short but OVER the couch, pouncing down right on Silver's tail as she heads upstairs.

Great. Now I have mouse upstairs in my house. I can deal with them if they are in the basement, but they need to stay out of the rest of the house - that is MY space! Ok, I will deal with that later. As I continue on my elliptical journey, I turn back to watching the news. Any news yet on schools? More schools around us are being added to the list, but still not Green Bay.... go figure! What are they waiting for? Apparently the roads mus not be slick enough and we didn't get enough snow - even though on the news they are telling people to stay off the roads since they are so icy and that we are gong to continue to get snow.

Oops, they are back. Silver, with Fozzy right on her tail, mouse still tucked in her jaws. She does not want to share... and she does not want to let go of that mouse! A few laps around the basement, around the rocking chair and back upstairs we go. Once again, Silver went around the back side of the couch be Fozzy had to go up and over to try and get in that good pounce... and there they go back upstairs.

Hey, schools are finally on the closing list. I think our school system was the last one in the area that decided to close! Some schools were closed before I even woke up, but they wait until 6am to close our schools. go figure. At least Darrin's Snow Day Dance last night appeared to work for him. But that does not mean that I get a day off... I still get to head out to work. Can I have a snow day too??

Ok, I think I need to get my cats some more mousing lessons... wander back to the basement, one right behind the other, with noses to the floor, trying to find their lost toy... the question remains... did they leave the mouse upstairs or is it hiding safely in the basement? I don't think I want to know! But I did get some great entertainment during my workout this morning!

Ok, I guess I have delayed long enough. Time to get ready for work and head out into the white abyss!

Winter is not done yet

Obviously winter is not done with Wisconsin yet! It is amazing to watch the news tonight and see how much snow the southern part of the state is getting - especially sine we did not get any additional snow fall today! It was unbelievably windy, but no snow! Granted we have had our share of snow this winter, but nothing compared wtih what others parts of the state have recieved - falling at the rate of 1-2 inches per hour in some areas today! To get an idea of the snow in some part of the state, check out one of my friends journal entry on her blog for today. click here Nothing is every simple or "normal" in the life of Maggs!


Well, it has been officially 5 days on the BiosLife Slim. It seems to me that I have been noticing that I have been feeling fuller and eating less at each meal. I definetly have noticed that I have been snacking less during day! Just need to pay attention to the evening snakcing more. As of today I am officially down 1.6 pounds since last Weds. It seems like we are moving in the right direction!

Today I found 2 new fruits at Super Wal-Mart. The first was Start Fruit, which I had heard of before and never had the chance to actually try. The other was a Pummelo. Have NEVER heard of these before! It looks like an oragen or grapefuit but bigger - MUCH bigger! Almost like a grapefruit on steroids! This one measured about 5 inches in diameter! We have not cut into it yet to see what it is like. I will post details once they become available!

Lets just hope that is keeps going in that right direction!