Congratulations Holly and Seth! A great party at Karen's..Carson City and Reno today..

I saw on Facebook yesterday that our grandson Seth (our Marine) proposed to his girlfriend, Holly this weekend and she said YES! Congratulations to you two! A beautiful adventure for the two of them coming soon! 

The happy couple! 💙💖

Saturday we had a wonderful time at Karen's house celebrating her birthday with her family.  All but John who's in CA working. 

They put together a big sushi bar which all looked wonderful but the fish (only because I don't like fish) LOL! We visited and then had a nice fire going outside. A great way to celebrate a very special person in our lives!

 

The birthday girl and a couple of wind chimes..

Karen, her daughter Isabel, Cameron and Sophia

Granddaughter Danielle and her boyfriend James

Isabel, Cameron, Sophia, Izzie, Seyvaia (heart sweater) Lyndsey and Millie 💖

Sunday morning we had a date back at Karen's for biscuits and gravy...yes I was bad and had some but they were awesome!! She really knows how to make them! 

We headed over to Izzie's (Karen's mom) house around 1130. She was making Chile Rellenos for a brunch.  We were too full to partake, but enjoyed the company. They had friends visiting from Southern Cal who we met on Saturday so we went over to say goodbye and enjoy visiting some more.  Florence, Israel and Seyvaia (?) are wonderful people, glad we met them! 

We ended up staying until after 1300 but had a great time. Came home, got a few things done and then Happy Hour! LOL. 

This morning Ken had a breakfast date with Joe and I did a few things here at home. We left around 1000 for Betsy's Big Kitchen just to stop in and give Matt a little gift. He's a hard worker  and we've enjoyed getting to know him. We wish him well in his new adventure of taxi driving in Carson City. 

After that Total Wine for a pick up order and then to Walmart for grocery shopping. 

Before we knew it the clock said 1430 so we stopped back at Betsy's for Linner! Surprising how fast the day went.  We had a waitress, Connie we haven't had before but she was wonderful along with the food. The people are a lot of the reason we keep going back! 

Put groceries away and Happy Hour! Have a  great evening! 

 

Catch up of the week..Gardnerville twice..Birthday cake for Karen. Cheri, another recipe for you :)

 Where has the week gone?!!  We've mostly been around the house with the exception of Thursday and Friday. 

I've been getting a notice that my pills are ready at Raley's in Gardnerville. I didn't think I needed them but we thought well why not go get them.  They had filled the prescription but my new insurance wouldn't pay for them because it wasn't time for a refill..well duh! I had Molly put them back and we'll get them when it's time. Pretty much a wasted trip as I didn't want to go by Walmart yet. 

Driving over to Gardnerville Ken saw this dragon on the side of the mountain. I could also see a woman laying down with her hands over her head :)   Deb, I know you'll appreciate the shadows... :) 

It was lunch time so we thought we'd give Sharkey's Casino a try once more. They've gone back to "normal" You wear your mask/shield to the table and take it off.  It's still ridiculous but better than it was.  

We enjoyed our linner and I brought some of mine home. Headed home and the day was pretty much done. 

Friday morning Ken wanted to hook up one of the trailers and go get wood in Gardnerville at the nursery they sell 1/2 cords.  Well, another wasted trip as they had the wood, but went from $195 to $220.  It was expensive in the first place but this is ridiculous. Guess that's why they have so many in front of the store.   Ken called Sammy our firewood guy and he's down in Bakersfield cutting wood.  Probably another couple of weeks before he'll be back with some. Oh well.  

Ken started thinking (I really hate when he does that LOL) so we decided to head over to Carson City to the place we bought our Honda generator and see if they have any wood splitters. Ken wants one with a Honda motor. They don't sell them, but gave a couple of leads on where to go.  

As it turns out we were right across the street from Betsy's Big Kitchen. A delicious linner was had. Not the plan, we thought we'd be home for lunch but with the trip to Carson it didn't happen.  We talked with Matt (he clears the tables and such) his last day is next week so we'll make a point to see him and take a little good bye gift. 

We headed home and then over to Karen's for a Happy Hour.  

Saturday morning I ran to Raley's to get a couple of things to make Karen a birthday cake.  Her birthday is Tuesday but she'll be in CA with John.  Her whole family will be over this afternoon to celebrate. 

The first layer, chocolate cake, cream cheese frosting and bananas..

2nd layer, white cake, cream cheese frosting and strawberries...

The sides are cool whip..

Chocolate cake with little m and m's...

Got the one she requested done and a smaller one for kids or whoever. 

Just about time to head over! 

Cheri, here's another. Easy and delicious. Ken really likes these! 

Apple Banana Muffins (Low carb)..This recipe doesn't call for any sugar. 

2 eggs (I use egg beaters)

1 C mashed banana 

1 tbsp butter or coconut oil melted

1 1/2 C almond flour

3/4 tsp baking soda 

3/4 cup apple, peeled and chopped (I don't peel mine)

Preheat oven to 350

Spray muffin cups (about 9)

Combine eggs, banana and butter in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside

Combine dry ingredients  in medium bowl. Add dry to wet. ( I just mix in same bowl)

Fold in apple. 

Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups

Bake 16 to 18 minutes until golden brown and tooth pic come out clean. 

Cool and enjoy.  

I sometimes add flax, raisins, nuts etc. They always come out yummy! 

Have a great evening! Time to celebrate a special friend's birthday 💖

Home from CA ..Adam and Erin visit..Cheri, this one's for you at the end! :)

Adam and Erin had their one year dating anniversary on Saturday...💖

Came to visit us on Sunday! 

Saying good bye on Monday...

 Sunday we took our time getting ready and then we left.  Ken and Eric had been talking about the homeless population in Sacramento so we took a drive toward North Highlands (where we used to live years ago) down Roseville Road.  WOW! It's amazing they are camped everywhere! There was a grocery store that was near our home that the back is totally graffitied up. Homeless camps everywhere. 

We headed down another section of Roseville Rd and it's amazing how all the way down the road there are homeless camps. They city /county has put tractor tires on the side of the road to protect the camps. There are porta potties set up along with dumpsters. Too bad the camps don't appear to use them as it's just garbage everywhere. What a shame. I've got video I'll try and post when I have time..One video is 44 seconds and we are driving the whole time. One camp after another! 

Roseville Rd..

Don't know why Sacramento encourages and enables this! 

Once we finished our drive we were headed home.  Made a last minute decision to visit Edelweiss, our favorite restaurant in Auburn, CA. It was nearing 1130 so thought we'd have an early lunch. They were packed and there was a wait of about 30 minutes. Nope we've got a good ride home.  We went across the street to Cafe Delicias a Mexican Restaurant we used to go to all the time. 

My Fajitas..oh so yummy! Lots came home with us! 

Ken's plate of 3 enchiladas..nothing came home from his plate LOL..

There was no wait there, for awhile we were the only ones inside. We ordered, enjoyed our drinks and then oohed and awed when the food came out! 

We arrived home about 1630.  I made some tacos up for Adam and Erin so they'd be ready when they got here.  As it was Adam had to work until 1630 so they got here later than expected. They ate, we visited and enjoyed their company until it was time to call it a night. 

Monday morning I had my first appointment with my new doctor.  Danny is the same one Ken has and he is quite personable and caring. He came in about 0910 and I didn't get out of there until almost 1030.  Most of that was spent on history etc. I like the fact he's not in a hurry to get you out and he listens. I did tell him thank you for saving Ken's life with his lung issue. He did tell me that if Ken would have waited a few days more, the end result would have been totally different. 

We left there and I called the kids to tell them we were going to Dini's for a late breakfast as neither of us had eaten. Invited them to join us, but they were making pancakes. 

Once done we went home. The weather was cold, and blustery so around 1300 the kids left.  They were going around Lake Tahoe on the way home. I sent them with sandwiches, chips and soda. They could only stay one night as Erin had to work Tuesday morning. A little time was better than nothing. 

Because the weather was so bad, we became couch potatoes for the day. Sure don't want to make that a habit! We enjoyed our dinner of left overs. Easy peasy! 

I was wide awake at 0300, thinking I'd never go back to sleep. Uhhh hate it when that happens! Well, I did and it was 0630 when I woke! Hate it when that happens too! We had gotten a dusting of snow overnight. 

A dusting of snow..and WIND!

Got our coffee and treats, visited with our blogging friends and got the day going..slowly.  After breakfast Ken ran to town to take Joe some stuff that he couldn't get in his vehicle last time he was here. I did some cleaning here at home. Ken was going to bar b q chicken but it wouldn't have been fun with the wind and the cold. I put it in the oven and got some mashed potatoes going for him. 

Ken wasn't hungry for lunch but I had a little something and then decided to bake some cookies. 

Another blustery, cold day with a little light snow here and there, but didn't stick. 

Another day down, and it's Happy Hour time! Have a great evening! 

Cheri, This one's for you! More coming :) 

                                   The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever! 

        I wouldn't go that far, but as far as good for you cookies they're awesome!

2 1/2 c almond flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup or more of chocolate chips (or any kind) I used Lilly's sugar free..

1/2 c salted butter melted (or soft)

3/4 c coconut palm sugar ( This is where I substitute a medium or large banana mashed)

1 large egg or (equivalent egg beaters)

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream together butter and (sugar) or banana until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.  Add Almond flour, baking soda to wet ingredients and mix. Add chips. 

Dough will be soft so stick in freezer for 10 minutes or fridge for 1/2 hour.  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Remove dough from fridge and take tablespoon size dough and roll a ball and flatten..not all the way though.  Parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes. (Mine are 11)

Remove from oven (cookies will be soft) place tray on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.

Cookies will harden as they cool. Enjoy!   

I added some flax and chopped walnuts to this recipe...

Big week for the grandsons! Happy 16th Aaron!

Saturday finds us here in Rocklin, CA at the Days Inn. Today is our youngest grandson Aaron's 16th birthday and his parents have planned a surprise party at Old Town Pizza in Roseville.  

The Birthday Day boy at the head of the table! Happy 16th Aaron! In a little while the whole table was full of Varsity Football players. So nice they turned out for him!

It has been an eventful week for grandsons.  Mason got his drivers license! He turned 16 at the end of January, but had to wait to get his license because of when he got his permit.  Friday was the day! 

Congratulations Mason on your driver's license!

He's in the truck ready to drive himself to school!

Today is one year since Adam and Erin have been dating.  He's taking her out tonight to a restaurant in Placerville called The Enchanted Forest to celebrate.  We will go home tomorrow and they may be coming to visit .  You know how young people's plans change so we will see! 

Thursday we did run to Walmart and Raley's. We were back in time for lunch so that's always good. Later in the day we headed over to check out some lights that John had bought for their fencing.  Had a nice Happy Hour and then headed home for a taco dinner.  Nancy, I'm telling you cabbage is definitely the way to go! Thanks for showing us the way! I even used cabbage on the wraps I made for us today rather than lettuce! 

Friday morning Joe and Susan (mom in law) came over for Mason pancakes..the kind with chocolate chips, ice cream and whipped cream. Susan loved them too. After they left just a day of chores. It was way too windy for much outside! 

Now it's Sunday after a wonderful party for Aaron at Old Town Pizza. Time to head back home and see what the week holds! Adam and Erin are heading over after he gets off work today for 2 nights..One happy Grandma and Papa! Have a wonderful Sunday! 

Pics below of last night's activities. 

Every time we see Mason he's grown!! 

Lots of pizza, wings, bread sticks etc were consumed! LOL.

Aaron talking with his Papa Bobby 

I love this picture! 

Allissa (grandson Jacob's sweetie) 

I caught this pic of Russell and Lori earlier in the day at Claimstake Brewing

Bryan and friends visit :) St. Patrick's Day, A nice gift from the neighbors, more pics of Aaron playing football :) First day of Kindergarten

 

                                                 Jake, Jonathon, Bryan and Ken 💙💙

Sunday about 1400 Bryan, Jonathon and Jake got here for two nights.  Ken showed them around while I made sandwiches for everyone. 

We enjoyed visiting and then they unloaded their dirt bikes and we got the Can Am out of the garage.  All four "boys" headed out for a nice ride at the BLM.

Jonathon, Jake and Ken. Two nice bikes too! 

Father and son getting ready to go for a bike ride

Bryan and Ken heading out! 

Jonathon enjoying the fire outside 

  One more ride before the night was over.  Bryan and Jonathon.

Once they were back Ken made a nice fire in the pit and we enjoyed conversation until way late!  Karen came over and visited with us too. 

I had made enchiladas, coleslaw and spanish rice. Jake was the only one who ate at a normal hour :) 

Monday morning once everyone was up and about I made breakfast. Bryan had wanted biscuits and gravy so that's what he got.  Jake wanted pancakes and there was some eggs made too.  

Papa burgers

Snow on Monday morning

More chit chat and riding that day.  It was a lot colder than on Sunday. Karen came over to visit and that evening we went to her house so the boys could play a game she has set up over there.  While she and I were visiting on the deck it started snowing!  Before getting too wet we all headed back to our house where it continued to snow.  Eventually we sent Karen home with a Papa burger and fries.  

The garage seemed to be the place for hanging out.  Ken and I went to bed about 2300 leaving the others out there.  

Tuesday, before they left we all took a ride out.  I rode with Bryan and Ken took the 700.  We spent about an hour out there.  Time for them to load up and head back to California.  It was around 1300 when we said our goodbyes. 

Just enjoying the BLM..

Jake..

All packed up and ready to head out! Come back soon! 💙

The door is always open, so we'll hope they come back soon when the weather warms up! 

After they left Ken and I became couch potatoes for the rest of the day.  LOL. 

Wednesday morning Ken went to breakfast with Joe and I got to work on a St. Patricks Day dish, Colcannon.  It's a mashed potato dish with cabbage and green onions. We were heading to Izzie's house about 1200 for a get together. 

We got to Izzie's just a few minutes after 12 and had a great visit for a couple of hours. 

Diana (sitting) Karen and granddaughter Sophia..In the background Auntie Isabel

The smallest leprechaun Amelia (Millie) 💚💚

Isabel setting the table. They really got into the spirit. 
 

Upon leaving there we headed to Susan's (Joe's mother in law) to see her new to her motorhome.   Very nice, and they'll be heading to Alaska and their new lives there in the next couple e of months! 

We were just relaxing after we got home when we got a picture of a fire next door. Got our things and headed over for a couple of hours.  A very social day :) 

Adam called while we were there and possibly he and Erin will be coming on Sunday for two nights. 

Been up since 0300 so figured I'd get this started.  Time to wake up Ken as we're heading to Walmart and Raley's in Gardnerville today.  Supposed to be 67 so I intend to enjoy it before the next storm later this week. 

Some pics from Aaron's game last week..he's #41. 

Had a good trip to Walmart for some groceries. Ken ran to Raley's for prescriptions while I did the shopping.  We made it back home in time for lunch.  Joe came by to pick up his dredge we've had out back. Looks like he and Susan will be over in the am for breakfast 😋

John came over and brought two really nice solar lights he bought for us.  One for the pole by the gate to their place and one anywhere we want. Ken's out putting it on the post before you come up to the front door. Very nice of them 😊  Now it's Happy Hour time! 

Last but certainly not least our great nephew, Owen finally got his FIRST day of Kindergarten today. 2 days a week he'll go the rest is Zoom as it's been all year. Why 2 days is ok but not 5?? Who knows! He was happy to be going! 

                                            He's styling is he not?!