Friday, November 27, 2009

Our Thanksgiving Movie

Thanksgiving Corn Casserole

Good Morning dearest loves! What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had yesterday. It was just so special this year and we have so many blessings just being family! Well, I've packed Chris' lunch and he's out the door to work... total bummer... I'm sure he'll be able to close the office early because it'll be quiet. Honestly though, I don't know if he'll even be hungry to eat the lunch I packed ... we're both still stuffed from yesterday! :)

For those that wanted it, here's the recipe to Aunt Noreen's Corn Casserole.
This is the amount I made yesterday, and I had cut the original recipe in half. SO this recipe will make one 9 x 13 cake pan.

1 stick butter
1/4 dry onion flakes
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 box seasoned croutons
1/2 parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of salt
20 bag frozen corn
3 cups shredded cheese - I used cheddar

Melt butter, mix in dry onion flakes and mushrooms. Stir for 3 minutes.

Add croutons, parmesan cheese, milk & pepper. Stir well.

In large bowl mix corn, cheese and add stuffing mixture and dash of salt.

Put in casserole dish and top with a little cheese. Bake at 350 until hot.
I baked for an hour, 45 minutes would have been perfect. Also freezes well so you can make 1 smaller casserole and tuck one away for later.

I'm so glad you enjoyed. Truly, yesterday was a wonderful blessing. Looking forward to Christmas Eve and having us all together again, especially having Mark home to share in the love too!

Much love to all!
XOXO,
Dawn

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Safe Travels Aunt Jan!

We had a wonderful time on Friday night with everybody. Great family, great hosts (and hostesses), great pizza & salad! ;) All around a fantastic gathering! Aunt Jan, it was wonderful you were able to come for a visit, I only wish you were feeling better on Friday. I think maybe you just wanted to "Be like Mike" and drink Gatorade. LOL In all sincerity, I'm really glad come Saturday you were feeling better and that it wasn't something more serious. We hope you have safe travels back to Vegas!

We're having a difficult time believing summer is nearly over... I'm not sure where the heck it went, but I'm on the committee to bring it back... a.s.a.p! Chris is really enjoying his new office at Keefe. He's been welcomed with open arms and warmest hugs from agents he's been friends with for a very long time. He's finally on their team and part of the family. We couldn't have asked for a better blessing at this unique time!

Tay & Breezy, good luck with going back to school... we hope you both are excited to see your friends again and looking forward to what this school year brings!

Much love to all!

Dawn

Friday, August 14, 2009

Food on a Stick, Animal Smells, Carnees...


Polly Want a Cracker???

Hello Everybody! It's wonderful to hear Aunt Jan got here safe & sound. And that Mark arrived in Texas safe and sound. Finally we have some summer weather up here to enjoy!!!! :)

Yesterday Chris & I just took a day off... we've been plugging away on our computers for hours on end, months on end and just needed a break. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so we opted to give State Fair all of our un-divided attention! It was GREAT!!!!

We saw baby lambs... and they are so cute. Saw the baby goats too... I still want a goat... someday I'll have my pet goat. We ate plenty of fried food and drank our "fair" share of fresh squeezed lemonade... you should see the refillable cups this year... they have a HUGE 64 oz. gallon size. Now that's crazy. Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to carry that around all day! We of course indulged in the required cream puff and opted to skip the chocolate covered bacon.

It really was a beautiful day. We could both act like kids and people watch. Lots of Laughs and absolutely no stress! It was bliss!

Hope you get a chance over the weekend to experience bliss... be thankful for what we have!

Love to all!

Dawn

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

It's Been a While...

It's been a while since we've had a post on here dearest family! I thought we'd share some love with everybody! Dad, we hope your final board meeting with the M&I went well. We were thinking about you and are really proud they honored your commitment.

Diana darling, I've been thinking about you. Sending you loads of love and hoping you are doing okay. Just know sweetie we are always here for you - love & support, that's what family is all about! :) Big virtual hugs to Scott & Tay too! Tay, how did your play turn out??? Are you enjoying some time off or is it "no rest for the wicked??" LOL


Sometimes impromptu dashes to the custard stand make some of the best memories!!! :) This afternoon we made an impromptu stop at Adrian's Custard in Burlington... home of THE BEST (seriously, the best) homemade custard. We met up with the Raab family and were able to share one final lick of the ice cream cone with Mark before he journeys down to Texas.

Mark, we wish you safe travels, and lots of love. Take all our love in your heart with you and we hope you gain the experience you need so you can come back to WI quickly! Breezy & Lor, we're here for you while Mark is on the road... call anytime.

Here's a little slice about the true meaning of life... love... and family! XOXO to all! ~Dawn


Love at the Custard Stand
-Even better than Charles Peterson's work... ;)

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Babies are Here!!!



Not my baby by blood, but my babies by property ownership... :) Today was the first time I saw our adorable fawns. Chris saw them early last week, but today, I glanced out the window by my desk in the living room and there they were playing in my yard. Aren't they adorable?

The two pictures below are taking looking out my window, the clear picture above was taken when I stealthily got out the back door and zoomed in the best I could. You can click all the pictures to enlarge them and see the adorable baby fawn spots.

Hope everybody is having a splendid day! Much love to all!


The Babies Are Here!!!!


I love this time of the year because it's when we see the baby fawns. I saw them for the first time this afternoon while Chris had seen one of them early last week. I was able to get my camera in time to get some pictures.

The fuzzy ones below are looking out the window by my desk. The clear one above was when I stealthily went outside to get the perfect shot! Enjoy!


Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Where the Wild Things Are!

So our mama raccoon has decided her stay at our B&B was not-to-be for her and her babies.

She left under the cloak of night Sunday night, and Monday morning she was gone. I think the sound of 2 dogs barking in the kitchen & living room - right over her head - caused a bit too much stress for our mama-to-be.

So we said good-bye & good luck! But our wildlife story does end there.

Yesterday after our huge rainstorm, I looked out the window and look what I saw wandering down our driveway...

Yes, this is our new friend Ted the Turtle. By the time I got the camera and got out side, he had waddled into the grass. I got down to shell level to get to know Ted the Turtle better, he's middle aged, lives in the pond next door, and likes long walks in soft, green grass. If you happen to bump into a single, Tina Turtle, Ted's number is 1-800-Got-Shell.

Isn't he cute?



Then just this morning, Chris saw a mother deer and her new bambi out in our yard... funny enough, Mama was introducing Bambi to our beautiful flower gardens... "Yes sweetie, this is where you can get an endless supply of leafy, delectable greens. Don't worry about the dogs, run just past the yard and you can stand there an laugh at them because they can't cross the line."

I'll get a picture, of them soon. Mama got spooked when Chris tried to open the window, so she took her baby back into the woods. But we'll get a picture to share soon~

Happy Graduation Day Breezy!

Love to all!
Dawn the Critter Whisperer

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Our Free-Loading Tenant!

Well Breezy & Tay, this is your last week of school for this year... time to celebrate! Woo hoo! I'd say break out the swimsuits and lounge in the sun, but who am I kidding? What sun? With this crummy cold weather you'd think we are only in April... not June!

So yesterday Chris went out to put some water on the veggie garden and as he turned the hose on he heard a rustling in the leaves in the window well right next to the spicket. While it's not unusual to get a mouse or a chipmunk in there... no need to panic. When he pulled away the boards that create a lean-to (so we don't get water in the window well) he found something quite on the contrary...


Look at our new freeloading tenant!


I do believe she's here for the long haul... at least 6-8 weeks. She was really getting comfy and has a very large belly on her. So I do believe over the course of the next few days we'll be having baby raccoons... kits as I'm told they are called.

This picture is looking at the window well from Chris' Desk. It's a real life version of "Where the Wild Things Are!" So we put the boards back up to create her lean-to so she can have her babies in peace.

Hope all your adventures this week are wild ones! Lots of Love to all!
Dawn

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Big Birds... and I'm not talking about Sesame Street!




Check out our big birds... (click on the images to enlarge and see all the gory details) yes, I looked out the window in the kitchen as I was about to do the dishes and there were 2 HUGE turkey vultures sitting on our barn roof. They were HUGE!

They flew off to a neighboring dead tree. What ugly birds!

Anyhoo, just wanted to share! Love to all!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Spring Flowers!


Ahhhh, can't you smell the flowers???? Thanks for e-mailing the Urban Deer pictures Scotty! What a bizarre scene that I would have believed if I hadn't seen your photos! I bet you were just as surprised!

Lorilita... I hope, hope, hope that your beautiful tulips are still in bloom next weekend. We're looking forward to Breezy's graduation party. Should be a grand time for all!

Hope everybody is doing well! Love you Lots!

Dawn

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Our newest trespasser!


Happy Tax Day everybody! Thank you everybody for such a wonderful Easter this weekend. The food was wonderful, the laughs were great and being together as a family was the most important part!

I wanted to share with you a little picture I took this morning. I was at the kitchen sink doing the dishes when I glanced up to see the most adorable red fox walking down the sidewalk towards the house from the office. She was just precious... so I run, drippy, soapy hands & all - to my desk in the living room to grab my camera. I snapped this picture of her jumping up on our front fence before crossing the road. She made that wall look like it was built of legos... such a powerful jumper she is.

She ran across the street, waited for a truck to pass, then ran back to our side of the street and into our woods. Quite a special sight to see.

Now, I'm going out to rake the yard... get up all the dead brown grass so we can have a lush green lawn to mow this summer!

Hope you all have a wonderful day! Lots of Love!

Dawn

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Laugh of the day!

I am pretty sure my purpose here on earth is to bring smiles and laughter to everybody's lives I touch. So here's my contribution to your smile today!

The story starts like this... it's a typical Tuesday out running errands. I have many stops with the final stop being some grocery shopping at Walmart. Due to inclement weather and an extensive list of things to get, I opted not to walk this time... although maybe I should have... more on that in a minute.

Upon finishing my shopping (and no shopping trip to Walmart would be complete without visiting all 4 corners of that ginormous store) ☺ I check out, and pushed my shopping cart to the car to load my groceries. I unlocked the car, threw my purse in the front seat and loaded my plethora of items and bags into the back seat. Oh, I'm so excited, I bought myself a new pillow... the first in at least 5 if not 10 years... can't wait to get home to take a nap... Oh yeah!

I know, hurry along Aesop... But this is where my fable gets good...

I push my cart into the cart rack, walk back to my car, open my door, set my purse on the floor and proceed to get in the car and shut the door.... on the PASSENGER side. I look over waiting for Chris to get in the drivers side... but alas, he didn't come with me. Boy do I look goofy sitting in my own car awaiting my driver...

Now that you are probably rolling on the floor laughing, there's one final chuckle in this whole exciting ordeal... that's the 2nd time I've done that in the last year. Last time I actually got in the back seat closed the door and thought I was going to get home that way.

Hope your day is a bit more ummmm, less confusing than mine! Lots of Love to all!

Have a splendiforous afternoon!

Dawn... officially proof... it really is all downhill after 27

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

♣ Hope you all were Irish Yesterday ♣

What a beautiful day we had for St. Patty's day yesterday. We got out in the yard and re-edged a few gardens. I really wish it could be just like yesterday EVERYDAY! It was perfect out there!

Let us know who got to see a leprechaun! :)
Love to all!
Dawn

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Spring is coming... is your green thumb ready?

This is the during... I should have taken a "Before pic... ooops!

Spring is coming, I know it is. Today I thought I'd help it along... I was repotting my beloved Aloe Plant!

Here's the Aloe Plant Story... About 2 years ago, I was up at my grandma's house, and she was watering all her indoor plants when a sprout of aloe broke off . She gave it to me saying if I went home and put it in a glass of water, it would root and I could plant it.

So I did.... and so it did! My little 2" sprig of Aloe rooted and I planted it in a beautiful piece of pottery. (The 3rd from the right in the photo below.) It sits in the really sunny window in our kitchen. Over the years, it had grown so much it was overflowing the pot and had "aloe vines" growing down the side, outside the pot. (I really should have transplanted it about 6 months ago.)

My one little sprig of aloe turned into 5 full size plants, 2 small planters and another full size planter that's up in our bedroom (not in the picture.) Crazy, I know, but I wanted to share with you. Aloe is a heaven sent plant, honestly I love it... from cuts to burns, it's amazing for chapped lips and dry skin. I love it... seriously, even Chris will testify to how bizarre my love of Aloe is.

It felt sooooooo good to get my hands in the dirt. Really, at least it's my little patch of sunshine during this cold winter.

Hope you are all having a loving, green day! Lots of love from our sunny corner of the world to yours!! ♥


So here's my after picture of most of my plants.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

Good Morning all our sweeties in Kenosha & Union Grove! Does anybody have sweet plans for the day... breakfast in bed, box 'o chocolates, dinner and a movie... anything to share the wonderful love? We just want to wish everybody a warm, snuggly, wonderful day! I love showing the love... so next to Christmas, this is one of my favorite holidays!

Give an extra kiss, lots of extra hugs and make sure to give the pups & ferrets a few extra treats (they need to feel the love too!) :)

Love you all! XOXO,
Dawn

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Happy Weekend!

What a gorgeous day out! It's such a tease as we all know that we're still in winter and I'm sure have many more snowfalls and cold temps to endure.

But today, is just beautiful! I hope everybody gets to get outside and breathe in the wonderful, warm fresh air!

So what am I doing sitting at the computer, right? LOL... I'm off to enjoy the sunshine!

Lots of Love to all!! XOXO,
Dawn

Friday, January 30, 2009

Nothing in Particular

There's NEVER been an onion grown that is too overpowering for the Raab's!!

Last time we made warm vanilla sauce, Mark wondered outloud (we do alot of that over here!) how it would taste if it was made w/ milk instead of water. I realized that was the basic recipe for homemade vanilla pudding that Jeno's Mom taught us how to make in 4H a million years ago....you'd just have to cook at a lower heat because milk burns much faster than water. We'll try it next time.

Is it spring yet?!?
love to all xoxox

Monday, January 26, 2009

Winter Salsa

Thanks for the Secret Vanilla Sauce recipe Lori. Now I can put it on everything - ice cream, oatmeal, toast, pancakes, meatloaf... okay, well I might be weird, but not that weird. But it was really, really that Scrumptious!

So here it is ~Winter Salsa~
2 small cans (15 oz. each) Petite Diced Tomatoes Mexican Style
1 large can (28 oz) Petite Diced Tomatoes (regular, no seasoning)
2-3 jalepenos
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1-2 limes juiced (really just to taste, so do 1 at a time)
Salt (to your taste preference)
1 tsp. Ground Cumin (may add more if you prefer)
2 medium onions (or 1 lg. onion) chopped
1 small bunch of cilantro chopped (use more or less depending on your taste)

Mix all together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips! It tastes so fresh, you'll think it came straight from your garden... no kidding!


**Here's the fine print. If you really, really like onions make the salsa this way. If onions aren't your best friend in the entire world, I'd use 1/2 the onions here and a tbsp of dried onion flakes. In eating the leftovers the day after, the onions were really too overpowering... even for Chris. And I only used 1/2 of a large yellow onion in the batch I made. So Onion Carefully! :)

***On a side note, we had a fabulous meatloaf last night... like really, killer. I've posted the recipe on my blog. If you like meatloaf, Chris & I gave this recipe 5*! http://dawnsfood.blogspot.com

Love and toodles to all! XOXO,
Dawn

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Secret Vanilla Sauce Recipe

Dahhhlings

I'll have to have Breezy show me how to upload pics and such.....anyway....drumroll please...

Secret Vanilla Sauce

blend 1/2 cup sugar
2 Tblsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
gradually stir in 2 cups hot water
bring to a boil continue appx 5 min till thick
add 1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla

Hope this finds everyone warm and snuggled in. Just finished our taxes (hard to do with Chancey trying to lay in my lap here at the computer desk) !!!! Fresh pot of southern pecan coffee is brewing and Mark's making blueberry pancakes. The dog pictures are great...and we love the puppy of the day (not more than you, Chance!) We love you all and send snuggles.....xox ps need winter salsa recipe : )

Friday, January 23, 2009

Is anybody out there????







Hello all, hope everybody is staying warm & snuggly this weekend!

Lori, I have two words for you... You're Welcome!

And two more words....

Vanilla Sauce :) LOL

I lubs you!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Love to All!




















What a wonderful time we had yesterday! It was wonderful sharing with everybody! Lori, thank you so much for all of the yummy eats. Mark, thanks for leaving some pie for the rest of us! :)

I've updated the background of the blog to a light color... I think it's easier to read - especially for those with bi-focals (not mentioning any names here)... LOL

The results of the poll we had up on the previous background "What should we have for Christmas Dinner this year?" was 100% of the people that voted said they wanted "Lots & Lots of Pigs!!!".... sorry shrimp.

Hope everybody has a wonderful week! Lots of Love to all!!!
XOXOXO!

P.S. you can click on each of the photos above individually to see them each bigger.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Trivia question...

Q: What do you do at 10:00 at night when we have 2" of snow and it's expected to be - 2 degrees air temp in the morning?????


A: Plow the driveway & shovel the walkways! At least that's what Chris & I were doing tonight!

I hope everybody has some extra warm snugglies to wear over the next few days! It's going to be a doozy!!!
Love to all!

Friday, January 9, 2009

What to do w/ Used Christmas Cards

Just wanted to give everybody a thought... I was cleaning up some Christmas decor and the cards were sitting on the table. It reminded me of an article I saw a few weeks before Christmas. Rather than tossing out those used Christmas cards, you can send them down to St. Judes.

Here's a link with all the info & their address:
http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php

The kids use the fronts of the cards, attach new backs and sell them to people for donations toward the hospital!


It's the "Green" way to share Christmas!

Have a terrific night all!
XO,
Dawn

Party at the Raab's

When?.....Saturday, January 17th 3ish

Why?.......Why not?

Love is the reason

What to bring?.....Yourselves and whatever you'll be drinking (if it's not coffee or water)

Can't wait to see you all again......xoxoxox.......lori

Thursday, January 8, 2009

For Your Information

The FlexProtex I ordered off Amazon in Oct for 27$ a bottle has gone up to 36-37$ a bottle...supplies are dwindling I'm sure.....for anyone who cares.
Love to all....xoxoxo

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Back in the Swing of Things

Ello Luvs!

Here we find ourselves, Jan 6th already!! Vacations are over in the Raab household (sadness) and normalcy returns. In a minute, Chancey and I are going on the first walk we've had in about 6 weeks. Hope he doesn't pull me the whole 2 miles!! My time and patience paid off with the pedi-paws nail groomer and I can do his nails anywhere at any time now.

My latest favorite delight is a hot shower and SLATHERING (just kidding, use sparingly!) Origins MMMMMMMM!!!!!! Thanks again to everyone who contributed to these decadant, joyfilled moments. The gifts that keep on giving!!

Breezy registers for highschool in a couple weeks and is very excited!! Mark's still looking for Christmas cookies!! Everyone here is happy and healthy and sassy as ever, and we hope this finds all of our beloved family doing as well. Love to you all...xoxo..lori

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Have a SuperFantastic Week!

Hey Breezy & Tay... I know tomorrow's Monday which means it's time for class!

I hope you have a terrific week. Give a few extra smiles at people that don't have one this week... you both have lots to share!

Love you lots!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Celebrate Good Times.... C'mon!


Happy New Year Everybody! I want to thank everybody for such wonderful Christmas memories this year and Welcome you to the family blog! Feel free to pop in and "blog" about anything going on in your life... good, comical or historic!

At a time when everybody is pulling together to make things stretch farther, this family is over-flowing with Love!
I absolutely adore the laughter and the tears... I shed many of those myself, many of which are from great memories, happiness and just because I'm a sap. :)

I heard the Surf 'n Turf at Scotty & Diana's was incredible! Here's a picture of our dinner tonight... a stuffed roast, mashed potatoes, gravy (for Chris only), merlot & of course.... drum roll please... a triple layer brownie dessert.

We had a nice, relaxing day today and planned many great
things for 2009! What other memories did you make to ring in 2009? I know Taylor & Breezy are back in class very shortly here! I hope you both enjoyed your holiday break & look forward to our spa day soon!

Lots of Lovel!
Dawn

Gotta love lil Red!

I mentioned on the morning of Jan. 1st, 2009 that it would be great to have a family blog. Dawn's family (which is large) has been sharing on a blog for over a year and it's been wonderful for all involved. By 6pm, she had this set up for all of our family to share. Hopefully, everyone will use it freely and we can share our lives more closely than ever before.

Thanks Dawn...you're a treasure!

p.s. MAKE SURE YOU VOTE IN THE POLL IN THE UPPER RIGHT! It's critical to our next Christmas dinner!