Happy New Year! Great pictures!
We went to our 'best man's' house for an annual New Year's Eve party. It is always his wife's family and us. It was so nice of them to adopt us like that! They have two girls J's age, so that is always a good time for her, too. We play the "Name Game" every year with all ages... which takes a good part of the evening. This year we had to come home half way through the night to let our pup out because we don't like to leave him longer for three hours at his age (3 months). Luckily, they live only twenty minutes a away.
Today we took the tree down, although the house isn't quite Christmas free yet.
I'm very excited to have purchased a new bed for our 'spare room'. My twenty year old took her bed off to her college apartment, and has had to sleep on a blow up bed ever since when she comes home to visit. So...after five months...we've finally replaced the bed, and I hit the sales today for new bedding. She comes back home again tomorrow night, and shhh..... the new bed is being delivered tomorrow morning and will be a surprise! We actually got fleece sheets as she is always freezing, and her room is the cold room in the house. It will be interesting to see what they are like...but the good news is that I only paid $20 for them. Got myself a heated mattress pad and some flanned sheets. Now, I am just waiting for a Wisconsin winter~ it has been so mild.
Oh... I finally got my Pain de Mie for Christmas after four years of asking for it. I've made two loaves in it and I think I will use it every time. It has a lid and turns out a big loaf of square sandwich bread. For whatever reason, it seems to turn out a softer loaf of bread, with thinner crusts. I use my same old recipe, but increase the raise time to 60 minutes and cook time to 55-60 minutes. For some reason, it seems to take a little longer.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/...ry=C86&id=5712
And... here is an updated picture of Benny taken on Christmas Eve!
Cara