EASTER

This Easter we were abundantly blessed to have David's mom here!

The weekend was amazing as we shared laughs, a bit of sun, great conversation and loads of relaxation.

We went hiking in the Wichita Mountains...

Frosted and delivered Easter treats to friends and coworkers...

Dyed Easter eggs...

Enjoyed mimosas and homemade cinnamon rolls while we peeked into our Easter baskets...

And we drove her all the way out to Ancient Ovens so we could dine outside under the stars...

Celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord, with family in our home, was a true gift...

...and we are so thankful for the long journey she took to brave this crazy state! We can't wait to celebrate many more holidays together in Vegas!

SPRING DECOR

This spring has been all about green...mint, emerald, chartreuse, lime, apple....you name the shade of green and you can find it in our spring decor! The hints of pastels, as well as the floral and moss textures have truly brought the outside, in.

THOR

David spent last Saturday morning participating in the THOR Run.

Mud, water, old cars, rubber tubes, huge wind fans, wooden walls with one single rope, tarp slip and slides...all of these strategically placed obstacles were set up along the local trail-riding path.

He had a blast running with his Deputy and a friend from the ADC...they all emerged from the 5k appropriately covered in dirt and smiles!

CAMPING

**Disclaimer** For this post, I used a new app on my iphone to download these pics to the blog. Needless to say the photos are HUGE but I promise that I will size them down the next time I use this great app!

The past few weekends have been fantastic for David, McCovey and I. There is just something great about "gettin' out of dodge" and rejuvenating ourselves with the fresh air and beauty that comes from nature!

The majority of our camping experiences have been on the Oregon Coast...with sand, water, wind and rain being largely involved...all I can say is that Texas camping is very different...and so much better!

The beautiful warm weather during the day makes it perfect to hike through the Wichita Mountains, a wildlife refuge full of bison and long horns, followed with evenings of sitting around the campfire in shorts (who knew that was possible)!

We were lucky to have some great friends join us on one of the weekends. Teah has just recently returned from a six month deployment to Afghanistan, so it was a great opportunity to catch up and enjoy her tales from the middle east.

In true Jaspers form, while camping is a rustic activity--we don't believe you have to eat rustic food. Let's just say that there are no hotdogs slapped on a tree branch, stuck in a flame alongside a can of cold pork and beans, nope-- not in this family! We work hard, we play hard, and we eat good food!

A few of the menu items from our camping trips include:

*Appetizers of various cheeses, pears, apples and crackers
*Brats on the grill
*Baked potatoes cooked in the fire
*Caesar salad
*Pasta salad
*Citrus Ginger Chicken and veggie kabobs on the grill
*Garlic mashed potatoes

The chicken was so easy and delicious...I cut it into cubes, marinated and froze it in a Ziploc bag (in it's marinade) before we left. It defrosted perfectly in the ice chest and I skewered it up with veggies that I had precut before we left.

For dessert we devoured s'mores and sipped on cocktails...all the while gazing at the crystal clear Milky Way shooting across the sky.

We feel lucky that Mac does pretty well sleeping on his bed in our tent. Only using his nose to push his way out of the tent to take a quick walk around the campsite....twice.

Soon, the oppressive heat and the incessant bugs will be coming, indicating that our Texas summer is here in full force....until then you will find us taking advantage of the beautiful weather and the gorgeous scenery this perfect spring season continues to provide!

S'MORE SPRING

The past few weekends have provided perfect weather for being outside and enjoying the Spring.

With temps in the 80's during the day and 65* at night...the small buds on the trees and the sprouting green grass whispered to us to come outside and enjoy God's true canvas for His most perfect artwork....nature.

Since we have been camping the past few weekends, my Sunday dessert indulgences have been scaled back to treats that are transportable...simple Rice Crispy Treats and old fashioned S'mores prepared over the open campfire.

I will tell you, that I have NEVER met a marshmallow, that I haven't utterly adored....someone better hide the Peeps.

PIZOOKIE

For the fourth week of our Lenten Baking Day, I decided to go old school...with a twist.

I knew that I wanted to make Chocolate Chip Cookies but I also knew that I had to use the left over ice cream from the Blackberry Crisp (mostly, so that I could stop drooling each time I open the freezer for ice)!

This is when a vision came to me...Pizookie...that warm cookie, right out of the oven, served with ice cream...from BJ's Brewery and Restaurant.

I looked up the recipe online and sure enough it looked perfectly simple. I used the online recipe as a general guide, and I set out to make this memorable dessert that turned out to be amazing and I will totally be making this again!

Traditional Cookie Dough Recipe (I use the recipe on the back of the Toll House Chocolate Chip bag)
Ramekins
Vanilla Ice Cream
Oven at 450*

To make this incredible dessert, all I did was fill Ramekins about halfway with cookie dough. One has mini-chocolate chips, another has mini-chocolate chips and white chips, and the last has mini-chocolate chips, white chips and chopped hazelnuts.

Pre-heat oven to 450* and bake Ramekins for about 12 minutes or until the top is dark brown but not burnt...the top will get crunchy, while the inside will stay gooey....it's amazing.

Top with Vanilla Ice Cream and serve immediately.


Heaven.

FAVORITES

It is truly amazing that we are half way through March and we will be moving in just 4 short months! In an effort to appreciate the little things that life has to offer as the time quickly escapes us...here are just a few of our "favorite things" that made the winter months pass quickly and the spring bloom in full force.

Community Theater. Friends gave us tickets to the production of "The Producers" and much to our surprise, it was really well done! It was nice to support this non-profit organization full of such talented individuals!


Dinner with Friends. Recently we went to dinner at a friend's home and we were asked to bring the appetizer. Being encouraged to try new recipes is always so fun and the finished products turned out great...Honey-Balsamic Goat Cheese Spread served with fruit, Artichoke Turnovers, and (not pictured) Italian Tear Drops.


Color. Adding this new lamp to our home has added a pop of color to a dark corner, soft light for the evenings and a new experience in our marriage...shopping for home furnishings together :)


Sassy Water. In an effort to cleanse ourselves and be healthier, we have upped our water intake significantly in the past month. This combination of lemon, ginger, cucumber and mint adds fun dimension to the 64oz of water being consumed each day and has great benefits for the body!


A Happy (and maturing) Dog. David went to mow the backyard this weekend and McCovey did his usual prance around, bark at the mower, romp through the piles of cut grass, ect. before sitting down to watch the world go by...leaving us with a happy, if not greener, puppy!


Lemon Raspberry Scones. A lazy weekend morning, is made better only with a hot cup of coffee and a scone right out of the oven. Having some fresh raspberries and some frozen raspberries to use up--we tried this new breakfast treat and will vouch for the fact that this recipe is out of this world!


Starbucks. As silly as it sounds, grabbing a "Double Tall Nonfat Vanilla Latte" for me and a "Grande Dark Roast Coffee" for David, on our way to run errands or during a break from work makes life that much more wonderful. One of my chief concerns about quiting Starbucks in December was that I needed to leave on good terms. Thankfully there was no hard feelings or animosity, because being that there is only one Starbucks in "The Falls" I could not diminish my love and joy for that 12oz little paper cup (made only that much better by their fabulous Valentine's Day logo)!


Date Night. Nothing beats getting dressed up and heading out of the house with one purpose...to enjoy each other's company. We had our first date in October of 2000 and it is by God's grace that we enjoy spending time with one another even more now, than we did at the Dairy Queen on Coburg Road twelve years ago.


"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things...." Maria VonTrap, Sound of Music