MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM THE RIVERS FAMILY

CHRISTMAS FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

WILSON COUNTY FAIR

On Saturday, we went to the Wilson County Fair, which was AWESOME!! It is better than the Tennessee State Fair. And better yet--they don't serve alcohol!

The kids had a great time. As you can see from the picture, they had to catch some ZZZs on the way there. We also took T.J., which is Dave's "little brother" from the Big Brothers/Little Brothers program. He's such a wonderful young man. He and Tyler are just a few weeks apart in age. We decided not to let the kids ride rides...there were too many other fun things to see and do.

Here's what we saw...
1. Animals at the livestock barns
2. Fiddling contest with children from ages 5 - 15
3. An Amish family that made sorghum the good ol' fashioned way...with sorgham cane, a mule, a grinding post and a kettle over a fire.
4. John Deere tractors (of course Tyler had to start one up on accident!)
5. A corn mill with 900 and 600-pound stones to crush the corn and then sift it for cornmeal, grits and chicken feed. We bought two flour-sacks of fresh grits.
6. A hypnotist that hypnotized 12 people on stage.
7. A flea circus...the kids LOVED that.
8. A square dancing/clogging competition
9. A Border Collie sheep-herding demonstration. I have to say, that was my favorite part of the fair. Those dogs are amazing animals. They have such a drive to work and are so intelligent. We are looking into getting one from an animal rescue.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...the most FUNNY part of the fair...
10. There was a man on a horse sculpture made entirely of horse shoes. The sculpture was the size of an actual horse. He was supposed to be an animated figure, but it was an actual man. I kept telling the kids that he was real, but they thought he was fake. He had make-up on his hands and face that made him look like a wax figure. He also had dark sunglasses on. Oh, and he was playing a GUITAR! The way he moved his hands made him look like he was on hinges. He had a sign on the ground that said to feel free to touch. The kids inched closer and closer and Tyler dared to touch him. Sydney got up the courage to go touch his leg and then he jumped and screamed, "BOO!" and she flipped out. She let out a huge scream and then couldn't stop laughing. Neither could the crowd that had gathered around. You could tell they were all wondering the same thing...is he...or isn't he...real...?

After the fair... all tuckered out.

HAPPY GIRL

One of my FAVORITE singers is Martina McBride. I have seen her in concert three times. When Dave took these pictures of me, the look on my face reminded me of this song...

Artist: Martina McBride

Song: Happy Girl

Album: Evolution

I used to live in a darkened room

Had a face of stone

And a heart of gloom

Lost my hope, I was so far gone

Cryin' all my tears

With the curtains drawn

I didn't know until my soul broke free

I've got these angels watching over me

Oh watch me go

I'm a happy girl

Everybody knows

That the sweetest thing you'll ever see

In the whole wide world

Is a happy girl

I used to hide in a party crowd

Bottled up inside

Feeling so left out

Standing in a corner wearing concrete shoes

With my frozen smile

And my lighted fuse

Now every time I start to feel like that

I roll out my heart like a welcome mat

Oh watch me go

I'm a happy girl

Everybody knows

That the sweetest thing you'll ever see

In the whole wide world

Is a happy girl

POPPY SEED CHICKEN

4 - 6 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 stick butter or margarine
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
Poppy seeds

Grill chicken breasts until cooked through. Place in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Combine sour cream and cream soup and spread on top of chicken. Crush Ritz crackers while still in the sleeve and pour over the sour cream/soup mixture. Cut the stick of butter or margarine into tablespoon-sized pieces and place evenly on top of Ritz cracker crumbs. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top. Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice or pasta.

SPINACH SALAD

In a salad bowl, combine:

Fresh baby spinach
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
12 fresh mushrooms, sliced thin (optional)
1 c. RINSED cottage cheese*
1 c. grated swiss cheese
2-4 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:
2/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. sugar (or more, depending on how sweet you want it)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. mustard (powdered)
1/2 t. poppy seeds
2 green onions, finely chopped

Wisk together and pour on salad immediately before serving. For an extra special touch, add sliced cherry tomatoes and candied chopped walnuts**.

*Place the cottage cheese in a strainer and rinse with cold water until all liquid is rinsed away. Drain completely.
**Place 1 c. chopped walnuts in a small frying pan. Add 1/2 c. white sugar. Cook over medium heat until the sugar has melted and coated the walnuts. Do not add anything else (no butter or oil). When the sugar reaches the correct temperature it will liquify and adhere to the walnuts. When the sugar has liquified and there are no more grains of sugar, immediately transfer the walnuts to a plate and spread out to cool.

This is a really easy salad to make, especially if you prepare the dressing and walnuts ahead of time. It makes a great presentation for a fancy dinner.

REMEMBER WHEN...

A few of my favorite pictures of the kids when they were little.

PUPPY LOVE

We have two "puppies" (which are actually full-grown, but have been a part of our family since the day they were born...thus the name "puppies") that we absolutely adore ... Zorro and Zeta. They bring so much joy to our life. Sydney is especially good with the puppies and they love her to pieces. She wants to be a dog groomer or a dog photographer when she grows up. On Saturday, she got a little practice at both professions as she helped me bathe the puppies and give them a haircut. She did a REALLY good job at taking pictures. Zorro was her subject for this particular shoot. She did BEFORE and AFTER pictures. He cleaned up pretty good! Notice his one blue eye and his one brown eye. Freaky, huh?

FIRST DAY

Sydney started 6th grade at the Dickson Intermediate School. They are part of the Middle School, but are located on a separate campus. The entire school is just 6th graders. Sydney waltzed into her new school with confidence and excitement. She really does have a great sense of adventure and looks forward to making new friends. Not me--at her age I would have been clinging to my mom's skirt for dear life! Evidently she has caught the eye of a certain young man who can't understand why she has to wait until she's 16 to date. Sorry, dude!

Tyler took the leap from Elementary School to Dickson Middle School. We took a tour of the campus, which is the same school that Dave went to as a youth! It was a trip down memory lane for him.

Country Bacon Potato Salad

This is a FABULOUS recipe for potato salad that my neighbor in Spanish Fork, Utah gave me. I could sit down and eat the whole bowl!

4 cups red potatoes, whole and unpeeled (~1 1/2 pounds)
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled*
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 c. green pepper, finely-chopped
1/2 c. onion or one bunch green onions, chopped
1 c. Miracle Whip (or more to achieve the desired consistency)
salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water just until fork-tender. Don't overcook. Cut into chunks. Cook eggs in boiling water until hard-boiled. Peel, slice and cool. Mix Miracle Whip with salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients. Chill before serving.

*I use the Hormel pre-cooked and crumbled bacon (NOT bacon bits) that you can buy at the grocery store or in bulk at Costco.

Here's a handy tip if you're taking the potato salad to an outdoor event . . .

Take a 9 x 13 glass pan and a smaller pan that will fit inside of the 9 x 13 pan (like a bread pan maybe). Put the smaller pan inside the large pan and fill the larger pan with water, keeping the smaller pan centered. (Maybe put a little water in the smaller pan just so it will stay weighted down in place.) Remember - water expands when it freezes, so don't fill the larger pan all the way with water. Freeze for several hours. Take the pans out of the freezer for a minute or two so you can pry the smaller pan out of the ice block. Put the larger pan back in the freezer until you are ready to leave the house with your yummy dish. Serve the salad from the smaller pan which is kept nice and cool by the ice. :)

Home Sweet Home

Dave built this home in 2000 and also built a 3000 square foot shop next door. He sure loves that commute, not to mention being able to come home for lunch! I love that he's just a few feet away.

Here are some pictures of the backyard. Our next door neighbors on both sides are quite a ways away and we enjoy the privacy.















View from the back door looking to the left. You can see our next door neighbor's house in the background.

View from the back door looking to the right. Our other next door neighbor's house is behind the lake and trees.

.................................................. This is the neighbor's house across the street.

Opryland Hotel

Gondola Ride at Opryland Hotel in Nashville.













This was WAAAAAYYY freaky . . . There was a woman dressed up as a vine. She would walk around and strike different poses.

Tennessee River

One of the favorite activities of the summer has been boating on the Tennessee River. The kids love riding this inflatable behind the boat. Tyler is a natural dare-devil, but Sydney was a little nervous. Tyler had a lot of screaming going on behind him! Once they fell off for the first time and she realized that the worst thing that could happen is that they get WET, Sydney relaxed and had a great time.

Welcome home

After the wedding and the honeymoon, it was time to load up the moving truck and drive 1700 miles across country. Whew! What a trip that was! If ever there was a "trial by fire" for Dave, that was it! But he came through it with a great big smile on his face and nothing but love for his new family (including two dogs!). What a wonderful man. When we made it to St. Louis, I didn't feel like I could drive another mile. The kids and I got a hotel room and got some rest and Dave plowed through the rest of the way home with the truck and the two dogs. The next day when the kids and I arrived at our new home, this was the greeting that was waiting for us!

Here are a few pictures from our drive cross country . . .

Beautiful rock formations in Southern Utah.














And later that same day . . . Snow in Colorado.


The next day . . . NEBRASKA.

This was my view in front of me . . .

And this was usually the view behind me . . .