Some Family Photos

The Mattocks Crew at Morgan's Tavern in New Bern, NC

Me with Adam's niece and cousins in Gulf Shores, AL

The Blanchard Cousins

The Blanchard Grands

Mom's Sweet Seattle sibs

Aprons

The purple apron was the 2nd apron I've made. My friend, Lucy, loves purple. It was the perfect b'day gift. The hounds tooth apron with red was made last week for my sister, as she is a Bama fan. I am an Auburn fan, remember. This was a big step for me. Not really though, as I'm not a big "ya-ya" about that stuff. Note the signature "DZ" marking. I couldn't figure out how to do my initials in a simple hidden stitch. Love my pink n green ladies!

Celebrating One Year!!

We made it! We celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday. As hard as some holidays have been during deployment, this one was the easiest. I think my codependency of staying busy kicked in to help. Nonetheless, the day's activities were very memorable and it was a happy day! We enjoyed reminiscing, skyping and sharing the day even miles away. March 6th 2011 was a great day!

Gravy Recipe

Easy Gravy Recipe (adopted and adapted from somewhere on the internet)
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
•4 tablespoons butter
•2 1/2 cups turkey broth ( I use chicken broth)
•onion, celery or garlic ( I sautéed onion in the butter and added garlic salt)
•4 tablespoons flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Melt butter in pan over medium heat.
2. Add flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, you want the mixture to turn light brown but not burn.
3. Add broth, salt and pepper and continue to stir for 3 minutes, sauce should be getting thicker.
4. Move to serving bowl.
5. Enjoy!