Life in the Williams House - February Edition

So our life as a married couple has definitely slowed down and we like it!! Here is a picture of our Bailey girl who we adore. She has had such a great few weeks. Last summer Bailey went blind and she has come so far!! We had read an article that it would take six months for her to adjust to blindness. We are thinking that we have hit that point and she is starting to be a well adjusted blind dog.



Here is our favorite picture of Bailey. She sleeps every night on the love seat and ottoman. This is how we found her one morning. She had tucked her head underneath two blankets and a pillow.
Adorable!!

Valentine's Day was a blast!! I truly enjoyed picking out a husband card this year. I thought there were a lot more cards to choose from for husbands!

Jeff's dad truly taught him how to treat a lady!! Jeff had a dozen BEAUTIFUL roses waiting for me when I got home from work on Valentine's. (I know...cue the sappy music) :)

I am most excited to use his gift!! He gave me two painting lessons with Keith Nelson, a painter in Polk City.  I love to paint but have little training in how to do it!! I am excited to learn some new things!!!

Saturday night was a BIG night for us. Jeff experienced his first trip to the Des Moines Symphony!! The concert was ALL Gershwin music so it was a great concert for him to start with!! I think he really liked it! We went to Centro for dinner before the concert. Yum Yum!! We went to the Symphony with our friends Scott and Amy. We had a great time!!!

Speaking of dear friends, I had the pleasure of having brunch the other day with my good friend Chelsey. She is such an inspiration to me!! She is in the midst of student teaching and I can remember how that is such a trying time. She is handling with with grace and ease!! Way to go girl!! We met for brunch at the Cozy Cafe!! It was so scrumptious!!

Today I had a snow day and it was SO nice!! I was able to do some laundry, school work and plan for my summer music classes. I also had a cup of Starbucks coffee via our Keurig! I can even have Starbucks in Madrid!! Life is good in February for the Williams!!

 My flyer for the Mommy and Me type music class for this summer!

My flyer for a four day music camp for kiddos entering K-2!

Recipe #3 - Baked Ziti

In the fall I was given a wonderful kitchen bridal shower. I have been trying to make my way through my new box of recipes. This week I tried a recipe from our church friend, Jen Maach's Baked Ziti recipe. It was so good and really pretty simple!! Great job Jen!!!

 

The supplies you need are pretty basic - you may even have them in your kitchen. I just had to pick up Italian Bread Crumbs.

First, I browned one pound of hamburger, saute'd half an onion in the meat, and added two jars of spaghetti sauce.

After cooking a box of ziti noodles I added them to a baking dish and layered mozzarella/provolone and sour cream on top of that. Then half the meat sauce, another layer of noodles, then cheese, sour cream and more sauce. 

On top of the TOP layer of sauce I added parmesan and basil. 

 

After it baked for 35 mins on 350 degrees it was ready to be eaten!! It was DELICIOUS!!

We are getting a little CUCKOO!!

Years ago my Grandpa and Grandma Menefee started the tradition of giving their grandchildren money towards a clock of their choice for their wedding. Although John and Ella are no longer with us the tradition continues (thanks to my dear Aunt Melodee). My grandmother, Savilla Schrader, also left us money towards a special purchase for our wedding. We combined our gifts to purchase an amazing clock!!

Here is a picture of the clock we chose! It is a traditional German Cuckoo clock. I think it really honors my German heritage on my Mom's side of the family. 

The thing that set this clock apart from the others was that the couple in the front turns its head and kisses on the hour. I think it speaks highly to the love my grandparents had for their spouses. I also pray that it is symbol of the love Jeff and I will continue to grow in for each other!

Here is a video of the song and dance we hear on the hour...every hour! Watch closely to see the water wheel turn, the couple turn and kiss, the dancers dance in the circle, and the little cuckoo bird pops out at the top. (The song starts 7 seconds into the video)

 

We know that a cuckoo clock isn't everyone's cup of tea but we look forward to having it for the rest of our lives and passing it on to little Williams' someday!!