Scott came home from school on Saturday. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept from the day before. Just about the time Scott was going to nap, PJ said "Let's go cut a Christmas tree"! So off we went to Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm http://shamrockchristmastreefarm.com/
in the beautiful town of Mattituck. Shamrock is right in the middle of beautiful wineries and vineyards.
We were so impressed as soon as we got there. Scott and Alyssa took full advantage of Kodak moments.
They also have a Complimentary Barn with free hot chocolate and popcorn!
Now.... off to find that perfect tree!
Alyssa found a nice one and we ALL actually agree on it! Every Christmas tree that we get, Alyssa and Scott name it. This years tree is Michael Jackson. When you purchase a tree, it gets put in a stand where it gets shaken to get any needles etc off that need to be off. It reminded them of Michael Jackson's dancing.

Ohhhh those kids....
Warming up by the firepit

What a fun time we had. This is a great place for families with young kids. They even have a train that goes all around the property. Off we go.....

SURPRISE!!!
I got a box in the mail from the FISKATEERS! I was so excited to see what was in it!
I opened it up to find a beautiful pair of scissors that are engraved with my Fiskateer number on it! I feel sooooo honored!!! I can't wait to use them!

Holiday Shopping Spree

This past weekend, PJ and I went up to Ithaca for the Holiday Shopping Spree.... an event put on by the Cayuga Wine Trail. It starts on Friday and goes all the way to Sunday at 5:00. It's always a fun weekend. This time I won an extra ticket. We ended up sending it to Midge, a woman that lives in the round house behind our property up there. She was so excited and came along with us. Barry had to work.
This is our property...
Malva... she's now 95 years old and still the official 'GREETER" at King Ferry Winery. We love seeing Malva. She bowls twice a week and also has card night on Wednesdays. She has such a great outlook on life!
Cayuga Lake
This is a form of either Broccoli or Cauliflower (I forgot). They were at the Farmer's Market. STUNNING! You could make a beautiful centerpiece with them!

It flurried from the minute we got to Ithaca until we left!


We took a ride on Sunday morning to Seneca Lake. I love the view!
Grapes in their neat perfect rows
We took a side road back to Cayuga Lake. There was a lot more snow on this road for some reason than anywhere else!
Bails of Hay

PJ and Midge at Bellweather Hard Cider Winery. I always skip this one.

Spot where Midge's aunt has a summer home on Cayuga Lake
I love barns!
This is my favorite barn of all time. I take a picture of it on every trip to Ithaca so I have it in all seasons. One day it will completely fall over but I'll have my memories!
On the way home, PJ brought me to a wholesale Christmas Store in NJ. I wasn't impressed once I saw the prices of things. I'll stick to Michaels and AC Moore with my coupons!
We has such a nice relaxing weekend. The next event is in March... Mardi Gras!

Just for fun and to bring back fun memories of Brooke's stalking years...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxxSZVU4qX4

CHOCOLATE EXPO

On Sunday, PJ and I went to the Chocolate Expo in White Plains. We had never been to an expo/festival where the main ingredient was sweet! We're used to garlic, chili, more garlic etc! There was a lot more here than chocolate though.
Just Buns had some delicious buns! Very fresh and light! http://swirlybuns.com/
There were lots of cookie vendors, some good, some bad. These weren't too good!
The different chocolate vendors had some beautiful chocolates! Very creative! It's a shame that most to the vendors that had REAL chocolate, didn't offer samples. The ones that had sugar free, organic etc, they had lots of samples but they also tasted disgusting! I say... if you're going to eat chocolate, don't try to change it. Eat the real deal!
These were beautiful... from Odyssey Chocolates
http://www.odysseychocolates.com/ourchocolates.html


The expo was very crowded with people. It was hard to maneuver but we made sure that if there was a sample, we were going to get it!
This vendor, www.thechocolateboxnyc.com, had beautiful boxes made out of chocolate and then filled with treats!

Beechwood House Sauces www.beechwoodhouse.com has a delicious Garlic BBQ sauce and also their Bourbon Sauce was delicious!
This Garlic Sunday Sauce from www.GrandpaPete.com was really good but too expensive for sauce. One jar wouldn't be enough for one meal in my house! But it was very good!
And here's the star of the show... JD GOURMET. http://www.jdgourmet.com/about.html
They have the best Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar that we've ever had! Some bread, EVOO, balsamic and a bottle of wine and you're all set! Their other vinegars and oils are also delicious but that one is our very, very favorite!
We had a really nice time. It was so nice to meet Dee, even though it was a quick chat.
Now that the cold weather is coming, I guess we have to wait until next year to go to more festivals!!!

Yesterday, Alyssa and I made Emeril's Sweet & Spicy Pickles. We had a great time! I've added the recipe and more pictures to my cooking blog... mamazukecooks.blogspot.com

It's a sad day for me today. It is my last day sitting with my 99 year old friend at the nursing home. I start a month long (but could be 3 months) leave replacement as a Transitional Aide. I'm happy that I got the leave replacement job but I sure will miss chatting with my friend. I will always remember her wisdom, stories and friendship. I can always visit so I shouldn't be sad.

While going through some of my grandfather's pictures, I came across one that said "Ron's Birthplace N. Branch, NJ". (Ron is my uncle, my mother's brother).
My mouth dropped!
That picture just answered my question that I've had since researching my 'roots' quite a few years ago.
I had been down Vanderveer Ave and took pictures of the houses, some small and some large, wondering which one was the house that my mother was born in. I just assumed it was one of the smaller ones at the beginning of the block or one at the end by the dairy farm. The family owned everything on that block including the cemetery across the street that goes back to the 1700's... almost all Ten Eyck's. I even did a THREE page layout of the street for my Ten Eyck scrapbook.

Page 1 is with the first house you come to is actually a Historical House... The Jacob Ten Eyck house

Page 2 is the house that I thought was so nice "Ridge To River Farm". I was so intrigued by this house that I wrote a letter to the owners asking about it. They said that they know it was once a ten Eyck house for many generations but didn't know beyond that. They said I can have a tour whenever I'm in the area again! My Grandmother told me that there was a big long house on the block that even had a Grand Ballroom in it!

Page 3 showed the end of Vanderveer Ave with more houses and the Dairy Farm that they owned. We also met a 2nd cousin that we never knew existed!

How cool to find this picture to now know the truth of which house was their's.... the one with the ballroom!
I'm so glad I went through EVERY one of the millions of pictures that my Grandparents saved instead of just tossing them out.

BETHLEHEM, CT GARLIC FESTIVAL

Yesterday PJ, P, N and I went to the Bethlehem, CT Garlic Festival. we had such a great time. It was a beautiful day to be outside tasting such delicious foods... dips, jelly's, oils, vinegars, garlic, garlic & more garlic!

There was a pig roast in the food section

I thought these were interesting.
Love it!


PJ and P tasting the flavored vinegars and oils at the JD Gourmet's booth. http://www.jdgourmet.com/
I had to get my pic taken with Mike of JD Gourmet

We stopped at Pizza and Brew on our way home because .... IT"S TRADITION!