There has been a sickie in our house since last Tuesday. Hubby came down with a bug overnight. It knocked him on his butt and he couldn't get out of bed for several days. He ended up missing 4 days of work and then decided to share with me.
I didn't have it near as bad as he did, thank goodness!  I am on the tail end of it today I do believe. Today was the first day in several that I actually put on real clothes (no sweats or pj's) and put in my contacts & put on make-up. That alone all helped quite a bit! 

The weather hasn't helped much either. Sunday we were hit with another blizzard & got a little over a foot of snow dumped on us. Yep...just after it was nice earlier and so much had melted.  It snowed most of yesterday as well. Today the sun is actually out, which also contributed to me feeling a little bit better!

I have lots of pictures to share with you.  All were taken from inside the house during the snowstorm on Sunday...

This is what it looked like outside for most of the day!

 This little guy is smart & is hanging out under the covered porch!



All of the animals were going crazy trying to get to food!

These were taken yesterday

Those are bunny rabbit tracks believe it or not! They look huge in that deep soft snow!  He came up on the front porch & went all the way around to the back deck.

I am SO looking forward to summer..not spring.  Around here Spring is nasty, wet , dirty melt-off season. I want sun in my face,barefeet on warm grass, breeze off the lake, bobber in the water weather!
*sigh*.....soon.....3 months....soon......

We had a nice evening last night. Hubby surprised me & brought these beautiful flowers home for me..

He also got me the Pioneer Woman's new book...her true love story...

I love the name ...Black Heels & Tractor Wheels!
The card he got me was beautiful & played Louis Armstrong's "A kiss to build a dream on"
I gave him that bottle of wine...called Monogamy

We had crab legs for dinner. Shared a bottle of white wine, then had an assortment of desserts that I had made.

My niece also texted a Happy Valentine's message to me with this precious picture of  my great nephew...

can you all saw AWWWWWW!
He can be my Valentine any time!

That special treat that I said I was going to make for hubby & I...OMG..it is delicious!
Of course, I love cannolis anyway..I have to share this recipe with you guys.

Cherry Cannoli Cups 

48 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups chopped hazelnuts, divided
1 carton (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp. hazelnut liqueur, optional
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 jars (one 16 oz, one 10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained

Place wonton wrappers on a work surface; brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with sugar. Press into greased miniature muffin cups.
Sprinkle each wonton cup with 1 tsp. hazelnuts.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 - 7 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 
In a large bowl, beat the ricotta, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, liqueur (if desired) and vanilla until smooth.
Cut 24 cherries in half and set aside.
Chop remaining cherries; fold into cheese mixture. Spoon 1 Tbsp. filling into each wonton cup.  Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts.
Top with a reserved cherry half.

Makes 4 dozen.

(I cut the recipe in 1/2!)

They make such a pretty dessert too! Perfect for Valentines Day.

I went & bought my crablegs. Have a nice bottle of white wine in the fridge...all set for a special dinner with hubby.

I got to see daughter & take her to lunch today. It always makes my day when I get to see her : )

I hope you all have a wonderful day & evening & remember, if you don't have anyone special to share the day with...YOU are special, so go do something "just for you".

Zany love & hugs to you all.

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Nestle Toll House Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine (2 sticks) softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups Nestle Toll House Swirled Morsels (10 oz pkg) divided

Preheat oven to 325.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in 1 cup Swirled Morsels
Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Top with remaining morsels.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set.
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

The Dish man came out & tweaked a few things & re-aimed the dish a bit and voila...I have internet again!   I am going to investigate once again to see if DSL is available in our area yet. The last time that I checked, it wasn't, but things are building up around here, so maybe ....just maybe!

We got to see daughter last night. We took her out to eat & then she came over & we played Phase Ten and listened to a country mix CD that she made us. Had a fun time.
She is busy now this weekend with work and some social activities.  She is really getting loaded up this semester with homework unlike last semester, so she stays pretty busy during the week with that & school.
Her kitty cats really miss her. Here is where you can almost always find Pepper nowadays...

snuggled up on Lori's old bed with her stuffed Lucky dog.... awwww....

We are hoping to get a 40 degree day tomorrow. If so, we will be doing something outside!

I fixed a couple of Valentine treats yesterday. Sent some home with daughter, kept a few for us & then will send a lot with hubby to the office on Monday!

Chocolate Studded Dream Cookies and Oreo Cookie Balls

I have never made the Oreo Cookie Balls before, but they are so easy & really good. Kind of like a truffle...

Oreo Cookie Balls

1 regular size package Oreos
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
white almond bark

Add Oreos to food processor and blend until fine.
Add cream cheese to Oreo crumbs and blend until dough-like.
Chill mixture for 15 minutes, then roll into bite-size balls.  Chill balls for 15 minutes.
Melt almond bark in microwave according to package directions.  Dip chilled Oreo balls in melted chocolate using fork so chocolate can "drip off".
Set covered cookie balls onto waxed paper and let set approximately 30 minutes.
If using sprinkles or decorative sugars, do so before chocolate sets.

You can customize these with any holiday sprinkle to fit the occasion.

Makes 24-36 balls.

I have another special treat in mind that I am going to make for hubby & I , but will wait & make them tomorrow & will also send some over to daughter.
Will share that with you on the next post.
I am going to pick up some crab legs on Monday, and that will be our Valentine's dinner

I am going to leave you with some more pictures from our most recent visitors...

I know that I had a cardinal shot in these same bushes from my last post..this IS a different shot...
they are just so pretty against the blah background!

Once again, I have been having internet problems, but this time it may actually be with our equipment. The earliest a repairman can get out here is this Friday between noon & 5:00.

I met with the surgeon last Thursday. It seems that anytime a biopsy is done you are referred to the surgeon as an option to you to have any more of the tissue removed. Since my tumor was so small we both agreed that anything further is not necessary. So I will just return in 6 months to have another mammogram & ultrasound done.  What a huge relief!

Superbowl Sunday...we opted to just stay at home and watch the game. One of hubby's favorite teams has always been the Steelers, so he was very happy to be able to see the showdown between them and the team from the state in which we live. I was backing the Packers from the start.
I must say though that I was a bit disappointed in both teams. I felt they both played a bit sloppy.  I was very happy that Green Bay came out the champs!!

Today we are below zero in both temps and wind chills.  At least the sun is shining though. That always makes a huge difference. Of course, I am also inside the house & not going out for anything!

Here's a few critters who have been keeping me entertained during the day...

Right outside the window where my computer room is, I am constantly distracted by the squirrels up and down the trees & in to the birdfeeders!

Not a very clear shot, but when several of these cardinals end up in this winter bush, they look just stunning!

This was kind of creepy...There were just as many crows on the ground as there were up in that tree!

I still get excited to see the deer come in the yard!

OK...going to cross my fingers that I can at least get this submitted & then hope to keep a connection long enough to start to read your blogs!

I heard from the doctor who did the biopsy. The growth was benign...thank you God!  However, he is referring me to the breast center to see a surgeon there as he wants me to get his opinion on having this area re-excised.
He said that I have a peripheral papilloma. It is small, only 3mm or 1/8", but he feels it should be re-excised & then a hookwire put in next to the marker tab that was put in during the biopsy.

I did some research online regarding the papilloma and everything that I see shows you are in the minimal risk group, so I will want to ask a lot of questions to see if I really want this surgery done.

If any of you have any input, I welcome it.

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It is a nasty day here today, as it is in most places right now. So many more are going to get hit hard again with the snow & ice.
It is currently 17 degrees here with a wind chill of 4 degrees & has been snowing all day so far.
I think we are going to miss the brunt of the storm though...I hope!

Hubby worked the entire weekend. Has a big job bid he has to get out by tomorrow evening.
It was weighing heavy on his mind that he didn't get much sleep last night & ended up getting up and going into the office at 3:00! geeze... I will be glad when he gets it finished.

You know that brand new top of the line mattress & box springs that we just got?  I HATE it! It is so comfy when you lay on it, but I can't sleep worth a crap on it & I wake up super sore in the morning...I think it is too firm.  We can exchange it after keeping it for a minimum of 21 days but no longer than 30.  What a huge pain in the butt though...I really hope that I start to like it better.  Does anyone out there own a Serta Perfect Day Eclipse? If so...how is it for you?  It is suppose to be their top of the line mattress & swears that you get the best sleep ever. hmmm...is it just me?  Hubby hated it the first night...but swears it is getting better for him...but then again, he is either so wiped out that he can sleep on anything anywhere or he doesn't sleep at all like last night...so who is he to say! lol...

OK my friends....be safe out there & stay warm.

It has been a very boring Saturday. The weather was dreary & icky. Hubby had to work all day. I tried to get daughter to do something before she had to go to work & we thought we would go to an antique shop, but once there, she realized that she just wasn't "into" it and just wanted to get back home & eat & nap before she had to go to work.
I ended up wasting most of my day farting around on the computer. So as a change of pace I figured that I would just post some "silly" photos from my photo albums on here for you.
Now ya see why I'm Zanychk!

December of 98...we were going for the "Deliverance" look here as a joke. lol...
yep, me, daughter & hubby!

my very funny niece acting silly with her papa's glasses!

wow...a real oldie...back from the late 70's or very early 80's.
This wasn't planned, but I happened to be standing in front of some antlers in my parents cabin, so of course, it looks like I am an "antlerhead"!

daughter being silly with a mask in a museum store

and another oldie...also from the late 70's/early 80's...does anyone remember the conehead from Saturday Night Live?
LMAO...

Yeah...we are all a bit weird! But we know how to have fun!

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend.

I am SO ready for the white to turn to green outside. 
I want to go out & play!!!!!

Just some plain silliness for today.
Someone sent these to me in an email. I don't know if they were trying to tell me that I'm getting old or what! lol...

I had the biopsy done today. It was a little more serious than what I was expecting. I was really just thinking that it was going to just be a cyst & once they found that out, they would just let me go.  Or that whatever it was had just gone away & they would just send my on my merry way.  Unfortunately that was not the case.

I know many of you have been through this before, but also just as many have not & have no idea (like me ) what to expect.

I think that for now,  the hardest part is going to be waiting for the results. It will probably be Monday, maybe even Tuesday before I hear back.
I am not going to dwell on that though. I will just put it out of my mind and when they call, they call....

For those of you who have never had one done, I will explain how mine was done (I don't know if they are all handled the same way or not?)
First it was just the ultra sound tech. She found the area again using Ultrasound & marked it with a pen. Told me what all would be done. I was also asked permission to allow a rep (yes, a man) from a company who has developed a new "marker" or "tag" that is inserted into the area that the tissue was taken from. They do this so as it will show up in future mammograms & ultrasounds. Of course, I said yes to allowing him watch the doctor do the procedure. Stuff like that doesn't really bother me.
Then the nurse comes in and also tells me things to expect. Between the 2 they get me and the area all prepped. Then the doctor comes in. He goes over all that will be done, advises me of things that "could" go wrong & then I have to sign that paper that I agree to the procedure  & won't sue if anything does go wrong.  He then looks at the spot on the ultrasound...inserts the needle that deadens the breast, which works instantly. Although, you can feel when the other needles & tubes go in & also the suctioning when they pull out the tissue. But there is no actual pain beside the prick of the needle.Then you can see (on the ultrasound monitor) the needle/suction tube that he inserts as he works his way to the lump. Once there, he sucks it out. then inserts the device that will put this "tag" inside. They say it is about the size of a grain of rice. Then pressure is applied & in my case for quite a while as I was already developing a hematoma.  They then apply bandages and a sterile packing to the area that the needle went in & then I was sent to have a couple of mammograms done. After that, they applied a pressure tape which I am to leave all on now for 24 hours. I am to use ice as needed for swelling and soreness and take Tylenol for pain. I am not to lift for the next several days, including grocery bags, laundry baskets, etc. So I guess me helping my hubby try to get the new gun safe into the house is not going to happen!

So now I will just wait to hear what the results are.  Positive thoughts please.