To love you is to receive a glimpse of heaven.

This was a special week for Phil and I. On November 28th , it was our seventh year anniversary.  We got married in Sedro-Woolley Washington, on the day after Thanksgiving.  We always try to do something, so this year he took me to Seven Springs Ski Resort. Neither of us ski but we had always wanted to go there.  The view is spectacular.

The entrance

Some history of the resort.

Just an hour's drive east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Seven Springs Mountain Resort is located in the town of the same name. The all-season property is listed as one of the top 50 resorts in the nation by the "Mountain Sports and Living" Magazine.

The resort was founded by Adolph Dupre in 1932.  The original structure was a Bavarian style cabin he built for his family.

In 1935, Seven Springs was credited with using the first mechanical tow rope to pull skiers to the mountain summit.  A Packard auto engine provided the power.  It was also one of the first resorts to make its own snow, starting in 1960.

Read more: The History of Seven Springs Resort | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5492604_history-seven-springs-resort.html#ixzz16navYieu

Our hotel

The inside is full of shops, restaurants, game rooms, bowling and miniature golf.

The bakery…oooooohhhh

The pool is surrounded by lighted Christmas Tress

View from our window

There wasn’t a lot of snow on the ground so we watched snow being made, a first for me!

 

The buffet was terrific and I found a taste of heaven with their crème Brule. That is definitely on my list of things to make!

Alicia babysat Ms. Chloe for us.

Mercedes checking out Chloe.

I don’t think she was too impressed.

Chloe making herself at home.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving,  Phil was off of work for five days.  Thanksgiving lets me shine with all of the meal to prepare. We had Phil’s mom, Joan, over and his daughter, Alicia.

The girls waiting for dinner to be ready.

Everything turned out well, but the star this year was the Pumpkin Cheesecake with caramel topping and a gingersnap pecan crust.  Oh my!

 

Friday night we went to Oglebay Park, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to see the Christmas lights. Phil’s mom, his daughter, and his nephew, Zach, who is tenm came along. Zach is so much fun to be around.  We really enjoyed him being along.  Afterwards we went to Max and Erma’s for dinner, then to Bruster’s for ice cream.

In 1985 a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and soon spread throughout the city of Wheeling.  That tradition is the Winter Festival of Lights/City of Lights celebration.

The first year, displays and landscape lighting covered 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort.  Since then, the show has grown into one of the nation's largest, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort.

 

Now for the recipe for the Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Really you have to make this.  This recipe comes from Pioneer Woman’s website.  I haven't made anything of hers yet that wasn’t sublime!

Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecake

Ingredients

• FOR CRUST
• 12 ounces, weight Storebought Gingersnaps
• ½ cups Chopped Pecans
• 6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 dash Salt
• _____
• Filling
• 4 packages (8 0z. Packages) Cream Cheese
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 1 can 15-ounce Pumpkin Puree (NOT Pumpkin Pie Filling)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Allspice
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 1 jar (about 12 Oz.) Caramel Topping
• Extra Chopped Pecans
• Extra Crushed Gingersnaps

Preparation Instructions

For crust:
In a food processor (or large ziploc bag) crush gingersnps. Add chopped pecans, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt, and pulse (or mix) until thoroughly combined. Press into bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Chill for 20-30 minutes.

For filling:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and spices and mix again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each addition. Add cream and mix until just combined.

Remove crust from fridge.. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Gently pour cheesecake filling into pan. Even out the top with a flat spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until no longer soupy. Cheesecake should still be somewhat jiggly.

Cool on counter for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, pour the rest of the caramel topping over the top. Smooth with a flat spatula until evenly smooth. Cover and chill cheesecake for another four hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, remove rim from pan and slice. Sprinkle each slice with extra crushed gingersnaps.

Lots of wins this week!

I won a  KIM KARDASHIAN gift bag. The  funny thing is I had never heard of the Kardashians, so I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into…lol.

 

I also won another $50 gift certificate from Glencara that I used to get this ring.

I won a Hand crafted World Vision necklace and bracelet from Thailand.

World Vision Helps Transform Communities Through Child Sponsorship.

The best way to change the lives of children is to change the world in which they live. And the best way to change their world is to foster self-sufficiency within their communities. This is what World Vision child sponsorship does.

World Vision

I won  a XShot Camera Extender

This is one of the most clever gadgets I have seen in awhile.

You can use this to take pictures of yourself and your sweetie or friend, whoever, without having to ask strangers to take pictures of you.

 

I won Wildfell Hall vintage grab bag

It’s so funny to me that what is called “vintage” is stuff like my mama use to wear.

I really love everything in this set, especially the leopard!

 

 

Books this week

Reading George Bush’s Decision Points

I am really enjoying this book. It’s a glimpse inside some of the hardest decisions that a President has had to make during his term of office.  President Bush is personable and has a terrific sense of humor. Kinda dry but very funny. His love for his parents really comes through in his book.