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Thoughtful Thursday: Life Update Edition

Posted in Family, My Thoughts, tagged Thoughtful Thursday on December 6, 2012|

I want to apologize for my lacking of blogging lately. Thankfully I had several recipes and book beginnings posts already scheduled or this would have been one quiet speck on the internet. Cue crickets chirping here. My life was turned upside down on October 22nd when my father was involved in a very serious car accident.

He had to be flown to a Level 1 trauma hospital two hours away and was there for five weeks. His lungs were so damaged that he had to be on a ventilator for three weeks. He had a skull fracture, nine broken ribs, broken sternum, five cracked vertebrae, broken left femur, broken left ulna, and a broken right wrist. The doctors kept him sedated for four weeks to let all of the injuries heal as much as possible. I have never experienced anything like this in my life. I had dealt with my mom’s illness and death, but I had never watched someone heal from trauma and injuries like this. It is a very slow process.

I also know that none of us could have gotten through this without God and Jesus on our side. I lost track of the number of times that I went to Him begging for help and healing and He came through every single time. I am so glad that my family and I are Christians and have that healing power to call on in times of need. If you don’t know Christ and have God in your heart, seek Him now! He can bring such peace and comfort to you in times of stress and heartache.

Since I am an only child and my mom is deceased, I am the next of kin. In those five weeks, I came home three days and spent one night in my own bed. Please don’t pity me…I did it because I wanted to, but I am so glad that we are closer to home. Dad is now in a rehab facility about an hour away from us and he will be there for several more weeks.

Because of this, there has been absolutely NO cooking going on here. My nanny cooked us a small Thanksgiving dinner and it was the first home-cooking we had since the accident. It was so good! I so missed being able to cook for the holiday and I probably won’t be doing too much for Christmas either.

C & I are back at work and going to see Dad every evening that we can. Thankfully, Dad’s girlfriend, E, lives in the same town as the rehab center so she can go by every day. That sure takes a load off of me. Hopefully, he will be home in a couple of months and be completely independent. They just have to wait for all of the broken bones to heal before they can do the intense physical therapy he will need.

So please bear with me and come back often. I promise to get back on the bandwagon as soon as I am able. I so miss the cooking,photography. and writing.

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Thoughtful Thursday: Travel Edition

Posted in Family, Fun, My Thoughts, Photography, Travel, tagged gourds, Huber's Orchard & Winery, Joe Huber's Family Farm & Restaurant, pumpkins, Starlight Indiana, Thoughtful Thursday on November 1, 2012|

My grandmother, “Nanny”, and my Aunt M are usually not big travellers, but when Nanny saw a commercial for Huber’s Orchard and Winery in Starlight, Indiana, she was hooked and really wanted to visit. I had a Thursday off from work in early October so we went to see it. When I went online to find directions, I discovered that there is actually two different businesses, Huber’s Orchard and Winery along with Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant. They are just a mile apart so it makes it easy to visit both in the same day.

We took I-65 up to Louisville and then took I-64 over to New Albany, Indiana and followed the directions from there. The drive was very pretty and we were all surprised at the long and winding road you take to get there. Thankfully, there are plenty of signs along the way so you know you are still on the right path. We arrived at the Huber’s Orchard and Winery first and the views there are gorgeous.

Huber’s raises all sorts of crops to try to have year ‘round interest so we passed Christmas trees…

and vineyards…

before getting to the actual location, which was spectacular! Here are several photos of the different ponds, animals and decorations along their drive to the store.

When we parked and walked up to the store, there is a talking tree that lets you know about the day’s specials and what is available.

There were pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn galore. I could have spent a fortune, but I just had to pick a few and make myself walk away. I loved the way they used the old vehicles to display the pumpkins.

While we were walking around admiring the outdoor scenery, there was this delicious smell wafting through the air. After entering their store, we knew why…there is a full bakery loaded with cookies and candy and breads and dumplings. Oh, my, I wish I could bottle that smell. It was heavenly! We all purchased a few things here. I bought a few cookies and gala apples while Nanny chose a couple of sweet bread loaves and fudge.

Next, we drove up the road to Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant. This was a really neat place, too, and kids would love it! They have lots of activities like a corn maze and tractor rides along the farm.

There is a store located here as well and I purchased some Cherry BBQ sauce that was really good. I had been told that the food at the restaurant is delicious, but we didn’t take the time to eat here. Their fall decorations were beautiful and they had a few small gardens to tour as well.

Sorry, I know this a long post, but there was so much to see at these two locations! Finally, here is a self-portrait of the three of us at Huber’s Orchard and Winery and, FINALLY, my little display using the pumpkins I bought there. If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it.

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Thoughtful Thursday-How To Edition

Posted in Crafting, Fun, Home, My Thoughts, tagged Deco Mesh, Mardi Gras Outlet, Thoughtful Thursday, Wreath making on September 27, 2012| 8 Comments »

Way back in February, I wrote a how-to post about my first deco mesh wreath which was for Valentine’s Day. Since then, I made a spring wreath and a patriotic wreath using the same method. When it came time for a fall wreath, I wanted something a little different. Google to the rescue! I found a link to a tutorial at Mardi Gras Outlet which is where I purchased my mesh. Here is my finished product:

This new curly version looks so festive and fun that I may have to make a Christmas one now! You will need…

20” inch wire wreath frame (You can use a Work Wreath that is made specifically for mesh wreaths or a plain wreath frame and florist wire.)

3 rolls of 21” mesh in assorted colors (I used yellow, brown and orange for my fall wreath.)

Florist wire

Scissors

Wire Cutters

Ribbon or other decorative elements of your choosing

Attach pieces of florist wire to the wreath frame all around it. I used 15 pieces of wire.

Next, cut the mesh into pieces about 10 inches wide. You don’t have to measure, just eyeball it and try to get the pieces about the same size. This is very forgiving. I used 15 pieces of each color for a total of 45 curls.

Take 1 curl of each color and gather them together in the middle like this…

Wire the mesh curls to the wreath frame in the middle where you are holding them.

Continue working your way around the frame until you have filled all 15 spots. Next, I used fall decorative ribbon and cut loops of that to wire onto the frame as well. I then made a bow from the ribbon and added it to the wreath. Fluff the curls and arrange them to suit your taste. That’s all there is to it!

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Thoughtful Thursday-Pet Edition

Posted in My Thoughts, Pets/Animals, tagged Ellie, Peanut Butter Dog Cookies, Pets, Thoughtful Thursday on September 13, 2012|

Most of you know that I love to bake just about anything. Cakes, cookies, brownies, biscuits…it really doesn’t matter since it is all good in my book. C & I try not to give our Siberian Husky, Ellie, table food so she won’t beg, but one of her favorite bedtime treats is peanut butter spread on a Kong toy. She loves it!!

I discovered this baked peanut butter dog treat at Brown Eyed Baker and decided to try it. Ellie loves dog biscuits and peanut butter and I love to bake, so why not combine the three? I call these Peanut Butter Dog Cookies. Ellie is licking her lips in anticipation already.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 cup organic peanut butter

1 cup low fat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the milk and peanut butter, then pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until thoroughly combined. Roll out to a quarter inch thickness and cut out shapes. I didn’t have a bone cookie cutter, so I just used a round biscuit cutter. I may have to purchase a bone shaped one though because it would be really cute. Bake each batch for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely then store at room temperature.

Ellie loves them and so does my in-laws’ Border Collie, Roy. They were a huge hit!

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Thoughtful Thursday-Gardening Edition

Posted in Gardening, Home, My Thoughts, tagged Gardening, Raised Bed Gardening, Thoughtful Thursday on August 30, 2012|

Looking back at my Thoughtful Thursday posts, I realized that it had been quite a while since I wrote about our garden. It has done surprisingly well considering the extreme heat and dry weather we had for most of June and July. Thankfully, since we have just the two raised beds and one strawberry bed, I was able to water them enough to keep everything alive.

Once the rain started back, I started harvesting more and more. My cucumbers have done great and the peppers and tomatoes have really made a comeback. This is what I picked Saturday before last…

There was also a handful of very small strawberries that I made strawberry lemonade slushies with and I still have several carrots left, too. That same day, I sowed a fall crop of lettuce and a few more cucumber seeds. There is just enough time before our usual frost to get a few cucumbers from new plants. Say a little prayer that our frost is a little late.

Our new grapevines are growing well, but it will still be a year or two before we actually get fruit from them. It is the same with the fruit trees. I am trying to be patient and let them grow more before bearing much fruit so they will be nice and strong.

The wood that we made our raised bed from is starting to deteriorate so C & I are trying to come up with an inexpensive alternative to replace the boards. We have a few ideas, but no concrete plans yet. We are thinking of using artificial deck boards, but they are so expensive. I might have to start stalking Craig’s List to see if we can find them on the cheap.

Considering the weather that we have had, I have been thrilled at the garden output and hopefully it will continue for a few more weeks!

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Thoughtful Thursday: How-to Edition

Posted in Home, My Thoughts, tagged Homemade Liquid Hand Soap, Thoughtful Thursday, Yardley Lavender Soap on August 16, 2012| 6 Comments »

I have been using homemade cleaners for several months now and I continue to be so impressed with how well they work. My first attempts at making liquid HAND soap had not been very successful, but a little research told me I was using the wrong bar soap. Dove unscented is the soap I use in the shower so, naturally, I tried to make liquid soap from it, but there is something in Dove soap that won’t allow it to thicken and you end up with soapy water.

I found Yardley lavender soap at my local Walmart and it was one of the brands recommended for homemade liquid soap. It worked great! I used lavender because both C & I like that fragrance and it’s not too overwhelming. Next time I will try to find an unscented soap so it is easier on our allergies. The “recipe” I used came from The Burlap Bag, and, of course, was posted on Pinterest.

8 oz. bar soap (I used two 4 oz. bars.)

2 tbsp. glycerin

1 gallon water + extra in case your soap is too thick.

Grate the soap and add all ingredients to a large pot over medium heat. Allow to cook, stirring often, until all of the soap has melted. Turn off the heat and let the pot and contents set for 10-12 hours. It is supposed to get thick and a little cloudy. Mine got really thick so I just added a little more water and mixed it in with a handheld electric mixer.

Pour the soap into dispensers or jugs for storage until you are ready to use it. I’m not sure exactly how much all of this soap cost me. I forgot how much I gave for the soap and glycerin, but this recipe makes a LOT of soap.

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Thoughtful Thursday-Pet Edition

Posted in My Thoughts, Pets, Pets/Animals, tagged Homemade Frozen Dog Treats, Pets, Thoughtful Thursday on August 2, 2012| 4 Comments »

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that C & I are dog lovers. Major dog lovers! We have a Siberian Husky named Ellie that has us wrapped around her paw. My in-laws have a Border Collie named Roy, that we help out with, too. He is a ball of energy and loves attention. I was browsing Pinterest one day (shocker, I know) and found a recipe for a homemade frozen dog treat on Hub Pages.

We had bought some frozen dog treats in the past, but when you check the ingredient label, you will find that most of the things on there are almost unpronounceable. This homemade treat has only whole, simple ingredients that are good for your pets, especially during this extremely hot weather we have been having.

All three dogs we have given these to (Ellie, Roy and my aunt’s dog, Maggie) have loved them!

32 oz. plain yogurt

1 mashed ripe banana

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

Put all of the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and combine thoroughly. Fill up two ice cube trays with the mixture and freeze until hard. I emptied them from the trays and kept them in one container in the freezer.

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Thoughtful Thursday-How To Edition

Posted in Gardening, Home, My Thoughts, tagged Block Wall, Gardening, Landscaping, Thoughtful Thursday on July 19, 2012|

We have finally gotten around to cleaning up the area where we built a new raised flower bed this spring so I wanted to show you how we did it. Using the stacking wall blocks was a new experience for us, but it turned out to be pretty simple. Our wall is just two blocks high so we didn’t have to worry about drainage pipe and gluing the blocks together. It was a great project to cut our teeth on.

We purchased the wall blocks, leveling sand and rock at our local Lowe’s Home Improvement store and we were lucky enough to score free delivery, because these babies were heavy. You would need a pretty heavy duty pick-up truck to haul these around. Anyway, the Lowe’s delivery guy, who we have known for a long time and went to school with, put the pallets exactly where we wanted them with a small fork-lift. So easy!

This is what we started off with:

Not real attractive, is it? We had the sidewalk poured last year and left the big empty space on purpose, but the weather was so hot that we didn’t get it done then. We proceeded to dig out the weeds and level the dirt as much as possible. It looked so much better just doing that.

C dug a small trench along the sidewalk and started pouring in the gravel and we leveled that as we went.

Next, a thin layer of leveling sand was poured on top of the gravel and we leveled as we went again.

Now for the fun part…the blocks!

We put two rows of blocks, but we had bought enough for three layers. Two was deep enough for what we wanted so we can use the others somewhere else. C’s dad was nice enough to bring us a load of dirt with his front end loader and then I went to planting. C & I had moved two Knock-out roses from my grandparent’s front yard that they didn’t want anymore so I planted those in there along with some perennial salvias and Shasta daisies. I love the dark blue, white and bright pink color combo. Since perennials are kind of expensive, I filled in the other areas with bright pink Vincas. Next spring, I want to add a couple of bright pink coneflowers. The roses have finally came out of shock and are blooming their hearts out. We are so pleased with how it turned out and how relatively simple it was.

We still have a little work to do on the other side of the sidewalk, but that will have to wait until cooler weather so we can seed a little grass.

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Thoughtful Thursday

Posted in Fun, My Thoughts, Travel, tagged Newport Kentucky, Newport On The Levee, Purple People Bridge, Ride The Ducks Newport on July 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

Today’s post will finish up my “tour” of Newport, Kentucky, that I started two weeks ago with the post about the Newport Aquarium. Do you remember me mentioning the Duck ride multiple times? Could you sort of tell that I really enjoyed it and would LOVE to do it again? No, well, I did and I would!

A Duck is a World War II era amphibious vehicle built for the armed forces to use as supply carriers after the soldiers would commandeer an area. These beauties would roll in with the things they need to set up camp, but they had one big downfall. The Ducks are pretty slow, both on water and land, so most of them ended up at the bottom of the ocean. The one we rode in wasn’t finished in time to be sent to the war zone, so it is not, alas, a veteran.

With no further ado, here is the Duck:

We went aboard and was given a “Wacky Quacker” to use during the tour. Here are C & I modeling ours:

It makes a really loud duck sound and we were told to quack at anyone we wanted to, especially Cincinnati police officers because they just loved it! The tour guide, Robert, was awesome. Here he is demonstrating the proper use of the life vests:

He said he was a good German boy, but he had always wanted to be Italian, so we were welcome to call him Rrrroberto complete with rolled Rs and hand gestures. We took off and crossed the bridge into Ohio and the captain took us down a few city streets until we reached the dock. Ours was the second duck in line so we got to watch the first one enter the water. The captain told us we have to hit the water at top speed (which on the road doesn’t feel that fast, but wait until you are heading into a river) or the engine would get wet and stall out. After we watched the first one go in, some teenage girls in the very back seat asked if it was too late to move because they were going to get WET!

Into the water we went uneventfully and started motoring down the river. There are some really beautiful homes and artwork along the river and we tried to take in everything we could.

There is a suspension bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio and Robert told us a funny story about when the bridge was new. At the time, German immigrants made up most of the population of Newport and Cincinnati and they were very scared of new things. Since the bridge didn’t have any supports underneath it, the people thought that just a few people standing on the bridge would make it collapse. The government had the bright idea of temporarily opening a Bratwurst and beer stand and selling both for a penny. Robert said that this made the Germans get on the bridge, because even though they were afraid for their life, they weren’t going to pass up that kind of bargain. I don’t know if the story is true, but it is funny.

After about a mile on the water, the captain turned the Duck around and headed by showing us the Cincinnati Reds’ relatively new stadium, The Great American Ballpark along with some of the other buildings on the riverfront.

Then our tour took us through part of downtown Cincinnati which included some of the original and beautiful German architecture.

We then crossed back over into Kentucky and saw the World Peace Bell that was erected in Newport after the 9/11 attacks.

After winding up our Duck tour, we decided to check out the Purple People Bridge. It was originally a train trestle, but when it was decommissioned the cities made a pedestrian only bridge out of it. We didn’t walk all the way across though. I think that would be pretty nerve-wracking for me, anyway.

If you have the chance to go to Newport On The Levee, go! It was a lot of fun squeezed into a small amount of space.

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Thoughtful Thursday-Travel Edition

Posted in Fun, My Thoughts, Travel, tagged Newport Aquarium, Newport Kentucky, Newport On The Levee, Thoughtful Thursday, Vacation on June 21, 2012| 3 Comments »

June fourteenth is a very special day for C & I because it is our wedding anniversary. This year was our 11th year of marital harmony (most of the time), so we decided to take a mini-vacation to celebrate. We knew we wanted to go see an Imax movie and, at first, thought about Nashville since it is only a couple of hours from us, but then I found out there is an Imax theater in Newport, Kentucky along with an aquarium and other fun things.

All of these attractions are located in one complex called Newport On The Levee and it was well worth the three hour drive (each way) for us. The location was a cinch to find off of I-75 because, when you reach the Newport area, there are signs telling you what exit to take for the Newport Aquarium and then other signs on the city streets that take you right to it. We were there on Thursday so the parking at Newport Intermediate School was only $2 for the whole day. What a bargain! Our original plan was to visit the aquarium and ride the Duck on Thursday, then see the Imax matinee on Friday. Since everything was right there together, we were able to do all three things on Thursday.

Today’s photos will be of the aquarium. This is the third big aquarium we have been to and it was just as good as Gatlinburg’s and better than the one at Virginia Beach. We also were able to buy a combo ticket for the aquarium and Duck tour that gave us a pretty good discount. I have mentioned that Duck tour twice now, haven’t I? Wonder what that is? Hmmm?

Pretty fish!

Ms. Octopus was not happy! One of the other visitors took a photo using a flash (against the rules) and the octopus went crazy in her tank.

Mighty Mike the alligator. He blinked and the aquarium guide said that was the most movement he had made all day.

A pretty Lorikeet

The jellyfish are always one of my favorite marine animals to watch. It is so relaxing to watch them swim around.

C was keeping a close eye on that shark. Can’t you just hear the Jaws theme song in your head?

This isn’t all…come back for the next edition for our incredibly fun and entertaining Duck ride!

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