Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Bee-autiful Weekend for Some Honey

This past weekend was a-buzz with activity. 
There were bee beards, beehives
and honey products out the wazoo. 
We were bee-yond excited to take part in the 
31st anniversary of the West Virginia State Honey Festival. 
(Okay...enough bad puns already.)
Before Brie was able to find a location for her cupcakery,
she had booked a couple of fairs/festivals where she could set up to sell.
She has decided to not set up at the one later this month
because it will mean closing the store for two days
and it is less than two weeks after she opens.
But I'm so glad she decided to go ahead and do the Honey Festival!
We had gorgeous weather, sold lots of stuff,
and met some really nice folks.  : )

I snapped a pic of our tables so you can see some of Brie's handiwork.  

The small containers are homemade marshmallows
and next to them are the honeybun cupcakes.  
YUMMY!
 These are my pepperoni rolls, with and without cheese. 
 Starting at the bottom:  pineapple upside down, strawberry rhubarb, black forest,
s'mores, peanut butter and chocolate, pancakes and bacon.
 Some of my faves...the strawberry rhubarb is killer!
 She had to bake several dozen more on Saturday night after we returned home from the festival.
The peanut butter-chocolate, honeybun and white wedding cake disappeared quickly!
And I'm pleased to say that I had to bake more pepperoni rolls, too!  
It was nice having customers return on Sunday before we closed 
because they had tried them on Saturday and wanted more.  : )

It was definitely a crazy/busy weekend and I missed my kids,
but it was also a good weekend and helped us get an idea of
which items need to be more heavily stocked.  

Grand opening is less than 2 weeks away!  : )

Friday, August 26, 2011

5QF

I'm hookin' up with MamaM for Five Question Friday.  It's always a good time so why not join in?  Just click here and link up.  The rules are simple and you never know...you just might make some new friends!  ; )


1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?
Ummmm.....let me think......NO!!! I haven't BEEN ANYWHERE to make any purchases this week!  Being a bit of a homebody lately. 
2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?
My dream concert was The Eagles and thanks to The Hubster, I got to see them!  He paid WAY TOO MUCH for the tickets when they came to town and I have to say, it was worth EVERY.  SINGLE.  PENNY.  ; )
If I need to choose one that I still haven't seen, I think I'd have to say either Billy Joel or Elton John.  I've had a love affair with Billy's 52nd Street album since it was released back in....oh my.  1978.  SERIOUSLY???  1978???  

Okay, I feel old now. 
3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?
I hate scrubbing toilets.  YUCK.  But seriously, most favorite chore?  Is there really a favorite chore?  I guess I have to say I don't mind laundry too much.  Especially since my laundry room is now a sunny yellow and I have my super fantastic new washer and dryer.  : )

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?
Right now I'd have to say new appliances.  Not because I don't like the ones I have!  I really do.  I love my double wall ovens and my five burner gas cooktop.  They make me happy.  : )  But I'd love to have a commercial kitchen.  I'm green with envy when I see Pioneer Woman's 'lodge'.  Oh, to have that at my fingertips!  The stuff that dreams are made of.  
5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?
Two words for ya: 

KRAFT MAYO

'Nuff said.  ; )

Thursday, August 25, 2011

How DO YOU do it? A Plea for Tips, Tricks and Ideas

Okay.  
It's that time of year again.
School is back in session and so are all the after school practices,
football games (they start this Friday night),
homework time,
LOTS of routine.
So many things to keep track of, get scheduled, etc.

So, I bought a BIG dry erase, one-month calendar page
that will stick to the fridge.
The spaces are large enough to write in everything we have to do,
everywhere we have to be.
I hope.

Anyway, I'm working on getting that filled in 
and I'm also getting back to my meal planning 
and putting to good use my meal strategies 
that make my life a little easier.
I always try to keep 1 lb. pkgs. of browned, crumbled 
ground beef in the freezer for quick meal fixes,
and the same with Italian sausage.  
It makes it so easy to whip up a fast dinner.
But right now I need to stock up on...
well, pretty much
EVERYTHING!

So, all you busy moms out there,
share your secrets with me!
What is it that you do to keep it all 
running smoothly during those busy times?

Also, I have another issue I'm attempting to tackle.
Tucker has always carried a lunch from home
more often than he's eaten hot lunch at school.
Between his food allergies, texture issues 
and just plain and simple picky-ness, 
it's always been easier to assure that he had enough to eat
by packing his lunch.
Some days I just wanna say:
But now, with dietary guidelines being enforced,
school lunches have gotten so bad that even Perri
is packed most of the time.  
Let me tell you,
if Perri won't eat it...it's pretty bad.

So I'm packing a LOT of lunches these days 
and I'm really sick of packing the same ol' things.

This is me most days:
 See the confusion?
Is there anything unusual that you pack for your kids?
Any ideas you'd be willing to share?
Breakfast ideas are most welcome, too,
I'm currently on the lookout for recipes for nutritious 
but tasty muffins, breakfast bars, and any dishes
that could be made ahead of time to serve them before they
leave for school.  If they can hold it in their hands and eat it on the run,
so much the better!  Some of our mornings are rushed.
But we also have mornings where there is time to sit down
and eat a good breakfast before we leave the house.

If you've previously posted this sort of thing on your blog,
just leave me a link in the comments! 
If not but you're interested in hearing about the ideas 
I receive from others, let me know.
I think it would be great if we'd all band together
and share what works for us when it comes to 
streamlining our busy mornings
and keeping our kids healthy and well fed.  : )

Monday, August 22, 2011

Weaving Threads

I have something I want to share with you.
Unless you are a relative of mine or you have some 
other connection to my family,
I know this won't mean nearly as much to you as it does to me,
but I feel the need to convey to you the importance of family treasures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seems I'm feeling quite sentimental here the last few days.
A very dear cousin recently sent me a video of a 
family get-together that took place in 1960, 
five years before my birth.  
I have to tell you.
I bawled like a baby.

It opens with my Daddy, smiling and enjoying his birthday celebration
with all the folks he held most dear.
There are many aunts and uncles, most of them gone now.
Aunt Mayme fussing at Uncle Bob to get the camera away from her
and Aunt Matt running from him.  : )
The almost-five-year-old version of my brother (he was 10 when I was born)
sitting with an ultra thin, oh-so-young version of my Mom.
Lots of cousins dancing and acting silly.

It was a pivotal moment for me, seeing these people in this way.
One of those uncles I don't recall ever meeting.
I'm sure I did as a very young child, perhaps even a toddler.
He and his family moved away and then he died rather unexpectedly
when I was still young.
Until watching this video, he had been merely a handsome face
in a handful of still photos stored in a cardboard box at my Mom's house.
But this video, this treasure, allowed me to see him 
really LIVING.
Laughing, joking with his siblings, having fun.
And most importantly to me, there was my Daddy.
Alive again, looking young and vibrant and happy.
The same with all those aunts and uncles 
who are no longer with us.

It broke my heart...
but in a very good way.

I miss these folks and I wish they were still here.
I wish I could have realized at a much younger age
what a gift it is to have a large and loving extended family.
I wish I had spent more time in their company,
listened more intently to their stories,
paid a little more attention.
It's just a few threads in the fabric of my life.
A snippet of time that I'm sure my Uncle Bob (the man with the camera)
never imagined would mean so much more than 50 years down the road.
But what an impact it has had on me.



I hope that when you watch this
it will make you stop and think.
The next time you have a chance to spend a few minutes
with an aunt or uncle or grandparent...
TAKE IT.
Enjoy it.
Savor it.
REMEMBER IT.
The older I get, the more important
those fond memories become.
When loved ones pass on,
those memories sustain you.
Those little threads we weave create a warm cocoon
which will warm our hearts even in the coldest of winters.


Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Picture Door

In my kitchen there is a door.  
It is a plain ol', ordinary door just like all the others.  
It conceals a coat closet that has storage that runs deep under the stairs.  
This door is made of poplar and has hinges and a doorknob and matches all the others in the house.  
There really is nothing special about this particular door,
but I daresay we have a better recorded history of it than any other door on the face of this earth.  
You see, around these parts this door is simply known as 
The Picture Door

The beautiful picture quilt my Brie made for me,
photographed in front of The Picture Door.
How appropriate.


 In all the excitement surrounding the engagement ring, 
we nearly left out poor ol' Picture Door!  ; )
(There it is, just behind her thumb.)


Okay, so it didn't start out that way.  We built the house in '98 and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.  And it isn't like we walked through the house trying to find the perfect door in front of which to take  pictures, but doggone it...this door was just handy.  ; )

 Sometimes it's quite by accident, too.  This is from an outdoor birthday party
that ended up at my house due to some really gusty winds.  
Chairs were set up wherever they would fit
and STILL we end up with a shot in front of The Picture Door!

The lighting is usually pretty good there.  The French doors leading onto the deck are directly across the room from The Picture Door, therefore the subjects in front of said door are bathed in natural light. 
Or, if it happens to be dark outside when we're needing to snap a shot, the light over the table is to the right and the lights over my kitchen island are to the left, leaving The Picture Door right there in the middle with no harsh light to ruin the photo.

Well, except for those pesky sidelights on the front door.  
You have to remember to avoid having them in the shot.  A bit much back light at times.
And a bit much glare on the floor.  ; )
BTW, this was Halloween.
We're not just a bunch of weirdos.

PLUS, this door is in the heart of the main floor of our home.  If you are entering or exiting the kitchen/family room area, you will pass this door.  Therefore, if an adorable child is passing through the room he/she won't be able to escape the tortures of you won't miss another photo opportunity, because they're always within easy reach!  You can be grab them and force them to stand and smile encourage a pose right there in the perfect lighting by The Picture Door.

This particular smile is saying "Mom, PLEASE.  Snap it already!"

So you see, it was never planned that this would be the spot for all snapshots taken in this house.  It was, in fact, only pointed out to me in the last few years that we sure had a lot of pictures of the kids taken in that very spot.  And that, my friends, is how this ordinary, unassuming, six-panel hunk of wood became known as The Picture Door

Obviously when Brie snapped this one, she didn't pay enough attention.
She almost didn't get the door!  ; )

Now do tell.   Is there a particular spot in your home where it seems you take an awful lot of pictures?*  Flip through that shoebox of photos you haven't gotten around to organizing lovely family album and see if you find a common theme. 


*This question does not apply to those camera wielding goddesses who always post those great, spontaneous shots of their kids.  I am in awe of you.  I bow to you.  I am not nearly so organized or coordinated as to always have my camera in hand, nor do I have the skills.  My pictures pretty much stink, as you can see by the above shots.  ; )

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Confession Time

It's a fact.  
I am the world's worst mother.   

It's the kids' first day of school and who forgot to take pictures? 

Ahem....*hand going up*.....that would be ME. 

And no, it isn't just the first day of school.  It's Perri's first day of high school.  
Such a momentous occasion and I, being the forgetful person that I am, forgot to snap pics.  
Sheesh.

How do you picture snapping moms manage?  
I mean, my intentions are wonderful. 
(And yes, I know what they say about good intentions.)  
My photography skills are minimal at best, but I try to remember to grab the ol' point and shoot.  
Then somehow I end up breezing through the occasion, 
just living it and doing what must be done, 
forgetting that I have the perfect tool to capture those moments right there within reach. 

Therefore we got not one single, solitary shot in front of
*The Picture Door.
Sorry, Amanda.  I'll try to do better next time.  ; )

{*The Picture Door is a family joke.  I'll fill you in on that one at a later date.}

Since I didn't think of it until we were on our way to Tucker's school
to wait on the bus to pick up Perri, 
I snapped a couple in the parking lot.

Sad, I know.

I managed to coax a smile out of her before she got out of the car.
She'll probably kill me for this one.  


My long and lanky fourth grader.
 
Yes, he was in a good mood.
He's my morning person.
Perri?
Not so much.
So there we are.  You now know the truth.  
My parenting skills are sadly lacking in some areas. 
My shame is deep.

Now, on with your day.  

And don't forget your camera. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Last Day

Today is it.  The last day of my official summer.  Tomorrow the kids go back to school and this household will resume something that resembles a routine.  There are both good and bad aspects of this annual occasion.

The Good:                                                      The Bad:
Up at 6 every morning.                                    Up at 6 every morning.

Structure to the day.                                         A little less structure never
                                                                        killed anybody.  ; )

Kids will be with friends.                                  I'll miss having them at
                                                                       home. 

More time for me to write.                               *No bad side to this!

For now I'm going to leave you with a few of my favorite shots from this summer.  And I'm going to go and enjoy this last day and try to not think about the fact that it is, in fact, the last day of Summer 2011. 

Morning on Myrtle.  
Don't know the person in this shot...I just loved the way the light 
was reaching down through the clouds.  
Beautiful.  

Tucker's first experience with All Stars.  : )  
He was so thrilled to be chosen and had such a good time.

A boy and his fishin' pole.
My Tucker Man does love to go fishin'.

Any day spent in the ballpark is a good day.
Any day spent watching my Yankees is an excellent day!

The peaceful beauty of Amish Country.
Wow.

Planking Perri.
No, I don't get the appeal of it.
No, I don't know why it became THE thing to do.
Yes, I find it slightly amusing.
Her gymnastics muscles sure paid off in this one.

I'm outta here.
I have ONE LAST DAY of summer to enjoy.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

A Teasing Visit

She stopped in last night for a brief visit. 
I was a little shocked by her arrival.  I hadn't watched the news
or even read the newspaper recently to hear of her pending arrival,
therefore I was pleasantly surprised.
It felt like an old friend returning home 
after spending far too much time away.
I was afraid that when I opened my eyes this morning
she'd already be gone, 
but she actually decided to stick around for a bit!
It is so unusual for her to visit us in August
but after the summer we've been having,
I am ever so grateful she's here.

Her name?
AUTUMN.

And she's my favorite.  ; )
Last night's low was right around 60* and today we'll not even reach 80*.
I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me!  : )
The sky is blue, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze is blowing
and all is right with the world.
Well, sort of.
Okay, not all.
But this sure beats the 90+ temps and high humidity we've been battling 
ALL.  SUMMER.  LONG.

I know this is just a tease.
It's far too early for Autumn to stick around
 in all her cool, colorful glory,
but I'm enjoying her visit as much as I possibly can.
I've already been fighting the urge to break out the fall decor
for both the inside and outside of the house.
I LOVE DECORATING FOR FALL!
But I keep reminding myself...
It's only August.


All I can say is
LOOK OUT, SEPTEMBER 1st!  
I sure am ready for you this year.



Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Uniformity

It's now very real.  My baby girl is starting high school.  Guess I was able to not think about it too much this summer even though I've been busy running her to various high school sports clinics and practices, band camp and practices, etc.  But yesterday it became a glaring reality.  She got the uniform

I can't tell you how much this uniform has been discussed in recent weeks.  
Would they have one that would actually fit her?  
Is it going to be as hot to wear as it looks like it will be?  
How uncomfortable will the shoes be?

Yesterday all those questions were answered. 
 (1.  Pretty much.  2.  YES.  3.  Not terribly.) 
Reality has set in...my baby girl is now a high school student.  
I'm so proud of her I could just burst!  : )  Ya see, I was a total bookworm/nerd in high school.  The only things in which I participated were student council, honor society, front office and library assistant, etc.  I am too uncoordinated to be an athlete and I was utterly terrified of making a fool of myself in front of others.  It sure did keep me from having much fun.  And every single day I am grateful that Perri is a confident, outgoing, eager young lady who is not afraid to put herself out there and take chances.  : )  

Just had to share this pic of her in her beautiful new uniform and I promise that 
one of these days I'll snap one of her in FULL uniform.  
You know, including that really cute hat-of-a-thing she gets to wear.  ; )

Monday, August 8, 2011

Miscellany Monday

Gettin' it Together
Or at least trying.  My house.  My schedule.  My family.  And anything else that might be falling apart around here.  ; )  School starts back on 
   and we began our practices this morning.  You know, practicing getting out of bed before 10 or 10:30?  Got them up a little after 8 this morning.  That time will move back a little each day until we make it to six a.m.  *sigh*  I can't believe summer is over and we're back to this.  :(  

The Guest Room is Currently Occupied
My mom is visiting us for a few days.  Tucker is thrilled because that means a new victim  person to play games with him.  One after another after another after another.  Board games, card games, you name it.   That boy is a game playing animal!  He can go for hours at a time without a break, even when his opponents are begging for mercy.  

Gettin' Down to Business
My girl is, anyway.  Brie has started her own bakery business and after only a month it is really taking off!  : )  For those of you on Facebook, you can find her at The Tasty Cupcakery and you may feel free to 'like' her page.  ; )  Her website is currently under construction but as soon as she has it up and running, I'm sure she'll post the address.  Be sure to take a look at the photos of her creations!   Not only does she make beautiful and delicious cupcakes, but she also makes salted caramels, marshmallows, graham crackers, and all sorts of yummy stuff.  One of our faves is when she takes a couple of her graham crackers, sandwiches a homemade marshmallow between them, and then dips the entire thing in chocolate!  Sort of a homemade 'Moon Pie', if you will.  GOOD STUFF.  : )
Here are a couple of shots of the cupcakes she made for a Hello Kitty party this weekend:

She cut out those fondant Kitties freehand...no cookie cutters involved.

Just Peachy
Just wanted to share a pic of my latest kitchen creation.  I've told you all before that I make the ugliest pies known to man.  I just don't have that touch when it comes to making crusts and they never look terribly appetizing. They don't taste bad at all, but they're UGly.   That's with a capital UG.  ; )
Anyway, when I make a pie I like to have fun with it.  I did just that this weekend.  I got a little creative with some pastry and a sharp knife and this is what I ended up with:


I think that's just about all the miscellany I can handle for today.  
Wanna join in the party?
Head on over to Carissa's
and link up!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

This is Some Good Stuff

Do you ever read a blog post and just know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was written absolutely, totally and completely from the heart?  I have.  Many times, actually.  Several of my bloggy buddies are just the kind of writers who are so completely open and honest in their writing that you can actually feel their pain, their joy, their sorrow.  I love it when someone's writing grabs my heart and my mind and doesn't let go.  Or perhaps it's that I don't want to let it go.  Either way, it's good stuff.

I sometimes think that my writing is at its best when my heart is hurting the most.  Terrible to think that I have to be in emotional turmoil in order to crank out something worth reading, but that's often the truth of the matter.  In the two years that I've been blogging, I have written only a handful of posts that I consider to be truly decent prose.  The kind that cuts deeply and bares the soul.  Number one on that list is this one.   I wanted, needed and was compelled write that.  Sometimes that's just the way it is.

And then you have someone like Rachel.  It seems that to write something touching and beautiful, Rachel requires only to get out of bed in the morning.  Perhaps not even that.  Perhaps she simply props herself with pillows, pulls out her laptop and proceeds to tap out the amazingly/simply/touchingly honest stories of her life each morning before her 7 children are up and about, ready to begin their days.  I don't know how she does it.  I only know that I love reading how she continues Finding Joy in everything she has and everything she does.

Rachel's post today is about life lessons.  If there had been blogs all those years ago when I started my family and there had been someone like Rachel sharing her words of wisdom, I would like to think that I would have read them, taken them to heart and used the things she had learned through experience to better my own life.  Contrary to what we think when we're young and ready to take on the world, we don't know everything and we don't always even know what's best.  They say you can't learn from another person's mistakes, but I believe we can learn if only we really, truly listen.  As in listen with your heart.

For instance, I wanted desperately to be a great mom.  There was nothing I wanted more...ever.  But I was young and still had a lot of growing up to do, so I definitely made mistakes.  Patience was not my greatest virtue.  I would worry and fret over what I now see as small stuff.  Yes, I thought I knew everything, thought I knew what was best for me and for my family and that no one else could ever truly understand the things we had facing us.  I may have been right and I may have been wrong.  I'll never really know.  But I do know that if back then I could have read Rachel's post from today, it would have definitely touched that place deep in my heart and I would have made these things my goals.  Many years later, after divorce and remarriage, I was given another chance at this thing called motherhood.  I had learned many lessons from that first time around and I'd like to think I'm doing a better job than I did all those years ago.  I do know that I'm trying.  And, every single day, I'm still learning.  Life really is one big classroom.

Do yourself a favor.  Read this post, especially if you have kids still at home.  Or if you are thinking of having kids.  Or if you have no intention of having kids but simply want to read some really good writing.  Print it out.  Hang it on your fridge.  Read it every morning over breakfast.  Share it with your spouse.  Many of these things, I'm happy to say, I had already learned for myself.  There are a couple I'm still working on and I suppose I'm happy to say that, too.  That means I haven't given up hope of being the best I can be.  ; )

Monday, August 1, 2011

Follow Directions Much?

We were in the breakfast area of the hotel Saturday morning
grabbing a bite before we hit the road.
Totally surrounded by families, older couples and 
the occasional sleepy-eyed teen
seeking a waffle and a glass of juice,
we perused the offerings and made our choices.
Needing to warm a cinnamon roll,
I went to the area where the 
microwaves and toasters were located
and that's when I saw it.
I was laughing so The Hubster 
had to come see, too.
And of course it was necessary to 
pull out my phone and snap these pics,
'cause I had to share it with you guys!

Pretty simple instructions, ya know?
This would be WHY:

Really???

WAY TO GO!