Seems just like yesterday...

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas

2012-01-07T10:41:00.001-06:00

There was a portion of the summer where I couldn't do much other than watch crayons melt...

This project took all day, no heat gun used. Just the natural effects of the sun. I'm pretty happy with the final product. Now I just need to find a frame and a fun place to hang it. I think I'll try it again this summer but with twice as many crayons.

It's Tim's Birthday!!

2011-12-21T21:11:00.002-06:00

Hands down, I have the best hubby around! He's the most supportive, loving, caring, generous and thoughtful person I know! I'm pretty lucky to have snagged this guy! I truly can't imagine my life without him. We've been together 14 years, but it really does "seem just like yesterday" that we first started dating.

Happy Birthday Timmie!! I hope you have the most fantastic birthday, you totally deserve it!!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-17T12:38:00.003-06:00

Barley wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a super Happy New Year!

I Heart EarthDance!

2011-11-11T07:28:00.001-06:00

The mission of EarthDance is to inspire local FARMS - Food, Art, Relationships & Music, Sustainably!

It's hard to believe that it was ten months ago when Tim and I received our acceptance letters for the 2011 EarthDance Organic Apprenticeship program. As the blog title says, "seems just like yesterday". Seriously, where has the time gone?

It truly seems like it was just yesterdaythat we had our first meet and greet pot luck. I can remember at that first potluck, thinking “Wow, this is a great group of people, we're in for a good time.” From the moment Tim andI received our letters, I had a feeling something great was in store,but I couldn’t have predicted just how wonderful this year would be. I had high hopes for this program but reallydidn’t know what to expect. I can honestly say my experience far exceeded myexpectations. Yes, there was bittercold, extreme heat, serious injury, tractor let down, crop loss…but somehow,looking back that all made it worth it in the end.

Earlier this year I tore a core abdominal muscle while working on the hop garden in our back yard. (check back for a post on our hops). This injury put me out of commission for awhile and at times I feel like I'm still healing from it 5 months later. But even though I wasn’t able tofarm to my full potential for the last 5 months I still took away a great senseof accomplishment. The knowledge thatI’ve gained, along with the new friends I’ve made is priceless.

This year camewith lots of change and loss but because of EarthDance and being a part ofthis program, I feel like a much stronger person. I think I really “foundmyself” this year. Who knew that organic farming would change my life?! And best of all, after searching my whole life for a hobby, I think I may have finally found it. =) I am so excited to continue on with theprogram next year where I’ll be focusing on herbs as medicine. Not sure wherethis will lead me but I’m anxious to begin the journey.

If any of you have the slightest interest in organicfarming, seriously consider this program. It really is like farm school. Youwill learn so much more than how to properly use a stirrup hoe or when todirect seed. Between the classroom styletraining, the hands on field work, the field trips to visit local farms andspeaking to the farmers who run them, to selling at the market and so much more. These arethings you cannot find in books. Not to mention the people who are a part ofthe program. It’s so refreshing to be around such an eclectic group who share alove for fresh veggies and growing and living more sustainably.

Needless to say, I love EarthDance and I’m so grateful Ibecame a “Farmie” this year. Even through the sad times and change in mypersonal life, this was one of the best years. In a lot of ways, Ihave EarthDance (and my husband of course) to thank!

For more information about EarthDance or becoming anApprentice, visit them at http://www.earthdancefarms.org/

It's been awhile!

2011-10-02T11:55:00.004-05:00

Not sure why, but I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately. But, I have some things to share so I'll be back soon with updates about the hops, trips, work, farmin' and more...

Happy Birthday!!

2011-07-17T13:37:00.003-05:00

This week my niece and nephew celebrate their birthday's and I want them to know just how special they are to me. You guys are amazing and I love you so much! Happy Birthday Kora and Ethan! You guys ROCK! =)

Say Cheeeeese!

2011-05-10T07:51:00.001-05:00

Life on the farm...

2011-05-04T07:48:00.004-05:00

It's been two months since Tim and I started our EarthDance adventure and I couldn't be happier. Every week I look forward to getting dirty! There are so many things I'm loving about this apprenticeship. I am trying new things and loving them. Kale and mustard greens for instance, DELISH!I get so excited when I talk about the program or the farm to my friends and co-workers. There is just something about watching your food grow from a seed. Something so rewarding and precious. Plus, I'm going to have the best farmer's tan ever!

We have met some of the most amazing people. Man, what a melting pot of diverse talent and knowledge. It's so refreshing to work with such genuinely nice people and know that we all have this one thing in common. Everyone is so eager to learn and help as much as they can.

Monday is our first field trip. We are visiting a goat farmer and cheese maker in Webster Groves. I'm so excited! I love goats and I love cheese!! This should be a fun trip.

Happy Easter

2011-04-28T08:12:00.004-05:00

The Easter bunny (aka my Pop and his sidekick Brenda) has stuck again! Seems like every chance these two get they are always surprising us with cute gifts. I love that I'm in my 30's and I still get visited by the Easter bunny, Birthday fairy, Valentine fairy, Santa Claus...you name it! I really do have the best dad ever! Not just because he brings me gifts, but because he's just so thoughtful and caring. I'm so very proud to be his daughter! =)

It's your Birthday hot dog!

2011-04-01T07:28:00.004-05:00

Today is Mr. Barley Doo's 9th Birthday!

For those that know me, Barley is so much more than just our dog. He's a huge part of our family and life just wouldn't be the same without him. Even when he's done something bad (which doesn't happen very often), he always finds away to make us smile. When we're sick, he's always right by our side until we're well. He senses when we're sad and he's there at just the right moment when a soft cuddle is needed. We couldn't ask for a more loving pup.

Have a great Birthday bud! You're such a good boy! =)

Greenhouse

2011-03-29T09:37:00.003-05:00

We had some pretty strange weather in St. Louis this past weekend but that didn't keep us from our responsibilities to the EarthDance farm. EarthDance has work space at the North County Tech greenhouse, and that is where we were Saturday. It was nice working in the warm greenhouse as the temps outside were in the 30's and it snowed later that afternoon. We planted about 13 different varieties of tomatoes, three varieties of eggplant along with husk cherries and tomatillos. Very productive day!

I love walking around the greenhouse. There is so much to look at, including chickens!

Welcome To The Farm

2011-03-23T17:34:00.006-05:00

Field work started on the farm last week. We have already learned a lot and we're having a blast! Our fellow farmies are super nice and wonderful people. I'm so glad we decided to sign up for this. It's certainly a lot of hard work but everyone (including us) is anxious to do it. Yes there has been a few aches and sore muscles but it's sooo worth it!

Here is a list of what has been accomplished on the farm as of Monday (lots has happened since then:

cleared almost 2 acres of debris
cleaned and prepared 16 beds for planting, without a tiller I might add
direct seeded 1600' (4 rows x 4, 100' beds = 1600!) of peas
direct seeded 200' of kale
direct seeded 1000' of broccoli raab
direct seeded arugula
covered 600' of rows with row cover for insect protection
pruned blackberries
trellised 400' of peas
painted EarthDance tools
general stake and flag clean up on 2 acres
laid coffee sacks in the garlic rows to hold weeds down
transplanted some kale and sorrel
moved some flowers and cut back and cleaned up the herb garden

Like I said, lots of work going on on the farm and lots left to do. I can't wait to get back out there Saturday!

Here are a few pictures of our new home away from home!

I'm ready...I think!

2011-03-16T11:02:00.009-05:00

So...I'm fat! There, I said it! Well, maybe overweight is a better word! I have struggled with being "just the right size" for the majority of my life. I don't think I have ever been comfortable with my body. Ever! Until, that is, after I look back at old pictures and I am currently much larger and think "I'd give anything to look like that again!".

Lately I have been extremely disappointed in myself for gaining weight and losing muscle. Not only do my "fat" jeans not fit, I am tired all the time and I get winded doing the smallest of tasks. This is not good! Not good at all! I need to make a change. I have some minor health issues that may or may not be easily corrected by A) losing weight B) eating healthier C) exercising D) all of the above. Above all I just want to feel healthy (that and I want to be able to wear my clothes again!). I would also like to gain some much needed confidence in myself.

Ultimately I would love to lose at least 25 lbs to start! Now, here's the thing. I eat fairly healthy as it is, I just eat a LOT of it. I love food. I love to cook. I love to entertain. I love eating out. And I love beer! I don't really want to give up these things so I'm going to have to find a happy balance that will help me achieve a more healthy lifestyle.

Our work on the farm starts Saturday. Those who know me well, know that I am beyond excited about this. I'm sure the long hours working in the field will help shed some lbs, but I don't want this to be my only form of exercise. I need to add a little more. Either by getting on the elliptical or taking a walk. I just need to be more active. With our work on the farm, we will receive a CSA share each week. I'm pretty excited about this. We'll have fresh and local produce every week through the growing season. This is definitely a good start at eating more veggies!

My hope is, by writing this post, it will force me to make some changes. By publicly acknowledging my personal battle, maybe, just maybe I can get my butt in gear! I'm sick of sitting around feeling sorry for myself and not doing anything about it!

Wish me luck! =)

I think I can, I think I can...

2011-03-13T09:05:00.003-05:00

Come on Spring, you can do it! I can see you trying to sneak in and I love it!

Can Beer Save the Planet?

2011-03-03T08:04:00.004-06:00

Over the past few years I have discovered a love an appreciation for good, quality beer. I even started a beer journal to remember some of the greats (and not so greats). Much like wine, I jot down notes about the appearance, aroma and flavor. As much as I love beer, I also love our planet and try to do my part to live a more sustainable life (this is a learning and ongoing process). So when I come across articles about eco-friendly breweries, I'm in heaven! It's so great that so many are making an effort to lessen their carbon footprint and really make a difference.

With St. Patty's Day just around the corner I thought I would share some great articles about "green" beer. Cheers!

Eco-Friendly Breweries Help Save the Planet

Magic Hat Fuels Brewing Process With Beer Waste

New Belgium Gets Top Honors on List of Greenest Breweries

A look back...

2011-02-15T18:17:00.005-06:00

8 years...Seems just like yesterday!

2011-02-15T07:46:00.008-06:00

And yesterday was a pretty good day.

8 years ago today, I married my best friend and the love of my life. I cannot begin to describe how fortunate I am to have found such an amazing person to spend the rest of my life with. We have been together for nearly 14 years and I wouldn't trade a day of it for anything.

We've gone on some amazing trips, worked on (and finished) many home improvement projects, owned two homes, found a love for nature and the outdoors, started a garden and recently signed up to work on a farm together, adopted the best pup in the world, gotten all dressed up for fancy award shows, made homemade Halloween costumes, laughed, cried, seen each other through injury's as well as the loss of loved ones. I could continue this list for days and days. Tim and I have been through so much and I can't wait to see what else is in store for the years to come.

Happy Anniversary Tim! Now let's eat pizza and drink Rogue beer! =)

Let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we...

The Great Blizzard Let Down!

2011-02-02T15:15:00.003-06:00

So, this week the media, police, national guard, fire dept, etc had the city prepared for the "historical" weather event. And of course, the majority of the storm just whizzed right by St. Louis. It did dump a few inches of ice and sleet which is a pain in the ass, but still. It was no blizzard. Yes, the surrounding areas and the northwestern part of the state did get hit pretty hard and I'm sure they are wishing they could trade places right about now. But, for the whole city of St. Louis to shut down yesterday and prepare for the worst, it was kind of a let down. Some may argue that it's for the best, who wants to be snowed in for days or who wants to clean up that mess. Well, I for one was looking forward to 20 inches of snow! There, I said it! HA!

I use to love the snow and think it was so pretty. That was before it snowed just about every weekend and the temps have stayed below freezing for far too long. I hope that dang groundhog is right about spring being just around the corner, I'm over this winter crap!

I did manage to get out and take a few shots yesterday. Enjoy!

Highlights of 2010 and what's in store for 2011

2011-01-02T13:24:00.006-06:00

2010 went by in a flash, but looking back we sure did a lot and have a lot to be thankful for. One things for sure, we went on a LOT of trips!

Hawaii (Big Island & Kauai)

Milwaukee

Oregon (We're standing in front of an 800 year old tree. It was amazing!)

New Orleans

Kansas City

Lake of the Ozarks with The Catty Kitchen

In between our many trips we managed to spend hours working on the yard and garden, building an office, spreading 5 cubic yards of mulch, a little hiking, lots of entertaining and spending time with family and much much more...

The new office (converted the screened in porch)

Tried to cut my thumb off just before my birthday luau but still managed to have a great time.

Grew a LOT of pumpkins, acorn squash, tomatoes and zucchini

And to end the year we received letters from EarthDance accepting us into their Organic Farming Apprenticeship Program.

This year we are going to be spending most of our time working with EarthDance but there are a few other things I am also looking forward to...

remodel the bathroom
new windows
build a compost pile
do more with less
hike more and discover MO
live a healthier lifestyle and shed some lbs
learn to love myself a little more
read more
try to let my hair grow out
be more active in the community
be creative with our EarthDance CSA share
paint the outbuilding
lots of misc yard work
use less paper towels
be less wasteful with food
drink less beer

Now that's a green beer!

2010-12-30T11:31:00.000-06:00

Check this out! Come January, Boulevard will no longer dump anything into the landfill. They won't even have a dumpster on site! That's awesome! I wish more companies, and individuals for that matter, would get on board with this.

KC Beer Blog: Boulevard of No Landfill: "Boulevard Brewery is going landfill free. They're even getting rid of their dumpster. Whatever waste they produce will either be recycled or..."

Dog Days of the Holidays

2010-12-30T08:35:00.004-06:00

Barley is still recuperating from all the Christmas excitement, as are we. We had a wonderful Christmas. I am so grateful to have such a loving and thoughtful family to spend the holidays with. I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas and make it an awesome New Year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-12-19T14:44:00.004-06:00

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Precious Things Part 2

2010-12-12T20:39:00.004-06:00

I just received the best Christmas gift EVER! For years I have been nagging my mother to let me have her grandmother's china. Her answer has ALWAYS been "you'll get it when I die!" That is until today! They came over for dinner and handed me a small gift bag. They said it was a little something that they thought I could use before Christmas. Inside the gift bag was a single cup from the china set. I was so excited, I just thought they were giving me one cup and saucer to tide me over, until I eventually inherited the rest of it...then they brought in two boxes full of the remaining pieces! This is no small set either. It's a service for 12 and has 16 cups and saucers! Along with two platters, bowl, cream and sugar servers, gravy boat and ladle, dinner plates, bread plates, soup bowls, salad plates, cake plates and some other little plate that I'm not sure what you use it for but it's adorable! I love every piece.

Needless to say I immediately clear out my cabinets and made room for this amazing gift! I still cannot believe my mother parted with this. I know that must have been very hard for her to do. But I hope she knows just how grateful and proud I am to have it. For some reason I have become very attached to this set and I will use it with honor and care. I love you momma! Thanks a thousand times and many more!

Now for a tiny peek of my new huge china set!

Precious Things of Winter

2010-12-12T11:35:00.007-06:00

It's a snowy Sunday morning here in the Midwest and I'm listening to a little Tori Amos, thinking about all the precious things in my life. I am so thankful for everything around me. I have a wonderful family, a loving and supportive husband who is not only the love of my life but also my best friend, by far the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for. Yes, I would say that I am a very lucky girl and I try my very best to never take any of it for granted.

This morning I thought I would share some winter pictures with you and some of my favorite Christmas ornaments. A couple years ago, my mother gave me the family's antique ornaments. I know it was very hard for her to part with them and I can't thank her enough. I love and cherish every one of them. Along with my families ornaments, my dear friend Octavia was kind enough to share a couple of her Gram's ornaments with me. I hope she knows just how much I truly appreciate her thoughtful gift. I am very proud to honor her Gram on my tree this year and many years to come.

My favorite window in the house!

Left over gourds from my fall harvest

Merry Christmas Catty Kitchen!

This is my favorite ornament!

My baby mug

This is one of the ornaments that OP gave me. Love it!

Tweet Tweet (made by Octavia Pitts for my 30th birthday)

And here is the other ornament from OP. Adorable!

This year I decided to add some of my antique kitchen utensil collection to the tree.

December = Tim's Birthday Month!

2010-12-09T10:09:00.004-06:00

Tim's birthday is just around the corner and this year we're going to have a pizza & pinball extravaganza! My Tim is a pretty talented fella, but he's also quite the pinball wizard.

Check out the high score #3. None only than Mr. Tim LaBeaume. I'm sure he'll try to be at the #1 spot when we go next weekend.

If you are not familiar with CP Pinball, you should! It's an awesome place, full of pinball machines that are set to free. You pay $10 at the door and it's all you can play!

Happy Birthday Month Tim! I can't wait to give you your awesome gifts!!

Thanks!

2010-11-13T09:51:00.004-06:00

Here are a few things that are on my mind this morning and that I'm thankful for...

Granny and Grandpa

My crazy, fun, beautiful, talented sister-in-law

The many adventures my Tim takes me on

Peace

Fall drives

Thanksgiving!
I can't wait to plan my menu this year. I love being in the kitchen and cooking a huge Thanksgiving feast for my family.

It's almost Cookie Bake time! I think this will be the 6th year for this wonderful tradition.

Homemade ribs

What are you thinking about or thankful for?

Thanks!

2010-10-26T10:08:00.005-05:00

Here are a few things that are on my mind today that make me happy and oh so thankful...

Electricity! It's not much fun getting ready in the dark. (photo taken from JED Electric, Inc.)

My brother

The Oregon Coast - if you look close enough you can see the Rogue Brewery

Campfires on the beach

Post-its!

A relaxing girls weekend at the lake

Chocolate coffee with ghost marshmallows and Melissa's homemade pumpkin donuts

Halloween

Thanksgiving treats (I wonder what will be on my menu this year)

What's on your mind today?

Thanks!

2010-10-19T13:52:00.010-05:00

I follow a lot of blogs and a good handful of them do a weekly "thankful" post. I really like this idea so I've decided to do a "thanks" post of my own. Sometimes life just gets going too fast and we forget to take a moment and notice the little things along the way.

Here are a few things that make me happy and I'm thankful for...

I'm so thankful for my amazing husband. Along with so many other things, he always gets wood ready for us girls just in case we want to have a bonfire

Little notes and art that Tim or others leave on our dry erase board

Fall baskets Buckeyes!!!

My little mummy friend

My home

Fall leaves

Looking outside on a rainy day with a cup of coffee

My crazy Catty girlfriends

And so much more....
What are thankful for or happy about right now?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!

2010-10-15T09:07:00.003-05:00

Today is my friend Melissa's 30th birthday. Happy Birthday Mel. Hope it's a great one! :) xoxo

A visit to the IL side

2010-10-10T12:07:00.007-05:00

This weekend we ventured over to the IL side for dinner and pinball. We decided to try something new and stumbled upon Peel Wood Fired Pizza.

Not knowing what to expect we weren't too sure about the 30 min wait, that is until we saw the Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale on tap (along with some other great brews - I tried the New Holland Ichabod. It had just a touch of pumpkin and spice and was O-So-Tasty!)!

If you are not aware, Tim and I are huge Rogue fans!

Tim has family in Oregon so every trip up there we always make time for a few (as in 3 or 4) visits to the brewery. Around here if you see Rogue on tap it's usually the Dead Guy Ale, which is still a pretty good beer. The Morimoto on the other hand is a real treat and I'm pretty sure is Tim's favorite. As far as I know the only place it's found on tap is either at the Rogue Brewery or Morimoto's restaurants in CA. So imagine our surprise when we found it in little ol' Edwardsville, of all places. Yes, you can find it in bottles here and there but it is no comparison to the tap version.

So, back to Peel, not only did they have Morimoto, but you could order it in a boot. That's right, a boot! You don't see beer boots on the menu very often so when you do, you gotta just go for it. They are hilarious and awesome all at the same time.The food...Peel has many different pizza's to choose from and all sounded amazing. We went with the Thai Red Curry pizza. It was delish. Not too spicy and the cilantro really gave it that extra punch. Loved it.

Along with our pizza we also tried the wood fired wings. There were six flavors to choose from and we landed on the "Fire". It was prepared with red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, basil, gray salt and roasted garlic olive oil. Amazing!

So good we nearly licked the plate clean!

If you are looking for a new pizza joint, give Peel a whirl. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Oh and as I mentioned above, we ended the evening with a $10 all you could play pinball extravaganza. It was so much fun. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures but don't worry, we'll definitely be going back and I'll do a write up on it at that time. :)

Rachel's 32 years beautiful!

2010-10-06T08:24:00.005-05:00

Today, Wednesday, October 6, 2010 is my BFF, Rachel Ann Hughs Carpenter's birthday! I am proud to say that we have been best friends for 20 years. That's right, 20 years!! Yes we have had our ups and downs, as does any female relationship, but my world would not be the same with out her. We've been through a LOT through the years and I miss her daily.

Happy Birthday BFF! I love you and hope you have most wonderful birthday!

PS - One gift I try to make sure to send Rachel are plenty of boxes of FrankenBerry (her fav). However, I think there must be a shortage this year. I'm not having much luck locating it. But have no fear Rachel, I won't give up! :)

BEERFEST!

2010-09-26T15:57:00.001-05:00

Saturday we went to Provisions Gourmet Market for Beerfest. The deal seemed too good to be true. The event included a tasting glass, over 100 beers to sample, various meats and cheeses, plus you could choose from a brat or pulled pork lunch w/ pub chips...All for the low low price of $5 per person! I tell you, how on earth could we pass that up? I'm so glad we didn't. We had a blast and tasted some pretty awesome beers. See the full list of beers below.

About 30 samples in we ran into some friends.

Aren't they cute?!

And now for the list of beers we sampled...

Pyramid Hefewizen

Pyramid Juggernaut

Magic Hat Hex (only available in their fall sample pack)

Magic Hat HI.P.A (only available in their fall sample pack)

Magic Hat Fall Odd Notion (only available in their fall sample pack)

Hofbrau Oktoberfest

Charleville Hoptimistic IPA

Augusta Farmhouse Tripel

Schlafly Bierre de Garde

Avery Collaboration not Litigation

Avery White Rascal

Great Divide Double Wit

Great Divide Espresso Oak Yeti

Great Divide Belgica

Great Divide 16th Anniversary Ale - Wood Aged Double IPA

Great Divide Rumble IPA

New Belgium LOF (Lips of Faith) Transatlantique Kriek

Tin Mill Skyscraper Lager

Anchor Humming Ale

Bells Oarsman

Bells Oktoberfest

Rochefort 10

Rogue John John Juniper

Sam Smiths Raspberry

Abita SOS

Abita Pecan Harvest Ale

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Paulaner Salvator

Fullers 1854

Fullers London Pride

Delirium Tremens

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Cathedral Square Belgian IPA

Cathedral Square Iglesias

Grand Teton Trail Waggin

O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye

O'Fallon Pro Am Sweet Nectar Imperial IPA

Tallgrass IPA

Schlafly Pumpkin

O'Fallon Pumpkin

Southern Tier Pumpking

Shipyard Pumpkin

Buffalo Bills Pumpkin

Goose Island Minx (only available in Chicago)

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale

Goose Island India Pale Ale

Goose Island Harvest Ale

Goose Island Sofie

Goose Island Matilda

Goose Island Pere Jacques

Goose Island Demolition

Woodchuck Fall

Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider

Whew, that was a mouth full! I have to say, a good majority of these beers were pretty tasty but there were some that were far from delicious. But nonetheless this event was definitely a success. The winners for us were the Goose Island Harvest Ale and O'Fallon Pro Am Sweet Nectar Imp IPA. Unfortunately, you will not find the O'Fallon Sweet Nectar at any store. This was their GABF entry and their last keg. This weekend was the last opportunity to try this sweet nectar of the gods. Hopefully they will realize how terrific it is and bottle it some time in the future.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

Smore's!!

2010-09-25T08:24:00.003-05:00

The weather last night was perfect. As far as the first weekend of Fall goes, this one is off to a great start. Last night we lite the bonfire and made some huge smore's. After a long week, it was so nice to just sit outside with my Tim and listen to the trees talk, crickets sing and just chat about nothing in particular. Until the Junkyard Bar behind us started thumpin' but that's okay. Everything else was so nice, it didn't bother me at all.

We found the largest marshmallows ever to roast. It was fun but they were a little challenging to work with. The outside would get all nice and toasty but the inside wouldn't be totally melty. All in all it made a pretty amazing smore. And PS dark chocolate Hershey and chocolate graham is the way to go!

I'm not sure what's in store for today but I'm sure it will be great. I hope you are having a good weekend too.

It's here!!! HAPPY FALL DAY!!

2010-09-22T09:11:00.008-05:00

Even though it's still a little hot and humid, the first day of FALL is finally here!! Don't worry, cool air is coming!! Break out those hoodies and flip flops kids it's time for bonfires and spiked cider!

And we can't forget about the pumpkin beer. I wonder who will have the local best this year. Will it be Justin Pfeifer's home brew (made with my garden pumpkins I might add), Trailhead, O'Fallon, Schlafly, or new comer Hill Brewing Co. I feel a pumpkin beer-off party coming on!!

I'm anxious to try Hill's pumpkin beer. I believe it will be ready by the first weekend in October.

I'll be sure to do a full write up once I have done a side by side comparison of all. =)

The weather is suppose to be beautiful and little more fall-ish this weekend. I can't wait!! Maybe I'll roast a marshmallow or two!

Are you ready for some chili!

2010-09-11T15:28:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year ladies and gents. It's time to plant mums, put out your pumpkins and light those spice candles. It's also the start of chili season at my house. Every year to celebrate the return of football I make a huge pot of delicious chili. Although I'm not much of a football fan, I do love the food involved with the season. Chili, soups, pretzels, chips and dip....YUM-O!

This morning I was so excited to plant some mums and play in the cool rain. This afternoon we are lounging around with the scent of chili in the air. I know football isn't until tomorrow but chili is always better the next day. So we'll have our bowls tonight and save the best flavor for tomorrow!

It's almost here!

2010-08-30T10:38:00.002-05:00

Even though the official first day of Fall is still a few weeks away, the start of the Fall decorating season is upon us. September is knocking on the door and that means filling the house with pumpkins, leaves, gourds, wreaths ect. Not to mention the scents. Oh yes, I'm referring to the wonderful smell of spiced pumpkin candles. This year I'm going with Bath & Body's new scents, Autumn and Leaves. They are wonderful!

May your Fall be filled with many bonfires, flip flops & hoodies, listening to the crunch of leaves under your feet, hot apple cider, baking, pumpkin carving and much much more.

What's your favorite part of Fall?

Pizza Pizza

2010-08-17T17:55:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite meals is homemade pizza night. We have these nights quite often but this time we decided to do things a little different. This time we used the grill instead of the oven. We had tried this method once before and it turned out great. This time however, it was just okay. Mainly because we let the grill get too hot. Do you know what happens to dough placed on a 550 degree grill? That's right, it immediately burns and leaves no time to cook the top let alone the middle. So, pizza one didn't turn out all that great. Luckily pizza two and three turned out delish! I'm sure we'll use the grill for pizza in the future but we'll just have to keep a better eye on the temps!

Ingredients

2T honey
1T kosher salt
1T olive oil
3/4C warm water
3C all purpose flour
1t instant yeast
-------------------------------------
2t olive oil
olive oil for the crust
flour for dusting

Directions

Place all ingredients (above the dotted line) in mixer's work bowl.
Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. On medium speed knead dough for 15 mins.

Roll dough into a smooth ball on the counter top or cutting board. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2t of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with a towel and leave on counter for 1 hr.

After 1 hr divide into thirds. Punch down each section. Roll into balls on counter top or cutting board. Cover with towel and let sit for 45 mins.

Dust counter top or cutting board with flour and roll out dough to the thickness and shape of your liking.

Set grill to medium heat. Rub one side of dough with olive oil and place that side on grill. Once the top starts to blister, add olive oil and turn.

It's now time to pile on the toppings. Cook until cheese starts to bubble and enjoy!

zucchini, yellow pepper, hot salami, home grown tomato, home grown basil, fresh mozzarella

fresh mozzarella, home grown basil, imo's provel cheese

One Fantastic Weekend!

2010-08-08T21:37:00.006-05:00

In a nutshell, this weekend was filled with making a new friend/BFF and spending time with family. My brother and his girlfriend came in town this weekend for my cousin's wedding. This was the first time meeting Julie and it was love at first site! And as you can see, she's not only beautiful, she fits right in with us crazy...I mean fun folks!

The wedding was beautiful and it was great to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often.

Fun loving Great Aunt Dorothy and Dad

from right to left - Uncle Dale, Aunt Linda, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Jeannie and Dad

The wonderful and beautiful Great Aunt Norm

And of course Wayne (the bro), Tim, me and Daddy-O!

This weekend was a lot of fun and it ended way too soon. I can't wait to get up to KC in a few weeks to hang out with Wayne and Julie again. Fun times will be had, no doubt! My big brother is very important to me and I want him to be happy. I have to say, it's been awhile since I've seen him have this much fun and smile like he did. I think some little lady may be to blame for all this happiness. :) :)

Zucchini & Ricotta Tart

2010-07-31T15:00:00.005-05:00

I found this recipe in the August issue of Every Day w/ Rachael Ray.
It's another year of monster zucchinis in my garden, so I thought this would be a great recipe to try something new. I love zucchini bread but there is just so much of that you can eat. I think this recipe went well. It was fairly easy and was pretty tasty. However, I'm not sure I would call it a tart. It was definitely more of a quiche. Would I try this recipe again...yes.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced crosswise
Salt and pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (I used dried dill)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling (I used fontinella cheese)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 pinch nutmeg (I used freshly grated nutmeg)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Layer the zucchini in a colander, sprinkling each layer with salt; let stand for 20 minutes. Rinse, then pat dry.
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to remove the creases. Press the pastry into a 9-inch pie plate and trim the excess, so the crust is flush with the rim. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Refrigerate.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, turning, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dill and remove from the heat; let cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan and the half-and-half; season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Stir in the zucchini. Pour the mixture into the chilled pastry crust and sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.

New Old Spice Commercial

2010-07-14T22:07:00.002-05:00

These commercials crack me up! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Beautiful Dragonflies

2010-07-13T13:31:00.004-05:00

My dear friend over at The 8th Child has started a weekly blog titled "Lost, Found or Hand-Me-Down". I have been meaning to play along but keep forgetting, don't have the time, blah, blah, blah. Well today is the day. My "Lost, Found or Hand-Me-Down" is the soon to be lost dragonflies.

For some reason, everywhere I have looked the past couple weeks, I have seen something to do with dragonflies. They have been on TV shows, Internet articles and even this past weekend Tim and I were sitting in the yard relaxing and noticed a huge colony of them dancing around the sky. They were so much fun to watch and even listen to.

I visit treehugger.com pretty regularly and what did I stumble across today...you guessed it, dragonflies! Check out this slide show of beautiful dragonflies near extinction.

Hip Hip Beignet!

2010-07-11T08:59:00.004-05:00

Tim was in New Orleans a few months ago and was telling me all about the delicious beignets. I have never had the opportunity to try them, so this morning I thought I would take a stab at making them. I had a little help from the Cafe Du Monde beignet mix from NOLA, of course. Thanks to this famous mix there were only a few easy steps. Add water, mix, roll, cut, fry, ENJOY!

I don't know how the originals taste, but these puppies were awesome! I can't wait to make them again and eat the whole plate!

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Now you'll have to excuse me, I must return to eating me plate of tasty french donuts and sipping my coffee. Until next time...

My Birthday and the Luau...a real "thumbs up"!

2010-06-26T08:13:00.015-05:00

My 31st birthday was amazing! Nothing special really happened, but I had the best day ever. I woke up early and started decorating for the big luau that was planned for the weekend. I LOVE decorating for parties. It's a guilty pleasure. If you're going to have a themed party you have to play the part. We carried the luau theme all throughout the house and yard. Even the bathroom. But we'll get to the luau in a bit, back to my Birthday!

So, that morning before Tim left for work he gave me my gifts (French press, book on tea and some cute (and very sharp) cheese knifes). All things I absolutely love and could not wait to use! After he left, I took the dog to the groomer, stopped at Starbucks for my free venti soy latte and headed to Cose Dolci for my favorite scones of all time. It was the perfect way to start my day.
The weeks before my day, when people asked what I had planned for my Birthday, I would respond by saying "a little of whatever I want". And that is exactly what I did. After breakfast and playing on the Internet (aka - reading all the birthday love on Facebook) I did a little more cleaning and decorating, then I decided to go cheese shopping. I needed fancy cheese for my new knifes after all! I had originally planned on getting a pedicure, but I choose cheese instead. Is that lame or what? But what can I say, I love cheese and shopping for it was actually pretty fun and exciting. I ended up with a Black Diamond 5 yr Cheddar, Cheddar Habanero, Spanish Wine Cured Goat Cheese and a Porter Cheese (not shown). All delish, but the goat cheese was by far my favorite.
After cheese shopping I thought it was time for a little lunch. That's right! I had beer for lunch, and it was awesome!

That night Tim took me to Cork, we watched a dumb movie and ate some cheese. May not sound like much, but I had an awesome day!

Now for the Luau...
Saturday morning started off lazy and pretty slow paced. I had done most of the decorating a few days prior and there wasn't much food to prepare so we just took our time getting things in order. We made the blue Hawaiian and mai tai's first, of course. The blue Hawaiian was pretty tasty but the mai tai ended up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay strong! Oh well, people still drank it.

The pork had been cooking since the night before so it was well on it's way to being finished. All we had left to do was make the poi and lomi lomi salad. Well, it wasn't really poi. We couldn't find taro root so we ended up using purple potatoes. The end result look exactly like poi and was almost as bland. The lomi lomi is just tomato, onion and raw salmon. I started chopping the tomatoes, not using the knife skills I learned at Kitchen Conservatory apparently as I proceeded to chop right through my thumb! I won't gross you out with the details, but it was NASTY! Blood everywhere! My brother and Tim were saints. They were on their hands and knees almost immediately cleaning the floor and walls. Well, after attending to my wound. We wrapped it up and it took all I had in me not to continue helping prepare for the party. No, I didn't go to Urgent Care or the ER. We had a party to throw! HAHAHA

Needless to say the party went on and it appeared to go well. I did have a good time even though it may not have appeared that way. Thanks everyone for coming and for your concern and thanks for having a great time. And don't worry, we did go to Urgent Care the next day before Father's Day brunch. They made me cry, cleaned it up, bandaged it and sent me on my with with some pain pills that made me have the craziest dreams I have ever had. I might have to write a book or movie about them. But that's another story for another day.

So, all in all my birthday weekend was a success despite my little accident. As much as it hurt, and BOY DID IT HURT (and still does), it was a weekend to remember. :)

Here are a few pictures of the luau for your enjoyment.

The Office - Finished!

2010-06-09T07:13:00.002-05:00

The office has been complete for a couple weeks now and we couldn't be happier. For the time being we are just going to use what furniture we already have and we may buy new at some point down the road. I think our old desk and chair look pretty good in the new space. The new carpet is so soft. I think it's Barley's new favorite place to lay.

Without further ado, here are some updated photos of the new office...

Looking toward the side yard from the living room entrance to the office

Looking toward the back yard and bedroom entrance to the office

Looking toward the front yard and living room entrance to the office

King and I

2010-06-06T19:49:00.006-05:00

This weekend Tim and I finally ventured over to King and I, a thai restaurant on Grand Ave. It was delicious! We decided to order something other than our normal thai dish of choice (Pad Thai). We started out with a couple mixed drinks.

For an appetizer we ordered the Thai Ravioli. It was handmade with yellow curry, potato and chicken. I'm defiantly going to have to recreate this. It was awesome.

Tim went with the Spicy Basil. I didn't taste it but Tim said it was really spicy and he loved it. It was stir fried ground chicken with bell pepper, basil leaves, fresh chili, garlic and wine. Served on top of egg noodles.

I went the less spicy route and choose the King and I Special. It was stir fried egg noodles with shrimp, chicken, calamari, egg, carrot, mushrooms and snow peas in a tasty light sauce.

Yum! Yum! Yum! Can't wait to go back and everything else on the menu.

When Tim's away...

2010-05-20T09:23:00.003-05:00

I eat sushi!

I'm not sure why it always turns out that way. It's not like that's the only time I can have it, Tim enjoys sushi too. But for some reason whenever he is away on business, I always order sushi take-out from Nobu. This time I got a little crazy and let the chef decide my order for me. I figure, I have enjoyed just about every piece of sushi I have ever tried so I thought I would let the chef surprise me with some delicious fish. I was not disappointed. The roll was their house special California Roll and the nigiri was tuna, salmon, I believe octopus, masago (I think this was my favorite) and I'm not sure about the other white fish, maybe a yellowfin. All of that plus a side of edamame... it was delish!

I'm a big sap and I miss my Tim when he is away. I always have trouble sleeping and this time I even caught a nasty cold while he was away. It sucks being sick without him around to baby me. HA :)

I suppose sushi is just my comfort food and there is just something about eating it in my pj's with the dog laying next to me. I love it!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-10T16:23:00.008-05:00

Tim and I have the BEST mother's on the planet. Thanks Mom's for all you do and have done!

To celebrate Mother's Day we had the whole family over for a cook out. The weather was absolutely perfect. We ate, visited, played a little croquet and visited some more. Turned out to be a super fun day. I love our yard but we haven't really used it for much entertaining. It was fun to be able to set up tables and yard games. I can't wait for the next yard party.

Here are the homemade mini cupcakes I made. They were a bit dense but must not have tasted too bad, there were only a couple left at the end of the day.

The dad's, sitting on the side lines watching the riveting croquet match.

So...Angela and I apparently have no idea how to play croquet. We set up the course like miniature golf and never heard the end of it. Everyone had their own rules so we just made it up as we went. The best part was Barley stealing our balls. Maybe we should have played horse shoes or bocce ball instead. :) There's always next time.

Here's my momma! What a wonderful woman. Love you momma! :)
Barley pretty much sums up the weekend here. We were pooped. After working in the yard for nearly 6 hrs Saturday to hosting Sunday, we were ready to kick our feet up and take it easy. But no mater how tired and sore we are, we had a GREAT weekend. Can't wait to do it all over again.

The Office - The next to last chapter

2010-04-30T08:22:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was Uncle Dale's last night working on the office. I can't begin to thank him for all his hard work and attention to detail. Thanks Uncle Dale, love you lots!! :) We are so happy with how it turned out. As you look at the photos, obviously we still need carpet, but as far as the construction and painting goes, it's FINISHED!

We also owe a big thanks to my pop, as well as Tim's dad. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family who is always so willing to help out with anything.

It was so exciting to see this project come to life. Now that it's just about finished, I guess it's time to think about the next thing on the list. Wonder what it will be.

Now, on with the before and after show...

Here is a shot of the front of the house the day we moved in...

And after we did some yard work and landscaping...

And after the office build...

Before...

And after...

Like I said, we still need carpet, but that the easy part. I'll be sure to post pictures after it is all decorated. If you would like to see pictures from beginning to end, click here

Hooray! :)

Three for One - Cookbook Challange

2010-04-25T18:31:00.006-05:00

I have really been slacking on my cookbook challenge. So, today I tackled not one, not two, but THREE cookbooks.

We'll start with dessert. There is nothing better than homemade whipped cream and it's so easy to make. Yes, this may be a cop out as far as the "challenge" goes, but hey, I needed a whipped topping for the pound cake I made. I promise to come back to this American classic of a cookbook (Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book) at a later date and pick another recipe. But for now, whipped cream it is. :)

I always thought I wasn't fan of pound cake. That was until I made it from scratch a few weeks ago. I made this recipe not long ago and loved it, so I thought I would try it again and share it with you. This was just a simple vanilla pound cake found in my King Arther Flour Baker's Companion cookbook. I jazzed it up with a cup of coconut and paired it with fresh berries and whipped cream. It was fabulous!

And now for dinner. Stir fry's are great and so simple to make. We seem to make stir fry's a lot in our house but never use a recipe. We normally just end up dumping everything that's in the spice cabinet in a wok with some veggies and a meat. This time I thought I would take some direction and see how it goes. I choose The Ultimate Chinese & Asian Cookbook - Spicy Chicken Stir Fry. It actually turned out pretty good. I particularly enjoyed the lime juice and honey added at the end. I'll have to remember that next time we're adding everything but the kitchen sink.

Today I remember just how much I love to cook and bake. I may not be the greatest, but I sure have fun. We have been so busy lately and I haven't had time to really make a nice meal or yummy dessert. It was so nice to be able to just hang out in the kitchen all afternoon whipping up tasty treats. I'm going to try to not let so much time pass before I'm back in the kitchen again. It's weird, I have always looked for a hobby but could never find anything I could really stick with. Some people craft, others play video games and some read books. While I enjoy all of those things, I think food is my true hobby. I love to grow food, bake and cook. And when I can cook with the foods that I have grown myself...well that's the best of all.

More to come on the LaBeaume Farm of 2010

Spring is Here!

2010-04-09T08:35:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite times of year. There is just something about watching the plants and trees 'spring' to life. Here are a few photos from around the yard.

The Office - It's coming along

2010-03-25T08:38:00.004-05:00

The office if coming along beautifuly. It's hard to beleive that after just two weekends we have the walls up, windows installed, electric and data pulled and the floor built, along with other here and there things. Hopefully this weekend we will have the siding up. After that we can start with the insulation, drywall, paint and carpet.

I am very excited about this project and without the help of my amazing uncle Dale, there is no way we would be this far. Thanks to his knowledge and help, we are going to have an amazing office addition to our home. I can't wait. :)

I Heart Hawaii

2010-03-09T08:44:00.004-06:00

I have to be the luckiest girl in the world! I just returned from one of the most wonderful Hawaiian vacations ever. We spent 4 nights on the Big Island and 4 nights in Kauai.

This was our first time visiting the Big Island and our third to Kauai. I have to say, I didn't really care for the Big Island that much. Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous time, but I think Kauai is much prettier and Kauai actually has beaches you can get to. A few great things the Big Island has going for it is Volcano Village Lodge, Hale Hoola Spa, and the Volcano National Park.

Volcano Village Lodge was the BEST place we have ever stayed. There are only 5 houses/huts/villas on the property and it is right in the middle of the rain forest. The "houses" have glass walls on three sides, but are very private. This place was heaven on earth. From the peaceful setting, the tempurpedic bed, wonderful food and their attention to detail. We couldn't have imagined a better place. They thought of everything. There were flip flops, umbrellas, flash lights, robes, slippers, huge bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a towel warmer, the most comfortable tempurpedic bed I have ever laid on, a video and book library to borrow from, snorkel equipment, beach mats, yoga mats....the list goes on and on. They even suprised us with a bottle of wine for our anniversary. Between this place and our spa treatment, I don't think I have ever felt so relaxed.

Now, let's chat about the spa treatment! This was Tim's first experience at the spa and I don't think anything will ever be able to top it. We received a 2 hour Pilialoha Package - (Honeymoon or Anniversary). It started with a Pikake foot soak and lomi, followed by a sugar body scrub and facial. I was then placed in an Imu-loa (sweat bath) while Tim was put in a body wrap. After that, they finished with an hour long Lomilomi Hula, leaving us in bliss, filled with the Spirit of Aloha.

The Lomilomi Hula is a creative, soothing infusion of hula (dance) and lomilomi that is choreographed to Hawaiian music. Descriptively, it is portrayed as doing the hula on the body. Lomi Hula is a more relaxing and soothing massage, offering a melodic and euphoric experience. (The Lomilomi is a traditional Hawaiian massage which begins with a pule (prayer) and employs the elbows to create a rhythmic therapeutic experience. It offers relief to sore muscles, increases circulation and is beneficial for the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the individual.)

Needless to say, we were on cloud 9 when we left. I couldn't stop smiling and using the word "amazing". This was the best way to kick off our vacation. I think we will do this kind of thing at the start of all vacations from now on.

Volcano National Park was pretty neat; however we did not get to see any flowing lava. The only way to see it was to drive 2 hours and hike 11 miles. We decided against this. Instead we just enjoyed the steam vents, miles and miles of dried black lava, devastation trails and craters. It was amazing to see the devastation the lava flows have left behind. But at the same time, it was neat to see little signs of green peek out of the black lava.

We were actually on top of the volcano when the tsunami was supposed to hit. We sat and watched (along with 100 other people) as thankfully, nothing happened. The sea did rush out but when it came back in it wasn't any higher than when it left. There was no flooding at all. Later that afternoon we drove to Hilo and were able to drive right up to the coast. Other than all the buildings being boarded up, it seemed like just another day. It was very strange to be so close to a tsunami scare but a little exciting at the same time. We even found Tsunami Survivor t-shirts to bring home.

As for our trip to Kauai, please check out my mother-in-law’s blog here. She does such a great job describing every detail and her pictures are much better than mine. :)

Mahalo!

We're so in love!

2010-02-16T17:26:00.006-06:00

This past Monday, Tim and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.
February 15th, 2003 was a bitter cold, icy day, but the best day of my life. I really did marry my best friend. We have been together almost 13 years and every year gets better and better. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband, home and pup. We have to be the happiest little family on earth. :) I'm sure some of you just threw up in your mouth a little, but it's true.
As cheesy as it may sound, Tim and I complete each other in the best ways possible. We have fun and never sweat the small stuff.

Saturday night we went to Aya Sofia and it was amazing! I didn't take pictures of the food, but I wish I had. I cannot wait to go back.

Monday night Tim surprised me with making dinner. He made me stay down stairs until he was finished. I had no idea what he was up to. All I knew was that something smelled yummy. When I was finally allowed to ascend from the basement, I found that he had made Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps. Everything was perfect and it tasted fabulous. So good that we didn't have to order pizza.

Thank you Tim, for not only being the best husband ever, but for being my best friend and teammate. I can't wait to see what the next 7 years hold. :)

Let's get slow cookin'

2010-01-31T11:59:00.005-06:00

I have really been slacking on my cookbook challenge. So I thought it was about time I got back to it. For this challenge I choose a crock-pot cookbook that my mother gave me a few years ago.

This chilly weather is great for a bowl of clam chowder, so that is what I made. The ingredients were very simple and it really didn't take much time to put it together. However, being a slow cooker, it did take 7 hrs to cook.

All in all it was a pretty good chowder, but I think it could have been better. It was definitely no Oregon Coast chowder! I did add a red and green hot pepper for extra flavor and used the stick blender to make it a little less chunky. Still I think it could have used more potatoes and should have been a little thicker. But, that's why we have leftovers. I'll jazz it up tonight and I'm sure it will be delish!

Until next time, I send you love and best dishes y'all!

The Office

2010-01-24T08:48:00.004-06:00

No, not the television show. I'm talking about what will soon be our new home office.
We have a screened in porch attached to our house that is in desperate need of some TLC. When we bought the house I pictured us cleaning up this space and having a small dinner party out there, reading a book on a nice summer day or what have you. Well, that never happened. It's dirty, gross and spidery so we never go out there. Plus, it's main view is the side of our neighbors house. Although our neighbors have a beautiful home and yard, I would rather sit on our back patio and admire our yard than covet my neighbors. It's just wasted space.

So, after chatting with Tim one day, we decided it would be the perfect space for an office. And thanks to my wonderful uncle, we may have a beautiful new office sometime next month!

I cannot wait to get started on this project! More to come.
Until then, here are some before pictures.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-02T10:49:00.003-06:00

Yet another New Year's Eve spent at home, just the way we like it!

For the past three years we have spend our New Years Eve at home. I make a surf and turf dinner, we drink something tasty and then watch movies. May sound lame and boring to some, but to us it's heaven. After a busy Christmas it's so nice to not have to make plans and to just stay home. I half thought about joining our other friends at Octavia and John's house this year, but that didn't happen. After dinner and a few drinks we were in for the night. I almost made it to mid-night this year but I fell asleep about 11:05. I awoke at the strike of mid-night to Tim jumping on me screaming HAPPY NEW YEAR! It was a great night and I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Here is a photo of our New Years feast.

Cookie Bake 2009

2009-12-20T12:50:00.003-06:00

This year we had the largest turn out yet! We had 14 girls and 11 different holiday treats. Along with eating snacks and baking cookies, we played rob your neighbor. However, we forgot to do the robbing. Doh!

All in all, I think it was a success. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and all the cookies and treats were amazing! Thanks to everyone who attended!

Merry Christmas.

My dear ol' Dad

2009-12-01T21:51:00.004-06:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of my pop when he was just a wee little boy (he's the cute little guy with the dark hair). I am so blessed to have such an amazing father. Thanks dad for all you do.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T10:11:00.003-06:00

A few pictures of a wonderful Thanksgiving.

A Simple Chicken Potpie

2009-11-07T08:36:00.004-06:00

Finally another cookbook challenge. This time I wanted to find a recipe that would allow me to use up the leftover veggies in the fridge. What better recipe than a chicken potpie. Plus, I have never made a potpie, so it sounded like a good challenge to me.

I choose the potpie recipe from the Real Simple, Meals Made Easy book. This book, along with the magazine, is awesome. The recipe was very "simple" and easy to follow. I did however change it a little and make it my own.

I did not use mushrooms, but I did add potatoes and celery. Also, it called for 4 cups of chicken broth but I only had 3. This did not seem to cause any problem.

Instead of store bought pie crust I used a sheet of puff pastry that I had in the freezer. I even got a little silly and cut little hearts out of the leftover dough.

All in all I think this recipe went pretty well. Tim had two bowls so it must have tasted okay. The presentation wasn't quite what I would have liked it to be but for a simple potpie, I think it was a success.

A Thoughtful Gift

2009-11-06T07:58:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago my company had a department meeting at our corporate office in Bloomington, IL. As part of the meeting we took a tour and visited an area that showcased a lot of State Farm nostalgia. Someone called me over to see something in the case. They said something like "this is right up your alley, you're going to love this". Low and behold, it was a cookbook! As you know, I heart cookbooks. And this one was adorable! It was gold, shaped like an apple and titled All American Apple Cookbook. I have no idea what it has to do with State Farm but I loved it.

A friend of mine was standing near while I was admiring the book and said, "hey, I think I had that book at one time". The next thing I know, the cookbook is being delivered to me as a gift.

My friend Linda is in the process of moving and while packing she stumbled upon the cookbook. She is always doing nice things for me, and I am ever so thankful, but this gift means so much. I can't thank her enough.

So...here it is, my newest cookbook. I can't wait to try out one of her recipes.

It was a chilly Halloween but it was toasty by the fire.

2009-11-01T08:12:00.005-06:00

This year we hosted a Halloween party. Every one's costumes were very creative and the spooky treats were equally as awesome.

Halloween was fun but now it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving!! :)

My Great Pumpkin

2009-10-30T08:39:00.003-05:00

The last to come out of the great garden of '09 are the pumpkins. Or I should say pumpkin. That's right, only one grew and he didn't even grow to his potential. And did I mention he's still green? There were a couple hopeful sprouts but they turned out to be duds. Oh well, there is always next year.

Even though this guy may not be the best or biggest, I am still very proud of it. I made that! From a seed! I can't wait to carve him for the Halloween party.

Another Cookbook Challenge

2009-09-06T09:34:00.002-05:00

Our garden has produced a ton of tomatoes this year. So when it came to thinking of my next challenge, it was obvious that I should make tomato soup.

For this challenge I decided to go with good ol' Martha Stewart. I wanted a recipe that used carrots, basil and tomatoes (all of which I had plenty from the garden). This recipe called for all three. However, once it was finished I wasn't very impressed with the flavor or texture. I decided to whip out the stick blender, a little cream, chicken stock and a can of crushed tomatoes. After blending it all together, it wasn't half bad. Take that Martha! :)

Vin de Set

2009-08-28T07:24:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I took the metro down town and met Tim for the Cards game. Before the game we took a stroll through the new City Garden. This awesome guy was my favorite.

This one is Tim's fav.

After sitting in the God awful heat and watching the Cards lose, Tim surprised me and took me to Vin de Set for a special dinner. We were a little early for dinner so we sat at the bar and enjoyed a few tasty beverages. This one was called the French 75. It was something like Gin, Champagne and Grand Marnier. It was pretty darn tasty!

After a few drinks, it was on to the main event. In honor of Julia Child they had a special 3 course meal based on the recipes from her cookbooks. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was. The flavors were exciting and rich and every bite was delightful.

It was a wonderful afternoon/evening. I can't wait to go back to Vin de Set. The rooftop patio was beautiful and I want to try everything on the menu. ;)

Family Wedding at the Butterfly House

2009-08-27T19:06:00.004-05:00

Just a few shots from my cousins wedding at the butterfly house last weekend. It was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

I just love my dad. My craziness comes from him. He's a big kid at heart and will never grow old. Love you pop!

This is my favorite flower, the Plumeria.

These guys were totally doin' it and it was awesome!

This guy was beautiful.

2009-08-07T07:52:00.006-05:00

Introducing the newest member to our gnome family, Tweet.

I hung this little gem two days ago and it still doesn't look like any birdies have come for a snack. I wonder if they are intimidated by Tweet's good looks. Oh well, even if the birds don't come, I'm still excited to have found this little guy.

In other news, the garden is doing extremely well. I will soon have more squash than I will know what to do with and the zucchini's have been wonderful. I left one zucchini on to keep growing. So far it's bigger than my arm. Guinness Book of Records, here we come!

Cookbook Challenge # 4

2009-08-02T19:34:00.003-05:00

The Settlement Cookbook

It was very difficult choosing a recipe from this book, it has just about everything you can think of. Somehow I landed on Cantonese Chicken. This recipe was very easy to follow and most of the ingredients were things I normally have on hand (which is probably why I went with this one).

The end result was pretty tasty but maybe a tad too sweet. I think this may have been better with less pineapple juice and with a little spice (which I added the next day to the leftovers) and perhaps some bok choy. I'm not sure I will make this particular dish again, but I may take the idea and make it my own.

Cookbook Challeange # 3

2009-07-31T11:33:00.006-05:00

Ahhh, the good old original Betty Crocker!

This is one that every household should own. A few years ago, they re-released this book, but it just doesn't compare to the real thing. This particular book is another one that my mother passed down to me and I can't thank her enough.

For this challenge I choose zucchini bread. Which I kind of feel is cheating in a way because I use this recipe many times year after year. So, I may end up cooking from this book again later on in the challenge just to be fair. The idea is to choose new things and "challenge" myself.

Cookbook Challenge #2

2009-07-04T14:56:00.009-05:00

HAPPY FUNNEL CAKES!

Every year Tim and I look forward to the 4th of July so we can get funnel cakes. Well, this year it decided to rain and funnel cakes were canceled. We went on a hunt to find the tasty treat. No such luck.

But, it just so happens that my girls Cindy and Megan gave me one of the best cookbooks for my birthday. I am now the proud owner the King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion. This book has it all.Needless to say we found a funnel cake recipe and crossed our fingers. The ingredients were simple and seemed like it would be a piece of cake! Little did we know.

I'm not sure if the oil was too hot or what but this really didn't go as planned. The batter did not hold together, instead it made little funnel cake bites or crumbles and a few fritter looking lumps. Oh well, it was still delish and did the trick!

Farmer Faith 2009

2009-07-03T10:00:00.005-05:00

So far this years mini farm is doing great! I'll let the pictuers tell the story. Enjoy! :)

The tomatoes are looking great so far. I have a feeling we are going to have a TON so we should have lots to share.

I am very excited about the zucchini and squash. Maybe I can grow a monster zucchini again this year. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

This is broccoli. It hasn't really done much more than this for awhile now. I'm not sure when the broc comes to play. I guess we'll just have to be patient.

And the show stopper if the CORN! I am amazed at how well this stuff is doing in our back yard. It looks like one is almost ready to eat. I think next year we are going to grow a lot more.

Cookbook Challenge #1

2009-06-30T05:50:00.004-05:00

Watkins Cook Book 1936

I think this cookbook may mean the most to me. It belonged to my grandmother and for years I have begged my mom for this book but she would never part with it. That is until now. This year for my 30th birthday she finally passed it on. I am so proud to own this book and am very honored that my mother would give it to me. One thing I love most about this book is the hand written changes to the recipes. Or maybe the typed recipes folded and used as book marks. There is just so much to love about this book. So, I felt it fitting for this to be the first cookbook in my challenge.

For my first recipe I chose Pork Chops Southern Style.

I was a little nervous as I have never had chops prepared this way and the recipe really didn't give much instructions. I tweaked the recipe just a tad by using a cast iron dutch oven instead of a "buttered baking dish". I did not have "onion seasoning" so I used garlic powder instead. Also, instead of "rich cream sauce or tomato sauce" I used a little garlic basil and olive oil tomato sauce out of a jar and a splash of half and half.

It may not have looked fabulous but I have to say, it was DELISH! The meat was so tender and the flavor was delightful.
Not so bad for my first challenge. I wonder what's next.

Cookbook Challenge

2009-06-27T09:44:00.004-05:00

I love cookbooks, new and old. I started collecting them not too long ago and to date I have about 47 books.

As much as I love cookbooks, I have to say, I don't use them very often. However, I would like that to change. I think it would be cool to say I have made something from each of my books. So, here is my challenge to myself. I will pick one recipe from each book and attempt to make it. Sounds easy enough. I will post pictures of each recipe and hopefully not embarrass myself in the process. :) I'm not the greatest cook in the world, but I do enjoy it. So here goes...

Happy Birthday to ME! take three.

2009-06-19T11:46:00.005-05:00

My Tim is always so good to me and I feel like I may have underestimated him. He is the kind of person that can do anything he puts his mind to. He can figure out any problem and he is the greatest husband in the world.

That being said, there has been an on going conversation about how "easy" it would be to "build" a skirt or dress. Tim has always said things like "eh, there's nothing to it, you just wrap some fabric around and sew it up!" We have always laughed at him...until now.

While I was in Tulsa, Tim looked up a few how-to video's on Youtube about sewing. He purchased a few yards of fabric and yes friends, my husband made me a skirt for my birthday! And not just any ol plain skirt. A gathered skirt with a waist band and hem. A real skirt! Take a look for yourself. I know your jealous.

He also bought me a stick blender, dutch oven and mortar and pestle, but I think the skirt is the best part.

Happy Birthday to ME! take two.

2009-06-19T08:42:00.006-05:00

As you may or may not know, I was in Tulsa for work on my birthday this year. To be honest I wasn't thrilled to be away for my birthday but I decided to make the most of it and try to have a good time.

Tuesday was our travel day so I met up with my friends Sandy and Brenda and they treated me to a fabulous spa pedicure. I had no idea they were going to pay for it. It was a great surprise and my feet look marvelous.

That evening we went to the Purple Glaze for our group activity. This part really doesn't have anything to do with my birthday but I'm really excited about what I painted. I think I picked out the largest thing available. It's a pie plate with a lid and it's huge. The colors will look totally different once the pieces are fired.

I hope it turns out okay. They are going to pick it up next week and ship it to me.

Anyway, Wednesday was my big 30! We had a meeting, lunch, ice cream cake, and more meeting. That evening we went to an Irish pub called Kilkenny's for dinner. The food was great! I ordered the fish and chips and a black velvet (Guinness and Champagne).

After the black velvet I tried the yellow jacket (Guinness and Blvd Wheat).

It was also my friend Janet's birthday so they brought out two very tasty chocolate cakes.

All in all it was a good birthday. I would have liked to have been home but I did have fun and it gave Tim plenty of time to work on my gifts.

Happy Birthday to ME! take one.

2009-06-19T08:03:00.006-05:00

I have been blessed with so many birthday celebrations that I think it is only fair to split them up and write about them separately.

Let's start with the Sunday before my birthday. That evening we went to Square One for a birthday dinner. We were celebrating not only my birthday but Josh (brother-in-law) and Sue's (mom-in-law) as well. It was a great dinner and free dessert is always a plus. After dinner we went to Josh and Angela's house for more dessert and visiting.

When turning into our driveway I noticed a crazy springy chicken.

I knew that my dad and Brenda had struck again. They are always doing little fun thing for me. I had no idea what they had up their sleeves this time. In the kitchen was a piece of paper with 30 lines on it and a note at the top. They hid 30 gifts throughout the house and yard for me to find. I think I could have pee'd my pants and cried at the same time. I was so excited! I immediately went off to find my gifts. Here are just a few pics of them.

Here is the complete list from the birthday treasure hunt.

crazy springy chicken
mug & coffee
antique silver pie server
antique little shorts pot holder
planter full of snacks
orange spice candle
antique scale (i think this might be my fav)
family matters plaque
antique ice chopper
frame with original art
Kellogg's hat
basket of bath goodies
back scratcher
pedegg
HUGE remote
glass bird dish with candy
slip n' slide
6 pk of root beer and coozie
hanging basket with geraniums
work gloves
bird house
concrete gnome
sleeping gnome
gnome decorative stone
hummingbird feeder
nectar for feeder
old new orleans cookbook
miracle-gro for potted plants
bamboo wind chime
old bible

Tonight they are taking us out for a birthday dinner. I think we might try something new and go to a place called Three Monkeys.

My wonderful brother

2009-06-09T07:22:00.003-05:00

I want to take a minute or two and tell you how proud I am of my brother, Wayne Allen Wilkes. He has become an amazing artist and a fantastic father. You may or may not know but Wayne started his own company a few years back (W2 Design). Now he has decided to make this his full time job and I wish him all the luck. I'm always excited to hear what projects he's working on and I know he will succeed.

Growing up we didn't always get a long. Okay we never got a long. I'm not sure what brought us closer together, but I'm so thankful to have him as my brother. He has gone through a lot the past couple years and I worry about him from time to time but I always know he will be okay.

Please prepare for take-off

2009-05-29T13:06:00.004-05:00

Our little baby birds are growing so fast. They are no longer bald ugly aliens, rather they are adorable fuzzy birdies. I'm sure they will be learning to fly any day now. I hope I'm around to see it.

Why did the turtle cross the road?

2009-05-26T16:02:00.006-05:00

To be Atti and Delphi Pitts new pet! :)

On my way home from work today this little guy was crossing the street right in front of my driveway. I immediately called Octavia to see if they would like to give him a home. Of course she said yes. I wonder what they will name him.

Brothers, Booze and Ball games

2009-05-25T09:47:00.010-05:00

For the most part, this weekend was pretty low key and quiet but, Saturday was a hoot . My brother was in town and we went to the Cards / Royals game. After the Cards crushed the Royals we decided to go to The Stable for good eats and drinks.

Here is Wayne and Jennifer enjoying a very tasty Kastel. It tastes like a cherry snow cone, but not in a bad way. It was especially tasty when we added Southern Tier Mokah beer to it. It was just like a chocolate covered cherry. The Mokah, might I add, was much like Hershey syrup. Mmmmmm

After many beverages J-fer and I headed up stairs to play on the horse scale. We never could figure out how it worked.

After making funny faces at the camera we headed home.

While Wayne took a nap, Jennifer and I finished the evening with some pretty screw drivers.

Baby birds and scary crows

2009-05-22T10:04:00.005-05:00

The baby birdies hatched this week. I went to take some pics of them yesterday and momma wanna to peck my eyes out. Okay, so I exaggerate. Really she just flew me around by my hair. Luckily I was able to snap at least one shot.

Last weekend we made a (not so scary) scare crow for the garden. It's not totally finished but I think it's pretty funny. Some things in the garden are really taking off. The peas, mixed greens and squash look great. Some of the corn has even started to pop up. Aside from the weeds, so far things are looking good. Hopefully in a few months we'll have yummy produce to share.

In other news, the tulips tress and rose bushes have started to bloom. I just love flowers and plants. Being out in the yard makes me so happy. As much as I love fall and all it's beauty, there's nothing like when the grass turns green and the flowers start to bloom.

Window boxes

2009-05-10T16:20:00.003-05:00

I have been searching for window boxes for awhile and came to the conclusion that no one carries the sizes we need. That is until this weekend! I was very excited to find what we have been looking for at our neighborhood Handyman. We hung the boxes and planted geraniums. Also pictured is Mr. Barley Doo. :)

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. We had a fantastic lunch at Josh and Angela's. It was great to have all of our families mixed and I think everyone had a great time. Thanks Angela and Josh, the food was amazing!

Eeek!

2009-05-09T10:32:00.003-05:00

This guy decided to join us for dinner the other night! I guess that's what we get for living in the county country! HA

Hip Hip Peony!

2009-05-06T18:22:00.003-05:00

I have so many peonies in the back and one finally opened up. It's beautiful! :) I can't wait for the rest to follow.

Also while walking the grounds this evening I noticed how big the hostas are getting. Really they don't look as big in this photo but believe me they are HUGE!!

And lastly, a few weeks ago we noticed an empty birds nest in our roses. This evening when I took a peek it was no longer empty. It is now the home of four huge blue eggs.

Let the farming begin!

2009-05-01T08:04:00.004-05:00

A few days ago we started working on the garden. We finally have everything planted and mother nature has been kind enough to water it for us every day this week. We may be a little ambitious with this garden, but I have high hopes. Let's all do a little farmer frolic to the garden gods that everything grows.

Here is a list of the things we planted:

corn

cherry tomato

tomato

peas

asparagus

zucchini

winter squash

eggplant

hot peppers

bell peppers

carrots

mixed greens

lettuce

spinach

misc flowers (gladiolus, marigold, bluebonnet)

And hopefully this weekend we will get the following in the ground:

watermelon

cantaloupe

honeydew

mini pumpkin

white and orange pumpkin

So, as of today this is what our little garden looks like. Keep your fingers crossed!

Plants galore!

2009-04-13T19:02:00.016-05:00

Well I think we are just about finished landscaping the front. This weekend we bought a couple more barberry bushes and a dwarf Japanese maple. Here are a few pics of our progress.

We are also wanting to put up metal window planters but unfortunately have not had much luck finding the size we need. I went to 5 stores Sunday and only one of them even had them in stock (but they were the wrong size). I really didn't think finding window planters would be this difficult. I guess we may have to order them online.

While Tim was cutting the grass I decided to walk around and snap a few shots of the flowers and other plants.

Here are just a few of the hostas, they are really taking off.

And some of the peonies...

And a few other things around the yard...

Easter Gnome

2009-04-12T10:49:00.007-05:00

This morning we woke up early and had brunch with the fam. We came home to the Easter bunny pulling out of the driveway (aka - my Dad and Brenda).

My Dad and Brenda suprise us with treats all the time and I love it. I look forward to every holiday, as you never know what's up their sleeve next.

Here is what they left us.

That's right folks, you do indeed see a mighty garden gnome. But wait, this is no ordinary gnome, he is a solor gnome and his flowers light up! For some reason we love the gnomes and have them all over. It didn't take long for this guy to find a new home.

Here is another gnome in the collection. He did have a grass skirt, which he lost many years ago. However, I think we like him better this way. Who wouldn't?!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a happy Easter.

Tulip?

2009-04-10T07:45:00.007-05:00

My dear friend Cindy made me some of her famous tapioca pudding (It was delicious by the way - as a matter of fact, it was the BEST THING EVER!) and to thank her I cut her a couple tulips from my yard. However, a few days later they morphed into something else. I'm not sure I've seen a tulip do this, but it was awesome! I have to say, tulips are one of my absolute favorite flowers. For one, they represent the start of spring not to mention they are just gorgeous. After seeing this, I think I love them a little more.

And then there was mulch!

2009-04-04T09:59:00.008-05:00

Last Friday we had four cubic yards of mulch delivered and dumbed in our driveway. Amazingly, it only took two back breaking days to disperse it throughout the yard. We mainly used the mulch in the front but found some places in the back that needed it as well. Stay tuned for updates on the back yard.

I also planted some of my herbs. So far I have cilantro, flat leaf parsely, rosemary, basil and oregeno. However, I have a feeling I may have planted them too early as they are calling for freezing weather next week. So, I will be sure to keep them warm and keep a good eye on them. I decided to plant them in the front, close to the kitchen. It just seemed like a perfect spot.

There is still so much to do, but every weekend we get a little closer. I can't wait to do more planting, a little painting, and lots of weeding.

Buried treasure!

2009-03-22T20:02:00.007-05:00

It was a fun and very productive weekend. I started off the weekend a little early. Thursday night I went the Lake of the Ozarks with some family and had a great time. We spent some time catching up, shopping, soaking in the hot tub, eating etc. Good times! We headed home Saturday morning and when I got there, Tim was in the driveway ready to start planting.

We did a lot of planting and even had time to hang new shutters and spray paint the lamp posts. While digging a hole for an azalea we found this little guy. We thought he was interesting and a little cute so we decided to add him to the decor.

We found this guy last weekend while digging. His name is Rocky. He has also found a home in out newly landscaped front yard. No telling what we'll dig up next. :)

So, after our hard work this weekend here is where we are at. It may not look like much, but we're pooped! But we'll rest up and get ready to do it all over again next weekend. We still have a few plants to purchase (including a Japanese maple, hostas, little hentry sweetsprie, sprite astilbe and maybe a few other things.) Of course we are still waiting for grass to grow on the far side of the house and we have some painting to do, but every weekend it gets a little closer.

Ivy is from the devil!!

2009-03-15T18:32:00.007-05:00

When we first bought our house there was english ivy EVERYWHERE! We have been working very hard to remove every last inch of it. We removed quite a bit last summer/fall but there was still one section to go. This weekend we started removing the last section of ivy and I have to say we did a pretty good job. We are going to win the battle of the ivy if it's the last thing we do! We spread some grass seed and with any luck we'll have grass in the next couple weeks.

Here are a few before pictures.

And after...

We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm pretty happy with what we have accomplished so far. Looking back, I wonder what the heck we were thinking when we bought this place, but our little diamond in the rough is slowing starting to shine. :)

Spring is in the air...Finally!!

2009-03-06T15:27:00.010-06:00

This is our first spring in the new house and it's exciting to see things start to bloom. Every day is a surprise as we're not really sure what the previous owners planted.

We have been noticing these flowers sprouting up everywhere. From what I can tell, they are Lilly of the valley.

I just noticed these little guys this morning. I'll need to do some research to find out what they are. They could be weeds for all I know.

LaBeaume Farm 2009 - Stay tuned!

2009-03-04T13:21:00.003-06:00

We are in the planning phase of our garden and will be sowing our seeds soon. However before we get to that point, there is lots of work to be done.

Here is a sample of our crop from last year. Let's hope we get this lucky again this year.

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures.

Here goes nothing.

2009-03-04T08:58:00.008-06:00

So, this is my first ever attempt at a blog. I'm not much for writing so I'm curious to see how this goes. Seems like everyone is doing it these days, so I thought I would jump off the bridge as well.

I'm hoping this will be a place for us to post pictuers of home projects, vacations, the dog, our life in general etc. I never thought I would be a "blogger" but it does seem like the best way to keep friends and family up-to-date on your life. So, here goes...