Things That Happened At My House This Past Week

My goodness, it's hard to believe that a week has passed since I returned from Tennessee. The stiffness in my muscles let me know that I'd made a long car journey. It affected my energy this past week, and apparently my ability to cook a decent meal.

Did you ever see The Dick Van Dyke Show's episode when Laura Petrie left the mustard out of the dip recipe she gave Millie, on purpose, so that her dip wouldn't be as good? Well, I'm suspecting, but not positive, that The Loveless Cafe has done the same thing with their cookbook I bought:



I made their Supreme Chicken Casserole, and their Stay Up All Night Coffeecake. I didn't even take pics. The casserole was very unappetizing looking, and not much in the taste department. The coffee cake almost burned the house down. So, not making final judgements here, I'll give them another try, but so far, I'm disappointed.

To help revive my energy this week I would drink this every morning for breakfast. I know it looks impossible, but it really does taste good! It is 1 cup of Kefir, 1 apple, half an orange, 1/2 cup of cranberries, 1/2 cup of baby carrots, 1 tblsp. of whole flaxseed, 1-2 cups of fresh spinach, 1 small banana, 2 Truvia sweetners and 1 cup of ice. Blend in the Vitamix until smooth. I started feeling healthier and more energetic the first day!





I followed another recipe for bean and ham soup, that ended up with us going out to dinner (It wasn't ready till 10:00pm). The following evening Bill wanted the soup, but the thought of it made me sick. So I made a stromboli. After making a pepperoni and cheese one, I decided to try something different.

I rolled out a rectangle of dough about 1/4 inch thick. (It was a baseball size amount of dough).



I seasoned it with garlic/onion powder, and italian seasoning. Then I used a small amount of pizza sauce, then I layered it with cheese, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and mushrooms.



Starting at the short end, roll it like a bread loaf, pinching the sides closed as you go.



Then place it on a lightly oiled and cornmeal dusted stone. Brush with olive oil, slit top several times, then sprinkle with italian seasoning and parmesean cheese.



Hot out of the oven!



Supreme Chicken Casserole and Bean and Ham soup forgiven!!



On Sunday, I wanted to do something very easy in the crockpot: Put fresh italian sausage links, a bag of frozen peppers and onions in the crockpot.



Add a large jar of spaghetti sauce and mix it all together. Turn on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.



When the crockpot meal is just about ready, cook your spaghetti noodles. That's it! Just add a green salad and garlic bread, and dinner is served! You can also do this same meal with frozen italian seasoned meatballs.



My daughter Susan has been in San Francisco, CA for 9 days on business. She just got back today, and has decided she is a true west coaster. How does that saying go: Live in New York, but leave before you get too hard, live in California, but leave before you get too soft....She found the people to be so laid back and the atmosphere less frantic and hurried than where we live.

Here is Susan, massaging her scalp with a contraption her boss gave her to reduce tension. She thought it was funny, but I think it works great!



Finally, this is the "Welcome to my shame" pic. This is an empty bedroom that has been a "catch all" for things all over the house that have no home. Even though it took me till January 9th this year to remove all my Christmas decorations, I went one step further and decluttered this entire room. Now I have to figure out what to do with the room...



Actually the pic isn't as panoramic as I'd hoped, but here is Miss Cassidy in the empty room. She was excited to help me get it cleaned up. Don't you just love grandkids...they make any project fun!



Hope you have a healthy and blessed week!

The Year in Pictures - Goodbye 2010

In January, my oldest daughter Susan, graduated from The University of Maryland with a degree in History.



In February I was looking for my car, and my sanity after back to back snow storms buried everything.



In March my youngest, Billy, turned 15 years old. He is enthusiastically posing with the outfit he wore when I brought him home from the hospital.



In April, my husband Bill retired after almost 27 years on the police force. Since then he's made me coffee every morning, and has tried to micro manage my days, for lack of a squad to supervise.



In May, we began a series of post retirement Myrtle Beach vacations...



In June we lost a Bradford Pear Tree due to a freak windstorm. Much to the consternation of some neighbors and an embarassing pic on Google Earth, the remnant of the tree still stands in my yard.



In July, we visited the home of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the U.S. He was so proud of the beautiful "Out of Place" mansion he built on top of a mountain in Charlottesville, Virginia.



In August, much to the delight of Bill, who is nine weeks younger, I reached the Big 50...



In September Whitney joined our household, much to dismay of Neela...



In October we attended "Grandparents Day" at the public library with Cassidy. She was the only one to have two Grandparents present, and the only child who was photographed in a boat, inside the library that day. She also turned four that month...



In November, in addition to skipping the Thanksgiving Holiday, we also celebrated Bill's Big 50 by hiking a small portion of the Appalachian Trail. As you can see, it almost did me in.



In December, we had a fun, old-fashioned, family Christmas. It was alot of fun, and the highlight of my year.



This was just a glimpse of all the wonderful, and sometimes crazy times I've had this year. Too bad I didn't have a camera that showed how many times my grown children have moved back home, then moved out again, this year. The media calls them "The Boomerang Generation" the adult children that keep coming back home. Isn't home where they have to take you in? Does that include their animals?

There has been heartbreak this year too, which I'm glad I don't need a camera to show. God Knows, and freely shows, His Compassion, to Heal and Comfort the broken hearted, and He was Faithful to see me through the trials of 2010.

Thank you for taking this journey with me this year. I look forward to sharing more adventures in the upcoming year!

Ringing In The New Year In Tennessee - Part Two

(A continuation of my post yesterday on my trip to Tennessee)

After touring the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, we headed to downtown Nashville. Living so close to Washington, D.C., and commuting for years, I was used to city traffic. However, the Music Bowl, (college football) was being played at the Tennessee Titans' stadium, and the streets were literally blocked off by pregame revelers.

The whole city was a sea of orange.



We never got out of the car, but the city seems like a very exciting place to be. Many country music stars got their start in these establishments.







That evening we went to the Loveless Cafe. It is a local establishment that has garnered national attention over the years because of their secret "made from scratch" biscuits. This place actually has quite the reputation for honest, southern cooking, just like your momma would make, if your momma was southern...:)

Now my momma never made homemade biscuits, but my goodness, there was some good eatin' going on at the Loveless Cafe.

My nephew Jeffery was very pleased with his plate of country ham.



My niece Hannah and Billy at the Loveless Cafe.



I was so fond of this restaurant, I brought it home with me. I bought their recipe book. I'll let you know how future recipes turn out.



The next morning after a breakfast casserole that was to die for....



We headed out to the town of Franklin, Tennessee, site of a fierce and rare, night time Civil War Battle that is referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West." It was here on November 30, 1864 that over 6,000 Confederate soldiers, 14 Confederate Generals (6 were killed, 7 wounded, 1 captured) and 55 regimental officers were killed or wounded on that day. It decimated the military leadership of The Tennesse Army.

Site of the bloodiest five hours during the Civil War, The Battle of Franklin.



Southern pride still runs deep in the South.



The Carnton Plantation. This house was owned by the McGavock family and became a field hospital during the Battle of Franklin. Thousands of wounded and dying were brought here. Four dead Generals were laid on the back porch, and the blood of the men brought there still stains the floor to this day.



The McGavock family donated 2 acres of land for the burial of almost 1,500 Confederate soldiers. They maintained the graves themselves until their deaths.



We then went on a stroll down the streets of downtown Franklin, a quaint, historical town still full of southern charm and hospitality.








We ended our visit with pizza at The Mellow Mushroom. It was the best pizza I've had in a long time...Yum!




My sister Becky and her daughter, Hannah.



We ended our trip spending New Year's Eve at home, playing games and eating delicious appetizers. We stayed up very late, and got up very early the next morning to head back home....and we made it home very early the NEXT morning.

Even this beautiful view gets boring as it whizzes on by........



Like a guilty woman on my way to the gallows, I accepted my fate of 14 or more hours in the car. It wasn't any easier, I didn't feel any less imprisoned, but I knew one fact that I could cling to. Just as Scarlett O'Hara once held up the red earth of Tara and cried "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again," I know I will NEVER make that drive in one day again!

Ringing In The New Year In Tennessee - Part 1

I recently took a trip to visit family in Tennessee to ring in the New Year. My sister Becky, her husband and two children moved there about 5 years ago.

It is a beautiful state, and by car, the trip is 14 long hours from my home. I discovered that I can really only travel 8 hours before I begin to go nuts. After 8 hours I started chanting in my head "I don't think long car rides are good for me," while rocking back and forth and rubbing my hands together. After 10 hours I started mumbling "I can't take this anymore," and tried to write "Help Me!!" backwards on a fogged up window so that perhaps other travellers would see it and rescue me. After 12 hours panic set in, and I started viewing my husband and son as kidnappers, and wondered if I would survive if I jumped out of the car, while speeding 65 miles an hour on the interstate. After 14 hours, I could no longer remember where we were going or who I was. I became numb, defeated, and knew my fate was to forever travel an endless, lonely highway, searching for a place I'd never find. Thankfully, it was at that point that we pulled into my sister's driveway. Clumsily, I stumbled out of the car, practiced walking again for a minute, then hugged my sister and cried....we were only staying three days and then I'd have to make that whole drive again. :(

Not one to dwell on the negative, we made the most of our three days. On the first day, my sister and I got new haircuts. Her son Jeffery was happy to pose with us.



For dinner, she made a delicious Creamy White Chili. I've never had it before, and I must say it was spectacular! It was very rich and creamy, full of chicken, cheese, and spices, with a little bit of crushed fritoes on top. There were NO leftovers!



The next day, after a down home southern breakfast, we headed out to Gaylord Opryland Hotel. In May, 2010, after two days of rain, the Cumberland River spilled over its' banks, causing a huge flood. This hotel was 10 feet under water along with the surrounding areas. The hotel just reopened on November 15th.

This is an area inside the atrium of the hotel. (photo from LiveProcess Blog)



But on this particular day, it was decorated and teeming with activity. I've never seen a hotel quite like this one.

This isn't even the front of the hotel. It is massive in size.



Inside, the hotel is built around this enormous atrium. Guests of the hotel can sit on the balconies and watch the activity below.



My sister and her family. (minus daughter Hannah, she was working)



Billy, Me, and Bill at the Opryland Hotel.



This pond had dozens of squirting fountains. It was fun to watch.



I know this looks like a boat coming down a lagoon in the jungle, but this is The Delta Riverboat, that guests can ride to tour the atrium.



Such wonderful gardens, all live plants and lighted topiaries.



These balloons were floating all over the place. Some had toys in them, some had presents, etc.



There were different places to dine all over the hotel.



They were all set with nice tablescapes.



This was a lighted path that led to a dining area.



A very pictureseq place to have a meal.



I thought this looked like a beautiful place to hold a small wedding, and I'm sure many have taken advantage of this wonderful little spot.



There were many splendid paths to walk down, each leading to another beautiful area.



My nephew Jeffrey, towards the end of our tour...what a sweetheart.



Tomorrow I will post Part Two of our trip to Tennessee!