Decoration Day

Every Memorial Day my parents go to the cemetery’s of my grandparents and other relatives to decorate their graves with flowers or American flags, if they served in the military.  This year my sister and I decided we should tag along so we would know the location of the graves.

The first 3 cemetery’s were in Cleveland, Tennessee.  Our first stop was where my mom’s parents were buried, Frank and Susie Mathews.  We were not impressed with the up keep of the grounds especially since this is a day that a lot of people visit the graves.

Our next stop was at an old country cemetery that Karmen and I would NEVER have located on our own.  It was called White Oak Cemetery on White Oak Mountain.  The gravel road leading to the cemetery, turned into an open field to drive through.  We had to open 2 gates to get to it but get to it we did.  Dad pulled out the bug spray from this outing…….it even had it’s own gate keeper

This was where my mom’s grandparents, The Cartwight’s are buried, along with a lot of other very old graves.

Our next stop was also in Cleveland and is where my dad’s parents, Arthel and Francis Roberts are buried.

Next stop up the mountain to Turtletown where my dad’s grandparents are buried.

This cemetery was full of relatives from the Kimsey clan.  After taking lots of pictures of head stones, we headed to the farm to see if we could piece together what headstones belonged to which set of parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc.  With the help of a family book we finally figured out about 12 generations.  Pretty good, I think considering that every other generation seemed to have the exact same name as the grandparents!

The one grave that we did not get to visit today was the grave of my grandfather Kimsey who is buried in Belgium.  I have had the opportunity to visit his grave and have a picture somewhere but if I wait to post this until I find said picture……it will never get posted!

Our last stop of the day was for food!  Tellico Beach was calling our name…….

This was a good day.  A day with family, both living and not.  A day to celebrate life.  A day to remember our loved ones. It was a day to honor our family that served our country.  It was also a day to reflect on those service men who served that we didn’t know their names until today.

Thank you to all our military men and women for their past, present and future service.

Pinterest and Cooking Up a Storm!!!

I can’t believe that I am hooked on this thing called Pinterest!  But hooked I am…….mostly on the food section…..who needs a cookbook when you have Pinterest and an iPad?  No need to write anything down.  Just pin what ya’ like and click on it when you want to see the recipe.  I’m in love.

A couple of things I experimented this weekend.  One was Key Lime Cupcakes.  Key Lime ANYTHING is good to me.  www.mymadisonbistro.com/archives/keylime -cupcakes.com is the link to the first recipe I tried.  I made the mini version of these and they were very good.  They were very labor intensive and I really think I will tweek these next time and make them a little easier to make..  Here was is a picture of the final product.

The next thing I saw on Pinterest that peaked my interest was Artichoke Bread Appetizer.  I bought all the ingredients to make this for a Super Bowl Party we were invited to.  But when it came down to making it, I realized that it was basically, Artichoke Dip baked on bread.  So instead of making the recipe on Pinterest…..I decided to use my Mom’s fabulous recipe for Artichoke Dip and then add the Italian Bread.  I think it was a hit, so here is a picture and the recipe to follow.  Enjoy!!

Stir together:

1 cup of mayo

1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (  I used Parmesan Regiano)

1/2 cup finely chopped onions ( I used green onions)

14 oz can of artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)

1 T. fresh lemon juice or white wine

Black Pepper to taste

Take a loaf of Italian Bread, cut down the center and scoop out some of the flesh.  Spread the the artichoke cheese mixture on both half’s.  Mix some bread crumbs with a little Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top.  Drizzle with Olive Oil.  Wrap in foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake again until cheese is melted.  Let cool for a little while then slice into pick up pieces.

Hope you Enjoy!!!!

Christmas Traditions

Christmas at our house means Thumbprint Cookies!  My mom taught me how to make them growing up, and now my children and I bake them every year.  They are a family favorite, and I am told that they are Santa’s cookie of choice.  We try to make them early in the season, but they are usually gone within 24 hours.  Another double batch is often required, specially if we run out before Christmas Eve.  I learned my lesson a few years ago, that I always needed to hold out a few for Santa.  It was about 10pm on Christmas Eve, and I was exhausted.  I dropped to the couch for a few minutes to rest when my son came in asking where Santa’s Thumbprint Cookies were.  I told him Santa might have to have some crackers with his milk this year.  My son whined, “But it’s TRADITION!”  So, I sent him to bed with a promise to bake fresh thumbprints so Santa could have his favorite cookie!  (I wrote this piece for EvaMag in December of 2007).

After I wrote this, my son informed me that we never left Santa milk…..he got a Coke (the real one) with his cookies……my memory may not be so good but I never forget to bake the cookies.  I spent this afternoon baking and adding a new twist to the cookies this year and a friend suggested that I blog about it…..so here it is!

Thumbprint Cookies:

Combine:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg white

1 tea. vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

Pinch off small bits of dough and roll them in balls, place on cookie sheet and put your thumb in the middle of each and press to make an intent. (Thus the name THUMBPRINT…although, most of the time I use my finger not my thumb).  Bake on 375 degrees until done.  I like to under cook mine just a little…..not too brown.

Move the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before icing.

Icing

Blend:

1/4 cup soft butter

1 tea vanilla

2 cups confectionary sugar

2 T of milk

Food color of your choice

Fill each “thumbprint” with icing and watch them disappear!!!

This year I rolled the dough in Peppermint Flavored Sugar to add an extra holiday touch.  I think they were a success!!!

Weddings and Football….18 Years Later…….

A little over 18 years ago, Joe Baby and I sat down with my mom to pick a wedding date.  I suggested October 16.  My mom, being the wise woman that she is, informed me that that was the 3rd Saturday in October and that I could NOT get married on the Tennessee/Alabama football game day.  She was afraid no one would be there.  And she was probably right. We both come from a long time, season ticket holding, Wish that I was on ole Rocky Top family (except for some of Joe’s “people” defected to the other side.  And I love them all….but Go Vols!) So that year, we decided on October 23.  An open date with no football for Tennessee, at least.

The week before the wedding we were really re-thinking the whole ” lets keep it simple and get married outside by the pool concept”.  The weather was cold and rainy.  And windy.  We were afraid we were going to have to go to plan B.  If we had a plan B that might have been an option.  But that morning the sun came out and the weather warmed up and it was an very beautiful day.  Joe was a little nervous and showed up 3 hours early, so I was pretty much locked away until time for the wedding.  We had lots of family and friends.  We had lots of food .  We had tons to be thankful for and we still do. Thanks Joe Baby for taking us on!  The girls and I are thankful that you choose us to spend your life with.

Who knew we would be blessed with a son and 4 grandchildren after only 18 years?  Can’t wait to see what the next 18 brings us!!!!!!!!!

Lazy Sunday Chicken Chili

I love when I come up with a “keeper” recipe that is created from my laziness.  Today I was in the mood to cook but for those of you who love to cook, you know that coming up with WHAT to cook is half the battle!  I gave Joe Baby several chances to tell me what he wanted for supper.  He said he didn’t care.  He said it 4 times. By this time, I was certainly out of the mood to go to the store so I took stock of the kitchen.   I decided with chicken and navy beans, I could make  chicken chili. Once the decision was made…of course my husband snarled up his lip when I told him… (remember I gave him plenty of chances to put in a request), I set out to remember how to make it….it had been years….Now as you all know this was certainly not an original recipe but since I was limited on what I had to go in it…..I browsed several recipes and then went about “winging” my own version.  I have to admit it was quite tasty.  I will most definitely make this again.  In case you are interested, here it is:

Take 4 chicken breast and coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast them in the oven at 400 degree’s until done.  Shred.

In dutch oven, saute a diced onion in olive oil on medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons minced garlic (I used the kind in a jar).  Once the onions and garlic are tender, add 1 cup white wine to deglaze the pan.  Add 4 cups chicken broth or stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  As this simmers, add 2 tablespoons each of cumin, smoked paprika and Italian seasoning.  Also, 2 teaspoons each of salt, pepper, and chili powder.  Last add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  Add 1 can shoe peg corn and 2 cans of white Navy beans (drained and rinsed).  Add the chicken and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Garnish with cheese, guacamole, green onions, sour cream and or tortilla chips.  Yummy!

( Joe Baby is considering a second bowl…..I don’t why he was surprised that it was good! Oh ye of little faith…….)

It’s a Small Town…..

This weekend has reminded why I love small town living.  Just as I did in my high school days, I find myself wearing red and white on Fridays.  Nothing compares to a  small town Friday night high school football game. It’s a comfort to feel a cool brisk breeze in the air and knowing that fall is coming on.  It’s called Football Weather around here and I love it.  I love knowing that it’s time to bring out the crock pot for a big batch of chili.  Or some spicy jambalaya.   I love knowing that I will soon be curling up on the couch with a quilt and a fire in the fireplace.   I also love watching my son play football for a team,

 that I cheered for just 30 years ago…….

On Saturday afternoon, I put on my tennis shoes and headed into town.  The weather was beautiful and The Fiddler’s Convention was this weekend and the town was buzzing with lots of people from all over.  People come from miles away to listen to good old fashion bluegrass music and we love having these visitors mulling around our area.   I headed to the courthouse to browse the antiques. (I was in my walking shoes, so I intentionally did not take money with me)…It’s a good thing, too, cause I saw plenty of treasures that wanted to come home with me.   I loved walking through the booths and hearing someone call my name.  It just makes you feel good to see people you don’t see on a regular basis and have a minute to catch up.   There were many faces that I did not recognize ,of course. But I think it means something to be able to walk to your town square and not be able to make it through without stopping to speak to someone you know.

I headed home after I had made the rounds in town and settled in to an afternoon at home on the couch, watching Tennessee Football.  (I’m beginning to see a theme with this football thing, can you tell I’m from the South?) It promised to be a relaxing day, with home smoked BBQ ribs, cheesy potato’s, garlic and parmesan infused bread and chocolate cake.  A friend and true Tennessee Fan joined us for the afternoon…..I will let you decide if you think he is serious or not.

Rounding out the weekend is the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Where were you on that day?    Churches all over the world were  having  special patriotic services and our town was no different.  But in addition to the traditional church services, we were preparing to paint our bridge and hold memorial services at the courthouse.  This was a pretty big deal for a town our size.  Not only were they asking the general public to paint the bridge, they also took on a church service, feeding the crowd, entertaining the children, providing music and arranging a fly-over jet, helicopters and a firetruck positioned on the bridge for picture taking.  It took a lot of work for this to come together.  It took a lot of everyday people donating their time to come together as a community to accomplish something that need to be done and to remember those everyday people who lost their lives 10 years ago.  And to remember those police and fire fighters who did what they were trained to do but didn’t make it home to their families.   Yes, it has been 10 years but we will never forget!     Here are a few pictures of todays event.

Needless, to say, I am quite proud of this small town.  And I am proud to say that I grew up here, I went to school here….and although, I left for a short while, I still live here today.

Wild in Ya Ya Land

So, Saturday afternoon at the last minute, I was ask if Ya Ya would like to have a nice long visit with 3 of her grandbabies , Jace, Aiden and Kyron.  Long story short there mommy and daddy had plans and no babysitter.   My sister in law and family were coming in for the weekend, so I was sure to have lots of help.  There ended up being 14 of us in all….(kids and dog included.)

Anyway, with all the help I had, they were a breeze.  Pop did the “I can pull my thumb off trick” for them several times and Nen told the story of “Fly away Jack, Fly away Jill, Come back Jack, come back Jill” in which they were engrossed. ( If you don’t know this story, you will have to get Nen to tell it, it comes with visuals., so you must see it in person.)

Jace was tucked away in the den playing video games.  He made periodic appearances to check out the action or to get a refill on his Sponge Bob Cheese Nips.

We ate, we played, we jumped off things, we looked at things outside, we watched the storm come in, we swept the porch after the storm (Ky was very disturbed about all the leaves…sweep, sweep, sweep), we played video games, we ate some more, we watched cartoons, we played with Hot Wheels…..and we read books.  It took all 7 of the adults and the teenager’s to accomplish this!  We all commented on how completely different their little personality’s are.  The are cute.  (No doubt about that.)  They are sweet.  (Well, of course.)  They are funny.  They are full of energy. They are smart.  The only thing missing was their newest partner in crime who they have yet to meet in person, baby Kinley….so we Skyped with them…..

It was the next best thing to having him here. ( If he had been there….I wonder how many more adults we would need? ) It was wild at Ya Ya’s but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bargains Galore!

Last year my friend Amy and I hit the road to our first ever HWY 127 Yard Sale.  It only took one time before we were “hooked” and made plans to do it again this year.  And DO IT we did! The first trip for bargains started in the Chattanooga area and ended in Crossville.  This year we were invited to stay with our new friend Vivian who lives in Jamestown, so we decided to accept the offer and start our shopping there.  We felt like we were staying in a hotel….nice beds, great food, snacks to go and great company.  We even learned a new card game!

We got up bright and early Friday morning.  (Well….we thought we were up early….turns out four of the 8 people staying there had already left when we made our way to the kitchen!)  The group bringing up the rear loaded up in 2 SUV’s (this is necessary if you want to do some serious shopping).  My daughter and her friend in one car, me and Amy in another.  We didn’t try to stay together but did meet up with each other a couple of times.  We had a great time, got some good bargains and sweated enough in the heat to fill a small swimming pool!

One of our first stops was a “one stop shopping” place.  These guys were priced to sell and still willing to deal.  I am not one to bargain with anyone (unlike my daughter, who always asks for a better price) but I think I did pretty well.  My first purchase of the day was an old 4 drawer chest.  I think it looks lovely in my dressing area.

The asking price was $75.00.  I purchased for $65.00.  (And I didn’t even have to ask for a discount).

I also left $2.00 with a guy that had about 100(unpacked) boxes of trash  treasures that you had to dig through.  I’m not a digger either but this piece was on the top of a pile…..

The next stop was a REAL find….found a little church that was selling a few things out in their parking lot and they let us use their CLEAN bathrooms.  We were just not feeling the love of the port-a-potty’s.  I felt a little guilty so I made a purchase….I didn’t spend enough here to pay for the toilet paper I used but…….here is what I bought.

My next purchase got a laugh from the man I purchased it from.  I took it up to him to pay and he said…..”you wanna buy this?”  and I said, “Yes, what is it?”  He started laughing and ask me what I was going to do with it, if I didn’t know what it was….We think it is a fireplace/stove grate of some sort.  It’s going in my flower bed…..Cost $10.00….paid $10.00.  (Did I mention I don’t haggle?)

My final purchase of the day came after we had hooked back up with my daughter.  She did the bargaining for me on this one.  Asking price..$49.00….buying price $40.00.  The best thing about this one, is it doesn’t need any work.  This will make my husband happy, I’m sure.  I already can’t wait until next year…..

Oh Happy Day

So sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything on my weight loss progress. I know what you are thinking….”she’s given up”…”she’s gone off the diet”…”she’s quit exercising”…….well 2 out of 3 are correct. I have been off the diet and although, I did not quit exercising….I certainly slowed down. It’s been HOT and I’ve been sick. Heat and coughing fits do not mix well.

I am back on the wagon. I walked 3 miles yesterday and ate well. I decided this morning that I should probably get on the scale to see what my “running a-muck” has done to my body tha last 3 weeks. I needed to see for myself how much weight I had gained back. My original plan was to diet and exercise all week and weigh in on Friday, but I decided to go ahead and face the scale.

When I looked at the number, I was in shock. It was a good shock….I had actually lost 1/2 pound! I know you are thinking..”big deal” but if you have ever struggled with weight issues…you know that this IS a big deal! Oh Happy Day!

Where’s My Coffee?

I am a morning person.  Well….once my feet hit the floor, I’m a morning person.  This usually requires a few smacks to the snooze button but once I am out of my cozy bed, I’m usually good to go.  I, like most people, have a routine.  I like to start my day with coffee (2 stevia packs and hazelnut creamer, please)….I like to sit on the couch and check my phone for email, check in with the world via Facebook and play a few games of Words With Friends, if I have the time.  When it is time for my second cup, I start getting ready for work.  Today  was no different from any other morning.  I fixed myself a second cup of coffee and went about the usual.

I washed my hair and dried it.  I walked into my closet and picked out a skirt to wear.  Of course the shirt I wanted wasn’t there.  Must be in the laundry room.  I walk to the laundry room and locate the shirt, slipped it on.  Let me grab these clean socks and underwear and put them away. There….done.  I need coffee.  Where is my coffee? I walk back to the 1/2 bath (that I had to walk through from the laundry room).  Um..no coffee. I walk to the bedroom.  I’ll just make the bed real quick and open the curtains. I walked back to the 1/2 bath and like a good wife, who has had the turn the lights off lesson, started to turn out the light ‘s.  Oh wait, I need make-up.  My make up is in this bathroom drawer.  I need coffee.  Where is my coffee?  I walk to the kitchen.  I am not sure why I walked to the kitchen because I hadn’t been to the kitchen since I fixed my second cup. Did I think it somehow made its way from its hiding place back into the kitchen? Let me stick these dishes in the dishwasher real quick.  It’ll only take a second. I look in the den.  No coffee.  Oh, the weather is on.   I sit down on the couch for this.  When the weather goes off, I walk back to the bathroom and  start to turn out the light  ….once again…my fresh clean face is staring at me.  Oh, yea….I need make up.  And coffee.  Where is my DANG coffee?  I leave the light on and walk in my bedroom.  No coffee there.  I walk through my dressing area and into the master bath.  No coffee there. Did I take it into the closet with me?  Have I done something really crazy and put it in the dryer? I walk back into my dressing area and there it sits on the chest.  How many times had a walked past it? Crisis averted and coffee in hand, I did manage to get my make up on but I didn’t let my coffee cup out of my sight the rest of the morning.  It surprises me everyday how little focus I have.  I used to be so on top of things. Now I walk into a room and ask myself why I came into it in the first place.  I usually figure it out eventually but it takes time. Middle age sure ain’t for wimps!