life is a day at the beach

Is there  anything more wonderful than discovering the beach for the very first time? Well maybe being a nana and watching the discovery. I don't think I have ever seen a baby love the beach more than Lovey did. 

I can't believe that I have been away from my blog for ten days, but so much has been going on. I had to return to Lexington on Friday night, and after six hours of driving, I had to take myself to the ER. I had developed a painful rash in Georgia and thought I should get it looked at. As I only have health coverage in Lexington, I needed to come back.

ER Doctor: Well it is either MRSA or shingles.
Me: What's behind door number three?

It's not shingles, so I am on a very potent antibiotic. In the meantime, they were supposed to hook up my new internet service while I was gone, but after two hours of being on the phone with tech support, we figured out they just hadn't done it. So now I have to wait until this Thursday to see if it gets done. 

So here I am at the library trying to catch up on some work. I have packages to mail and I really wanted to check in with my blog. I promise that once I get my internet back up I will be catching up with all of your blogs. Can't wait.

As to the lawsuit matter, she hasn't filed an appeal yet. So I will call the court on Friday to see what is going on. I may be heading back down there next week if she doesn't file. Let's just hope she hasn't gotten mad and disposed of my property. I have lots more to talk about, of course, but I am running out of my allotted time.

 

one step forward.....

and one step back

I'm writing this in the car on my way back to Atlanta from North Carolina. First post ever on my phone, so not sure how it will turn out.

I had my hearing yesterday and the court ruled in my favor, but I think she is planning to appeal. That would add at least another month on to the process. in the meantime my stuff is apparently in her garage. At least that is what she said until the magistrate ruled in my favor. Then she said, in that case I don't have her furniture. REALLY???

So the highlight of my trip was taking little Lovie to the beach for the first time. I will have to share photos later as I can't figure out how to upload them from my phone.

on my way

I had definitely not planned to be away from my computer for three days this week, but my internet service went out Tuesday and by the time it was fixed yesterday I was on my way to Atlanta.

It felt great to finally get on the road and get started on the rest of my life.

Sid was very excited to see me after five months

and JH was happy to see me, I'm just not sure he was happy to be seen with me.

BOYS!!!!!!!

Lovie on the other hand was treating me as the usual suspect. 

This is pretty much the look I have been getting since I got here. Who is this strange woman? Why does she keep calling herself Nana. I happen to know that nana's are those yellow things I eat for breakfast and she is definitely not as tasty as they are.

I'm working on it.

Tomorrow we are doing a home and garden tour and then Sunday we will be leaving for North Carolina after some Mother's Day festivities. 

I'll stay in touch and share photos as I can.

 

pursuing a simpler life

For quite a while now I have been feeling called to live a simpler life. 

Simple Living is "living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich. This way of life embraces frugality of consumption, a strong sense of environmental urgency, and a desire to return to living and working environments which are of a more human scale." (Duane S. Elgin and Arnold Mitchell)

There is so much over consumption in our society and I have wondered, not only, does having more lead to happiness, but what is this over consumption doing to the earth we are so lucky to inhabit. As a mother and grandmother, I am concerned about the environment we are leaving those who come after us. 

Our landfills are clogged with discarded shoddy products Made in China, as we compete to have the latest fashion and technology. 

This is one of the reasons that I love selling vintage and antiques. It is a way to preserve what we already have, by reusing and repurposing.

So, in my own pursuit of a simpler life, I will be sharing my thoughts and ideas on how I can achieve that. I am kicking around the idea of having a linky party where we can share how we are repurposing and reusing. In the meantime, here are some great ideas from Pinterest.

Lighting from repurposed vintage car horns.

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Headboard made from old picket fencing.

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Loving this old crib turned porch swing

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an old rake head becomes a holder for kitchen utensils

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Repurposed wood shoe stretcher. These also work well as photo holders. Hmmmm, I have one of these for sale here

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and if you did buy that Made in China item (we all have) then here is a cute idea for recycling it

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I have just added a new repurposed and upcycled Pinterest board. Would love to have you follow along. 

 

running for the roses

It's that time of year again. fast horses, beautiful hats, the singing of my old Kentucky home, and lots of celebrations. Yes, today is the run for the roses, also known as the Kentucky Derby and no derby party is complete without the official drink, the mint julep. Those of us who are native Kentuckians, were practically weened on mint juleps, but for those of you who have never had the privilege, I am including a recipe. let me say, with all due respect, that if you have never had one of these jewels, I would recommend that you sip slowly on one for several hours. 

mint julep recipe

4 fresh mint sprigs
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a collins glass. Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.

I confess, that I no longer am able to drink alcohol, but that doesn't mean I want to forego the tradition, so I just cook off the alcohol in a delicious recipe.

MINT JULEP CUPCAKES

{adapted from Cooking and Booking}

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
4 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup bourbon (or whiskey)
1/2 cup Creme de Menthe

Icing
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
milk*****

Directions:

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350º F, and grease or line 30 cupcake cups.
Combine salt, baking powder, and 1 3/4 cups of the flour. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the milk and liquors to the batter, then the rest of the flour (1 cup). Mix as little as possible, just until the batter comes together. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool.

Icing

Combine the powdered sugar, salt, extracts and melted butter and beat until creamy. Gradually add milk until the texture is right for piping. When the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread the icing on top. Garnish with cake sparkles or sprinkles, a straw (trimmed to size), and mint leaves.
*****

I'm thinking this is not the low calorie version, but hey, after you run around the track a few times you're bound to burn them off.  (thanks to my cousin AnneBrinton for finding this)

Well, i'm off to find my hat and read the racing form so you all have a nice day.

 

finding your way

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This has been a difficult week moving my mom into a retirement apartment. She had been resistant for awhile, but when she decided to do it she wanted it done very quickly. My older sister is not happy about it and so refused to help with the move. That left it all on me, but it has been a special time for Mom and me. 

I learned something interesting about my mom this week. She has always been very outgoing and has tons of friends, but she was nervous about meeting new people and wanted me to eat the first couple of meals with her in the dining room. Fine by me, the food was delicious. 

Last night she ate on her own and I was hoping that everything went okay. It was more than okay. She called me to say how happy she is and I am ecstatic. She has already made several new friends and she loves her cute apartment. Today we are going to try and finish the unpacking and go to the grocery to get her breakfast food, as she wants to eat that meal in her apartment. This weekend we will try and get her pictures hung and then I know she can really start calling it home. 

After that I can focus on my own moving ahead. One day at a time and one step at a time. I know it will not be easy, but I will find a way to accomplish it all and a way will find me.

 

Taking a Break

I am going to be taking a much needed blogging break this week. Lots of last minute packing, then moving Mom on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then there will be unpacking for a couple of days. 

I should be back at the end of the week, and then I will be heading down to Georgia and North Carolina at the end of next week. I will be having my day in court on the 13th. I can't wait to get it over with no matter what the outcome is. Hopefully I will get back some of my property, but either way, I am ready to move on. 

I will leave you with this photo of my sweet grandbaby.

It begs the question. Which came first the baby or the chicken? From the look on the chicken's face I would say she believes it was her yard first.