Chris and Nikki's Visit

Two weeks ago, my brother, Chris, and his lovely girlfriend, Nikki came for a visit. I love when he comes for a visit. They were such fun to spend time with and are the most easy-going people out there. On a chilly, damp Saturday, we decided to all head up to Mount Airy for the morning. Nikki is always ready with a funny face for the camera. I tell ya, she fits right in around here.

On our way to Mount Airy, we stopped by Pilot Mountain and drove up to the look out point.

We took a VERY quick look at the view from the mountain because it was freezing up there! The wind was blowing a very cold drizzle in our faces. We all rushed back to the warm cars.

Luckily by the time we got to Mount Airy, the rain had pretty much stopped and it was much warmer now that we were off the mountain.

We had a great time walking along the main street of this charming little town. This is the town that The Andy Griffith Show is loosely based on since it was Andy Griffith's hometown.

We found a few books for the kids in the antique store (funny, they weren't antique books!), we browsed through music stores, we all picked out some candy in the candy shop, and there was even a quilting shop for Mom and a knitting shop for me!! What a great street of shops!

After we had thoroughly window shopped and even found a few treasures, we headed for lunch at Goober's 52 restaurant. It's a very laid back, fun place to have lunch. We sat in their enclosed "picnic" area that I'm sure has seen plenty of late-night partying.

The digs might not have been fancy but that was a good thing because that really let all of us relax and have a great time. Charlotte gets in some silly face poses.

Mark and Jon's turn for a silly picture. Poor Jon. He had a cold that day and he was operating on very little sleep since the marching band played at the football game the night before. He was very brave though despite his "man crippling cold".

She can't help herself, can she? It's great to see my little brother so happy.

I had a delicious burger! I think it was a classic burger but I can't remember. It had great grilled flavor and just the right ratio of bun to burger.

What's wrong with this picture? No funny faces? Just smiles? Crazy!

That's better!

After we left Mount Airy, Mom and Mark took the kids back to their house and the rest of us went in search of apples. We got lost on our way to the orchard but as luck would have it, we found an apple farmer on our way home that had bushels of apples for $12 a bushel!! Great deal and we didn't have to pick a single one! I came home with 5 bushels for me and 2 to send back home with Chris for my sister. I'm working my way through the bushels making applesauce, apple butter, and fruit leather. I'm about halfway done. Whew....

The next morning I made cinnamon pancakes with sauteed apples on top. Man, were they good!

Charlotte beat Chris at Memory. That child is crazy good at that game!

And while Chris and Charlotte played, I taught Nikki how to knit. She caught on so fast! Another knitter was born that day. *sniff, sniff* I was glad to be there to witness it. Slowly but surely I'm trying to teach everyone around me to knit. So far the dog and cat don't seem the least bit interested but they'll come around.

Since Nikki's favorite color is purple, I found some pretty black yarn with purple metallic flecks in it in my stash to send her home with. I know black isn't the easiest to knit with since it's hard to see the stitches but she didn't seem to have trouble. The yarn was given to me by my Aunt or her friend, Debbie (my memory is failing me on this one) to help me, as a beginning knitter, and I was happy to be able to share some of what they've given me with Nikki.

By the way, isn't her hair gorgeous?

It was a great visit and they're so much fun to spend time with. I really wish they lived closer!

Wordless Wednesday - What Happens When You Make Chicken Broth With Purple Carrots

Making Spreadable Butter

We used to leave our butter out on the counter top in a butter dish so it was soft and ready to spread. When I switched to locally made, Homeland Creamery butter, I noticed it got a funky odor to it when I left it out. I needed to come up with a way to make spreadable butter straight from the fridge. I've seen commercials for spreadable butter that blends butter with oil so I thought I'd try that. I use extra light or regular olive oil for this. You could use extra virgin olive oil if you want your butter to taste like olive oil. I wanted ours to have a butter flavor so I went with the lighter oil.

Let your butter come to room temperature. For every pound of butter, I add 1 cup of oil. Using a mixer, blend the softened butter and oil until it becomes smooth. The butter blend above hadn't gotten smooth yet because my butter was still on the cool side. I let it sit for a few minutes and then tried again.

Once the butter and oil blend is smooth, put it into resealable containers and store in the fridge. It will firm up but it won't be rock hard like pure butter.

Finally, no more ripped bread and crumbled muffins!

This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday.

Stormy Skies

A storm front moved through a few weeks ago and boy did it put on a show. Believe it or not, we didn't get any rain from these clouds. We had a thunderstorm later that night but these cloudy just rolled right through, twisting and rolling as they went past. They looked so different one moment to the next.

All of our neighbors came out with their cameras to take pictures also and to just look up and watch the show.

And just as fast as they rolled in, they left.... leaving behind white puffy clouds and a blue sky.

Mark's Birthday Cheesecake

Okay, Mark's birthday was over a month ago. I may not be able to blog promptly but at least this cheesecake was enjoyed on his birthday. Mark (aka: Grandpa) LOVES cheesecake. When my mom called to ask me if I'd bake him a cheesecake for his birthday, I was more then happy to say yes.
Though I couldn't try a piece since I can't eat dairy... and the fact that it's rude to send a birthday cheesecake with a piece missing... I was told this was a fantastic cheesecake recipe. Don't tell anyone but I was told that Mark had the equivalent of 3 pieces the night of his birthday! I'd definitely say this recipe is a winner. Vanilla Cheesecake With Chocolate Glaze (adapted from this recipe slightly)

Crust
5 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham crackers (about 11 crackers)
1/4 cups sugar

Filling
1 cup sugar
2 pounds of cream cheese at room temperature (that's 4 bricks of cream cheese)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt

Glaze
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
4 Tbsp. heavy cream


1. Heat oven to 350*. In a medium bowl, melt 5 Tbsp. butter in the microwave. Add chocolate graham crackers and sugar and stir until well combined. Press mixture into a 9 inch springform pan; press firmly, forming a 1 inch crust up the sides of the pan. Bake until set, 12-15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool a bit while you make the filling.

2. Reduce oven temp. to 275*. In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the sugar. Add the vanilla and the eggs slowly. Beat in sour cream and salt. Pour batter into crust.

3. Bake cheesecake until sides have set but center appears soft, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Run a paring knife around the outside of the crust, loosening it from pan. When cool, cover tightly with plastic; let set for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

5. To serve, place chocolate chips, butter, and cream in a small microwave bowl and heat in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until chocolate is almost all melted. Keep stirring until chocolate is fully melted and the glaze is smooth. Pour chocolate glaze over the cheesecake leaving 1/2 inch border. Chill until glaze has set, about 10 minutes.

Playing In The Rain

A few weeks ago (again, prompt blogging) we had a rain storm without any thunder or lightening so I told the kids to go out and play... and they did.

A Weekend To Celebrate A New Baby And A Wonderful Lady

Over Labor Day weekend, we went up to Western Pennsylvania to be there for a baby shower and an 80th birthday party. Jon's brother and his wife are expecting their first baby just after Christmas. I knit this set for my little nephew before I knew he was a he. I added the brown buttons and ribbon after we found out he was a boy. Had I read the pattern more carefully, I would have had buttons going all the way up but I missed the part that assumed I'd remember to make button holes while knitting the body. I had to be creative to close this little cardigan.
I used this no-seam pattern that was easy to follow (if you pay attention to the directions). The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll Sport in "Peapod" which is a soft blend of 75% superwash Merino and 25% Nylon. I wanted this set to be washable since I know how messy baby clothes can get. I wanted the set to be practical as well as cute.
The hat is a simple beanie with a few purl rows in there for interest. I used this pattern.
I knit the socks using the toe-up technique and added a few rows of purl and garter stitch to help them match the cardigan and hat.

And since Ken's as big of a Steelers fan as Jon is, I knit little Samuel a Steelers hat... a very, very small Steelers hat.

We're pros at long car trips since we make the 8 hour (or 9-10 hours when you get stuck in traffic) drive to PA about twice a year. During a bathroom break, Jon took the kids for a jog up and down this hill. He tried to get them to roll down the hill but they said no way!

We left for PA after work on Friday so once it got dark, the kids started to fall asleep. We got to Jon's parents house around 1am, I think.

The next day I helped Millie and Suzanne prep the veggies and fruit for the two parties.

Ken spent some quality time with Koko.

The kids had a great time playing with all the old cars that Grammy and Grandpa saved from when Jon and Ken were little boys.

Then Jon kept them busy by taking them to a baseball field and letting them run out a lot of energy. They were Daddy's buddies all weekend while I helped with the parties anyway I could.

We headed to the church hall to start prepping for the baby shower. I had made and froze 4 large pans of lasagna at home that I brought along for the party. I nervously watched them bake hoping they would be done in time for the shower. They were... just barely.

The night before, Suzanne and Millie had gotten the hall all decorated for the shower. I can't imagine how many hours of planning and work went into this party. They thought of everything.

I love those guys.

Jon's been teaching the kids the fine art of the silly face.

How's he doing with his lessons?

It was a coed shower and Ken got some pretty funny gag gifts. This is Ken in full gear to change a diaper on a poor baby doll. With goggles, a mask, and chemical proof gloves, diapering this baby doll was a hilarious and impossible feat! I've never seen Valarie laugh so hard.

With a quick presto-chango (aka, everyone pitching in) the baby shower was magically changed into an 80th birthday party for Jon's wonderful Aunt Betty. She's such a sweet lady.

She gives great hugs and I love when she asks me, "How's Becky?".

A big family picture to end a great party and a great weekend!

Baked Oatmeal. Comfort In A Bowl.

Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted? Yikes. Life has been busy.... great but busy.

We're knee deep in marching band season which means Jon is working 70+ hours a week which leaves me a single parent most of the work week. Marching band is great fun but it's very demanding. Jon's looking forward to hosting his first marching band competition at his high school. I'm in charge of the hospitality tent for the directors and judges. I've been spending hours on the phone calling local businesses asking for donations and coordinating catering. I get so excited whenever a business donates something, even if it's just pens for the gift bags! As fun as it's been for Jon and I to plan this competition, and as fun as that day will be, we'll both be a lot less tired after Oct. 1st.

It's been hard for me to find the time and energy to blog lately but I'm going to try to do better. I'm still baking, cooking, and knitting like crazy and I have so much to post about but I tend to want to watch a good movie and lay on the couch the moment the house is quiet instead of get on the computer. I'm going to take the next few weeks to do a lot of catch up posts. Hopefully that will get me back into the blogging saddle.

So, with such a hectic schedule and so many things to accomplish in a day, how do I help myself stay sane? Well, every morning I wake up at 5:15 to exercise. Yes, it's early. Yes, I'm a morning person. I walk 2-2.5 miles around my neighborhood or I do a Pilates tape. Then I get ready for the day. I have to fit in my exercise before the rest of my house wakes up. I have to make it the first thing I do every day or otherwise it won't get done. The exercise helps wake me up and gives me energy for the morning.

I also find that eating a healthy breakfast helps keep me going through the morning. My current favorite breakfast is a bowl of baked oatmeal. It's very filling and the warm oatmeal is very comforting. I altered a simple baked oatmeal recipe until the resulting oatmeal is something I love and look forward to each morning. I've been having this for breakfast every day for the past month and I haven't gotten tired of it.

This baked oatmeal isn't very sweet which is why I usually cut up half a banana to go with it. If you like your oatmeal sweeter, you can increase the amount of sweetener or top it with maple syrup. The oatmeal is dairy free since I'm allergic but feel free to add milk instead of water.

Simple, Dairy-free Baked Oatmeal

1/4 cup Earth Balance (dairy-free margarine)

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 cups rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)

1/3 c. maple syrup

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. water

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 350*. Put the Earth Balance and coconut oil in a 9x9" baking dish and place in the oven to let the oils melt while you get the oatmeal batter ready.

- In a large bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients until well combined.

- Carefully take the baking dish out of the oven once the oils have melted and pour the oatmeal mixture into the pan. Stir only slightly to incorporate some of the oils into the batter, leaving some unmixed at the edges.

- Bake until edges are golden, about 30 minutes.

Cut into 6 servings. Serve hot or let cool and keep in the fridge. When you're ready to serve, crumble slightly into a bowl, top with almond milk, heat in the microwave until warm and top with bananas.

This recipe is linked up to Simple Lives Thursday.

Pigeon Forge

**For some reason, my pictures did not upload in order so please excuse me as I hop randomly from one picture**

Can everyone please pretend it's July? Thanks. This post was supposed to be written at the end of July but then life happens and it's just getting posted now.

In July we went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with my sister and her family and my mom and Mark. We rented a big cabin together and had such fun! My camera also broke halfway through our trip but luckily my sister takes as many pictures as I do. Half of the pictures are from her camera and half are from my old camera.

The guys bonded over a campfire.

Mark and David knocked over found a dead tree to use for firewood. Devin's helping his dad cut it into usable pieces.

Jon and me around the campfire (I was only there for a little while since the idea of inhaling smoke in 85* heat isn't my idea of fun).






Katie got into the tree chopping work by trying to use a wire "saw".

Jon trying to roast a marshmallow while holding it in his mouth.

Delicious cupcakes from Cake by Bakin' Bishop. I couldn't resist their little shop on the way to our cabin. They top the cupcakes with whatever frosting you like. I got a mix of mini cupcakes. I forgot to take a picture before half of them were eaten.

(I couldn't eat these cupcakes since they weren't dairy-free but from what everyone else said, they were delicious!)

Katie and I tried to work together to make the wire saw work but it only provided a good arm workout... not firewood.

Katie, David, and their kids went with us to Cades Cove one morning for a scenic drive and a hike to Abrams Falls. We didn't believe the signs that said it was a 3-4 hour hike. We went with only a light snack and a little water and 4 kids. Sounds like quite a plan, doesn't it? Surely it won't take that long to hike 5 miles up and down hills and across rocky terrain.

Ummm.... just a hint. Believe signs you see at the entrance to hiking trails.

Oops. I definitely have the wrong footwear for this hike. I've since learned to listen to signs about required footwear and had large blisters to prove it.

Evan rode across the first log bridge on my back. I felt like a pack mule.... in flip flops.

Evan having a little snack.

Yay! We made it to Abrams Falls. We all took off our shoes and cooled off in the icy cold water. It felt so good on my blisters. (Again, don't hike in flip flops)

It was so beautiful and the adventure of getting there was worth the blisters. The big kids were amazing hikers! They marched forth with such determination. Evan had had enough about 1/3 of the way into the hike but Jon was able to keep him moving. Jon and I took turns carrying him on the way back.

*More from the hike in a moment after the random pictures.

Kylee and Charlotte being bears at a store in Pigeon Forge.

Grandpa helped the girls fly their gliders off the deck.

How neat does this tunnel look when you take a picture while driving?!

More from the hike.

The big kids thought these log bridges were neat and just scary enough to make them feel very brave.

Jon as "Thinking Man" during the snack break.

Abrams Falls again. It was a great adventure.

We also went to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg. I love aquariums and this was a great one.

The kids peeked into a fish tank that was near the floor.

Nana gets the kids to feel the mist coming off of the rocks.

I want a jelly fish tank just like this in my house. It was unbelievably beautiful and so relaxing.

We had a front row view of the penguin feeding but before it started, the kids got to crawl through a tunnel and look into the habitat from a viewing tube.

The penguins were so cute and one named Sunshine fell in love with my mom. He kept trying to get her to pet him but he didn't seem to know that there was thick glass separating us.

We were all tempted to take a penguin home with us.

Charlotte got to pet a horseshoe crab.

These pop-up tubes were such fun.

Charlotte's making her fish face to see if the fish would fall for it.

Katie even got to try it out.

I also want one of these tanks at home.

Evan and millions of Nemos.

We took a ride through the tunnel where you got to see fish on all sides of you and even above!

I love sea turtles!

Hi Katie!

It was pretty hot while we were in TN so we had to keep the kids cool as well as busy... enter water balloons.

Splash! Devin, you look a little wet, buddy.

Kylee turned 6 that week so we had a little party for her.

Two cakes! I just decided I want 2 cakes for my birthday this year.

Good set of lungs on that girl.

Why does Twister look so easy when children play it and then you try it as an adult and .... well.... it's not so easy.

That's the face Jon always makes when we do the dishes.

Evan was concentrating very hard while painting the wooden pieces that would eventually make a car.

The girls worked on sticker mosaics.

I think you should have bought that hat, Katie!

Ice cream cone time!

Mmmmmm.... S'mores!

Kylee and Charlotte loved the huge tub upstairs.

On one of the last days, we went went on a chair lift and alpine slide at Ober Gatlinburg. I've never considered myself afraid of heights but I have to say I was terrified while on that chair lift. We were very high in the air and I had to look up at the tree tops to keep from freaking out. Evan (and Charlotte who rode with Jon) on the other hand loved every minute of it.

After we went up... time to come down on an alpine slide! Jon and Charlotte drove one sled.

David and Devin got their own.

Evan and I getting ready to hurl ourselves down the mountain. Actually it was super fun and the speed was very controllable.

Katie and Kylee were a team on the sled. I think everyone had a great time. Evan was sad he couldn't go up and do it again. I think he would have had to find a different mom to sit with up the mountain though because this momma was not getting on that chair lift again!

It was such a great week. Great memories with great people!