I am so ready for fall!  I love the fall season.  I am about done with garden stuff.  The weather is changing, and I love the cool, crisp nights.  One thing I don't love though is the sinus and allergy stuff that comes with it.  I suffer from this year round, but spring and fall are worse times for me.  Even Jeff is having issues, and he doesn't usually.  Oh well, I guess we will keep pushing through it. 

I went to an apple orchard the other day, and while it was on the expensive side, it was so nice to go, and I am hoping to go back.  (Hopefully, with Caleb)  They had apples to purchase, as well as peaches, and other nice garden produce.  They allow you to pick the apples yourself on Saturdays and Sundays.  I think the price for that is $1.30/pound  Here is a link to their website: http://www.thierbachorchards.com/  The pre-picked ones are $18/peck.  I bought 3 pecks, and thought I spent enough!  On my way home, I stopped at another farm that had fruits and veggies for sale, and cleaned out their supply of apples and pears.  Yesterday, Caleb and I made applesauce.  (3 canners full!  2 were pints, and one was quarts)  Caleb tried it out and thought it was "awesome"!  He had 3 bowls of it!  I also made apple pie filling (like the kind that comes in a can).  I froze 9 containers of this to use as a filling for crepes, w/caramel sauce and nuts.  I also use this for a pork chop dish that I make.  It's very easy-just brown pork chops, and put into a 9 x 13 pan.   Spoon the apple filling over top.  Next spread stuffing mix, or I make my own.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  That's it.   

I also made another 14 quarts of veggie juice.  I had already made some, but a lot of it is gone.  I plan to use this for chili, and other soups.  I have discovered that it makes a pretty tasty Bloody Mary as well!  Some other things that I have canned this summer are: pepper jelly, salsa, garden relish, whole tomatoes, black bean and corn salsa.  I have also frozen corn, peas, zucchini, and have ready-made apple pie stuff frozen-I mix the apples, flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  Later, when we want pie, I thaw it out and pour it into a pie shell that I have made, and bake it.  It's pretty fast, and yummy!  Hopefully someone will enjoy the "fruits of my labor" this winter! 

Jeff and Jerry are getting things ready for harvest, that should be happening soon.  They took the truck that caught on fire last winter, and got parts from another one, and combined the two into a "new" truck.  They painted it red, and it should be about ready to roll soon.  Jeff is still working on detail stuff like seats, etc.

Summer is flying by!  I have only been on one float trip this summer.  :(  It was just a day trip, but it was fun.  There has just been too much going on to coordinate schedules.  I hope to get in at least one more before fall is here.  I just can't believe it's already August!  I have been busy canning and freezing garden goodies.  We had a pretty good potato and onion harvest this year.  I have already frozen corn and peppers.  I have also  canned pepper jelly, salsa, and whole tomatoes.  Hopefully soon, I will get enough green beans to can.  Today I hope to make more pepper jelly. 

We had a long vacation this summer.  It was exciting to see so many new things, but I was very homesick, and was very happy to get back home.  We put over 3,000 miles on my car in a week's time.  We started out very early in the morning, and drove through parts of Kansas, and on to South Dakota.  We spent our first night in Mitchell, SD.  We camped the first night, but it wasn't much fun b/c it was way too windy to have a campfire, and there were these little black bugs that bite.  We decided to go out to dinner, rather than fight them.  We came back to our tent, and went straight to bed, b/c standing around or doing anything outside of the tent was not a good idea due to these vicious bugs.  I don't know what they are, but I am very glad we don't have them here!  We did go to the corn palace before dinner.  It was pretty exciting for Jeff, but not so much for me.  It was neat to see the art work, but it seems like they really hyped it up.  The next day, we went to Wall Drug in Wall, SD.  Again, I wonder about all of the hype.  There were bunches and bunches of signs building it up, but we didn't get to see very much b/c it was too crowded.  We bought a few things and moved on.  We decided to go through the badlands, which took more time than Jeff wanted, but it was worth it.  We agreed that we were glad we went.  It was amazing to see, and left us both speechless.  We stayed outside of Hill City, SD.  The first night was in a cabin, and the second night was tent camping.  This city is close to Crazy Horse mountain, and also close to Mt. Rushmore.  We went to Crazy Horse the first night, and the next day went through Custer State Park, and then to Rushmore.  This area is so beautiful!!  We saw lots of wildlife on our trip, including pronghorns, mule deer, bison, elk, and even a bear.  We took the beartooth pass, which is a scenic highway.   We both loved it, although it was extremely curvy.  Jeff & I stayed across the border into Montana in a town called Silver Gate.  It seemed very isolated.  I thought there would be more to see and do there, but not so much.  We stayed in a cabin that was kind of unique.  Jeff & I decided it was one of the quirkiest places we had stayed.  You had to use the bathroom in a shared shower house.  The doorway was short enough that even I had to duck my head to go in.  It seemed like the whole building was leaning, which was pretty unsettling.  We headed into Yellowstone the next morning bright and early, hoping to see wildlife.  After spending most of the day there, we wandered into the Grand Teton Nat'l Park, and ended up in Jackson Hole, WY.  We noticed some places refer to it as Jackson, and others call it Jackson Hole.  We were confused about this, and still wonder what the difference is.  From here, we travelled to my sister's house in Ft. Collins, CO.  The next day, we went on to Kansas and stayed one last night there, before driving the rest of the way home.  We had originally planned this trip so we could see Lena, who was supposed to be working in Billings, MT for the summer.  Her plans fell through when her visa was denied, so we didn't get to do that, but thought we would go ahead and keep the other plans.  We are hopeful she will get to come next year, and will probably plan our vacation around wherever she ends up.  It should be interesting!

Jeff has big plans for two thresher's shows.  One is in Montgomery City, and the other is in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.  He has joined the membership for the one in Montgomery City, and will be showing several of his toys.  For some unknown reason, he also signed me up for that membership.  Good grief....Megan, Josh, & Caleb will be joining us in Mt. Pleasant, so Caleb can explore all there is to see there.  I am very excited to show him!!

That is all for now.  :)

I haven't posted on here for a very long time.  I have been thinking about it lately, and thought I would pick it up again.  A lot has happened since last year.  I really haven't shared much what happened, except with close friends and family.  I will explain, and then it is my goal to try to move on, to the best of my ability.  So here goes:  at the end of June last year, my life changed.  I received a phone call from my brother.  I am not going to get into all of the details that led up to this, but I spent the next 3 weeks trying my best to help him.  My husband and I spent a lot of time talking to him, had him hospitalized, and just tried to help in too many ways to list here.  We were unsuccessful, and he ultimately succeeded in committing suicide in my house.  The last year has been spent trying to work through all of the emotions, guilt, shock, and trauma that Jeff and I experienced.  My brother was not a perfect person, and had a hard time handling things.  He didn't deserve the things that were done to him, and I wish he was still here to tell him personally.  He was loved, and I wish he were able to realize that.  I do not know what I would have done without my dear friends and family helping me through this.  I also know that the fact that I have been blessed in being able to help with caring for Caleb has helped tremendously!  That little boy has made me so happy, and is my sunshine.  I feel like I am at a turning point, and am doing much, much better dealing with this tragic event.  To our family & friends, I say thank you.  To those that didn't know about this, I am sorry I didn't take the time to tell all of you.  The one year anniversary of his death is coming up, and I have been thinking about things.  I have made a decision not to dwell on that date, and I will be very busy that day.  I will not be feeling sorry for myself, and I will not be focused on the way his life ended.  Instead, I am choosing to be happy, and try to remember the happy times we had with him. 

Spring has sprung!

Here we go again, with another big gap.  It seems time gets away from me.  There have been a lot of changes since the last post. The biggest and the best is the arrival of our grandson, Caleb.  He was born on January 22, and is just amazing!  We are so excited to continue to get to know him and spend time with him.  Megan has been doing well, and is a great mommy.  Josh and Megan both start new jobs soon, and I will be able to spend more time with him then.  It will be a bit of an adjustment w/coordinating the bed and breakfast w/babysitting, but I am sure it will be fun!

We have been enjoying unusually warm weather for this time of year.  I haven't heard anyone complain!  It has been 80 or warmer for about 2 weeks.  There is rain moving in and it won't be as warm for a few days, but I am hoping it warms back up again after the rain is gone.  The flowers are all blooming, the birds are singing, and I have even seen a few butterflies.  I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet, but they should be coming soon.  I usually put the feeders out the first week in April, but I think I will try putting one out later today and see what happens.  Along w/the warmer weather is motivation for me to exercise more.  I have either been walking or riding my bike, which is great.  It always makes me feel better.

Our garden is growing...we have planted peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussel sprouts.  The peas are sprouted and getting bigger.  I love fresh vegetables.  The problem is that my husband has issues w/planting too much.  He always tells me to just throw it out if I think there is too much, but I always feel bad wasting it.  I wish he would understand from the beginning that he needs to cut back on how much he plants.  I like peas too, but not like he does.  He is a bit obsessed, and I'm past being amused by it.  A few years ago, he planted too much (again!) and I spent about 2 hours picking the peas.  He joined me later and we spent another hour or so.  Next comes the hulling...We both worked on them for several hours, and saved some to finish working the next day.  I had customers at the bed and breakfast, so while I was fixing breakfast, Jeff got lonely hulling peas by himself, and joined me.  My customers started coming down, and the first one told me that I should make that man a pie b/c of him being such a big help to me!  I said "I'll make him a pie alright!"  We have been laughing about it ever since, but seriously cut back on the peas Jeff!!

Pretty soon, Jeff and Jerry will be back in the fields to plant crops.  It's hard to believe it's that time again.  Jeff has already pointed out that the new combine has a buddy seat, and that is Caleb's spot this fall.  Jeff has been busy working on his 963 trackloader.  He has rented it out a few times already, and has several jobs lined up for it as soon as it's fixed.  He has been repairing the radiator.  It always reminds me of Wyatt when he was little when people talk about radiators.  He was a bit obsessed with The Fox & The Hound movie, and I didn't realize how much he was paying attention to it, until we were in the grocery store and he was shaking his fist at a random lady, telling her that she busted his radiator.  It was too funny!  He also used to like to tell women that they were "blasted female drivers!"  We still never know what he is going to do!  Sometimes that's good, and sometimes it's not. 

I am anxious for a camping trip!!  I love to camp!  My friend and I have been talking off and on this winter about our next float trip, and we are going to try kayaks this time, instead of rafts.  I think it will be fun!  She doesn't know how to swim though, so she is a bit nervous about it.  She will have a life jacket on, and it's not like we go on crazy rapids or anything, so I think she will be fine.  We are also wanting to go on a trip to Amish country again.  Jeff is jealous and wants to go, so I don't know if that will mean two trips or if it will mean the three of us going.  I'm not sure he is ready for our adventures or giggling, so we will see!

Happy New Year!! I can't believe it is 2012!  I noticed that the last time I blogged was November 1.  I guess time got away from me.  In mid-November, I went on a new adventure.  I flew for the first time!  I went to Ft. Collins, CO, and spent some time with my sister and her family.  While there, we explored Estes Park, and I also took a lesson on skiing.  It was both good and bad.  I am very glad that I tried it, but I also know my boundaries.  I cut the lesson short, mostly because I am not a big fan of heights.  I especially don't like heights if there is a fast drop involved.  First, I learned how to stop (very important!), then practiced on a very small hill.  Then I was introduced to the "magic carpet".  I am not a big fan of this at all. In case you don't know, it is basically a flat escalator that goes up the hill.  It's pretty tricky trying to get on w/the skis on and not falling...it is also just as hard to get off without falling.  I think I fell 3 times throughout my time spent there. Next, we went up a bigger hill.  To arrive at the top, you have to put this pole thing between your legs, and it lifts you to the top.  I had to remind myself not to look down-lol!  Getting off of this was also a challenge for me.  The bigger the hill, the faster you go, so I had enough. I learned the basics, and am very glad that I did.  I may never try again, but then again, I might.  One never knows.  It was good to get away from things, and I like trying new things.  I was very glad to get back home though.  I missed Jeff a lot. 

The remainder of November and most of December was spent taking care of customers, and getting ready for Christmas.  I did lots of baking, including the following:  Choc. chip cookies, Springerles (both Anise and Raspberry Chocolate), Snickerdoodles, Ginger, Megan's Candy Cane Sugar Cookies, Pizzelles, Glazed Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Cups, Choc. Covered Pretzels, Fudge, Choc. Covered Marshmallows w/crushed candy cane, Rum Cake, Banana Bread, etc.  It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.  I always look forward to it, but I also am glad when I am done!

Jeff took a week off after Christmas, and worked on several things around the house and the bed and breakfast, but mostly cut wood.  He's back at work, and Wyatt is back at school.  It's pretty quiet right now. 

Jeff and I are putting a new floor down at the bed and breakfast in the kitchen.  Things are always more complicated than you expect though.  We bought a different stove, but it is smaller than the other stove, so the counter has to be moved.  When moving the counter, we discovered that the wall behind it wasn't finished, and neither is the floor under it.  Now Jeff has to patch the wall w/drywall, and do something about the floor.  We have to make it be the same height as the other floor, so it will be even.  In the process of all of this, we also decided to paint.  That means lots of Kilz to cover the stenciling!  GRRR...so when you notice that I haven't blogged for a while, now you understand why!  LOL!

November already?!!

Well, October flew right past, didn't it?  We had so much going on, it was gone practically before I realized it was here.  The bed and breakfast stayed very busy, with customers every day, except about 3.  Many of those bookings were multiple rooms, so I was very busy trying to keep up with that and my house.  Crops were harvested without any issues, which is always a blessing.  I also spent a great deal of time planning and preparing for a baby shower for Megan.  :)  Cindy and her girls helped a great deal.  Ashley helped too.  It was a group effort, and worked out very nicely.  Megan and Josh received a lot of nice things for their baby.  They were so happy, it made it all worth it! 

We also went to Indianapolis for FFA National Convention.  Wyatt received the American Degree, and we wanted to be there to watch him receive it.  We drove about 6 hours to get there (we forgot about the time change, so that was interesting).  The first thing we did was get checked into our hotel.  We had our first experience w/valet parking-lol!  This is when Wyatt informed us that he needed a ride back to the hotel he was staying at so he could get his things.  The hotel is out by the airport, so Jeff got to drive in rush hour to take him to get his things.  Kids!  Next, we went to a nice reception that they held for the degree recipients and their families.  We didn't have any of the food, because there were no places to sit and eat it, unless we held it on our laps.  They had a very good speaker.  He moved us both to tears several times, but also had us laughing-a lot!  Next was trying to find some food.  We wandered around downtown trying to find somewhere, when Jeff had the bright idea to go to Steak and Shake.  I don't have anything against it, it's just that I was walking around in high heels, and haven't done that in a very, very long time.  We were all dressed up to go to Steak and Shake!!  Lucky for him, the line was out the door.  He then saw a sign and insisted that we try the Ruth Chris's Steak House.  It has to be good, because they advertise on the Country Gold Show.  (Logic, according to Jeff)  It was very nice, but it was a little out of our league.  In my opinion, somewhere in the middle would have been fine.  One extreme, or the other-that's Jeff.  After we were done, we walked back to the hotel.  We saw so many beggars on the streets.  It broke my heart.  I just wish we lived in a world where people didn't have to do that.  I did give some money to one of them.  Jeff said well he's probably going to go get some booze now.  I said well if that's what he did, then that's his business.  I told Jeff I would not feel bad for trying to be compassionate.  He agreed, but I think I kind of shocked him.  I usually don't do things like that.  It reminded me of a time in Columbia, MO that I saw someone begging, and I went into a quick store and took them a hot dog, some chips, a cookie, and some soda.  Not the most nutritious by far, but I thought if they were truly hungry, they would appreciate the effort.  Funny thing is, I couldn't stop crying about it.  It had me rattled for several days afterward.  I'm not judging them or preaching here, I am just saying if you are able, try not to judge the people that are reduced to this, and help them if you can.  I didn't change the world, but I did change the way I look at things like this.  It always makes me think of the song "Don't Laugh At Me".  I still can't hear that song without crying.  Anyway, we finally all settled down and got some sleep.  The next morning, we went to breakfast, and then to the Lucas Oil Stadium (the Indiana Colts football field), and found our seats to watch him receive his award.  The whole thing was very humbling.  So many kids with so much in common from all over our country.  All 50 states were represented, with Missouri having the most awards, followed by California.  It was very interesting.  On our way back, Jeff stopped at an orchard for me, so I could can apple butter.  We ended up w/a lot of apples though!  I made home made apple filling, to use when I make pork chops and stuffing.  It's very good.  I also use this to fill crepes.  In addition, I mixed ingredients for apple pies, and froze them.  I have enough to make 8 apple pies.  We used to have apple trees here, but a storm wiped them out, and we haven't replaced them yet.  I sure miss them!

We have been having some very bizzare things happening around here.  This story starts back at Labor Day.  We came back from Iowa to find out that our phone didn't work.  No dial tone-nothing.  That means no internet, but it also means no cell phone.  Because of our location, we are dependent on a thing called a "Microcell".  It's a little cell phone tower that boosts our signal so we can get phone calls here.  It is dependent on the dsl, so when the internet is gone, no cell phones!  I had to wait until Tuesday morning to have a repairman come, and when he did, he was very stumped.  He said well I've never seen this before...turns out the phone line that was originally put in, probably in the '50's, finally went bad.  The worst part is that it went across Jerry's bean field, all the way over to Hwy EE.  He said "This is going to take a while".  GRRR!!!  Jeff suggested a temporary line, which was good because it still hasn't been fixed.  The bad part is that we literelly have a wire hanging from our window, across my grape arbor, through the yard outside the gate, and across the beanfield.  It worked for just a bit, but a few days before  we were to leave, I woke up to no phone again, and no internet.  I drove to the bed and breakfast to report it, and they came to fix it.  At first he thought it was a lightning hit, then later said a "critter" chewed the line.  Jerry had asked them to wait until he got his beans out before they dug up the field, which is very understandable, but by this point, the beans had been out for over 2 weeks.  The repairman fixed it again, and everyone was happy.  That is until right before we left.  I went to check my email and the internet wouldn't work.  I picked up the phone to call them and report it, but it started working, so I hung up.  It stopped working again.  This happened several times before I figured out that the internet would only work when the phone was off the hook.  Can you imagine the poor guy at tech. support when I reported this?!  He was very worked up about it and said we need to hire an exorcist.  I said WHAT?!! So the next morning, the repairman came once again, and didn't believe me either.  It turns out there was a kink in the wire, which caused this, and it's fixed.  Fast forward to yesterday...they started burying the wire, only to cut the wire to our satellite dish!  Am I asking so much to just have things work here?

Well I have written a book here, so I will stop for now.  We will see how November goes!  I hope it will be a bit less exciting!  I have some things planned that will be firsts for me, and will keep you posted.

Hugs!

Happy Fall!

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted.  I guess time flies when you are having fun!  This is my favorite time of year for many reasons.  I love the crisp air, the pretty colors as everything is changing, APPLES, pumpkins, no more mowing grass, etc., it is also our anniversary soon.  I am looking forward to making some crockpot apple butter, and I also have a new recipe for apple cake that I am anxious to try.  More on that later! 

Jeff and Jerry are busy in the fields after much delay because of working on the new combine.  They seem to have it figured out now, and the corn is being harvested.  The grain bin fans are running again.  :)

I have been working with my sister in law Cindy on planning a baby shower for Megan.  I think it will be lots of fun and I hope she will be happy with what we have planned.  In anticipation of waiting for our first grandbaby, I have learned how to crochet.  I am about half way through making my first afghan.  I am excited about it because my mom used to do a lot of this.  The type of stitch I am doing is different than she did.  I am wishing I had slowed down a bit and learned from her while she was alive, but the point is I am learning it now.  I have worked and worked on this, and have taken it apart about 5 times, but I think I have it figured out now, and it actually looks like a blanket.  Megan's word for blanket when she was little was "blampy" and I have smiled a lot remembering her saying that as I have been working on this.  I will post a picture when I am done.  Oh and I am using yarn that my mom had bought for some project, and I saved it after she passed away.  I think it's cool that she can still be a part of it in some way.

This coming week, I am going to go to my first cooking school show.  Taste of Home magazine is having one in Columbia, and I am super excited because I have always wanted to go to one, but they don't come here very often, and I have always had other things going on. 

Things have also been busy with the bed and breakfast.  We have been meeting lots of new people, and enjoying return visits with others.  It's pretty neat that we have so many customers that started out as strangers, and are now very dear friends. :)

At the end of August, we enjoyed a mini family reunion.  It was very fun and also good to see most of Jeff's family.  The kids had a blast with some games we brought (ladder golf, washers, horseshoes, etc.) and also had so much fun catching frogs.  Jeff's aunt Judy and uncle Bill were here with their granddaughter for the first time.  It was so fun getting to know her, and watching her take so much delight in spending time in the country.  I bought her a butterfly net and a little cage for her critters.  It kind of started an obsession with her!  I also camped in the yard with her, and had a bon fire so we could roast hot dogs and marshmallows.  I think she enjoyed it.  It seemed like Judy and Bill enjoyed it too!  They didn't camp with us, but I think they enjoyed the rest of it.  I hope she can come back again sometime, and that we can stay in touch.  We are looking forward to having Judy and Bill's daughter come sometime with her two boys.  We will have so much fun!