Monthly Archives: January 2016

Plates on the Wall

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Having lived my whole life in the South, I am shocked that I had never seen plates hung on a wall until I was an adult. Maybe it just didn’t fit in with the shag carpets and orange and green color scheme of the 80s or the huge floral and bright brass touches of the 90s. That’s actually just a guess. I have no idea why I just am getting in on this. I’m frequently late to party when it comes to home decorating.

I saw it in a magazine first, then on one of my favorite blogs (Dixie Delights). I instantly loved the look and with a new house with lots of naked walls I needed plates STAT!

I asked for them for my birthday and nothing happened. Then I asked for them for Christmas from the one person I knew would come through…my sister. She is one heck of a gift-giver. It’s a talent and that girl’s got it! So, I got my plates. I ordered the hangers. I cut out templates of the plates and hung them in different configurations until I found the perfect one and then I was ready to hang them. All I needed now was for my husband to hang them. I waited and waited. For months I waited. I finally took the papers down.

Then I asked the one person I knew who would come and get it done…my niece. She and her wonderful husband arrived ready to hang some plates. He is more meticulous than my husband and I, so it’s probably for the best that we didn’t do the hanging.

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It looks fabulous in my opinion. I love looking at that wall. I love that Baby David always says Tasha and Jason every time he goes into the dining room. I also love that every time I look at it I think about the people who bought them and hung them…my family, the people you can always count on.

Snow Day

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Most of the south is covered in snow. Where we live is no exception. I got up this morning and it was snowing and it hasn’t stopped so far. We have about 9 inches of snow on the ground. This is definitely the most snow most of my children have ever seen. The day is still young, but they have made snow cream and done some sledding. They came in to warm up and now they’re bundled up again and playing outside. This is just the kind of day I like. Everyone is home and everyone is looking for fun and no one expects us anywhere.

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General Tso’s Sauce {Low Carb}

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Many years ago, when I was still living at home, my parents fell in love with a Chinese restaurant in our town. We ate there all the time. We also ate there every Christmas Eve after our church service. So, every Christmas I want Chinese food. I never have it, but I always crave it.

Right after Christmas I decided I was going to try to make my own General Tso’s sauce. I was pleased with the results and have made it twice now. It is very easy and quick to make.

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Low Carb General Tso’s Sauce

2 Tbs. oil

6 Tbs. Rice vinegar

6 Tbs. soy sauce

1/2 cup water

5 Tbs. Splenda

1 tsp. xanthan gum

3 tsp. red chili paste

3 tsp. chili garlic sauce

Put all the ingredients into a small sauce pan. Stir. Cook on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the mixture is thickened. Remove from heat.

 

I make this in a small sauce pan while I have my chicken in a wok on another burner. Once the chicken is done, I move it onto a cookie sheet and finish the vegetables in the wok. I let everyone decide how much sauce they want. More for me because I like the heat and less for Olivia since she doesn’t.

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I hope you enjoy this if you try it!

 

 

Creamy Orange No Bake Dessert {Low Carb}

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I know it’s been a little while since I’ve posted a recipe. I’ve been cooking a lot of standbys lately and haven’t had enough time to try out new recipes.  I decided it was time to try to whip up something new and yummy. I have been wanting orange marmalade but couldn’t figure out what in the world to eat it on. I thought and thought and decided it was going to have to go in something instead.

Here is the recipe for this little sweet treat. It is similar to a cheesecake but has a more custard like mouth feel to it.

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4 oz. softened butter

4 oz. full fat cream cheese

2 Tablespoons  heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. orange extract

3 Tbs. no sugar orange marmalade

5 packets of sweetener

All these ingredients go into the blender. Blend well. Put into small bowls or cups. Refrigerate. Serve cold with a little bit of whipped cream on top. Yum!

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Please, let me know if you try it.

Rock on

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Maybe I’m just a big weirdo, but I seriously LOVE rocks. I have since I was a little bitty girl. My mom always had to check my pockets for rocks before she washed my clothes. I’m still likely to pick up a rock I like and put it in my pocket. I have asked for rocks as gifts.

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This is petrified wood. A Christmas gift last year.

This trait must be genetic because my Granny loved rocks too. She hunted for them on her farm in Kentucky. I always remember looking at those rocks when I’d visit her. To me, they were like fancy jewels. She kept the prettiest ones in a curio cabinet. It made them seem even more special.

When she passed away I brought some of those rocks to my house.

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Just as I’ve written about it before, like the little chair she made,  I look at the rocks she found and imagine her searching for them.

My girls have the same love of these little gems as my Granny and me. They will search the yard or wherever we are out and about. Then they’ll come in and scrub or examine their rocks with magnifying glasses to see what treasures they’ve just discovered.

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This is part of a huge rock in our yard.

Yesterday, they broke open geodes for science. The excitement of what it was going to look like on the inside was real for each of us. The hard work (and small injury of a hit thumb) of cracking them open was so worth it when the interior was revealed. They are just beautiful. I am amazed at how something that looks so ordinary from the outside can be so stunningly beautiful on the inside.  However, this is not only true of rocks, is it?!

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I think that may be why we love them so much. There is something about looking for the special, beautiful, and wondrous in ordinary things. It’s a gift to be able to look beyond the outside and look inside or even to look at all.

The Great Gatsby birthday party

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When my oldest turned 16, she wanted a Great Gatsby themed birthday party. The book is among her favorites.

We requested that everyone dress in 1920s styles. Everyone who did looked fabulous! image

We had our living room decked out with candles, gold, silver, tulips, roses, and black and white feathers.

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We had cards on one of the tables so people could play whatever card game they wanted to play.

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We served salad, chicken salad and tuna salad with croissants, a fruit tray, a cheese tray, peanut butter and jelly sandwich fixin’s (because Peter Pan peanut butter and Wonder Bread came out in the 1920s.), a ham with a cherry glaze, homemade chocolate covered strawberries (gag me…that’s how much I love that kid) and macaroons.

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We poorly attempted a game of croquet.

 

We played roulette.

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We offered a DIY mocktail area with all the ingredients and some recipes.

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We had our traditional trivia game.

ROARING 20S TRIVIA

  1. TRUE OR FALSE: THE GREAT GATSBY ONLY SOLD 20,000 COPIES DURING ITS ENTIRE FIRST YEAR OF PUBLICATION.
  1. IN THE GREAT GATSBY, WHAT IS TOM’S GIRLFRIEND’S NAME? (A) BEVERLY (B) MYRTLE (C) LILLIE
  1. WHO WAS DRIVING THE CAR THAT KILLED TOM’S GIRLFRIEND?
  1. WHAT COLOR IS THE LIGHT ACROSS THE WATER AT THE END OF TOM AND DAISY’S DOCK?
  1. WHO MADE THE FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT IN 1927?
  1. TRUE OR FALSE: BY 1923, MAH JONGG SETS WERE OUTSELLING RADIOS.
  1. THE LEADER OF THE CHICAGO OUTFIT OF ORGANIZED CRIME WAS (A) AL CAPONE (B) JACKIE THE LACKEY (C) HARVEY JOHN BAILEY
  1. WHAT WAS THE MAJOR ART STYLE OF THE 1920S?

 

We all had a really fun time with our really amazing 16 year old!!

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History’s Mysteries

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I never knew my grandfathers. I was born after both had passed away. My father’s father died when he was just a young boy. That entire side of the family lived states away from us so I never really knew them or much about them.

One of the things that I’ve learned from Ancestry.com is that my father’s father had been married several times before he married my grandmother. There is even some evidence that he may have had other children. The more searching I do, the more mysteries I seem to find. The worst part of all is that all the people who might have had answers are gone.

I thoroughly enjoy researching my family’s history. I just wish they’re weren’t so many unanswered questions about the man my dad so lovingly called Pop.

Happy New Year

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No one knows what the day holds, much less an entire year. This is not a magical day where we begin our transformation into an amazing different person. I know that I am the same as last night at 11:59. I am just hopeful that each and every day that I’m still on this earth that I will try to do better. I know sometimes I will fail and sometimes I’ll be weary. I hope that I will pick myself up, seek grace, and keep moving forward.

I want to always be moving forward.
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