One Year

Today marks a year of living on the East Coast.
A year of new cultures, food, climate and bugs.
A year of learning about myself.
A year of love.
A year of firsts.
And a year of ups and downs (more ups than downs thankfully!)

When I packed my bags and headed East I had no idea what was in store for me. Sure I had a plan, and I was going to stick to it, but it seems God had other ideas and for that I am truly thankful.

I have learned some life lessons on my journey so far. Some serious, some silly but all relevant to the world I now live in.

1. If a bug is to big to kill with your shoe, keep one eye on it while backing away slowly. They are like the ocean, never turn your back on it or you'll be sorry.
     I can not tell you how many times this has come in handy. Although our bugs don't compare with, lets say Australia, I have literally had panic attacks over giant spiders.
2. Fresh, local, unprocessed food is something I can't live without.
     Thank goodness I have found a farmers market in the next town over! The produce section at our grocery store is some what of a joke. I never knew how much I loved fresh fruit and veggies until I couldn't find them!
3. Trust your gut when in a bad situation, it is usually correct. 
     If you find yourself stranded in the mountains, with no cell service and someone stops to help you, you'll know right away if you should get in the car with them.
4. Be open to new things, you might be surprised.
     If I wasn't open to trying something new, Scott and I would never have met.
5. Nothing can be more terrifying and beautiful as an intense thunder storm. 
     I enjoy a good storm as much as the next guy, maybe a little more. When the storm turns violent that is another story. Trying to get into the house while the wind is tossing around your BBQ and bending trees is not something I want to relive frequently.
6. Air conditioning is a way of life, even thought it is literally 107 degrees outside, always bring a sweater with you when going out.
     You can go from ripping with sweat to freezing in a heartbeat. Thankful for the AC, but sometimes I have to step outside just to warm up again!
7. Although we are in a beautiful part of the country, people don't appreciate what is in their own backyards. They love to look at nature through the car windows. Weird... 
     Can you imagine going to The Great Smoky Mountains and not getting out of your car? Me either, but it happens! Come on people, the fresh air will do you good!
8. It still makes my heart hurt every time I am served something in Styrofoam.
    Enough said.
9. I have a new appreciation for the old way of life. Growing a vegetable garden is good for the soul. Learning to can and preserve the fruits of your labor and share it with others is even greater. 
     Scott's Papaw has been teaching me the tricks of the trade. Having the life lessons from an older generation is priceless.
10. God's plan for you in infinitely better than the plan you have for yourself. 
     The first 3 months I was here were quite possibly the hardest 3 months of my life. My whole life flipped upside down, but I came out a stronger better person.

I can't talk about the past year without mentioning the best part. When two people take a leap of faith, anything is possible. Scott is by far my greatest adventure.

Here is a look back on some of the highlights over the last year.

City life, country girl, date nights with Luba & Rachel in uptown Charlotte, sun, snow, thunder, ice, Atlantic Ocean, The Great Smoky Mountains, apartment life, housewife, hunting, tractors, giant bugs, fishing, long drives, mixing cultures, Dollywood, Christmas, football games, garden, long nights, southern food and great memories.

One year down, many more to go! Here's to looking forward to the future! 

Green Thumb

For months I have been working on getting some color into the garden and things are finally starting to bloom! After what feels like forever, all of our hard work is starting to pay off!

We were able to acquire some canna lilies from Craigslist that are going to be beautiful once they are in full bloom. I have also collected seeds from the SeaRoses Scott's dad gave us so I can get some more started! It really is starting to look beautiful, not to shabby for a first attempt at a real garden!

Colorado Burrito

I am always looking for new recipes to try and came across this the other day and knew I wanted it right away! Usually I am not a fan of TexMex, in my opinion nothing beats street tacos with a little lime, but there was something about this that appealed to my belly! I spent some time looking at various versions of the recipe and bookmarked a few that looked good. After confirming with Scott that he would  "at least try" it I had the green light to make it happen!

Colorado Burritos 

2 pounds cubed stew meat
1 large can enchilada sauce (at least a 19 oz can)
2 teaspoons Better than Bullion jelly
Refried beans
6-8 burrito-size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese 

Directions:
Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Put beef, bouillon, and enchilada sauce into slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender (you could also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours).

When beef is done (it will be very tender and flake off when stirred), turn oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate or baking pan, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito. Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the slow cooker over the burrito to cover it and top with cheese. 

Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.
Makes 6-8 burritos, depending on how full you make them.

Top with whatever you like - Avocado, sour cream, green onion, hot sauce, salsa. Enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from Six Sister Stuff 

Made some with and without beans. 

Almost ready!

I loved them and am hoping to make them a little more homemade next time (beans, enchilada sauce), Scott said he would eat it again but probably not ask for them. So I guess they won't make it into the regular rotation but I am go glad he "at least tried" them!

Goodwill Outlet

Scott took some time to go to the Hunting Club (remember when I went with him here?) to prepare the land & house for the summer so I decided to go into town for some Pho and shopping.

The Pho place wasn't the best in the world, man so I miss Pho Oregon, so I thought I would try my hand at the Goodwill. Unbeknownst to me it was a Goodwill Outlet where nothing is sorted and you pay by the pound.

Chaos!

It was crazy! People had shopping carts (known as buggies here) overflowing with stuff! I was a little overwhelmed, but I had taken a trip all the way into town so I wasn't going to waste it by not looking around.

Most of the stuff was junk. I think you really have to be in the mood for thrift shopping, or at least I do. But I did find some treasures like this NKOTB book with the original stickers inside!

 

I left that fun find for someone else. I did however walk away with a few kids books that were in great condition - Sideways Stories From Wayside School anyone!?

More Critters

It seems that with the summer heat in full swing (actually, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. Check back with me in August. Yuck.) more and more critters are making their way out of hiding and into full view.

You may remember we have already seen our share of various bugs (click here to see), frogs and groundhogs (seen here), our baby robins (seen here) and my personal favorite - lightning bugs (seen here)!

This is what we've had around lately.

Praying-mantis, Lady Bugs, Red Headed house finch at the bird feeder, Japanese Beetle (that is wreaking havoc on my plants!), black snake in the road, and a family of bunnies that live in the field! There are three babies and a mama. I love watching them frolic just before the sun goes down!

We have our own animal park right in the back yard, you just have to look a little harder to find our treasures!

German Pancakes

I try really hard to incorporate a little bit of home here in the South so I don't feel so far away and out of touch. Sometimes it is a little harder with food, especially when you have some picky eaters on your hands (I've said it before and I'll say it again - Scott is such a trooper). 

The other day I made oatmeal (homemade of course), nice and thick with brown sugar and cream, they way I grew up eating it. That didn't go over so well, Scott grew up eating it with white sugar, milk and super runny. 

I decided to make some German Pancakes, also known as Dutch Babies. Yum!

Usually I eat mine with powdered sugar and lemon juice or maybe some freezer jam. Scott didn't seem to interested in eating it either of those ways so this is what he came up with. 

Chocolate sauce! He said it tasted like a funnel cake :) I had already eaten more than I should have so I didn't try it, but I'll take a bite next time!

Here is the recipe I use. 

German Pancakes

4 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon almond extract

1 pinch salt 1/2 stick butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

1.	Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2.	In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk  & almond extract and stir. Gradually whisk in flour and salt.
3.	Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.
4.	Bake until puffed and lightly browned around the edges. Remove promptly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Babies

Scott discovered three baby robins in the shed the other day!

Three baby Robins! 

I love checking on them in the morning when I go out to pick the squash. I was surprised to find they already flew the coop! That was short lived but fun!

Looks like we are once again empty nesters :(

Buffalo Beals Animal Park

Yesterday in Catawba County there was an agricultural tour/fair also known as Agri-Tourism Day where farms were open to the public (most for free). Scott's Aunt Vickie and her 2 kids joined me at Buffalo Beals Animal Park for a little morning fun.

We decided to buy some feed so we could interact with the animals. It was a great choice that provided much entertainment and laughs! I could have spent hours petting the animals and feeling their velvety lips taking the grains from my palm.  They animals had so much personality!

They had a great variety of animals too! Camels, zebra, monkeys, buffalo, highland cattle, porcupine, kangaroo, various birds and many more. The animals looked well taken care of too which was a big  plus.

There was also a picnic area with a playground and bounce house that the boys enjoyed. They were a little crazy doing flips and everything! The boys rode a pony & horse for the first time and seemed to love it! I was so proud of them for trying something new.

What a wonderful day we had spending time together and learning about the animals. This a a place I will go back to again and again as long as the kids are willing to go with me!

Like I said earlier, I loved feeding the animals. I think I even made a new best friend.

Feed me!!

Fingers taste so good too!

So happy!

I am already looking forward to my next visit! 

Summer Squash Harvest

Our yellow squash is out of control! We started harvesting already and have given away about as much as we have eaten for ourselves!

I can tell we are going to have squash coming out our ears pretty soon. Any great recipes out there that I need to try?

Veggie Garden

With all of the weird weather we've had the last few weeks, our garden is growing like crazy! Mix the rain & heat and we have all the advantages (or disadvantages for us humans) of a hot house. 

At first people laughed at our garden because we didn't plant much, but now people are commenting on how well it is doing! Looks like this city girl has a little more up her sleeve than I get credit for!

3 big tomato & 4 cherry tomato plants.

Already showing signs of a good harvest! 

Pepper plant that produces 4 varieties. 

Yellow straight neck squash. 

Peaches! 

The star of the show would have to be the squash. The 4 plants we have are doing so well and we have already started harvesting them! The tomatoes will start rolling in soon, there are already lots of green tomatoes on the vines. We also planted green & white cucumbers that are getting off to a slow start, but I am confidant they will catch up with the rest of the crop. 

I have such big plans for next year. I will admit, keeping the weeds out has not been easy and I have let the last 1/4 of the garden space we tilled up to grow back. I figured since I haven't planted anything, whats the harm right?

Back Deck - Outdoor Living

In order to get the most out of our back deck we have made a few improvements. We initially got off to a great start (you can read about it here). Since then Scott and I took some time to stain the deck to insure we get as much life out of it as possible!

It took 2 full days of work, 1 paint brush that will never see the light of day again and near heat stroke but it finally got done!

The stain not only brought out the natural grain in the wood but will protect it from the elements.

We also added a grill! After a lot of research and visiting 4 different stores for some hands on comparison, a decision was made and a grill was bought! Just in time too as we were having everyone over on Saturday for a cook out.

I even got a chair to help me with my tan :)

It is really coming together quite nicely isn't it?!

Freezer Jam

I caught strawberries on sale and bought to many to eat so naturally I made some freezer jam! I like as my jam pretty smooth so I whipped out my food processor.

I love my food processor and use it on the regular!

 The final product turned out lovely.

Mmm jam!

I have already gone through a container. English muffins, PB&J, by the spoonful... This stuff sure does go fast! 

Hickory Half Marathon

On Saturday I had the opportunity to go and support Scott's brother Rodney as he participated in the Hickory half Marathon that supports a variety of different charities in the area. I told him since no one else was able to go that I would be as loud as I could so he could feel my love and support for the whole family.

I started by making a sign with Nora (my sister) helping me come up with something to say.

A work in progress. 

Waking up before the sun, I got ready and headed to Down Town Hickory. The race started at 6:30 am so the runners wouldn't have to have the sun beating down on them. With a little pre-run pep talk I wished Rodney all the luck in the world and set off to find a place to cheer him on. 

The course was somewhat of a figure 8 around town starting and ending at the same place. That made it convenient for me as I could pretty much stay in a 2 block radius and be able to cheer (very loudly for that matter!) him on as he started, half way through and of course as he crossed the finish line. 

Rodney did great! 13.1 miles in under 2 hours and finished strong with a sprint to the end! I could not be more proud of him. Out of over 500 participants I believe he finished 132. Good Job Rodney - Looking forward to your next one! 

Murray's Mill Round 2

After church on Sunday Scott and I were able to visit Murray's Mill again. If you remember, last time we tried to go (here) it was closed for the season.

For $5 a ticket we were able to explore the grounds and go on a self guided tour of the museum that features all of the machines used in processing the wheat and making flour and other various items. Scott enjoyed weighing himself on the corn scale (which was pretty accurate) and the pond behind the dam. He kept telling me how much he would like to fish in it!

I loved all of the old machines and the freedom you have to explore the area. They also have a general store with old fashioned candy as well as post cards and cook books. It features local honey and hand crafted goods. In the fall the mill has a festival that I would love to check out!

We were also able to enjoy a little time together on a nature walk along the stream where we saw turtles (also known as cooters) bugs, fish, snakes and my personal favorite - honey suckle.

Caterpillar of some sort. 

Giant turtle. 

As we were walking I asked Scott what I was smelling that was so sweet and he pointed out the yellow and white flowers that filled the air with their wonderful perfume. Wondering if we could plant some in out yard, Scott quickly told me it would take over everything as it is very invasive. None the less, I fell in love with it.

Honey suckle in all its glory! 

Historic Murray's Mill tops the list of things in the area to show our visitors. Maybe next time we'll pack a picnic and make a day of it!

Little Friends

Scott and I have quite the collection of little critters who want to join our family. Most recently was a Frog that found its way into a bag of flower bulbs in the garage.

I was told there was a new friend for me in the garage and at first I though it was a snake!

The frog was jumping disparately to get out of the bag (still not sure how he got in) and Scott scooped him up and set him free!

Free at last! 

Unfortunately the picture of the frog didn't turn out well, but he was a cute little bugger.

We also have a  huge ground hog that has been hanging out by the tree line. He is a little to fast and I haven't been able to get a shot of him, but Scott was able to find a few of his holes.

Ground hog tunnel. 

This doesn't do it justice. The holes are huge, like big enough to lose a small child... We have located 3 so far. As long as he doesn't get into my garden we won't have a problem.

There has also been bunny sightings, deer tracks and a mouse here and there. Welcome to country living! 

Home Front

Lots of things going on here at our compound! We had someone come out and grade the front yard  where the property meets the road so we have less of a ditch. The original plan was to have just one side done, however the man working on it was a super star and ended up being able to do the whole thing for less than the quote for half!! This was one of those "Yea God" moments where you know He was looking out for us!

On the East side of the driveway there was a 15(or so) foot drop from the grass to the road which is what we had planned on fixing. Also, they way the rain water washes down the side of the driveway creates a groove that was eating away at the ground under the cement. This was Scott's main concern as we didn't want to risk damaging the integrity of the driveway if it continued to make our very own Grand Canyon.

Back filling using the dirt from the front ditch. 

Thankfully the man was able to use the dirt from the front to back fill along the driveway, not only keeping our cost down (again, thank you Lord!) but allowing him to complete it all in a day's work.

Adding the tile.

He was also able to expand the storm drain with a cement tile Scott already had to allow the driveway area to widen a bit.

After all of the work was done with the grading the real work started! Scott spread grass seed and lime (I think) before the both of us threw straw on top to prevent it from blowing away with the wind. It took a few hours of back breaking labor, but it will all be worth it when the grass grows in!

East Side

View from across the street. 

West side. 

There is still a ditch to control the rain water down the street, but the improvement is pretty amazing. On the East side is it still pretty steep, however since it is no longer just a dramatic drop it will be much more manageable.

I am anxious for the grass to grow in! I'll keep you posted on the progress!