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 :(